Now I’m co-owner of Dapple, purveyor of the first line of environmentally-friendly products that deal with baby-specific cleaning challenges. And thanks to Yahoo! Small Business, our business is skyrocketing –- even in the current economic climate.

In March, on a whim, my partner Tamar Rosenthal and I applied to Yahoo! Small Business and fwm‘s “Seeds for Success” grant program and were later named one of the three finalists chosen from among 5,500 entrepreneurs. Over the last six months, we competed for the grand prize by working toward milestones with our website, sales, partnerships, PR and marketing, and more. More than 660,000 people recently cast their votes on Yahoo!. And lo and behold, we won!

It’s wild to think that just six months ago, we had no products on shelves, no retail presence. Just a few prototypes and a lot of hope. After we earned Yahoo!’s grant of $25,000 in cash and services, it was the perfect storm. We were able to produce our first two products, found small retailers in our New York City neighborhood willing to be our first test market, and built our web site. I can’t describe the kind of endless credibility the Yahoo! name gave us. We later struck deals with two major national retailers, attended trade shows, won an iParenting Media Award for best product, and got a lot of great attention from mommy bloggers. We’ve sold more than 25,000 units to date, have distribution in 300 stores and strong interest from big national chains, and now have six products in our line.

As part of our prize, we got mentoring advice from some really legendary figures through fwm (Finding What Matters). For example, fwm’s Carolyn Kepcher, of “The Apprentice” fame and Yahoo!’s program co-sponsor, helped us shore up our business plan while being a great sounding board. Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines, taught us about breaking through closed doors “in a ladylike way” but never giving up. Brand guru David Vinjamuri helped us create thoughtful packaging (e.g., pump dispensers are far more convenient for harried moms) and branding that resonated with our customers. Beauty maven Bobbi Brown gave tips about carefully growing our business. And Scott Smigler from Yahoo! partner Exclusive Concepts helped us recognize how important a successful Web site is as part of the mix and was amazing in revamping our Yahoo! Small Business Web site.

We’ve experienced many ups and downs in our journey and we’re often humbled by the hard work and dedication of other passionate entrepreneurs. If you’re on the edge of jumping in and think you have a great idea with a lot of promise, we say “go for it!” But put on your seatbelt and hang on –- the ride is incredible. As for Dapple, we plan to use our grand prize winnings to bring you even more baby-friendly cleansing products in the near future.

Dana Rubinstein
Co-Founder, Dapple

I’ve been fortunate in my career. I was an EVP at the Trump Organization, working for one of the most famously demanding bosses in the world. I was also lucky enough serve as a judge with him on the TV show The Apprentice. But in addition to those roles, I also held a far more important position — mother to two young children. It’s because balancing work and life is so challenging that when I left the Trump Organization I decided to start a new company, Carolyn & Co. Media, which I co-founded with another female professional, Jen Marr. Our company’s first brand “fwm: finding what matters,” will launch later this spring and will help women like myself equip themselves with the tools and resources to find this elusive balance.

One of the best ways for women to find flexibility in their careers is to start a business themselves (which is, of course, one of the reasons I’m doing so myself). That’s why I’m thrilled to have been on The Today Show this morning announcing, in partnership with Yahoo! Small Business, an exciting grant program for women entrepreneurs.

With this program, we’re celebrating women business owners, and highlighting the opportunities available to them when they use the Internet to pursue their goals. Three women will each win more than $25K in cash and services, as well as mentoring from successful business leaders. The three finalists will “compete” to accelerate their businesses. The most savvy among them will receive a “bonus” grant of an additional $10,000, to be awarded in October.

Female entrepreneurs seem to be on the rise. There are more than 10 million women-owned businesses in the US today, growing at twice the rate of small businesses overall.

I hope this program and my personal experience helps inspire women of all ages and backgrounds — professionals, retirees, stay at home moms, recent college grads, you name it. Whoever you are, if you’ve dreamed of starting your own business, I hope this program helps encourage you to embark on that rewarding journey and to use the Internet as your partner. Thanks to Yahoo!, it’s easier and more affordable than ever to bring a business online.

For more details, read more here and check out the website.

Carolyn Kepcher
CEO and Co-Founder
Carolyn & Co Media/fwm:Finding What Matters