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Baby Sign Language Expert Laura Berg Named the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year

TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- My Smart Hands (www.mysmarthands.com), a company founded by Laura Berg of Toronto that aims to educate young minds through baby sign language, amassed the mostvotes to win the 2010 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award presented by PayPal Canada.  Awarded one week prior to Small Business Week in Canada, the award is another positive sign of how Mom Entrepreneurs are starting and growing successful companies.
/ Source: GlobeNewswire

TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- My Smart Hands (), a company founded by Laura Berg of Toronto that aims to educate young minds through baby sign language, amassed the mostvotes to win the 2010 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award presented by PayPal Canada.  Awarded one week prior to Small Business Week in Canada, the award is another positive sign of how Mom Entrepreneurs are starting and growing successful companies.

"This award and the prizes that go along with it could not have come at a better time," said Berg on winning the national business award from SavvyMom Media (), now in its fourth year.  "My business has reached a point where I need to invest some serious money to take it to the next level. The prize money and professional services will definitely be put to good use. I am excited to see the vision I have for My Smart Hands come to fruition and the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur Award will play a huge role in getting me even further ahead!"

Beyond the votes for the winner, thousands more were cast for the other successful nominees who are building their businesses from the ground up through what is referred to as  "Word of Mom".  "Word of Mom" is a social force that spreads like wildfire among like-minded groups of moms who are already mobilized and meet through playgroups, the gym, the schoolyard, office and other social venues.  Each of the 250+ successful nominees this year harnessed the power of word of mom by tapping into their social networks, both on and offline to round up votes and promote their businesses.

"PayPal is proud to support Canada's Mom Entrepreneur Award and we congratulate all the moms who took part in this year's competition," said Nicky Mezo, Head of Marketing for PayPal Canada.  "At PayPal we are always impressed at the creativity and hard work that Canadian mom entrepreneurs put into making their businesses succeed and we are proud to play a supporting role in so many of these amazing companies by making it easier, faster and safer for them to accept payments online."

As this year's winner, Berg will receive a $5,000 prize provided by PayPal and will also receive a suite of professional services in the form of a full-year business mentorship from Shirley Broback, founder of the Vancouver Island Baby Fair, a workplace productivity assessment from Clear Concept Inc., public relations services from Limelite PR, a search engine optimization (SEO) assessment from , a brand study from EntrepreNursery Inc. and a social media design and marketing program from Virtual Business Solutions On Demand.

"Mom entrepreneurs continue to be a driving force in starting and growing small businesses in Canada," said Sarah Morgenstern, Co-Founder of SavvyMom Media Inc.  "When a Mom entrepreneur earns the trust of influential moms, it usually doesn't take too long before the positive word of mouth buzz – the word of mom – takes off.  That's what's happening to Laura Berg and My Smart Hands right now.  Her business is poised for even stronger growth."

This year's winner will also receive a commemorative crystal keepsake, custom-designed by award-winning crystal artist Mark Raynes Roberts of Raynes & Co., specialists in designing and creating specially commissioned presentation art pieces in crystal, gold and silver.

SavvyMom Media

SavvyMom Media () is the publisher of the influential online publications for Canadian moms, SavvyMom Today and EatSavvy, as well as the consumer-generated mom review site, ShareSavvy.ca. The trusted voice for moms across Canada, SavvyMom speaks to the broad range of topics that moms need to address, finding practical solutions to their everyday dilemmas.  More details on the award program can be found at .

PayPal

PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send money without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts or credit cards. With more than 87 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global ecommerce. PayPal is an eBay company. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. More information about the company can be found at .

For more information:

Andrew Findlater

SELECT Public Relations

afindlater@selectpr.ca

T: 416-659-1197

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