McCormick Foundation 8

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

8) My timeline for this project over the next year: (1750 characters)

Over the next year, I plan to be ready to launch my website, start my newsletter, get my ebooks on line, and expand my blog page. My blog page is currently being updated, I am creating materials as I write this. I have already hired a graphic artist to help me with my designs and branding. My plan is to hire a webdesigner as soon as I have the funds. Assuming I get this grant in mid February, I will have my chosen webmaster hired within two weeks. I already have the contents of my website ready to go, so I will have the webmaster start building it right away.

In the meantime, I will start looking for an ecourse developer to help me get my class online. I anticipate that with my website and blog generating a buzz, I will have a few ebooks to give away and start building my email list. When I am ready to launch the first ecourse, by midyear, I will already have my infrastructure in place.

Simultaneously, I will be looking for the greatest opportunities to attend conferences, meet-ups, and other social networking events to get and stay connected with my ideal customers. I will be looking to do presentations, workshops, and seminars at every opportunity that presents itself.

Timeline:

Jan-Dec	Start posting original articles and other Latino news related information on my blog and facebook page
January-March	Secure funds, work with graphic artist on branding design, continue building social media group
January-March	Continue building my social network, get sites such as Linked-In, Twitter, and Google Groups going
March-June	Work with webmaster to design and build my website
March-June	Work with ebook developer and start selling my ebooks online
June-August	Launch my website—start working with ecourse developer
June-August	Launch 1st ecourse and start making plans for the next one
August-December	Start working on second ecourse and continue marketing and branding in earnest