Meet the Winner of Idea Cafe's $1,000.00 Al Marks Inventive Mind Grant

Laura Koehne, founder/owner of THRIVE Against the Grain, Takoma Park, MD

From the field of 762 applicants, then 128 semifinalists, then 40 finalists, Laura Koehne emerged as the one entrepreneur who will receive a $1,000.00 check from IdeaCafe.com to use in her business, THRIVE Against the Grain.

We've asked Laura to send us monthly updates on how her business is doing since receiving Idea Cafe's Grant.
Read Laura's reports:

Here's Laura's check from Idea Cafe:

What did Laura do to win the vote of confidence from Idea Cafe's small business community?

Here's how she explained what her business does:
I provide support and inspiration to people who are taking the road less traveled. I offer coaching services and information products ranging from a free eZine and audio programs that can be purchased from my web site.

When asked, "How would you use the grant money?", she said:
I am developing an audio product called Postcards from the Road Less Traveled which features a series of interviews with people who have made daring changes in their career and/or lives. These stories provide inspiration and real life strategies for others who wish to make transitions that may seem crazy to other people. I would use the money to support the technical side of this development.

To create the Postcards from the Road Less Traveled audio product I am conducting the interviews "live" in teleseminar format where audience members call in to listen and also ask their own questions. I have have conducted one teleseminar already -- with Tama Kieves, a Harvard lawyer who left her corporate law firm to pursue a career in creative writing. The response was excellent. I wish to increase the frequency of these calls to once a month and want to keep these events free for participants. The grant money will enable me to get a little help to promote the more frequent calls and would also enable me to get professional help to produce the final audio product.

We asked Laura, "If Idea Cafe's Grant helps your business reach greater success, how will you "pay it forward" to help others in some way?" We think her plans are a great model for us all:
I feel strongly about offering free resources to people who are in my community of interest -- in this case keeping the teleseminars free for people who are making life/career changes -- so they do not feel isolated in their journey. Also, I have always planned to give a percentage of my product profit to the Dream Foundation, the only organization who grants dreams to terminally ill adults (www.dreamfoundation.org.) This audio product is among a few that I'm working to launch that will have the dual impact of providing additional streams of income for my business and enabling me to donate to the Dream Foundation. I am also happy to provide the updates and learnings to other small business owners, as I navigate the new territory of creating my audio product.

So, Congratulations, Laura!

To find out more about Laura, visit her website and blog:
www.ThriveAgainstTheGrain.com

..............................

And what about you?
If you're one of the extremely talented applicants who didn't win this grant, we're sorry, but you'll have another chance. Here at Idea Cafe, we aim to make more grants available as often as we can, so keep tabs on Idea Cafe or watch our newsletter for current information on the next Idea Cafe Small Business Grant!

Cheers!

Founder & CEO
Chief Entrepreneurial Officer
IdeaCafe.com
"We Make Small Business Fun"(sm)

For grant options check Grants du Jour and other offerings in Idea Cafe's Biz Grant Center.

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