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.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

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.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Hello, Idea Cafe! First off, a big thank you to the folks here at Idea Cafe for giving me and other small business owners opportunities like this grant. I know how competitive grants are through my non-profit experience, so I'm thrilled to be on the receiving end of a grant with so many deserving applicants. I found Idea Cafe because of the grant and stayed for the advice they offer those of us still figuring this out. Building bicycles is the easy part for me. Learning how to run a business was a huge challenge for me, and I learn something new about it and myself everyday.

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.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Characters of Character NFP teaches children about vital core values with our 2005 award winning National Promsing Practice Winning character education program.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

The All-American Fencing Academy provides recreational and competitive fencing training as well as facilities and equipment for the life-long sport of fencing.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Voting for selecting the five finalists for the 9th Idea Café Small Business Grant is in full swing. Some of the semi-finalists are already taking a lead. However, nothing is decided at this point. The poll closes on April 30th, so the results we are presenting below are not final. There is still time for the overall picture to change. Don't procrastinate to cast your vote and support your small business idol now!

For those of you blogging away on wordpress.com, there is a new upgrade you should be aware of—PubSubHubbub. No that is not a new tongue twister, but rather an automatically integrated update that updated wordpress.com blogs to RSS feeds using PUSH (short for PubSubHubbub).

The Surge of the Small Business

These days, there is a lot of buzz about small business start-ups. The government is practically throwing money at anyone who wants to start their own business, and many people are taking advantage of this situation. In fact, many people are diving into their business start-ups completely unprepared for the reality of running a business.

Let it Flow helps busy professionals experience "feel-good living" by making healthy living easy and practical. Stacey Shipman provides 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.

Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Also, don't forget to cast your vote! YOUR vote will determine which entrepreneurs most deserve to be amongst the finalists.