*jumping up and down* I WON! I WON!

Local Business Woman Named As Micro to Millions Awardee at Make Mine a Million $ Business™ Albuquerque Event

San Francisco, San Francisco September 10, 2008 Real Estate

(PRLEAP.COM) San Francisco, CA –[September 17, 2008] – Non-profit business program, Make Mine A Million $ Business has selected local business woman Cindy Lin of Staged4more Home Staging and Redesigns as one of 5 business women awardees to win the Micro to Millions awards package at the Albuquerque event on September 18, 2008 at the Wool Warehouse.

The exciting event will feature female entrepreneurs from New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California who competed for business development packages that include $5,000 in financing, coaching, and membership in a nation-wide community of women business owners providing assistance to help their businesses grow to million-dollar enterprises. The event will include educational and network opportunities in addition to keynote speeches by Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish and Nely Galan, Founder of GaLAn Entertainment.

Cindy Lin is the founder and lead designer of Staged4more Home Staging & Redesigns, which opened its door February 2006. Even at age 27, Lin is already an accomplished home staging professional and stylist. In additions to her staging work, her real estate blogs, coaching and speaking engagements have set her apart as a leader of the home staging industry. She has studied with various successful home staging and design professionals, including Barb Schwarz, the original creator of home staging, Mary Knackstedt, author of first interior design textbook, Christine Rae, staging educator and author of Home Staging for Dummies. Lin holds several key staging designations which include Accredited Staging Professional Master (ASPM), Interior Redesign Industry Specialist (IRIS) and Certified Staging Professional (CSP). She served as Charter President for San Francisco Chapter of International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) from 2005-2007 and recently became Charter President for San Francisco Chapter of Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).

To date, she has assisted 60+ San Francisco bay area home sellers and agents to stage and sell $45+ million worth of real estate, in which, earned a combined $1,527,000 in over-asking price. Her work and Staged4more have appeared in San Francisco Chronicle, San Mateo County Times, Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and many other online media.

In 2007, 62% of her company Staged4more’s staged & sold listings were sold Over-Asking with an average of 3.34% increase in selling price, which equaled to an average return on investment of staging at 1129.24% for her sellers. For an $800,000 listing, that’s an average of $26,720 increase over the original listing price.

“Winning this program means a lot to me. Home staging is such a young industry, and there are a lot of turbulence within the industry as well as external distrust and pressures from the consumers. One of the main struggles among seasoned stagers is that ‘Does our business model work? Can we be here for the long run while dealing with temperamental economy, tests of legitimacy and unethical behaviors done by unqualified individuals who are just in it for the glory?’ By winning the micro program means what I am doing and planning to do make sense. Being accepted into the micro program is also encouraging for other female small business owners in the networking groups that I host, as well as women entrepreneurs my age. It can be intimidating working in a field that is dominated by people twice my age, without the life experiences or the previous corporate lives like most of my competitors or clients have. I am often asked about my age when I first meet potential clients, or being treated as an intern,” said Lin.

More than four hundred women applied for the packages being awarded at this event. The Micro to Millions program is an offshoot of the Make Mine a Million $ Business program, which began in 2005 to provide packages of support to women who had been in business for over two years and had reached $250,000 in annual revenue. The Micro to Millions program was created to provide the right help to women who had not yet achieved that level of growth, but were determined to reach the million-dollar mark.

Described as a cross between “The Apprentice” and “American Idol,” the Make Mine a Million $ Business competition provides twenty women whose businesses have hit $250,000 in annual revenue the opportunity to present their business in a 3 minute “elevator pitch” to a panel of business experts and a live audience. Ten Make Mine a Million $ Business winners will be chosen by the audience and judges who collaborate on the selection process.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence and founding partner American Express OPEN ®, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned businesses grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since the inception, the program has hosted 18 competitions in cities around the country and grown into a nationwide movement.

“We are excited to come to New Mexico and provide support to women entrepreneurs in the region,” said Nell Merlino, founder and president of Count Me In. “The number of applicants mirrors the growth of our entrepreneurs’ businesses and their desire to take them to the million dollar level.”

The Make Mine a Million $ Business program has garnered support from organizations who are all joining hands in order to make an impact in women’s lives and strengthening the US economy. The impressive list of blue-chip national sponsors include American Express OPEN, Cisco, Dell, FedEx, and JetBlue. Sponsors provide an array of products and services that serve as invaluable tools for growth.

For more information about how women can grow their businesses please visit www.makemineamillion.org.

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.

Media Contacts:
Ann Noder Marybeth Grass
Orca Communications for Make Mine A Million $
480-248-0012 602-896-7643
Ann@orcacommunications.com Marybeth@orcacommunications.com