Mary Cantando to Lead North Carolina's Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM)

    RALEIGH, N.C., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- When Count Me In was looking
 for a dynamic leader to spearhead their Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM)
 program for the state of North Carolina, they didn't have to look very
 long. Who better to lead the charge than nationally-recognized expert on
 women business owners Mary Cantando?
 
     Cantando focuses exclusively on helping women grow their businesses. As
 an entrepreneurial executive, she has founded, led and expanded businesses
 for over 20 years. A speaker at regional, national, and international
 events, Mary has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, O, The Oprah
 Magazine, and PINK Magazine, as well as NPR TV and radio.
 
     Over the years, Cantando has helped women far and wide to start and
 grow successful businesses. As an Envoy of the U.S. State Department, she
 has even assisted women in developing nations. Her mission this time will
 be to uncover the next crop of promising North Carolina women entrepreneurs
 and to provide a one of a kind business growth experience for all who
 attend the Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM) event to be held in Charlotte
 this fall.
 
     "There are more than 10 million women-owned businesses in America,"
 says Cantando. "But less than 3% of them make more than $1 million in
 revenue every year. I want to reach out further than ever before to help
 women move their businesses to the next level."
 
     Many of Mary's ground-breaking ideas are featured in her newest book
 The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What it Takes to
 Grow Your Business published by Kaplan Publishing. The amazing success of
 her latest book drove the development of the innovative Woman's Advantage
 Page-a-Day Calendar, which provides daily snippets of advice from women
 entrepreneurs across the country.
 
     As Local Statewide Coordinator, Cantando will do the heavy lifting in
 bringing the Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM) event to North Carolina.
 Women with businesses that are at least two years old and at $250,000 or
 more in revenue are encouraged to complete an online application by
 September 3, 2008 at www.makemineamillion.org. Award nominees will be
 selected from applicants statewide and asked to deliver a business pitch to
 women entrepreneurs, judges and guests at the November conference to be
 held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Winners will be chosen at the event by
 judges and the audience. Throughout the Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM)
 event, attendees will have access to inspirational and educational
 programming.
 
     About Mary Cantando
 
     Mary Cantando is a nationally recognized expert on women business
 owners. She is a Trustee of the Women's Alliance, serves as the "Business
 Growth Advisor" for Women Entrepreneurs, Inc., sits on the National Women's
 Forum, and is certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National
 Council. She is the author of numerous books, articles and publications on
 the subject of helping women grow their businesses. As a member of the
 National Speakers' Association, Cantando speaks to women who want to grow
 their businesses, as well as corporations seeking to attract the lucrative,
 fast-growth market of women business owners.
 
     About Make Mine A Million $ Business(TM)
 
     Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM) is the only national program
 dedicated to raising the awareness of the growth challenges facing
 post-start-up, women- owned businesses. In doing so, the Make Mine a
 Million $ Business(TM) program is leading a powerful grassroots movement
 that is galvanizing a community of women entrepreneurs from across the
 country and providing them with the resources and support to build thriving
 businesses and fuel the economy. Each Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM)
 awards package provides a combination of money, mentoring, marketing and
 technology tools that women business owners need to help grow their
 companies. For more information, visit www.makemineamillion.org.
 
     About Count Me In
 
     Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence is the leading national
 not- for-profit provider of business education and resources for women to
 grow their micro businesses to $million enterprises. For more information,
 visit www.countmein.org.
 
 
 

SOURCE Count Me In