Count Me In just announced their M3 RACE. M3Race is a year-long business growth marathon that will ramp up your business, create jobs and promote economic stability for our families and communities. The M3 RACE officially starts on January 27, 2009 but early registration is open now.

Did you know that to match men’s earnings for 2008, women have to work from January 2008 to April 2009 — an extra four months? The American Association of University Women (AAUW) announced at a luncheon last week one of their 2009 initiatives which is Equal Pay Day which is April 28, 2009. This is to bring awareness of the pay inequity between which is especially important given this current economic downturn.

I ask the ladies of the twitter community, “What’s the one thing you did this year that helped your business or finances?” I got some great responses.

• sarahwmhc Stopped using the credit cards and used the debit card exclusively instead.
• tndmedia I took free classes online for graphics/photoshop (business) or started a budget (personal).
• BrandyForSale Hosted a clothing swap!
• mavindigital being on top of our deal flow and keeping operations lean made sure we close the books on 2008 with healthy profits.
• felsull Paying down my credit card debt & understanding the “energy cost” behind each purchase I made.
• MeiLinMiranda I began selling stuff I really didn’t need, the ultimate being my yard (2nd lot)–paying off my mortgage w/proceeds.

BTW, twitter is a free microblogging service with a heavy dash of social media.  You can follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/niche.

A great way to show off your expertise and make connections is to attend conferences. Even better is to appear on or submit yourself to panel discussions. Here are some upcoming conferences. If the cost of the panel is out of your budget, apply for a press pass or inquire if there is a friend/family discount.

Chicks Who Click -Social Media Conference in Boulder, Co on January 9-10.

Fem 2.0-Feminism Conference in Washington, DC. on February 2.

Mom 2.0- Moms, bloggers and marketers more in Houston, TX is February 19-21.

SXSW- Tech, Music, Film in Austin, TX.  The interactive part is from March 13-17. [I am attending and will be on a panel, Finance 2.0]

There are women helping each other–online and offline. I created this blog to be a resource for women who have businesses, freelancers, and budding moguls.  Yes we can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never be afraid to make money.