Newsroom Press Releases Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence Launches a New Online Community Powered by KickApps
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence Launches a New Online Community Powered by KickApps |
Website Brings Together Women Business Owners For Growth and Job CreationNEW YORK, May 6, 2009–Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence (http://www.countmein.org), the leading national not-for-profit provider of business resources and community support for women entrepreneurs, and KickApps (http://www.kickapps.com), the industry’s leading on-demand social media, video player and widget platform, today announced the launch of a new online community for women entrepreneurs who are competing to reach their 2009 revenue goals on Count Me In’s, Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE (M3RACE). Built on the KickApps platform, the online community connects women business owners (WBOs) with other WBOs who are committed to building their businesses. Through the online community, WBOs will be able to achieve their goals more quickly and more confidently by sharing their stories and challenges with each other, and connecting with the many resources offered to women in the M3RACE at makemineamillion.org (http://makemineamillion.org). “Count Me In has a very powerful ability to unite people interested in the success of women entrepreneurs,” said Timothy Aston, vice president of technology, Count Me In. “Our community’s enthusiasm is at the core of our movement and at the heart of that are the women and the connections they make with Count Me In’s coaches, business experts and sponsors. These constituents all come together and collaborate on the unique business challenges that face women entrepreneurs today.” Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, with founding sponsor American Express OPEN, announced the launch of the M3RACE in January 2009. The M3RACE is a year-long business growth marathon bringing together thousands of women entrepreneurs to network online and compete in a race to grow their businesses and create jobs in the United States. “Start it, save it or grow it” is a mantra of the M3RACE, which is providing a platform for women to start new businesses, offering lifelines to those businesses looking for help, and supplying healthy businesses with resources to grow to the next level. Every new business creates a minimum of one job, addressing a critical need in these challenging economic times. The M3 RACE is addressing economic turmoil and joblessness head-on and empowering women business owners to be a driving growth engine for the U.S. economy. “Count Me In’s online community is a great example of what social media can do to bring people together with shared interests and enable them to support each other,” said Alex Blum, CEO, KickApps. “Online communities are very effective at enabling organizations and businesses to tap into a collective pool of expertise and knowledge and ultimately help individuals advance a given cause, in this case, Women Business Owners. KickApps is delighted to help Count Me In and its members achieve their goals through the use of social media.” The Online Community was designed and built by Method Inc. (http://www.method.com). The website features a social network where members can create an online profile about themselves, friend other members of the community, upload blogs, photos and videos, engage in conversations with other members on message boards, and comment, rate and tag content that has been created and uploaded by other members. Additionally, members can easily share community content, and spread awareness, with family and friends on any website, major social networks and blogs. “The social media industry has a lot to offer advocacy organizations, and these organizations have much to gain from companies like KickApps,” said Alexa Raad, CEO, .ORG, The Public Interest Registry, the company that manages the definitive directory for all .ORG domain names. “We see the power of organizing and mobilizing people using the Internet every day to build and collaborate on ideas, and we’re very excited to see Count Me In embrace the web in this manner to further their cause.” Women own more than 10 million businesses, yet only 2.6% or 242,000 report more than $1 million in revenue, with the majority generating revenues below $50,000. All across America, women entrepreneurs are ready to do their part to stimulate the economy by building their businesses, starting new ventures, and creating jobs in every community across the country. The M3RACE inspires women to challenge themselves and each other to realize their vision for the company and reach their revenue targets. Just like walk/run marathons, women can choose their own pace for their 2009 business revenue goal: $250,000, $500,000, or $1,000,000 or more. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $100,000 cash prize and a year of marketing, advertising and media opportunities. The judging criteria include both quantitative business metrics as well as qualitative assessments of business potential. Runner-up winners from all 50 states and in 15 business sectors will receive a prize package including one-on-one business coaching, technology products, media exposure, access to new markets, and products and services to help them manage their families and households. M3 Racers will also gain valuable perspectives on entrepreneurship and its critical role in today's economy from Count Me In founder and chief executive officer Nell Merlino's business blog at http://www.readersdigest.com. Women can join the M3 RACE by logging on to http://www.makemineamillion.org. Registration will remain open until September 30, 2009. The M3 RACE ends on midnight, December 31, 2009 and winners will be announced in February 2010.
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