Make Mine a $Million Business(TM) Program to Host First 2007 Awards Competition March 29-30 in Boston

The 2007 Make Mine a $Million Business program, launched by Count Me In For Women’s Economic Independence with founding partner, OPEN from American Express®, is accepting applications for its first competition of the year to be held March 29-30 in Boston. Interested women business owners nationwide can log onto www.makemineamillion.org to join the movement of women building million-dollar enterprises, learn about online resources that can help them expand their businesses and apply to win a Make Mine a $Million Business Award. Applicants with the most promising growth plans will be invited to compete for one-on-one mentoring, marketing assistance, a business line of credit from OPEN’s small business team, a loan from micro-lender Count Me In, and a package of financial, insurance and advisory services from national sponsor AIG. Products and services would also be awarded from the other national sponsors Cisco Systems, FedEx, Intuit and QVC. "The Make Mine a $Million Business movement represents the confidence and can-do attitude of women entrepreneurs throughout the United States,” said Nell Merlino, founder and president, Count Me In. "In less than a year, we have built a powerful community of entrepreneurs who are committed to realizing their million-dollar dreams while also inspiring other women to reach their full potential.” Last year, 14,000 women joined the Make Mine a $Million Business network of like-minded entrepreneurs and pledged their commitment to breaking the million Dollar barrier. More than 1000 women also applied to compete during at events in San Francisco and New York, where 40 women entrepreneurs were chosen to receive Make Mine a $Million Business Awards. A new class of eight women business owners will be named Make Mine a $Business Awardees at the Boston event, which will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center at the Women’s Congress, a two-day business conference where women get together to grow their businesses and enrich their careers. Attendees can take advantage of special conference rates through www.makemineamillion.org. The application deadline to compete in the Make Mine a $Million Business program is March 5. "We want women to ‘say it out loud’ and commit themselves to building a successful, million-dollar enterprise,” said Marcella Shinder, vice president, OPEN from American Express. "Perhaps the greatest benefit from participating in the program comes from the confidence and determination women achieve when they declare their intent to build a million-dollar enterprise.” "Empowering entrepreneurs has always played an important role in the economic growth and wellbeing of communities around the world. Our partnership with Count Me In is an innovative way for women in the United States to access capital and resources to grow million-dollar businesses,” said Ned Cloonan, Vice President for International and Corporate Affairs at AIG. Eight Make Mine a $Million Business awardees have already surpassed the million-dollar milestone and will be on hand in Boston to share their success stories. Women entrepreneurs are encouraged to register on the Make Mine a $Million Business web site to be part of the community and get a full schedule of events for 2007. In 2005, Count Me In and OPEN introduced Make Mine a $Million Business as a pilot program to help women entrepreneurs grow and build sustainable enterprises, create jobs and develop innovative products and services. In response to overwhelming interest and strong demand from women entrepreneurs, the program evolved into a nationwide movement inspiring one million women to achieve one million dollars in revenue by 2010. Since the program began, 63 women entrepreneurs from across the country have received one-on-one mentoring, marketing assistance and money in the form of Count Me In loans and business lines of credit from OPEN to fund their growth. In 2007, the program will expand further with six events around the country and tangible online resources and assistance – ultimately helping to add up to four million jobs and $700 billion to the US economy.1 About Count-Me-In Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of on-line business loans and resources for women to grow their micro businesses into $million enterprises. Find us at www.countmein.org or call 212-245-1245. About OPEN from American Express OPEN is the American Express team dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. The OPEN Team supports business owners with unparalleled service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owner customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN, visit www.OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a Card or loan. Terms and conditions apply. American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850. About AIG American International Group, Inc. (AIG), world leaders in insurance and financial services, is the leading international insurance organization with operations in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks of any insurer. For more information please visit www.aig.com. 1 Data source: US Census Bureau. Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners: Women-Owned Firms, 2002. Published January 2006. (SB02-00CS-WMN). Prepared by Julie Weeks, President and CEO of Womenable, www.womenable.com.