And the Semi-Finalists for the Ninth Idea Cafe's Small Business Cash Grant are...

Here they are, the semi-finalists for the Ninth Idea Café's $1,000.00 Small Business Grant. It was tough since there were so many super candidates. But now we've selected the cream of the crop from over one thousand exceptional applicants. 40 Grant Applicants impressed us with their ingenuity, business acumen and their intent to leverage their business and personal talents to help others. (Read below for short descriptions of our semi-finalists' businesses and ideas.) If you are on the list -- congratulations! If not – cast your vote to determine which of the semi-finalists will continue to the next stage of the grant campaign. Those five of the semi-finalists who receive the highest numbers of your votes will make it to the final round and eventually compete for the cash prize.

The voting page is located at http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/small_business_grants/grant_vote.php . Free Idea Cafe registration is required in order to cast a vote. Voting closes on April, 30th.

Vote now, because YOUR vote will determine which companies and their owners most deserve to be amongst the finalists.

In the following couple of weeks, we'll be contacting the semi-finalists and asking them to answer several brief questions about their business. While the voting is open, we will feature those stories on Idea Cafe, so that Regulars can learn more about other people's entrepreneurial approach, while deciding who deserves their vote best.

And finally, here they are, our semi-finalists ordered by the date of their application:

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Makeva Harold
West Palm Beach, FL
http://www.makevaharoldfoundation.org

What does your business do?
The Makeva Harold Foundation is a non-profit organization seeks to broaden the horizons of youth and adults at risk or in crisis through individualized need assessments, providing education, employment, therapeutic, and housing services intended for the development of independent, productive and successful members of the community. The Makeva Harold Foundation provides community members with computer training, workshops on professional resume writing, budgeting skills, parenting skills, interviewing skills, assist the unemployed in obtaining gainful employment and any other skills deemed necessary for community members to be self sufficient.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
This grant will allow our organization to provide more independent living workshops to community families and individuals.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
We are providing social services to community families and invididuals at no cost to them. Our vision is that youth and adults will be educated, self sufficient and provided the tools to become and remain productive law abiding citizens.

Vote now!

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Timothy Triplett
oak Forest IL
http://www.cnmotorsports.com

What does your business do?
We customize cars trucks, and suvs. With after market accessoreis.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The grant will help market the product, and also create continued production.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I would pass the Idea Grant info to other business owners who may be in need of business ideas and structure. Also helping a new start up business with startup needs as paying it forward is necessary in being and become an business owner.

Vote now!

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Karyn Vilendrer
Farmington, CT
http://www.twincitiescheap.com/

What does your business do?
TwinCitiesCheap.com was developed in an effort to truly benefit both the consumers and the small to medium sized businesses of Minnesota. We have designed a unique marketing platform (patent pending) to generate competition needed for both parties to take full advantage of proposed discounts any one company can offer. We at TwinCitiesCheap.com are dedicated to help the people and business owners of Minnesota get together in a free market environment and plan to continue creating marketing and consuming opportunities for all. TwinCitiesCheap.com has built a unique marketing platform where companies are encouraged to offer the best possible discounts. If their discounts are marginal and another company sees opportunity for even greater discounts to be offered, then they have a chance to knock competitors off the main Deals of the Month page. The defeated challenger will then be featured on our Deals Beaten page in a holding pattern until they are able to offer something that would be of more benefit to our readers. This "king of the hill" platform enables readers & consumers the opportunity to have a one-stop searching arena for the ultimate in discounts. The best part is that we offer our site to the small businesses of the Twin Cities for free.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Since it is a free site I have very little budgeted to get the Twin Cities Cheap name out there. It would help me to get the site into the mainstream media so hopefully it would become a household name.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I feel I am currently paying it forward and will continue to do so. Many small businesses in the Twin Cities (and nationwide) have been damaged by this economy. At Twin Cities Cheap then never have to compete with the "big box" companies for business. I'm also thrilled to promote a buy-it-local attitude.

Vote now!

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Lindsay Calkins
Plantation FL
http://www.livinggreenchiro.com/

What does your business do?
My business helps people enjoy a healthier and happier life. We are an eco-friendly facility that focuses on the body as a whole, rather than a particular ailment. As a physician, I take a full history from each patient and use that history to come up with a treatment plan specifically tailored to that patient. I deal mainly with musculoskeletal diseases/conditions, but do sometimes take on the role of a patient's primary care provider, making whatever referrals are necessary.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The grant would enable me to off-set some of the cost of this table, which is $10,000. The table I am purchasing is refurbished; with brand new tables of this kind cost upwards of $20,000. I am being smart with the limited money I have, and would continue to make sound financial decisions with this money, if I receive it.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
If I receive this grant money, I will be able to "pay it forward" nearly every day by helping people who are in terrible pain find some relief, and ultimately a state of health and well-being.

Vote now!

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Rosalyn Tate
Atlanta GA
http://www.activesolyoga.com/

What does your business do?
We operate a community-oriented "green" yoga studio. We offer affordable yoga classes to all levels while using sustainable and eco-friendly products in our day-to-day operations.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The grant would enable us to pay our yoga teachers for teaching classes and purchase extra yoga equipment - mats, straps, and blocks for students to use and participate.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
If we are awarded this grant, we will offer a donation-based community yoga class and donate all proceeds to a small, local charity.

Vote now!

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Shaunt Yemenjian
Fresno CA
http://www.spaciodesignstudio.com/

What does your business do?
We create environments that imbue meaning with form, are inspired by context and enrich the community. Our studio brings together architects, urban designers, planners, anthropologists and developers that share our metropolitan vision. With a diverse and skilled core, spacio|design is equipped to deliver design solutions at the city, neighborhood, building and personal scale.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The ideas and unit designs are complete but there is a need to identify vacant and/or underperforming land that is suitable for this type of development and we would also like to continue hosting community workshops with homeless citizens to help identify needs and desires relative to housing.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Our model involved collaborating with several others who have programs that can be integrated into our projects, such as vocational training, small franchise assistance, employment centers, etc. When our project is realized, it will be built with the understanding that other social programs will be integrated with the project. Once we successfully develop a few sites to address the problem, the pressure on social conditions in the respective projects areas will be relieved and become a catalyst for more improvements in the homelessness issue.

Vote now!

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Laura Karolchik-Griffin
Leadville CO
http://www.coloradomountainmedia.com/

What does your business do?
Web 2.0 designs, social media marketing, blog, digital art design,photography,video production,and all print graphic services.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Expand our business to include portraits.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I always pay it forward. I would continue to grow my business and always give those with disabilities a job. I also am planning on becoming an advocate in the area to help those with disabilities find jobs.

Vote now!

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Christophor Rick
Milwaukee WI
http://www.gamersdailynews.com/

What does your business do?
Daily gaming news, unique content, game reviews, interview, editorials and more. Since 2007 Gamers Daily News Media International has been building the premier independent gaming news portal for gamers around the world. With extensive growth and new acquisitions in 2008 and 2009 GDN is poised to catapult into the upper echelons of gaming news.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Create a personalized and customizable gaming news experience for users of iPhones, Google Android phones, Palm Pre and more. This would help expand our offering and give a us a firm foothold in the mobile information market.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
GDN does a lot of work with independent games developers giving them coverage that other larger sites doe not. In essence, we have been paying forward since our inception and will continue to do so. We give them developer diary space (blogs) help them with contact for PR and publishing in other markets and offer them expanded coverage of their products. Many of these companies are new startups or have only 1-5 employees.

Vote now!

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Shelly Hines
Coeur d'Alene ID
http://www.allthewritewords.net/

What does your business do?
All the Write Words provides business writing and design services (brochures, newsletters, articles, annual reports, etc.) with a specialty in grant proposal writing and consultation.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
A grant from Idea Café would help pay the costs associated with the hiring of a qualified software programmer to design the software product.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Besides the time and money nonprofits will save using this program (which will allow them to help more people in need), All the Write Words hopes to put together a grant program for nonprofits to receive a free copy of the software program. We would like to offer between five and ten free software programs per year to qualified charitable agencies.

Vote now!

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Cathy Ervin
Crofton MD
http://www.eochallenge.com

What does your business do?
EO-Challenge is an outdoor education program for children in grades k-12. It promotes education, environmental awareness, and personal growth amoung children through outdoor adventures. It is unique because adventure an education go hand and hand. Children participate in kayaking, mountain biking, caving, and hiking while incorporating math, science, history, and language arts. An example of an adventure is "Operation Osprey" where kayaking is combined with ecology. Children band osprey birds while kayking in the Chesapeake Bay.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
It would enable me to continue to run my adventures for the children. (Specifically mountain biking) As of right now, I have to rent equipment which is costly and increases the cost for the parents. It has also been difficult to find places that will rent out mountain bikes to children. (This may not be the case, if I lived in Colorado maybe?? :)

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I will pay it forward by continuing to be a positive influence in the lives of children...to promote education as strength for success, to build self confidence in each child, and to protect the environment. Each child in my program is taught to pay it forward through community service, love for the outdoors, and love for themselves!

Vote now!

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Sara Hunter
Reno, NV
http://www.brandedscreenprinting.com/

What does your business do?
Branded Screen Printing & Design is a home based business that we started this past June. Since then, we have dedicated all of our time to screen printing for others in the community, offering our services at a discount to youth organizations, clubs and non-profits. In addition, we have designed logos for busineses, bands and local teams that are looking to get started marketing themselves. In addition, we have designed our own brand of clothing with the ultimate goal of mainly marketing it and truly utilizing our love for graphic design.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
With the ink system, we would be able to mix the water-based inks instead of buying individual tubs of just one color. This would enable us to have a smaller impact on the environment and meet our customer’s needs with the exact right color. Also, the screen cleaning machine would enable us to spend much more time working with customers and marketing our services rather than cleaning screens that can be done in a much more efficient way with a machine.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
With Idea Cafe's grant we can help by assisting others even further in being environmentally friendly. We currently have a blog discussing the ways that we recommend to other screen printers to operate and would continue to do so, as well as inviting them to see how we are able to work and still be conscious of the environment. Also, with the new equipment saving us time and money, we can pass on even greater savings to the charities, youth organizations and small businesses that we currently give discounts to.

Vote now!

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Janice Smith
Emporia, KS
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105432097445&ref=search&sid=130424...

What does your business do?
Help the lost get in a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We would like to open a christian bookstore. To help support our ministry.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Purchase new book we have a fair supply of used books already on the shelves.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Helping others in their walk with Jesus is a reward that will last far beyond this world! Knowledge is the key to a long relationship, we plan to spread the knowledge the Lord has provided us t oas many as possible.

Vote now!

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Suzanne Griffiths
Bellingham WA
http://suzyqquilts.etsy.com

What does your business do?
I make eco-friendly accessories like Koffee Kuffs (re-useable and reversable) and re-useable sandwich, snack and lunch bags as well as custom quilts, purses, totes and custom Christmas Stockings.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
It would give me the captiol to cover the cost of launching my website and online store. I currently sell through etsy and local craft fairs, but would like to reach a larger audience in my own format.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I know many others that are struggling as I am. I was a successful Project Manager in the construction industry until June of 2009 when the company went out of business. Due to the state of the economy and the construction industry I have had little success in securing another position. I have fallen back on what I know and that is sewing and creating. I am the happiest I have been in a long time, but need to grow my business so that I can continue to provide for my family. I would love to help others in the same way and once I am up and running would be willing to sponsor a similar grant through Idea Cafe.

Vote now!

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Chandra Hopping
Broken Arrow, OK
http://www.bouncybarn.com/

What does your business do?
I have an indoor playground for children. The playground is open Monday - Friday all day for open play. I also have a mothers day out program Monday - Friday. I host birthday parties, I rent out toys and party equipment.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
I would be able to have private parties and open bounce at the same time. i would have space to have my special needs groups com in more often. I would be able to offer concession. there are so many things i would be able to do with a larger space. i could go on for ever.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Currently I have a time set aside for a special needs class to come in once a month at no charge. If I have a bigger building I will be able to do this more often. I also donate passes and party times for raffles of charities for children. I will be able to donate more for these charities.

Vote now!

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Sarah Hamlin
Tiverton, RI
http://www.cottrellbros.com

What does your business do?
We are a full service home remodeling company. We do everything from remodel kitchens and bathrooms to siding and roofing and everything in between. We are capable of building your house from the ground up, but typically we just do repairs and remodeling.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Most of our jobs are seasonal being a contractor in the northeast and as such our income allows us to just barely make ends meet. The economy has taken taken its toll on our business, and we would like to improve ourselves by reaching for a new angle.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
If we can reach greater success and our new initiative works, we would love to pay it forward to help others. We could donate our services to local charities/nonprofits, and we would like to hold seminars to educate the public about the benefits of solar energy.

Vote now!

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Roni Kopelman
Gahanna, OH
http://www.wastecyclellc.com/

What does your business do?
Waste Cycle Solutions is a consulting firm specializing in identifying cost saving and recycling strategies for all types of companies. We have a special niche in the hazardous waste management field due to in-house expertise (Ph.D. in chemistry). Advances in new technology are creating tremendous opportunities for chemical companies to recycle and recover hazardous waste, significantly improving their environmental impact. We help them identify where and how to achieve these goals.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
This grant would enable me to register and attend live training that is standard for the industry. This live training would be a tremendous benefit for my company that ultimately will be passed on to my clients, and the environment (by way of reducing hazardous waste production).

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I enjoy mentoring new entrepreneurs and sharing knowledge of business experiences that have and have not worked for me in the past.

Vote now!

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Roy Browning
Doylestown OH
http://www.jmcbrands.com/

What does your business do?
JMC Brands, LLC is an umbrella company that houses four distinct brands geared towards small business development. JMC Marketing is a full service marketing agency. JMC Business Solutions is a business consulting firm that focuses on maximizing efficiency and cutting overhead. JMC Direct is a printing company, and finally, JMC Soft Source is an IT company that can help a small business from one computer to five thousand. This company is actually the first step in the business plan, however. The eventual goal is to encompass several successful companies in order to advance each one where it otherwise would not have been possible. By pooling resources each company can gain more than any single company.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
With relatively low equity, this grant would afford JMC Brands the ability to reach more customers more quickly and achieve its break even point far quicker than with internal resources alone.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
As part of the business plan, we seek to help small businesses achieve what they could not, or not easily, achieve on their own. This capital would be shared with the companies we grow. Specifically, as several small businesses are amalgamated, these initial funds will make it possible, sooner, to facilitate large scale growth for all entities involved rather than just JMC Brands.

Vote now!

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Jen Tonon
Poolesville, MD
http://www.morebrainsmedia.com/

What does your business do?
We are an independent production company that also serves as a distributor. We currently deal with sub-distributors to get our releases out to bigger vendors and media outlets (such as Netflix). The goal is to bring attention to films, art and music that might otherwise be overlooked by bigger companies.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
As the old saying goes, "it takes money to make money." The equipment we currently have cannot handle large volumes of product (be it computers for editing, or manufacturing equipment for DVDs and CDs). To grow, our equipment has to be upgraded.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Our entire structure is based on "paying it forward." Being independent filmmakers and musicians ourselves, we designed the business around helping other independents get their feet in the door. We want to help get their work seen and heard just as much as they do, because our passion comes from the same place.

Vote now!

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Gerhard Guevarra
Fayetteville, NC
http://www.allamericanfencing.com/

What does your business do?
The All-American Fencing Academy provides recreational and competitive fencing training as well as facilities and equipment for the life-long sport of fencing. The All-American Fencing Academy will grow the sport of fencing, develop responsible athletes, and build a stronger fencing community by creating opportunities for participation in the sport and providing educational opportunities for students, coaches, and referees. The All- American Fencing Academy is the only school providing fencing instruction within a two hour radius of Fayetteville, NC.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Our fencers currently depend on the coaching staff consistently to determine if scores are made. Score boxes will allow fencers to train more independently while the coaches work with developing fencers. In addition, uniforms and equipment are out dated and are being constantly repaired. New equipment will enable our fencers to concentrate more on their training rather than equipment maintenance.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
The All-American Fencing Academy has positioned itself in the heart of newly- revitalized historic downtown Fayetteville where there are other small businesses striving to succeed. Some of these small businesses depend on Downtown Fayetteville's special events to bring customers to their places of business (such as the annual Dogwood Festival and International Folk Festival). The All-American Fencing Academy is one of the few businesses whose patrons will return to the area at least twice per week. Our students and their families will be encouraged to visit other businesses in the downtown area. When larger competitions and events take place at the All American Fencing Academy, many will travel from other cities and states to participate. Prior to these competitions and events, we will collect brochures, maps and business cards from downtown businesses in order to distribute them at our events. This provides the opportunity for downtown businesses to reach a broader customer base than they might otherwise be able to reach with no extra effort on their part.

Vote now!

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Jamie Ritter
Ellwood City, PA
http://www.linestreetdesign.com/

What does your business do?
At the heart it is a web design company. I started it along with my husband and his sister. She happens to be the reason we met and eventually were married. We blend design and technology, in plain English, and at low rates to help other local businesses catch a break and have an online presence. We are not trying to be the biggest, just the best.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
A $1000 grant would give us 2 solid weeks of paying bills, freeing up time to grow the business, network in the community and make the next steps to expanding in our small community.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
As I touched on before, we keep our rates low to help out local businesses. With a stronger customer base, we will be able to pay the bills working this company full time and expand to help the community in other ways. I want to show that technology is not out of reach of anyone and easy to understand. It can be elegant in code and in graphics.

Vote now!

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Crissi Von Bergen
Virginia Beach, VA

What does your business do?
Hi! We are a photography company with a fully transportable photo booth. This booth can be transported to ANY event such as weddings, Christmas parties, birthdays, military events, ANY occasion that you can think or dream of that you would want to capture lasting memories. This booth is set up and operates independently. It can hold anywhere from 15 to 20 people in it. Instead of having the separate disposable cameras that get lost or end up somewhere else. This booth is the "Smash Hit" of any occasion. We want to put smiles on peoples faces, create lasting memories,we want to work with charities and other organizations so that everyone can have this experience! It truly is the entertainment of any occasion.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
This grant would enable me to get the first steps started. Like materials for the booth. I already have someone that can construct it for me. Also this grant would help me with the very first step which would be applying for a small business license. This would be the first step for my own independence and job security as a single mother!

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I will pay it forward by donating my time and energy into helping charities and also the less fortunate ie. homeless shelters on holidays, maybe donating the booth at a mission so that the homeless can have pictures around the holidays to send to loved ones. Basically any charitable event the booth can be donated. I would also like to be a role model to other single mothers out there and possibly help someone else out one day get their own business started!

Vote now!

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Patricia Stewart
Ashburnham, MA
http://www.hamesaxle.com/

What does your business do?
We raise goats and help people learn more about where their food comes from. Part of this involves goat's milk soap and other "goat based," products, such as aprons, gifts, etc.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
I had an embroidery machine before, but it kept breaking down and the learning curve was so steep that we wound up having to sell it before I was able to really use it. Hand embroidery takes too long, but patches, coasters, monograms, collars, all would allow us to expand our farm's customer base and to keep the farm going.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
I already offer workshops in home dairying, goat keeping and farm education. I would be able to expand this, and offer help to others seeking ways to work from their farms and market the animals, or plants, that they love.

Vote now!

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Ester Venouziou
St. Petersburg, FL
http://www.localshops1.com/

What does your business do?
We promote local, independent businesses in Florida. We have a discount shopping card that's free for shoppers (businesses pay $199/year to be a part of it) and we host a ton of free networking (social and business) events at local businesses. We also offer customized low-budget marketing plans, including social media, grassroots marketing, email marketing and store promotions.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The grant would be a huge boost, not only financially, but on the publicity front. We have a lot of great members and we want the world to know about them.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
We would definitely be committed to giving grants to struggling businesses in our neighborhoods.

Vote now!

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Rebecca Long
Ocala, FL
http://www.exodus-studio.com

What does your business do?
We are a small, independent company developing and promoting family-friendly and faith-based videogames for all ages. Our website is designed with the community aspect in mind, to help bring people (both Christian and non-Christian) together and become more aware of both faith-based and family-friendly games, which is currently a very small portion in the videogame market.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
We are very limited in production of new projects due to funding issues. With the grant money, we would be able to hire the appropriate people needed to release current and future projects in a timely manner.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
First of all, we would give our detailed testimony of how Idea Cafe's Grant program has helped our business's success immensely, as well as promote Idea Cafe on our website. We are already recommending some friends and business partners to check out the Idea Cafe website for assistance and business advice. We would also definitely be more than happy to offer help and business advice to those business owners who may need it. We thank everyone at Idea Cafe for allowing small business owners like us such an awesome opportunity for grant funding! These sort of programs are very hard to find these days, and it's further reason why we would want to really promote this website and all that you do to other small businesses!

Vote now!

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Jennifer Gaber
Madison, WI
http://www.facebook.com/NutshellCatering

What does your business do?
Event and personal catering for people concerned with making ethical eating choices. We use local and organic ingredients, work with local farmers, provide Fair Trade coffee, tea, and cocoa, and compostable plates & flatware. Quarterly, we have dinner events to benefit Partner Shares, a Madison group which helps families living in poverty to have accessibility to fresh local food. We make excellent and delicious food!

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Presently, I kitchen-share at a local incubator kitchen. My kitchen use depends on the availability of the space. I would like to have my own storefront. Then, I would have a professional kitchen always available to me, could sell deli food in front while preparing caterings in back, and could hire employees.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
There are a couple young moms who help me out in a temporary capacity when I get large jobs. If I had a storefront, I would have a place to sell my food when I don't have large catering jobs and could hire them as permanent employees, giving regular work to great people looking for jobs.

Vote now!

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Timothy Ericson
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cityryde.com/

What does your business do?
CityRyde is the defined, trusted and influential name in the bike share movement who boast a team of credible leaders and subject matter experts well connected to key thought leaders in sustainable transportation worldwide. CityRyde assists our clients on every level of a bike sharing initiative; from concept to reality. CityRyde (sometimes mistaken for CityRide) has traveled the globe testing all of the major bike share implementations. Our experience coupled with our extensive network has gained us an expert understanding of the best practices and mechanisms used throughout each phase of a bike share implementation life- cycle.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
This grant would allow CityRyde to spend money to register our carbon methodology. The carbon market is very costly to enter, and unfortunately as a start-up company we do not have the necessary funds to register.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
This grant would help establish us more within the industry of bike sharing. Hopefully, if we receive this grant, it will move us closer to our goal of having a registry backed carbon methodology. This will not only help ourselves but the environment as well. Bike Sharing will be more common in the US, and companies will profit by "going green."

Vote now!

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Stacey Shipman
Weymouth, MA
http://staceyshipman.com/

What does your business do?
Help busy professionals experience "feel-good living" by making healthy living easy and practical. I provide programs and products for individuals and business organizations designed to relieve stress, present with confidence and take the overwhelm out of exercise for improved health, productivity, presence and satisfaction at home and at work. Past clients have experienced: Better sleep Less use of food for comfort and more use of meditation and other healthy options Less muscle tension and pain in neck and shoulders Earlier wake up time to spend quietly or on exercise

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
My expertise is not in PR or web development. The money would allow me to work with PR/Marketing/Web professionals to: Create a website that reaches more people through online content - video, audio Create a clear message and vision Main goal: Help more people live healthier, longer, less stressful lives in a way that is time and cost effective.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
By working with the younger female generation as a mentor and support resource, to help them turn dreams into reality. Providing support, motivation encouragement as well as business knowledge and referral opportunities when appropriate.

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ChaChanna Simpson
Norwalk, CT
http://www.twentity.com/

What does your business do?
Twentity.com started as a biweekly advice ezine, it has grown to include books, radio show, and seminars and coaching programs that address the important questions and concerns of recent grads, twentysomethings, and their parents, as they make the transition from college into the real world.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
It will help me pay off a little bit of the tuition so that I can become a certified coach. I will be able to enhance my coaching skills, be better at helping my clients enter the real world successfully, and also help their parents grow healthy adult relationships.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Actually, I am having trouble finding scholarships for getting a coaching certificate. And I have decided that when I reach greater success, I will offer such a scholarship for anyone seeking to get certified in coaching. It will start off as one but I hope to be able to offer more.

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Leisa Williams
Rockaway Beach, NY

What does your business do?
With the recent upsurge in gang activities and recruitment targeting middle school youth, ProCity Athletics provides at-risk youth with engaging activities that challenge the mind, promote physical fitness, foster respect, teach discipline and develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. Centered around the idea that each participant is a “future professional athlete”, ProCity offers a glimpse of what each child’s potential is with the proper application of life skills and with hard work and dedication. In addition to providing a competitive athletic program which includes fitness and nutrition classes, we will also offer tutoring and test preparation, life skills (which include budgeting/money management, public speaking, negotiating skills), mentoring, counseling and opportunities for community service. Although the major selling point of our program is “athletics”, the skills learned here will benefit those who have no desire to become professional athletes.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Because we are projecting ourselves as “Professionals Developing Professionals”, we want to make sure that everything that we do is “on-point”. The grant would enable us to reach a broader audience with professional literature and a website that will not only attract more kids, but potentially sponsors, funders and more resources that we will need to keep our organization going and growing.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
In addition to ensuring that the Idea Café is mentioned as a corporate sponsor in our website and promotional literature, we intend to become a tithing organization – one that donates 10% of money raised to worthy charities. Each ProCity sports team must adopt a national charity and raise money, resources and awareness for that group. Finally, since our organization will target middle school children, we will seek to hire high school students to serve as assistant coaches, mentors, tutors and staff to give them valuable work and/or community service experiences.

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Michael Andrews
Austin,TX
http://x-tremepaintballchallenge.com/

What does your business do?
We are a paintball facility that also offers a pro shop. We are different from many of the paintball facilities in the area, in that we believe in promoting other businesses as well as our own and we have a strong moral commitment to the community.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Unfortunately, we had to spend our starting capital on equipment and have not been able to adequately promote our facility. The grant money would enable us to advertise without having to hold back.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
As previously stated, we believe in promoting other businesses within the community. If we were to receive the grant, we would allow different vendors to provide advertisements at our facility.

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Brenda Witherspoon
Los Angeles, CA
http://inkforthink.com/

What does your business do?
Ink for Think is a progressive new personal service providing handwriting analysis at the touch of a button. This exclusive service offers solutions to questions of character and provides access to a private Handwriting Analyst. This is a first-of-it's-kind business that is supplying a valuable service that was previously unavailable. No other handwriting analysis company offers this simple, quick, and efficient form of service. Traditionally, handwriting analysis is very time consuming and costly. A profile may cost $500 and take weeks to receive the completed analysis. My business provides an online upload form with estimated delivery within 72 hours for the completed analysis. The analysis is delivered in PDF format to the client's email address. My service is easy to use with a price to match!

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
This is a great question. I am a 32 year old college student of psychology, owner of a private hypnotherapy practice, and most recently the creator of Ink For Think. I created this business from my own ideas, created my website from scratch, and created my business logos and literature. Honestly, I am doing this with or without the grant. The grant would just help me do what I do, but better.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Upon reaching greater success I plan to provide scholarships for both hypnosis schools I attended. Currently I often volunteer my hypnotherapy services to organizations and host free classes for the community. After reaching greater success, I plan to expand to educate even more communities.

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Trinity Jackson
Parma, ID
http://h2hranch.com/

What does your business do?
My dream of creating Heart 2 Heart Ranch became a reality last summer when my husband and I built a riding facility for individuals with disabilities. I had dreamed of starting a business that combined my husband’s and my joint experience of riding and competing and my Special Education degree. Our desire is to provide riding lessons with the additional offering of trail riding, gaming (barrel racing, pole bending, key hole, etc.), mule rodeos and shows, play days, endurance riding and racing, and parade riding. Our focus was to be on western riding where boys and girls experience the world of cowboys and cowgirls. As our income is below $30,000, we started the ranch with my husband’s retirement savings. We started by purchasing 2 acres of bare land three miles from our house and spent every spare minute building fence, putting in sod, planting trees, putting up an arena, moving little buildings for a tack shed and office, building a sand volleyball court and many other projects to create a family friendly atmosphere. This is a place where kids of all ages can learn to ride, their siblings can play in a fun/safe atmosphere and entertain themselves while their parents are able to watch them learn. Last summer, we gave lessons to 4 individuals with disabilities, ending in September with 3 children competing at the Hells Canyon Mule Days in Enterprise, Oregon. It was an exciting way to end the season for us and the parents, as these children competed with other youth their age in barrels, poles, and keyhole.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
We do not have the money to purchase Western Cowboy Riding Hat Helmets. Our current budget limits us to purchasing used standard Troxel helmets. These helmets would not match and imply disabilities rather than ability. Western riding clubs that are taken seriously wear cowboy hats. Individuals with disabilities have learned to dislike their difference being displayed. When Heart 2 Heart Ranch participates in parades and shows the mismatched Troxell helmets detract from the individuals sense of pride and their accomplishments of riding independently. It is important to these individuals with disabilities to look like other cowboys and cowgirls.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Purchasing Western Cowboy Hat Helmets would be passing on a gift to individuals with disabilities providing them the opportunity to look like, feel like, and be like other cowboys and cowgirls. Wearing a cowboy hat/helmet means much more then safety to these youth and adults with disabilities; this is a hat that signifies importance, pride and inclusion by involvement in a real western riding group. Parents that can not afford Cowboy helmets get to experience the thrill of their child/adult not only competing and participating but developing self-esteem by taking pride in their appearance i.e. Western Cowboy Hat/Helmet, boots, western Heart 2 Heart Ranch shirts, blue jeans, belt and buckles.

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Heidi Schwoerer
Marion, IL
http://2cuterubberstamps.weebly.com/

What does your business do?
My Business creates cute and whimsical rubber stamps that can be used for cards, scrapbooks, candles and more. I design all the artwork and then send out the images to get made into stamps. The Best thing about 2 Cute Rubber Stamps is that the customers can get involved in the create process. On my blog http://www.2cuterubberstamps.weebly.com people can suggest ideas for stamp designs that they would like to see and also rate my sketches and decide if the sketch should be turned into a rubber stamp. Right now I sell my stamps on etsy.com http://www.2cuterubberstamps.etsy.com

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
After making "plates" for my rubber stamps, I can use the rest of the money to order inventory. Right now I have basically ordered 12 sets of stamps and I can't order more until those 12 sets sell, for I just put that money right back into purchasing more stamps to sell. This way I can always have every stamp in stock and also have enough inventory to start doing craft fairs if I won the grant money.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
If I reach greater success I will create a "Premie" Rubber Stamp line. Tiny cute animals, babies, kids etc.. and I will donate 50% of the profits to The March of Dimes Foundation. Which supports improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. I was a premie when I was born, I was 2 and a half months early and weighed only 2 lbs 5 ounces and I would like to help others babies and their families. My family has always told me how tough it was when I was born and they didn't know if I would make it!

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Yvonne Orr
Chicago,IL

What does your business do?
YORR Consulting Group staff has extensive working knowledge of nonprofit management, prospect research, and major gift solicitation. We have the ability to implement creative ideas that bring an organization's mission and vision to fruition. As consultants, we seek to be "YORR" preemptive consulting firm of choice because of our personalized services. Our mission is to support nonprofits and individuals in their efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate plans for growth, sustainability, promotion and change by providing services in a range of areas that help fulfill organizational and personal goals.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Presently, YORR Consulting Group's sole online presence is via Facebook. We continue to fuel any incoming revenue directly back into the business, which inhibits our ability to funnel resources to support a more expansive online presence through our own website. We currently utilize Facebook as a means of informing small business owners and nonprofits of upcoming grant deadlines, along with tips, resources and links to help them manage their organizations efficiently and effectively. YORR Consulting Group would utilize some of the grant award to hire a graphic designer/programmer to build our website. We envision the website with affording us the opportunity to promote our services by driving traffic to the website and allowing us the ability to provide an even wider base of useful information and online workshops to prospective clients. We are presently developing content for the website and have already reserved domain names and have a host. In reference to collateral materials, we are unable to allocate the necessary resources to support printing of brochures, postcards and letterhead that would also give the company a more polished image as we expand our business offerings. YORR Consulting Group would allocate some of the grant money towards developing and printing collateral materials.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Currently, YORR Consulting Group does free consultations for first-time clients. We also plan to implement trainings and Question/Answer sessions with churches and community groups. We enjoy mentoring and will continue to make ourselves available to entrepreneurs and students that have questions or wish to gain practical experience. Lastly, we are organizing a scholarship organization designed to help students pay for some of their high school or college tuition while also entertaining and educating through a basketball tournament. Participants will engage in all aspects of producing this tournament—from backstage management to entertainment and garnering sponsorships, participants learn about entrepreneurship, micro-enterprise ventures and special event management. This community event will help many young scholars achieve their goals while enhancing their skill set towards positioning themselves better in their future professional endeavors. The President currently serves as a Peer Mentor for the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Chicago Chapter in an effort to guide and coach those new to the nonprofit development field.

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Svetozar Palankov
Arlington, VA
http://www.thegln.org/

What does your business do?
The Global Language Network (GLN) is an official 501c3 not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve people’s personal and professional lives by building their foreign language skills and cross-cultural competence. The majority of language classes in both K-12 and some adult learning programs are carried out primarily in English, focus on grammar drilling, memorization of extensive vocabulary lists, and they do not effectively teach people to communicate in the target language. Furthermore, language classes in the United States are either not readily available, especially classes in less commonly taught languages, or prohibitively expensive. In Washington, DC, for instance, a 10-week class will cost more than $300. What makes GLN special and different from other organizations is that it addresses these issues by providing accessible and affordable language classes in many languages using an effective learning approach. GLN offers classes in twenty to thirty different languages each semester (including all languages deemed ‘critical’ by the US government) at no charge while also keeping it sustainable. Our classes cost nothing, but require a deposit ($100 for college students and $150 for everyone else) to ensure that the people who enroll are serious and committed to learning. Students receive their deposit in full if they miss no more than three classes throughout the semester. Through end-of-semester student donations and forfeited deposits GLN retains 20% of the total deposit amount which makes the program sustainable. What makes the model successful and effective is that we engage native speakers who volunteer to teach with GLN because they are passionate about sharing their language and culture with others.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Our classroom space costs have doubled over the past year. It's increasingly difficult to raise enough money to cover those costs and continue offering classes, let alone thinking about expansion and serving more people. Every semester we pay between $2,000 - $3,000 for space required to offer 30 classes to 500 students. With a $1,000 Idea Cafe grant we will be able have summer classes this year.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
We are a not-for-profit organization and serve a wide variety of people, primarily students and working professionals. We already help people with their professional development by building their foreign language skills. On a personal level, I have already been approached on a couple of occasions by acquaintances and friends of friends who are thinking about starting a business or a non-profit and I am happy to give my insights about running such an operation. I will gladly continue to do so and offer whatever input I can to my community.

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Joni Downey
Johnsburg, IL
http://www.charactersofcharacter.org/

What does your business do?
Teach children about vital core values with our 2005 award winning National Promsing Practice Winning character education program.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Hire someone to help with updates on the website and mailings and research

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
We already donate our character program to schools, in Illinois, New Jersey and Milwaukee Wisconsin.

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Daniel Stover
Boone, NC
http://www.medaccessinc.com/

What does your business do?
MEDAccess, Inc. helps physically-challenged and elderly individuals live independent, productive lives by identifying and developing solutions to potential environmental obstacles.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The funds will be dedicated strictly to the development of this project. Without this grant the project must be delayed until sometime in the future when the economy seriously improves.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
MEDAccess has met many individuals in need of a wheelchair ramp, who do not qualify for state or government assistance because their income level is at or slightly above the poverty level. These individuals only recourse is to attempt constructing a crude and unsafe home-made ramp or hope of assistance from a charitable organization. MEDAccess would like to develop a loan-a-ramp program for this segment of our community. When their need of a ramp situation changes. The ramp is return to MEDAccess for warehousing and reconditioning. At this time the ramp is available for another individual in need of a ramp. As MEDAccess grows, so would the loan-a-ramp program and the positive impact on our communities.

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Holt Lindenberger
Jax Beach, FL
http://www.denizensurfboards.com/

What does your business do?
I started Denizen Surfboards on November 6th 2009. I offer hand-shaped, high quality surfboards for customers at a very affordable price. At a time when many surfboards cost in excess of 700 dollars, I charge my customers 300-350 dollars for a board that looks and performs on par. In addition, I have designed t-shirts and stickers that are both currently in production and should be available for the summer season.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
The grant money would allow me to pursue these other ventures much sooner than I would be able to without it. At the moment, my business is growing, and every month I have more orders than the last, but I am still holding on to my valet job. I would like to be able to buy the rest of the stuff I need for my business, quit my valet job and focus completely on my business. That is still a ways down the line, because I still have food and living costs as well as rent expenses for my apartment and warehouse.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
One thing I have been looking into is partnering up with the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a charitable organization that focuses on the protection and preservation of our nation’s coastal environments. It is a great organization and I would like to have my company become a part of that, maybe in the future even having a percentage of every sale go to this organization. There are a lot of options, and I am very excited to see what the future brings for Denizen Surfboards.

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Sadi Melbouci
Denver, CO
http://www.dsoftsystems.com/

What does your business do?
DSOFT Systems Inc. has built medical management software that automates most of the tasks of medical professionals. We developed a software that integrates appointment scheduling, medical billing, electronic claims, electronic medical records, reporting all in one software.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
Most of the time and funding available is current put towards development and get the product to meet the expectations of the medical professional in terms of functionality and HIPAA regulations. We currently don't have the funds to market the product to allow us to raise the funds to get our company in the black.

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
Idea cafe can make difference in our company, when that happens and our company operates in black, we will donate some money every year to allow Idea Cafe to help other startups.

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Lisa Mason
Elberta, AL
http://masonsmongrels4dogs.com/

What does your business do?
I work with dogs of all breeds and ages to help them and their families to realize their full potential and work together as a true family unit.

What would the grant enable you to do that you can't now?
I would be able to hold group sessions,which provide socialization skills, train during inclimate weather, and have boarding facilities for rescues that I train before re-homing. I could also offer dogs in need during hurricane evacuations a safe place to stay when their owners cannot take them out of harms way. We live right on the Gulf Coast

If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your biz reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?
My training is very family friendly. No dog is ever removed from their home. Each family member builds confidence through understanding and I believe the ultimate pay it back is rescuing dogs before they get to the shelters, therefore freeing up the shelters limited funds to improve conditions for those who are there. While working with the dogs I have a lot of children who are learning compassion and empathy for someone/something other than themselves. I look forward to taking on apprentices once my building is complete. Most children when given a chance interact well with dogs and seem to have a natural interest.