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 […]
Your A-Z Guide to Funding Your Woman-Owned Business
by Marcia Layton Turner Finding capital to start or grow a business is challenging. But if you know the lingo of the financial community, you may be able to get a leg up — or at least uncover other sources of funding you weren’t aware of. The following is WomensNet’s A to Z guide to […]
Consider These Tips from FedEx when Applying for its Small Business Grants
FedEx media relations pro Gretchen Mathis was kind enough to answer a series of questions WomensNet posed regarding FedEx’s small business grant contest. The 2019 winners were just announced (April 2019), so use these suggestions to prepare for the 2020 round. The last paragraph of Mathis’ response offers suggestions for what you can start doing […]
Identifying The Best Mentor For you
by Dr. Sydney Richardson Dr. Sydney Richardson currently serves as Dean of College and Career Readiness at Forsyth Technical Community College. After years of facilitating workshops on mentorship, teamwork, and professional development, she launched Rae of Knowledge (RoK), a company that assists businesses and organizations in achieving their goals using relational strategies. Dr. Richardson resides […]
Tips for Writing a Winning Amber Grant Application
Free money for startup businesses is extremely scarce. So it’s important to invest time in putting your best foot forward in every grant application you submit, including WomensNet’s Amber Grant program. That doesn’t mean preparing a business plan-length tome but, rather, hitting hard on why your business or product is viable and worthy of funding. […]
Catching up with Amber Grant Winner Imagiread
by Tiffany Rachann, Founder of Imagiread I remember it like it was yesterday. Scrolling through Facebook, looking at posts with absolutely no enthusiasm. Life was low. Houston had just experienced the worst hurricane in history only three months prior with a rainfall exceeding 20 inches. Thousands of families lost their homes and everything within. There was a […]
How to Manage Your Personal Finances as a Business Owner
by Dr. Andrea Johnson Andrea is the owner of ANJ Consulting Services, where she assists clients with developing solutions to their financial problems through individual consulting, workshops, and courses. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology (North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina State University respectively), a doctoral degree in Leadership Studies […]
Catching up with Amber Grant Winner Hey Paddle
In July of 2017, we received an application from a unique business that provided fitness classes on stand up paddle boards. (Neat, right?) That business — Hey Paddle — was selected for an Amber Grant. Co-founder Becca Tongsinoon impressed us with her business smarts, go-getter attitude and vision for the future. Well, about a year-and-a-half […]
Digital Marketing: What You Need to Know
by Kristy LaPlante Kristy is a senior digital marketing leader specializing in cross-channel digital media planning and strategy. Her work includes strategic + tactical digital marketing across retail, CPG, travel, media, entertainment, finance, healthcare, and non-profit sectors. She is the Founder of Insight DCS, a consulting firm for small businesses, and teaches Digital Marketing and Analytics […]
15 Best Business Plan Competitions for Startup Entrepreneurs
by Marcia Layton Turner Many members of the WomensNet community have asked us about more opportunities to get start-up money. Well, here’s an idea that might help you. Business plan creation is an exercise required of many MBA students, as a teaching tool, which is why many colleges and universities sponsor business plan competitions – to […]
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