VOTE for the Winner of the Miami Moms Blog Grant

In an effort to give back to local Mom-owned businesses during this time Miami Moms Blog is giving away a $500 grant! We were encouraged by the number of amazing Miami Mom-Owned businesses that applied. We wish we could provide a grant to every deserving business. However, our Grants Review Team has narrowed the selection to 7 finalists. The winner will be announced on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10th. But we need your help!

UPDATED 5/10/2020:

Congratulations to the winner: The Now I Know Program

Now I Know is an early intervention program helping elementary aged children grow in empathy, kindness and unity. The grant will allow them to continue to develop programs to help reduce the effects this pandemic has had on children’s social skills, namely for children with existing socialization issues.⁣⁣

⁣⁣Now I Know will receive a $500 grant from Miami Moms Blog but that’s not all… our generous friends at @gymboreemiami loved this cause so much that they are providing an additional $100 to the winner. To top it off, the winner will also receive some awesome toys from Gymboree too!⁣⁣

Congratulations to our Runner-Up My Gym Kendall who will receive a $200 Grant!

⁣We aren’t done yet… we are happy to announce that our runner-up @mygymkendall will also receive a $200 grant to support their business!

Giving back to Miami Mom-owned businesses is so near and dear to our hearts. We wish we could do even more but we hope that this investment will encourage and empower many Moms to support local businesses that we all know and love!⁣⁣

Help Us Select the Winner of the Miami Moms Blog Grant!

View the 7 finalists below and learn more about their businesses. Complete the Google Form at the bottom of the page to cast your vote. There is no limit to the amount of times you can vote. Share with a friend and let’s encourage these local businesses. 

Meet the 7 Finalists for the Miami Moms Blog Small Business Grant

Tell Us About Your Business: After my mom recovered from breast cancer she decided to re-invent her life and start a business to honor the tea which became part of her diet during the cancer treatment. As a daughter, I decided to support my mom’s idea as she always did for us, her kids. This is how My Tea Bar was born as a place with purpose.

We offer all kind of teas, ready to drink and also loose leaf. In our shop we sell also healthy food options and offer catering (make My Tea Bar, Your Tea Bar) for all kind of events.

How has being a Mom impacted your business? It has been amazing living the benefits of infusions with my own son. It is so easy to make recommendations to the community of moms because I am one of them! I love being a mom, and I love giving something that I use, I love and I believe in.

Tell Us About Your Business: I started my business after receiving a diagnosis that my son was on the spectrum. I quit my day job and dove deeper into a hobby that became what my business is today. My business has changed a little bit over the past 3 years. We started out with magically inspired pocket tees, pins & stickers. I then added my passion for essential oils to our business and as of late, I began to make face masks & scrub caps. The masks are being donated 1:1 and we have sold & donated about 2,000 in the last 3 weeks.

How has being a Mom impacted your business? Being a Mom has impacted my business in many ways. First off, being creative about how I can actually get work done. It pushes me to work harder because my kiddos are always watching. My oldest has taken a big liking to my work and loves to participate in my operations.

Tell Us About Your Business: 22 beautiful years ago I stumbled upon this franchise that literally gave me goosebumps! I was young, had 2 kids at age 23 and I just went for it! My mom took on a loan for me (she was amazing), and off we went with my Big dream! While opening, I was blessed with my third and final child. That was quite challenging but we made it. I honestly just want to be part of this community for another 22 years. We love what we do. We run classes for babies up to 10 year olds. We also offer camps and birthday parties

How has being a Mom impacted your business? Initially it was quite challenging with 3 kids. Now one of our sons teaches with us. It’s beautiful!

Tell Us About Your Business: I am a school social worker specializing in child welfare and development working primarily with middle schoolers at a local K-8 school. In my experience with children and adolescents over the last few years in a variety of settings (foster care, teen shelters, clinical settings and schools) I found a worrisome trend in young people’s ability to empathize and interact in kind and meaningful ways with one another. I felt there was a need for a simple, fun, early intervention program that emphasized empathy, kindness, and unity in academic and therapeutic settings. I wrote and published a children’s book. My book is accompanied by a journaling activity that is easily implemented in a variety of settings. 

How has being a Mom impacted your business? My daughter is the driving force behind everything I do. I want to help create a world where children, my daughter included, are kinder to one another and value each other’s differences.

Tell Us About Your Business: I opened my counseling practice in 2014 because I wanted to help individuals and families regardless of race, background, and economic status. While there are several public agencies and community mental health centers that offer counseling at reduced rates and accept Medicaid and Medicare, they are often confined to very tight budget restraints. These budget restraints often lead to agencies overworking and underpaying their employees, being understaffed, and in turn having long waiting lists for clients. I wanted to offer a private practice setting with high-quality services that would be available to all clients. I do this by accepting most major insurances, but also by providing a sliding scale for private pay clients. By offering a sliding scale, clients are able to see experienced and qualified therapists at a rate that is affordable to them. We have been able to work with and help so many individuals and families. We not only provide counseling, but we also offer psychological and psychoeducational testing at a reduced rate and allow clients to use their insurance to cover all or a portion of the cost. We are a team of passionate therapists and psychologists who provide counseling and psychological testing to clients ages 0 all the way up to geriatrics. 

How has being a Mom impacted your business? I am a new Mom! I gave birth to my daughter, Camila, in May of 2019 and she is about to be a 1 year old! Becoming a Mom has impacted me in my business in so many ways. People talk a lot about Post-Partum Depression, but you don’t hear about Post-Partum Anxiety as often. I definitely experienced a lot of anxiety as a new mom and it impacted me when I returned to work after maternity leave. I was anxious about leaving my baby, having to pump in between clients, being there for my therapists and staff, all while not getting enough sleep. The accumulated sleep deprivation is no joke! Being a business owner means that not only do I work while I’m at the office, but I work from home a lot! That is hard to do with a baby, especially one that only naps for 37-44 minutes! A lot of my work gets done at night when she’s sleeping, which means I go to sleep late — more sleep deprivation! Overall, it has just changed the way I am able to run my business. I have to work around Camila’s schedule when I am working from home.

Tell Us About Your Business: My name is Yvette. I am a Montessori teacher and have been teaching for over 8 years. At the start of last school year I decided to begin tutoring children and incorporate the Montessori philosophy. My students have shown tremendous progress. All they had to do was use their hands. So all of this led me to thinking…ALL children regardless of whether or not they can afford it should be given the opportunity to experience a Montessori education because not only is it a fun way to learn but it’s a philosophy that promotes independence in young children. That’s when I created AA Montessori Services. We want a future of great leaders, role models, and mentors. It all starts with educating our children! We provide Montessori Tutoring sessions, workshops for parents, handmade lessons, Montessori resources, monthly giveaways, community events (reading/sensory play) and learning environment set up. 

How has being a Mom impacted your business? I have been able to share with other moms my knowledge on the Montessori philosophy. I have also been able to share my experiences with this method of learning, using my children as an example of how much a child can learn when free to explore and discover.

Tell Us About Your Business: I started Flower Fanatic as a necessity to reinvent myself. I wanted to be available for my young children and give myself an opportunity to start a business that would allow me to still connect with people’s emotions. Flowers were my vehicle and it’s has been such an incredible ride. All the humbling lessons I have learned have served as a compass of who I want to be and what I want to achieve. Flower Fanatic is not your typical online floral boutique. We take pride in selecting the freshest signature flowers and incorporate them in designs that tell a story. Also we take pride in working together with other local brands to bring an exciting experience to our clients by having their products available at our online store. In addition, we provide floral design services for social and corporate events. An integral part of our business is also finding ways to give back to our community so we like to practice social responsibility by providing free workshops and donating items for fundraising efforts.

How has being a Mom impacted your business? Being a Mom has reassured my purpose in life. By all means it will be the most important title of my life and a continuous motivation to become the best version of myself. Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to devote the time I think is necessary to raise my children with the quality of time we all deserve. Also I have adopted more of a role of a student and love learning from my children and seeing the world and its beauty through their eyes.

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Thank you for casting a vote for the Miami Moms Blog grant. We can’t wait to announce the winner! Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn more.