Elegant Women's Accessories

Rockville Chamber of Commerce's StartRight best business plan competition
Region-wide business plan competition spawns four winners In 2004,

Ibhana was not only the winner of Rockville Chamber of Commerce's StartRight best business plan competition, but also one of four finalists for the Wachovia Business Plan Competition sponsored by Wachovia/National Women's Business Center, Washington, DC.
Four Women-Owned Startups Receive Financial Boost

Rockville, Maryland (April 5, 2004)- Four winning finalists in a region-wide business plan competition for women entrepreneurs were announced at the fifth annual Women in Business Conference and Tradeshow on April 1, 2004 at Pooks Hill Marriott in Bethesda, Maryland. The competition was open to businesses that are at least 51% women-owned, active and in business for two years or less, and qualified to do business in Maryland, the District of Columbia or Virginia.
The first place recipient, Meena Tharmaratnam, received a cash prize of $2,000 for Bethesda-based Ibhana Creations, which retails women's clothing and accessories. The cash prize was sponsored by Applied Creative Technologies, and a business prize package provided by Staples was also awarded to the winning recipient.
Lifesteps, a women-owned financial services company in the Baltimore-Washington area, took second place. Lifesteps' principals Regina Forte and Dr. Christine Costello received $1,000 toward their company, which provides financial, legal and related services to women, families and employees. The award was sponsored by John Gage Tyner II, President of Taliesan Associates, a business management firm for small companies.
The two remaining semifinalists each received a cash prize of $500, sponsored by law firm Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A. The prize was awarded to MasterClasses, a movement education studio directed by Andrea Higgins providing specially tailored lessons and workshops on learning healthier ways of using the body.