This article was written by Danielle

To help women-owned businesses find resources and take their business to the million dollar mark, Resource Nation and Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence have partnered to connect more businesses with local and national vendors in over 100 categories. The vendor matching program now being offered to MakeMineAMillion.org racers and members helps business buyers and sellers speed up the purchasing process and save money.

“We are excited to offer the additional resources provided by Resource Nation to our racers and members,” says Nell Merlino, CEO of Count Me In. “As a nonprofit aiming to help more women entrepreneurs grow their business and create jobs for our communities and future generations, these free tools are very valuable to our community.”

Make Mine a Million $ Business, a program founded by Count Me In, is committed to helping post start-up women entrepreneurs grow million-dollar firms. There are more than 10 million women-owned businesses in the United States, but only 2.6%, or 242,000, report more than $1 million in revenue, with the majority generating revenues below $50,000. By the year 2010, the program will help one million women entrepreneurs reach annual revenues of $1 million.

Through the partnership, Count Me In provides high-quality, competitive bids from multiple companies to business owners looking for help. For example, when The Hershey Company needed a new phone system for its corporate office, the company used Resource Nation’s tool to receive VoIP price quotes and find a pre-screened dealer. The partnership also allows Count Me In racers to join the vendor network and market to customers actively looking for their services. Large credit card processing companies like Sage Payment Solutions and smaller companies like FDIS West Coast use Resource Nation’s network to connect with business owners looking to accept credit cards, providing a variety of options and price quotes to business owners.

“Marketers are constantly searching for ways to get in front of buyers who are actively engaged. During this economy, it is crucial for businesses to attach a direct ROI for every marketing dollar spent. Our pay-per-lead and pay-per-click programs allow advertisers to reach buyers at the point when they are looking to make a business purchase, helping them expand their customer database,” says Ryan Peddycord, CEO of ResourceNation.com.

Resource Nation continues to increase its exposure to buyers through its relationships with companies like Count Me In and bMighty, as well as through the growth of its own Web site, ResourceNation.com.

About Resource Nation

Resource Nation provides online and offline resources to help start and grow a business. Its core vendor locator service connects businesses to local and national pre-screened vendors in over 100 business categories such as payroll processing, web design, and copiers. Its StartMeUp program offers a dedicated consultant and road map guiding entrepreneurs and small businesses through the process of starting or growing a business. Resource Nation’s hands-on ability to pre-qualify each business looking for services and partner with large, reputable business-orientated sites makes it one of the largest marketplaces for buyers and sellers to connect online.

About Count Me In

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community for women entrepreneurs. Count Me In is dedicated to providing inspiration, resources, and the community support women entrepreneurs need to scale their businesses to a million dollars in revenue and beyond.