1000 Great Giveaways Could be Yours!

Today I have been busy working on the 1000 Great Giveaways for the WE Magazine for Women Blog and I am happy to report that the pages have gone live! The purpose of 1000 GREAT Giveaways is to Market 1000 FREE Offers on the WEB and share them with readers of WE Magazine for Women.

And I NEED YOUR HELP!

We are working on a list of resources that are available for FREE to our readers and I am looking for CONTENT!

If you have valuable resources you would like to add to our list, let me know! If you have audio programs, ecourses, ebooks, consulting, coaching and mentoring, special reports or whitepapers, training programs and videos to share with the world, you can send them to our editorial team to review for possible inclusion.I

n addition, you can view the pages containing the links to our current directory of FREE offers and download those of interest to you.

To see what we currently have to offer and to review our submission guidelines, visit 1000 Great Giveaways at http://www.1000greatgiveaways.com/ Today!

Feel free to share this message to women and men you know might be of interest to them.

Thanks for your help! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Heidi

Cyber Monday... Are You Buying or Selling?

Do you know what today is? It’s Cyber Monday!

According to Wikipedia “The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick-and-mortar stores, "Cyber Monday" symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores. The idea has not survived the test of time (see below), however, Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation's Shop.org division, in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions.”

And according to KansasCity.com, “The Internet will influence 30 percent of holiday sales this year, up from 29 percent last year, and men are more likely to shop from work than women, according to Shop.org. Adults 18-24 are more likely to shop online from work than any other age group, at 73 percent.”

Many large retailers around the world are offering discounts for those who shop online. Home Shopping Network for instance, is offering a 15% discount to their already heavily discounted prices; Kmart, Target and Staples have specific product offerings you can only get online on Cyber Monday.

Want to save BIG? Check out AllDiscountCouponcodes.com for online coupons for some great discounts. .

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESSES ONLINE? Feel free to post your online promotions in the comments section. Let’s see how you are taking advantage of CYBER MONDAY.

And if you would like to save money while you support a worthy cause, visit http://www.cybermonday.com// . All Shop.org proceeds from CyberMonday.com sales will be donated to the Ray M. Greenly Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for students interested in an eCommerce career.

Happy Cyber Monday... and more!

Heidi

111 Women Bloggers - List Reads Like a Who's Who!

“Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.” Denis Waitley

If you have been following this blog, you know that once a week we add women to our list of bloggers. And after the last post, our list was up to 85 outstanding women! Weare adding 26 more women bloggers to our list today. Thank makes it 111 as of today. Whoo hooo!

This list reads like a who's who among women bloggers. And in case you were wondering, many of these women will also be listed in the WECAI WIKI "Who's Who Among Women in eCommerce." So stay Tuned!

Introducing this week's list of women bloggers we have been following . . .

1. Startup Spark with Shannon Cherry - http://www.startupspark.com/

2. Tracy Repchuk Internet Marketing http://www.tracyrepchuk.com/

3. SuperViva with Susie – http://www.superviva.com/

4.ALLIED by Jeneane Sessum http://allied.blogspot.com/

5. Indie Business Blog with Donna Johnson - http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/indie_business/

6. Women’s Leadership Success with Sabrina Braham http://www.womensleadershipsuccess.com/

7. Evelyn David's Amazon Blog at http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNKTI42DPRYLLFU

8. Invincibelle with Deepika Bajaj and Friends at http://www.invincibelle.com/post.php?page_id=99

9. Reality Business Coach with Krista Baker at http://www.realtybizcoach.com/

10. Search Marketing Gurus with Li Evans at http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com/

11. Me Ra Koh Photography with Me Ra http://www.merakohblog.com/

12. Laurel Papworth’s Online Communities at http://silkcharm.blogspot.com/

13. Smart Girls Know with Debbie Reber http://www.smartgirlsknow.com/

14. WAHM Business Opportunities blog with Angela Shupe and Dane Carlson. http://wahm.business-opportunities.biz/

15. Woman Honor Thyself with Angel http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/

16. Painter Girl with Carol Leonesio http://paintit.typepad.com/

17. DevChix by Nola Stowe, Jennifer Stander, Liz Cortel, and Desi McAdam http://www.devchix.com/

18. Susan Cline - http://www.susanbcline.com/blog%20%20

19. Rebecca Kidder at http://www.thebecca.net/

20. Tam Gray of Senior Women Web House - http://house.seniorwomen.com/

21. Angela Wills Internet Profit Planning http://internetprofitplanning.com/blog/

22. Alice Seba of Internet Marketing Sweetie Blog http://www.internetmarketingsweetie.com/blog/

23. Stacy Blackman Consulting http://blog.stacyblackman.com/

24. Cars Diva Blog blog.carsdiva.com. Demetra Markopoulos

25. Laurie Perry aka Crazy Aunt Purl http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/

26. Women on Business with Susan Gunelius http://womenonbusiness.com/

Wishing each of you continued success in your online adventures.

Warmest regards,

Heidi

Who's Who Among Women in eCommerce

"I've always known I was gifted, which is not the easiest thing in the world for a person to know, because you're not responsible for your gift, only for what you do with it "
Hazel Scott Trinidad-US pianist, singer, writer.

The WECAI Network recently announced their plans to unveil the 2007-2008 list of Who's Who Among Women in eCommerce and are actively seeking women to add to the list.

If you are a women who does business on the web (either via a website or a blog), you may join the WECAI WIKI and submit your name and URL for inclusion in this list.

If you would like to know more about the list visit http://www.wecaiwiki.com/. You can join the WECAI WIKI and add your favorite women in ecommerce to the list (including you).

The list will be unveiled in mid-December 2007.

The WECAI Network, also known as the Women's eCommerce Association, International is a 501c6 not for profit organization whose mission is "to help women do MORE business on and off the WEB. You can read more about the WECAI Network at http://www.wecai.org/.

Show Her the MONEY - Business Grants Part Two

Last week (Novmeber 1st) I posted about grants scholarships and loans for women and since then have discovered a few more.

So here is Part Two:

Golden Seeds is a New York-based angel group that “supports women entrepreneurs and investors to achieve business and financial success.” About one third of their investments are consumer-product companies, according to the WSJ.

The Stephen Bufton Memorial Education Fund (SBMEF) is the national scholarship fund of the American Business Women's Association. The fund is divided in half. One half is for outright scholarship grants; the other half is for interest free loans. It is open to Women who have completed at least two years of College (sophomore level). Membership in ABWA is not required to apply for this fund. For more information and to apply visit: http://www.abwa.org/tools/scholarships/SBMEFActionGuide.pdf

Creating Economic Opportunities for Women (C.E.O. Women) recently announced The Women Connected Venture Fund, C.E.O. Women's pioneering micro-equity grant initiative. C.E.O. Women is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women through teaching English, communications and entrepreneurship skills, so they can establish successful livelihoods.

Soroptomist Clubs - (which boasts 45,000 members in the U.S.) offers scholarships on the basis of need or domestic violence or drug and alcohol abuse recovery. Local clubs handle all the scholarship applications.

Talbots Women's Scholarships can be found at: http://www.talbots.com/about/scholar/scholar.asp

Raise The Nation is a non-profit organization that helps women looking for a scholarship for single moms. They also have a loan repayment program for single mothers unable to repay their loans. There are requirements that need to be met: a record showing strong community service or volunteerism.

Women In Business Scholarships The scholarship award of US$5,000 given by Zonta International may be used for tuition, books or living expenses at any university, college or institution offering accredited business courses and degrees

Web of Benefit has grants too - check them out at: webofbenefit.org.

If you know of any grants for women that are not listed here, be sure and let me know.

Happy Hunting!

Heidi

Creating Your Ta-Da List!

“I’d rather be small and shine, than big and cast a shadow.” Unknown

When it comes to success, many of us loose site of just how much have accomplished in a day, a week, a month, a year and even a lifetime. How good are you at celebrating your successes? Or do you tend to focus on your faults and failures more? A wise woman once said “We must learn from our mistakes. However don’t let them consume you or you will never achieve greatness.

Celebrate your successes no matter how small or trivial they may seem. After all, that is where the real joy in life comes from.”Here are some ways you can review and celebrate your successes.

As the year comes to a close, look back at the last several months and make a list of 20 accomplishments. This may be difficult for you to do as you review the past year. You may only come up with 5 or 10 things. That’s okay! Start there. Add to it as you think of more. Ask your family and friends what they think you have accomplished. You will be amazed at how quickly your list will grow.

The next thing to do is to start writing down all the things you accomplished each day. At the end of the day, list 2-5 (or more) things that you accomplished that day (no matter how trivial they may seem).

You can buy a simple journal and call it your Success Journal. Keep it near you at all times so that when you have reached one of your goals, a milestone or accomplished a simple task, it is handy for you to write in.

The Ta-da list is a great counterbalance for your to-do list and you will find that you have accomplished more than you thought you had. In addition, the ta-da list creates an emotional spark to your soul often giving you the encouragement you need to keep on keeping on with the goals you have set for yourself.

And finally, when you have 5-10 things on your list (or even one) REWARD YOURSELF! Go to the spa, get a manicure, take half a day off, go to a museum, buy a new pair of shoes J (my personal favorite) and remember to pat yourself on the back. I have one friend who every time she accomplished a major goal, she bought herself a trophy! The “AWARDS” guy loved her… She has so many now that she spends the money on supporting worthy causes. This makes her feel good and she spreads her success around.

To your Success!

Heidi

Our Women Bloggers List Grows!

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased." - Katherine Hepburn

As you know, we have been posting women bloggers for some time now. They come from all walks of life and professional backgrounds. That's what makes this so fun and interesting. In fact, throughout this journey I have met some wonderful women and made meaningful connections.

In fact, during a discussion on LinkedInPowerForum we were asked to list our blogs and I currently have 3 + (3 active and one I have not yet started posting to). Here's what one woman wrote:

"Heidi, I have to tell you - I just moved from running a large technology non-profit association while working at a consulting firm, to working for a start-up, and looking at your list of things makes me feel exhausted! I just checked out your 3 blogs and wow - lots of really great information on there.

I would also encourage you to be a speaker at the BlogHER conference that began here in SF (and is traveling I believe) because you'd be a great asset to their speaker list."
Kristen Kuhns, Eravita, Inc. - STORY OF MY LIFE - www.storyofmylife.com

This is so exciting because I was just visited BlogHER and plan to be at the convention in July 2008. I invite you to check out Kristen's site, Story of My Life. What a great tool for all of us who wish to continue our legacy. Also, be sure to check out the BlogHER Conference in 2008. I hope to see you there!

As promised, here are a few more women bloggers (20 to be exact) I have found while surfing out and about - more great additions to our list on the Virtual Woman's Blog.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the following:

Vanessa Bader - http://www.vanessabader.com/blog/

Donna DeClemente - http://www.donnadeclemente.typepad.com/

Frugal Upstate with Jenn - http://frugalupstate.blogspot.com/2007/10/compiling-frugal-work-wardrobe-guest.html

On Track and On Purpose with Ann Hession - http://annhession.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/whats-your-plan/

Women’s History Today with Allison Frederick - http://inspiration4women.blogspot.com/

The Measurement Standard with Katie Delahaye Paine -http://kdpaine.blogs.com/themeasurementstandard/2007/10/social-media-me.html

Click Newz with Lynn Terry - http://www.clicknewz.com/1072/5-questions-for-online-business-women/

Lindsey Pollack - http://lindseypollak.blogspot.com/2007/10/recommended-event-women-in-technology.html

Confident Writing with Joanna Young - http://coachingwizardry.typepad.com/confident_writing/

Kt The Astrology with Kelly Fox - http://theastrologer.com/blog/

Truly Ace with Amanda Vlahakis - http://www.trulyace.com/blog/

Christy’s Coffee Break with Christy - http://christyscoffeebreak.blogspot.com/

In the Line of Wire with Jehan Ara - http://jehanara.wordpress.com/

Home with Heather - http://homewithheather.com/

Mommy Revenue Blog with Rhonda White - http://mommyrevenue.com/

Magnolia PR with Adrienne Dorsey - http://magnoliapr.livejournal.com/

A successful woman by Monica S. Flores - http://www.asuccessfulwoman.com/success/

Writing USA with Michele Pariza - http://www.writingusa.com/blog/

Becoming a Woman of Purpose with Caroline Townes - http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/

A Girl's Gotta Spa Blog with Shannon - http://gottaspa.blogspot.com/

Be sure and stop by their blogs and say Hi! Tell them "Heidi Sent You."

Heidi

Show Her the Money!

"Is there really free money for my small business?" That is a question many women entrepreneurs ask themselves when starting their businesses and when they need capital to expand or revamp their growing companies.

Are you a female entrepreneur that is in the need of a small business loan or business grant? Are you in need of free money to begin a business but don’t know where to start? If these questions have crossed your mind of late don’t worry because there IS hope for your business. It comes in the form of grants, scholarships and loans. None of which is necessarily easy to obtain and yet, they are not impossible either. The biggest challenge is where to find them? And how to go about getting them once you do?

These grants, loans and scholarships come in many forms. From private investors, to banks to corporations, to associations, to banks and event governments. For instance, if you live in the United States, the government designates several million dollars in government grant money to assist small and personal businesses to flourish. And the sad news is that literally millions of dollars are left unclaimed (unapplied for) each and every year due to a lack of knowledge of these government grant programs.

By now you are probably asking yourself, “How can I receive more information about small business grants?” Finding and identifying sources for grants, loans and scholarships requires time, effort, and research.

Getting grants is not easy, it takes work – sometimes hours of research and then there’s the application process, which is daunting to most small business owners. And I don’t care what the advertisements say when they tell that you can get "free money" just by writing a letter. That is simply not true. Especially when it comes to grants. There is a lot of competition for funding. You have to be able to write a good proposal that clearly states your objectives and includes all the criteria the grant fund requests including what you are going to do with the money.

The main reason you might want a grant is because you don’t have pay back the money you receive. Once you determine if you qualify for a specific grant, you must be prepared to work for it or hire a grant writing professional to assist you.

If you want to learn to write a grant proposal yourself I suggest you check out your local Community Foundation or similar philanthropic training organization. These organizations are the first place I look to for workshops on grant writing. They are generally affordable and given by experts who have been doing the work for years.

If the do-it-yourself route is the route for you, here are a few resources help you in your grant and proposal writing:

Sample Grant Proposal #1 courtesy of the American Philanthropy http://web.archive.org/web/20010216073923/http:/www.charitychannel.com/GuestShare/Wendy_Norris/

Sample Grant Proposal #2 http://web.archive.org/web/20001218024300/http:/charitychannel.com/GuestShare/Tim_Puffer/

Sample Business Plans and Checklists can be found at eBizTechNet.com http://www.ebiztechnet.com/cgi-bin/links/links.pl?passurl=/Business/Small_Business/Resources/Business_Plans_and_Checklists/ (you must register to access the pages)

Jump Up – The Place to Start a business - Want to calculate start-up costs, cash flow, and break-even? You will find calculators and links to templates and sample plans at: http://jumpup.intuit.com/tools/planning/tools_services

Check out this Interactive Business Planner (a free service that uses the Internet to assist entrepreneurs in preparing a 3-year business plan for their new or existing business. It’s located here: http://www.canadabusiness.ca/ibp/home_en.cfm

In addition to all the business grants and loans available to small business owners, there are several organizations, associations and corporations that provide scholarships to help you expand your mind and your business.

As with grants, loans require a significant application process generally beginning with a business plan, budget and other important documentation.

The challenge is where to start? If you are a member of one of these associations and organizations or know of some in your area you can contact them to find out what scholarships they have available to women. In my experience these types of local scholarships get very few applicants making your chances of getting one (provided you qualify) quite good.

In addition to the two listed below, be sure to check out the list of 100 Grants, Loans and Scholarships recently published in WE Magazine for Women blog at http://wemagazineforwomen.com/100-grants-loans-scholarships-for-women/

There is even a list of Angel Investors and a Directory of where to find more Angels.

Wishing you much success in your search for money,

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO – The WECAI Network™ - “Helping Women Do MORE Business on and off the WEB™”