McCormick Foundation 10

I have decided to apply for the McCormick Foundation New Media Women Entrepreneurs Grant for Entrepreneurs. The Application is AWESOME because it encourages you to focus and have clarity in your life about what it is that you want to accomplish and how you are going to move your business forward. For me, the questions are spot on and the character limits, mean I have to think very carefully about what I want to write and be succinct. If you are looking for funds for a particular project, even if you do not think you are a good match for Fredrickson Grant, then fill out the application fields. This will help you gain clarity about what you want to accomplish, how you want to accomplish it, and why you are the best person for the job. The application is due on January 27, 2011. I am planning on posting my responses to the 10 questions, one a day for the next ten days. I will welcome any feedback or ideas you’d like to offer. If you want to join me on this journey, please feel share your journey. I am very excited about this. Soon, I will be looking for Latina artists, graphic designers, web-developers, and ebook developers to help me get LAUNCHED...may the journey begin.

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos adelante,
Zulmara

10) Why I know I can make this happen: (2500 characters)

I know I can make this happen because it has been in the making for the past 20 years. I have already tried and failed at launching a website and a blog, I have already tried and failed at selling items online, and I have already created materials that are wonderfully received by the people that have had access to them and I am ready to give more people access to my material. Overall, I am sure that I can make this happen because of the experiences I have had and what I have learned along the way. This is not my first time out. Now I know that you have to build trust, be part of a trusted network and work with others who are doing similar things. I have also learned that I need to follow my passion, ask for help, and not try to do it all on my own. I know I need to have a team behind me and I need to put my creative energies into what I am good at, which is coming up with the content and not trying to do the technology aspect on my own.

I have vision, clarity, and focus. I know what I want and I know how to go for it. In the past month, after attending the Coca-Cola Tour: Adelante, I have more than 10 times the amount of traffic on my blog site, I have been posting regularly, and I have been learning how to use the technology to my best advantage. Latinas need self-help, personal development, and professional development materials that are unique to us and our way of being and knowing. We want there to be a place for La familia in our professional lives, we want there to be a place for la cultura in our business ventures.

I possess the organizational, developmental, and executive skills to be a success. I know that my content resonates with Latinas and I am ready to reach a wider audience and make it happen para mi gente. I know that a program to help Latinas achieve their dreams, celebrate what is right with their lives, and take themselves to the next level—no matter where they are at—in their personal or professional lives, is going to be a success. I am excited about this grant because it offers me an opportunity to focus on what I know is important in reaching a wider audience...getting visible and getting my work out there. I truly believe in networking and collaboration and I am excited about all that we are able to accomplish when we put our resources together and create great content to be shared. Latinas are a force to be reckoned with and my dream is to pave the way and lay the foundation for high levels of success within la comunidad.

My passion for education and what I want to accomplish is overflowing. I love what I do and I do what I love. My curriculum is awesome and gets people involved and hooked in right away. It allows me to see what needs to be done and how to do it, the path becomes clear as I am working on the various aspects of what needs to be done. I have a lot of material, it is just a matter of organizing and putting it into a format that others can use and access. My years of training as an educator have served me well. I am truly blessed to have so many of you on this journey with me. Yes, si se puede. We are awesome.