Australia Update #1: 7/16/2011: Thank you all to those that have been supportive in your actions, words and donations. It truly means a lot to me. As an added incentive to thank my supporters, I will provide tangible “Thank Yous” including:

Donations of $5-19: Handwritten, personalized Thank You note with a word of inspiration, sent to your address of choice. I will also give you a mention on the blog, my facebook and twitter accounts with a link to your project/business if you so choose.

$20 +: in addition to a handwritten thank you note and digital “shout-out”  you can schedule a 30 minute Creative PowerSession  if you so choose.

$50+:  in addition to a handwritten thank you note & digital “shout-out”, you will receive a pair of customized, hand-crafted pair of semi-precious stone earrings or a semi-precious stretch stone bracelet from my Jewelry Line Koi Creative Jewelry. You will have the choice of a few stone types.

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So- this is my first ever public acknowledgement of the fact that I need help and right now, I am somewhat uncomfortable (actually I am VERY uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons…more on that later) but I am going to move forward with my request anyway…because well…I need help.

A few months ago, I submitted a paper to an international incubator conference taking place in Perth, Australia in September 2011. The conference is about fashion incubators and those of you who know me know that I have been involved with the GWFCC/DCFF initiative to create DC’s first fashion incubator.

The Good News? My paper was selected to be presented at the conference!! Go Me! I am already listed on the conference page! See? http://www.fashionincubators.com/EBandoh

(A copy of my paper is available for your pleasure. Shot me an email info AT eabplanning.com and I will send it to you.)

At some point I thought I would be able to cover the expenses. It would be a stretch, but I was determined to make it happen. Then life happened and it looks as if my best laid plans are just not going to work financially. At first I was just disappointed, but then at the encouragement of friends, I decided to open my mouth to ask for help.

So this is me asking for help in the form of a donations page. The trip in total will cost around $4,100 including plane fare, ($2,300) accommodations ($1, 200) and conference registration fees ($600). Let me tell you—Australia is expensive and this pesky exchange rate really does not help! Every dollar donated will go towards offsetting the cost of this amazing conference trip. To be clear, I have set aside some funds and continue to add to the kitty, but as time is winding down, I could use all the help that I could get.

I am open to all suggestions on how to get to Australia cheaply and suggestions, recommendations and connections on places to stay in Perth that are CHEAP and close to the Perth Hilton (the conference center). I am not tied to anything- just as long as I get there and have a clean place to lay my head.  If anyone would like to donate any airline miles from Quantas, Cathay Pacific or ANY airline that flies to Australia, that would be AWESOME as well. I’ll also take any words of encouragement that you may have. Please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section of this post.

Attending and presenting at this conference is important to me for several reasons, both personal and professional. I believe it will be a tipping point for my business and is testament to the four years of hard work that I have engaged in to brand myself as a creative business expert. This conference ties into my larger vision of the project that I’m looking to implement on a global level in 2012. My presentation will also help put DC on the map in terms of the emerging fashion industry that is growing in Washington, DC. International credibility will go a long way to help us all out in terms of creating networks in emerging markets like Africa and South East Asia.

Lastly, I will get to see one of my oldest friends from 5^th grade. She currently lives in Australia and I have not seen her since 1999.

I appreciate any help that anyone reading this page is willing to give.  Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about my work and passionate about motivating and empowering other creative entrepreneurs and business owners to actively reach their highest good. Thank you so much for reading and considering my request!!

Please feel free to forward and share with your friends.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2011 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Business Support Network, Creative Entrepreneurship, Fiscally Fit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.