Where to Find Good Business Advice
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to find reliable, useful advice from people who know what they’re talking about. Sure, everyone has opinions, but which are the opinions worth listening to? It can be hard to distinguish between people who’ve been there, done that and can share how they handled a situation similar to yours […]
Amber Grant Application Critique: HEART Mobile CPR
Shawna Bobst, RN’s Amber Grant application for HEART Mobile CPR is a great example of a business that evolved from side hustle to full-fledged business. There is no question that there is demand at some level for CPR training in her area, however, there were some missing pieces of information that kept Shawna out of […]
Negotiating Tips for Renting Space During a Pandemic
It’s no surprise that the pandemic, coupled with governmental stay-at-home orders, has dramatically impacted the commercial real estate market. While some organizations are realizing they may have more workspace than they need and are considering downsizing, other companies are strategizing how to negotiate or renegotiate new or existing leases. According to Andrew Weinberger, founder and […]
Amber Grant Application Critique: RAW Designs
Rachel Waddell’s Amber Grant application for RAW Designs made clear right up top what the business was all about, but then pivoted, along with the business’s products, into a new product and market during the pandemic. Trying to grow two businesses at a time is even harder than focusing on one, which is one reason […]
Best Uses of Business Startup Funds
Congratulations! You saved, borrowed, and/or successfully landed an investment from others to get your business up-and-running. You’re officially an entrepreneur. And now you’re wondering how to make the best use of the funds at your disposal, to grow your company and set it up for long-term success. There are a million different ways you could […]
4 Tools to Help You Spot Trends and Future Opportunities
Business owners who stay on top of trends have the chance to pounce on new opportunities that emerge, rather than missing out and having to play catch-up. This is true whether we’re talking about toy retailers trying to guess what the hottest new plaything will be this holiday season, publicists trying to gauge whether the […]
Amber Grant Application Critique: Earth Soul Alchemy LLC
Heather Powers’ and Sadie Galvin’s Amber Grant application for Earth Soul Alchemy, their natural healing venture, had a lot of good information, but was lacking some specifics that the WomensNet committee could have benefited from seeing. To help Heather and Sadie further refine their application and marketing message, the WomensNet advisory board went back through […]
Advice for Early Stage and Startup Grant Applicants
It’s often hard to know what to write in grant applications. You may wonder what the people reading your application want to hear about your business or your future plans. What can you tell them that will help them see how successful your business could be with their financial support, you may ask yourself? And […]
How to Promote Your Products When You Can’t Sell in Person
The pandemic created challenges for all businesses, but especially for product-based companies with a brick-and-mortar or face-to-face sales process. If you can’t meet with customers in person, how can you sell to them, many business owners wondered. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can pivot your face-to-face business to market and sell online. […]
8 Tips for Holding Zoom Meetings from Home
With many in-person meetings temporarily halted, online meetings on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts have become the new normal. And while the content of many meetings may be much the same, there is a new set of behavior standards everyone needs to learn. Instead of walking into a room and taking a […]
Amber Grant Application Critique: Granite Performance
Torey Lee Brooks’ Amber Grant application for Granite Performance, her youth athlete coaching program, was strong in a lot of areas, but missed some information that would have made it a stronger contender. The WomensNet advisory board went back through the application, line by line, to try and point out the strengths and weaknesses, in […]
How to write a short-but-effective business plan
When you hear the term “business plan,” you probably picture a book-length document filled with pages and pages of financial statements. That’s what many of us picture, because that’s what many of us were taught a business plan should look like. It had to be long and full of details regarding your idea, how you’ll […]
Winning Grant Funding Propelled Access Trax Forward
A course in assistive technology changed Kelly Twichel’s and Eric Packard’s career paths. The two were in graduate school in 2016 at the University of St. Augustine studying to become occupational therapists. As part of their coursework, the class teammates were challenged to invent a product that would assist individuals with disabilities in their daily […]
Why Kiva May be a Solid Option for Startup Funding
While grants that you don’t have to pay back are certainly a preferred means of getting the money needed to start a business, securing a low interest loan is a potential Plan B. As long as the interest rate is reasonable and payment term longer than a couple of years, financing your business’ growth through […]
7 Features of a Great Website
Note: This is the beginning of a weekly WomensNet Wednesday series where we’ll tackle topics relevant to entrepreneurs. Any content ideas/requests can be submitted via our Contact Us form. If there’s one business-related thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s how critical it is to have an online presence. With access restricted to physical stores, […]
7 Coronavirus Relief Grants for Small Business
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt far and wide, in homes and businesses small and large. With organizations from corporations to nonprofits to mom-and-pop shops now shut down temporarily, entrepreneurs and foundations are stepping up to offer support and some financial relief to small businesses. Although new grant and loan programs are […]
Facebook is Rolling out $100 million in Cash Grants and Ad Credits
As the United States hunkers down to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19, many companies and government agencies are ramping up efforts to reduce the financial impact of the near-nationwide mandate to shelter in place. Facebook is one of them. Said Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg on a post on her Facebook page, “In […]
Lessons Learned from Amber Grant Winners – February 2020
Since our goal is to help women entrepreneurs start, run, and grow successful businesses, we decided to ask past Amber Grant winners for advice they would want to share with you. Here are some words of wisdom straight from them: Develop a business plan “A great product (or service) is only one ingredient in the […]
Lessons Learned from an Amber Grant Recipient
Since our goal is to help women entrepreneurs start, run, and grow successful businesses, we decided to ask past Amber Grant winners for advice they would want to share with you. First up is our 2019 annual Amber Grant winner, Amy Mitchell of Lisse Shave, who received a $25,000 check from us last month. Here’s […]
Earn a $5,000 Grant Toward Your Business Education
Early-stage woman-owned businesses looking for educational support should consider applying to be a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow. Applications are due by November 19, 2019. Up to 50 Tory Burch Foundation Fellows will be selected and asked to commit to participate in a one-year program that includes: A $5,000 grant to be invested in their business […]
5 Lessons I Learned During My First Year in Business
That first year in business is one of the hardest. You’re learning how to sell your products and services while simultaneously figuring out how to build a business. It’s a lot like flying a plane while you build it, as the saying goes. The good news is that the vast majority of small businesses do […]
12 No-Cost or Low-Cost Marketing Tools
We recently received a question from an e-mailer who said, “I’d like to hear about no or low-cost marketing tools and ideas. Promoting a business as an independent woman operating as a team of one has its challenges.” We agreed and wanted to offer some ideas for getting more bang for your marketing buck. 12 […]
8 Government Resources to Help Women Business Owners
Believe it or not, the US government wants your small business to be successful. That’s because small businesses are a major growth engine for the US economy, so it’s in the government’s best interest to help new companies get started and to support existing businesses in need of guidance or capital. As of 2018, 30.2 […]
Tips from Fundera for Creating a Strong Video for its Zach Grant Program
Fundera’s Nicolas Straut was happy to answer questions about the company’s $2,500 Zach Grant program for small businesses. But before we get there, let’s look at their process, per Fundera’s website: How to Apply: 1. Like and follow Fundera on Facebook. 2. Record a 3 minute video responding to the question: “Why did you start your […]
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