StartupNation Honors Empower Me! Corporation in Nation’s Top Home Businesses of 2009

Adrienne Graham's Empower Me! Corporation Wins Top Ten Honors in Business Competition in the Savviest in Social Media Category


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Atlanta, GA– Nov 17, 2009 – Atlanta, GA – Empower Me! Corporation http://www.empowerme.org has been recognized by StartupNation http://www.startupnation.com as a Top Ten business in its 2009 Home Based 100 competition under the category of Savviest in Social Media. http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/contestant/7515/index.php

Many of the StartupNation Home-Based 100 submissions revealed that business owners are bucking the current economic downturn and finding business success in these tight times. Historically some of today’s most well known businesses started in a downturn, including Microsoft and General Electric.

“The 2009 ranking shows that the home-based business is more relevant than ever. The current recession has spurred a new wave of home based businesses as a response to loss of jobs, the need for supplemental income and the sheer passion for blazing your own trail and running your own show,” said Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.com, one of the leading small business networking and advice websites. “Home based businesses are the biggest block of all businesses in existence and we expect numbers to grow ever greater as extra bedrooms, kitchen tables, basements and garages become host to the innovative thinking and pursuit of success by millions of Americans.”

“Being selected as a Top 10 winner in the Savviest in Social Media category is an incredible honor for me”, says Adrienne Graham, Founder & CEO of Empower Me! Corporation. “It shows that small business is what the country is built on, and that Social Media has leveled the playing field for more small businesses to grow and be created. This award has further solidified my expertise in Social Media and I am excited to see what’s to come as the field develops”.

The StartupNation Home-Based 100 highlights 10 top-ten lists making it not just your ordinary business ranking. From the wackiest, to the most innovative, to the savviest in social media – this unique and diverse list highlights the home-based businesses that usually go unrecognized, but still play a vital role in the economy today. MSN publishes the ranking as well in an editorial collaboration with StartupNation. The ten categories for 2009 include:

• Recession Busters
• Savviest in Social Media
• Most Innovative
• Boomers Back in Business
• Greenest
• Yummiest
• Wackiest
• Highest Vote-Getters
• Most Slacker-Friendly
• Most Glamorous

Empower Me! Corporation was selected from among thousands of contestants by a StartupNation judging panel, which issues the ranking results annually in the November. The full results of the Home-Based 100 ranking are available on StartupNation’s website at http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/. The 2009 ranking was sponsored by Microsoft Office Live, Infusionsoft and FedEx Office.


About Empower Me! Corporation
Empower Me! Corporation is a media, publishing and professional networking organization for the upwardly mobile professional woman. Empower Me! is the top resource for Professional women and the companies concerned with initiatives for the advancement of diverse Women in the work place. We celebrate the diversity of all women of all ethnicities and are sure to keep it fair and balanced showing all of our stories. Empower Me! is a professional lifestyle brand for the upwardly mobile Professional Woman who epitomizes & strives for professional success. It’s about Professional Women connecting and effectively netWORKING for the empowerment and success of self and others. Building relationships is vital. THAT is empowering. "Your success is my success" is the attitude we live by.

About StartupNation
StartupNation (www.startupnation.com) provides over 175,000 pages of business advice and networking for entrepreneurs and serves millions of entrepreneurs annually. StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs with the intention of providing a one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success, including blogs from small business experts, podcasts, forums, webcasts, eBooks, award-winning step-by-step advice, online and offline networking groups, and more.

StartupNation co-founders and “chief startupologists,” Rich Sloan and Jeff Sloan, are two of the country’s leading small business experts and run StartupNation from home to this very day. They speak frequently at entrepreneurial forums and act as sources for top media venues nationwide. They are authors of StartupNation: Open for Business, published by Doubleday, and provide their insights online at www.startupnation.com. The Sloans are regularly quoted and featured in media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News and many others.

About Microsoft Office Live
Microsoft Office Live is the award-winning service that offers a complete, affordable set of easy-to-use Internet-based tools that help small business owners create a professional web presence. More information is available at http://www.smallbusiness.officelive.com. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft, the leader in automatic follow-up software, helps small businesses grow fast by putting email marketing, CRM and e-commerce on auto-pilot, backing it with the 'Double Your Sales' guarantee. The privately held, three-year-named Inc. 500 company is based in Gilbert, Ariz. and is funded by Mohr Davidow Ventures and vSpring Capital.
Marketing and small business insight from the Infusionsoft team can be found on the Infusionsoft blog at www.infusionblog.com.


For more information, press only:
Rich Sloan, for StartupNation, (248) 766-2905, rich(at)StartupNation(dot)com

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And the Winners Are....

I want to thank everyone who entered the HP Laserjet Printer Giveaway. You all had very compelling entries and it was hard for my Interns to choose. I wish I could give one to each of you.

The winners have been announced this morning on my show Views From the Top for the HP Laserjet Printer giveaway. In case you missed it, the winners are: Alice, Tanisha, Lucy Jo and Sharon.

Ladies, thank you for your posts. My Interns have selected you as winners. Congratulations! Please email me for details. I hope your new printers help you with your endeavors.

Adrienne Graham Sphere: Related Content

Who Wants to Win an HP Laserjet Printer?

You know, I usually keep this blog strictly "business". But I am so happy I could burst. The wonderful folks over at HP have decided to allow me to give away....FOR FREE four HP printers to four of my readers. That's right, FOUR winners will be chosen. How cool is that!? I've been using HP for years and their printers are the only printers I've ever had. The quality is wonderful and I love the fact that I can do everything with my HP printer (fax, scan, print, copy). And let's not forget it's wireless! So why not share that experience with my readers?

Here are the rule. Comment here on my blog and tell me why winning one of these printers will add to your business or career. Maybe a new printer will help you with your professional resume. Or maybe it'll help you create stunning marketing material for your business. Whatever it will mean to you, please share. But you have to comment BEFORE Sunday at 5PM EST. I will announce the winners on Monday, 11/16 on my show Views From the Top. So make sure you enter by commenting here on the blog and leave your name and email address so you can be notified if you win.

Here's a little about HP:

HP LaserJet Giveaway

Since 1984, the HP LaserJet has become the gold standard of printing. After 25 years of continuous innovation and reliable, professional quality printing, HP LaserJet remains the brand businesses count on. In honor of this milestone, we are offering four HP LaserJet P1005 printers – HP’s smallest laser printing system – to you and your readers.

Business customers have looked to HP for 25 years to provide products and services that maximize performance and productivity. This week, we announced results from a study that looked at the challenges facing office managers and administrative assistants trying to do more with less – and highlighted how HP products provide the benefits and peace of mind our customers can count on. HP Office Manager Survey Results (Media Advisory)

In times like this, seemingly simple cost cutting measures can often backfire – like purchasing remanufactured toner cartridges because they are a few dollars less. This “penny wise, pound foolish” approach can actually cost businesses more in productivity (time wasted spent replacing cartridges that are fail to work) and financial resources (poor quality means reprinting pages multiple times). A recent study by QualityLogic found that 33% of the tested remanufactured toners experienced problems, including premature failure and poor print quality.¹ HP doesn’t think businesses should gamble their time and money on odds like that – with Original HP supplies, customers can count on consistent results and uncompromised quality.

¹A 2007 independent study, performed by QualityLogic Inc. and commissioned by HP, compared Original HP LaserJet print cartridges with nine brands of remanufactured toner cartridges sold in North America for the HP LaserJet 2300 (Q2473A) and HP LaserJet 4350 (Q5407A) printers. 24 cartridges were tested for each brand in the study. See the QualityLogic report (340 KB, PDF) for details.

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Leadership Lessons From the Top on Views From the Top

It doesn't have to be lonely at the top. Sometimes women feel they have so much more to prove than men, that they keep every task, project, or issue to themselves. This can lead to destruction if you're not careful. Ladies, you can be a leader and still delegate critical tasks to others, while maintaining control. There's no rule that says in order to be successful you HAVE to do it all. Join me as my guests and I discuss how women in top positions handle leadership and delegating. We will be discussing how to learn how to delegate in order to lead effectively, the pitfalls of not delegating, hiring the right people and deciding what should be delegated, and how to create an environment where people will gladly follow your lead because they believe in your vision and mission.

Tune in live at 9AM EST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/viewsfromthetop and join the conversation in the chat room. Call in with questions or comments at (347) 215-9362. Sphere: Related Content

Darden- UVA Women in Technology Event

I was recently invited to be a panelist at the Women in Technology event at the very prestigous Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. I am very honored and this is an exciting event. This event will be held on Monday, November 9th at 6PM EST. And rumor has it there will be a LIVE WEBCAST of this event too.

Make sure you check me out at the Darden-UVA Women in Technology Panel Nov. 9th- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192881438956

Here are the details:

Darden- UVA “Women in Technology” Panel
November 9, 2009
6:30-8:30pm
Abbott Auditorium
The Darden School

Hosted by Paul T. Harper, Director of Special Programming in Diversity, The Darden School

The purpose of this event is to bring recognition to a relatively invisible but important population in technology entrepreneurship. The women on this panel represent different styles of engagement with social media technologies. They are also great examples of the new business strategies that social media technologies have enabled. Please join The Darden School for what promises to be an eye-opening evening.

Moderator: Sonya Donaldson, Editor-At-Large for Technology, Black Enterprise Magazine.

Mary Spio, founder and President of Gen2media, created the digital media technology behind Star Wars Attack of the Clones, Ocean’s 11, and Planet of the Apes.

Adrienne Graham, Founder and CEO of Empower ME! Corporation, a professional networking company for women.

Shireen Mitchell, an entrepreneur who is also chair of Media and Technology Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations.

Angie Brement, Entrepreneur and blogger for “C’ville Entremoms.”

This event will be webcast live.

Please RSVP at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGs0U2NkS1ZvZzlHZnZjOUJaZlRfcHc6MA Sphere: Related Content

Are You a Power Brok(H)er™?

Nominate a Power Brok(H)er™

She’s savvy, successful and WELL CONNECTED. She always gets the job done and there’s nothing she can’t negotiate. She closes deals and never uses the glass ceiling or the “Ol Boys Network” as an excuse for her not to succeed. She is fearless and accountable. She takes no prisoners!

Do you know her? Maybe you ARE her!

Empower Me! is hosting the Power Brok(H)er™ contest. We are looking for women who personify just what it means to be a power broker.

Entry is relatively easy. Prepare a short video (under 5 minutes, no exceptions) showing key highlights of what makes you or your entrant a Power Brok(H)er™. It can include day to day business or job activities, closing deals, networking with key influencers, mentoring others, etc. You only get one shot, so make the video as meaningful and powerful as you can. Remember, it’s about Power Brok(H)ers, women of influence. It’s not for the timid or shy! The video must include the person being nominated, the reason why they are being nominated and what makes them a Power Brok(H)er™. We want to feel your message!

Go to our YouTube Channel and submit your video. You must SUBSCRIBE to our channel, add as a friend, and sign up for the newsletter to have your submission accepted. When you submit your video, please leave a comment on the page introducing your entrant and the video. Videos are accepted through November 30, 2009. The winner will be announced December 5th.

What’s the prize you ask?

Well one lucky winner will receive the Power Brok(H)er™ Package. It includes: a one year scholarship to the Power Brok(H)er™ Club ($25,000 value), be a guest on Views From the Top Radio Show, be a guest blogger on our Blog to chronicle her journey through the program, and be in a feature article in Fearless Woman Magazine. We’re talking MAXIMUM EXPOSURE! For more information about the contest, please email us at info@empowerme.org. Good luck!

Power Brok(H)er ™ Club members receive exclusive high level services not made available to regular coaching clients or Basic Members. Please visit the site for more information.

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You're Stronger Than You Know

First of all, let me acknowledge that I am late. I should have made this post last month. But better late than never. It's no secret that Oprah is one of my role models. I may not agree with everything she says or does, but it doesn't diminish my respect for her. You see, I can agree to disagree with her and not hate her. But in the end, she is always a shrewd business woman, a compassionate human being and a powerful force to be reckoned with. She is someone I aspire to be like. I don't want to replace Oprah. I want to be a media mogul in my own right without trying to step into her shine. I just want to give women the tools they need to experience professional growth and empowerment through media.

Why am I writing about Oprah today? If you've already read the September 2009 issue you would know why. I remember the day I was in Barnes & Noble looking for some business books when I happened by the newsstand section. I don't subscribe to a lot of magazines and I don't subscribe to O (sorry Oprah!). I only buy magazines off the rack that resonate with me or move me to pick it up. Sometimes I'll get O sometimes I don't. This particular day I was feeling so lost and down. I felt like I had hit a wall and all the motivational nuggets I shared with people were no longer working for me. I felt like something big was pressing up against my chest (literally) and I panicked because I didn't know how I would defeat it.

As I walked past the magazines there it was. Standing out front and center with the words that made me want to pick up this magazine. "You're Stronger Than You Know". That's all I saw, no other headline on O or any other magazine in its vicinity. At that moment, tears started rolling down my cheeks. As I read on underneath the headline I saw "How to tap into your true power and really make it work for you". The tears turned to sobbing as people started looking at me. I didn't care. I started reading that first page of the article. I knew right then that I had to buy this and take it home to devour. So I rushed to the register, paid for the magazine and rushed home. By the time I was done reading that article, I was a wreck. I hadn't cried that much since my Dad died in 2002. But strangely I felt this cathartic experience. I wasn't sad or angry. I didn't sit and drown in self pity. For the first time in a while things started to click. I rushed to the computer and emailed every woman in my inner circle and told them the needed to pick up this issue and READ it. I also told them for the first time that I had been going through some things and I was fighting some internal demons. I didn't think about it or ask for any responses. But you know, the funny thing is, I felt like I was giving birth! All the baggage I was going through felt like it was being peeled off by the layer!

The article or my experience wasn't about Oprah. It was about me facing whatever I was dealing with and picking up and pressing on. That article made me dig deeper into myself and figure out what it was I wanted to do and what I needed to do. My next step was to take ACTION. See, we can have all the rah rah motivational nuggets shared with us as we can stand. But if we don't MOVE on it, we will forever stay lost. Reading that article inspired a new found motivation in me. I had to learn how to take back my power and don't put much stock in what other people think of me or say about me. I can't live for them, I have to live for me. Power is not making tons of money or hob nobbing with the wealthy. It s satisfaction of knowing that you are living the best life and living in positivity. It's about being unafraid to be you regardless of what others say or think. It's about being able to touch people and give them hope and motivation to want to do better for themselves.

I did get around to reading the rest of the magazine (recently) and it's a great issue. But I had to marinate on that Stronger article for while. I can't describe in words the renewed energy and positivity (and most importantly motivation) I now feel. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you call a friend who buys or subscribes to the magazine and get reading! Always remember, when things look bleak, you have an amazing strength inside that's just waiting for you to tap into it. Be present in your power. Embrace it and own it.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham Sphere: Related Content