Stationery Designer is Latest WomensNet.net Grant Recipient

June 2, 2009 - PRLog -- FAIRPORT, N.Y., June 2—WomensNet.net today announced the latest recipient of its Amber grant, given quarterly to women in the process of starting or expanding their own businesses. Grant funds of $500 may be used to cover start-up expenses, such as buying or upgrading equipment, hiring consultants and advisors, joining professional organizations, or paying for advertising and marketing efforts.

     Andrea Sholders of Manassas, Virginia, who runs Invitations by Design (www.invitations-by-design.com), was selected as the first winner of 2009. Sholders established her business in 2005 after experiencing difficulty in finding just the right invitation for her own wedding. Soon after, friends and family began hiring her to design their stationery and invitations as well. In 2008, she added photography to the mix to further personalize each design. Now clients can include a photo of their newborn on a birth announcement or a couple’s engagement photo on a wedding announcement she designs, for example.

     With her $500 grant, Sholders plans to purchase new camera equipment to enhance the quality of photography she can offer her clients.

     “Andrea represents exactly the kind of entrepreneur we look for in awarding our grants,” says Christina Lambert, chief operating officer of WomensNet.net. “She had a clear vision for her business and a specific need that could catapult her company to a new level with the purchase of some equipment. We are honored to be able to help fulfill her dream of running her own successful business.”

Dead line for the next grant is June 30, 2009  Go to womensnet.net to apply.

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Since its launch in 1998, WomensNet.net has served as an online business community for women interested in starting and growing their own businesses. Each quarter, a $500 grant is awarded to a deserving woman in the process of starting a business.