Minding My Business – Scholarships for Women Entrepreneurs

“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” ~ Arthur Ashe
This week we announce the winners of our 3rd Annual CE Wilson Consulting Mind My Business (MMB) scholarships.  Each year we award scholarships to women pursuing advanced degrees in business entrepreneurship.  This year we’re blessed to extend three tuition scholarships and one book scholarship to some very inspiring women who have dreams of owning four very unique small businesses.

Inspiration
It was in reading their applications that I once again felt a true appreciation for what it means to give from the heart.  Reading their inspiring reasons why the world should take notice of their business and how their immediate community will be better – this made for the best reading I’ve done in months. Curled up over a cup of coffee and a slice of poundcake, make that 2 slices, I remembered all over again, the heart of my existence…
As a project manager, we use our expertise and creativity to deliver an exceptional result throughout the project cycle. Our job is to plan, manage, monitor, communicate, and deliver.  We may make our living off that. What keeps me coming back though is the feeling I get when I know my team has delivered something great, something more than expected that will benefit my customer.

Giving Freely
I’m looking for that “Yesss!” response.  You know the one you get when you give someone the perfect gift and they react just as you wanted them to?  That’s the feeling I’m shooting for.  The giving.  Freely offering up what you know someone else will need or appreciate, and not expecting much more than knowing you’ve helped and made even the slightest difference.  Because that drives me so much, the MMB scholarship is based on this idea.  Help someone achieve their goals so they can help someone else.
These future-entrepreneurs have so much passion about their business ideas, such excitement about getting more education, and they each have an amazing life story that withstands struggle and challenges. Yet, they are ready to get their feet wet, manage their own education as if it were a project, and at the end open the doors to customers who they, too hope will give them the “Yes!” moment they indicated in their application.
Giving is our responsibility, we’re all lucky to be able to do it.  Don’t lose sight of this as part of your DNA, no matter what type of project or business you do.  It’s needed everywhere and all the time.
In the end, although I asked these women to tell me why the world should mind THEIR business, I am the one who stepped away feeling so blessed that they’ve allowed me to mind my own.