Melissa, you are such an inspiration! I chose this video not only for its creativity, but also because I feel that your advice is genuine and solid, and that your story reminds those of us who own small businesses that at the end of the day, daily problems aside, it really is passion for what you do that will determine your success. I love the dress you are wearing too! Talent, brains, and sound advice. Thank you for sharing this!

I voted for you in the first round, I am so excited you are a finalist! I teach high school home ec/fashion merchandising and I read your story to my students who are interested in becoming fashion designers. They were so thrilled with your story. Your advice is incredibly practical, I hope you win!

You guys got me all choked up! Good luck Melissa! You rock!

Melissa! You Rock and that is exactly why Cristel, Zealon, and I love your Mountain of the Moon fashions. That is a great video, props to Robbie. Good luck in the contest, you deserve the top prize!

Peace,

Todd & Cristel

What a fantastic and inspirational story. Your dedication to eco-fashion before it was a trend is extremely commendable. May you succeed in all you do. You deserve to win! Best of luck.

Your advice is dead on.... especially for small business owners. Your video not only highlights your talent as a brilliant designer, but also the responsibility you feel in bringing ecologically responsible fashion into the mainstream. I love that your approach was to go into boutiques- enlisting and educating them on the value of pairing incredible fashion with doing the right thing. Your business is the perfect marriage of beauty and heart! You are an inspiration.. Thank you!

Well done Mel! Good things will happen when go believe in what you do. Hang in there. You will make it! Proud of you!!!

I am so proud of you Melissa! The video made me tear up! I hope you get everything you want in life (especially this grant!)

CONGRATS on being a finalist! You are a winner in every way!

This was such great insight into you and your designs- kudos on following your dreams and making IT happen. Take it all the way girl!!

I have tears in my eyes! So inspirational for all us dreamers out there...kudos to you lovely lady!

I have tears in my eyes and goose bumps on my arms. You are truly an amazing inspiration. I know I certainly look up to you! You deserve this!!!

That is such a great story and video. Congrats to you #1 and Robbie for putting that together. You have a "Star" following you. "KISS" - keep it simple/stupid, do not back away from your dream and always be as humble as I already know you are. Wiz

I have always been one of your biggest fans and will continue to love your inspirational designs. All good things to you Melissa! Congrats on all of your successes!

awesome! best of luck!!

I think it's great how you talk about all of the things you had to learn on your own (accounting, networking, your website, research, etc.) As a small business owner myself, I think it's important to get your hands dirty and learn everything you can yourself. Kudos to you for not giving up your beliefs and being such a pioneer of eco fashion. I think your incredibly positive attitude and drive are going to get you far! Good luck, I thought this video was inspiring, useful and funny!

Truly incredible. For lack of a lesser cliche phrase, I'm inspired. No doubt an amazing fashion forecaster, your ability to see a business opportunity long before environmentally friendly design was in question, deserves the highest of recognition and support. I'm so proud to know someone with such passion, drive and creativity. You. Are. Awesome.

Cool story, Melissa! And very well done- I can't think of anyone more deserving than you. It has been so gratifying to see the progress you have made over the years.

(I'm linking this on DNCentral also. Folks on that message board need to know about this too!)

You work so hard and have been an inspiration to so many. You were Eco before Eco became trendy. Good luck, I know how much it means to you.

Keep up the great work! Wonderful video and fun to learn more about you.

perseverance furthers!

You rock Melissa!

Awesome Video MB, it IS inspiring. I know how tough your biz is. good luck, and keep up the good work.

Good luck sis!

Very inspiring !!! Good luck to you !!!

chuckvegas

I know your faith will lead you through.

Great story! Good for you for sticking to your guns...you're a real DIY success story and I look forward to the next chapter!

Great video Melissa, really cool stuff!

Great video. Even better advice, as a small business owner I know the hardships you have encountered. I hope your hard work pays off. Love the Eco Idea.

Peace

What an amazing story! You are an incredible artist and you deserve to win this contest more than anyone. You have beautiful style!

You hit perfectly on many levels with your thoughts and philosophy. It's just a matter of time before you reap the rewards of your hard work and perseverance.

Nice job - It's been great watching your growth over the last six years since I met you. As a dad with three daughters its great having role models like yourself out there! Good luck!!!! (I'll miss you in Tennessee)

I am so glad you fell and got pigeon poop on you so that I could meet you and be inspired as well.

Keep spreading your inspirational message.

x

Nice work Melissa. Good luck and hope to see you at a show sometime soon.

Melissa - I am so proud of you!! This is the kind of stuff that we should all strive for, girlie. GO GET IT. <3 HUGE love to you, darlin'.

Melissa,

We are Kim and Tony Vrooman, friends of Robbie. We have been working on starting a small not-for-profit for quite sometime and just got our 501c3 status. We support families and children in need and have been doing so for 8 years. We are trying to start a small shop to support perpetual fundraising, and this video has been a real inspiration. It brought tears to my eyes! Good luck!

What an inspiring video and story. Good luck to you and kudos for having the passion and drive to keep the dream alive!

great video. i am pulling for you to win this. beck

Congratulations Melissa! So happy you made it to the next round, you will always get my vote!

Extremely inspirational video!!! I had no idea the effort that has been put into Mountains of the Moon. Congratulations for never giving up and perusing your dreams, if everyone had your drive for eco-friendly goods the world would be a much better place.

$$$ is yours, movie star

great video....good luck!

good luck!

Melissa,

This video is so inspirational. Thank you for sharing your labor of love with the world!!! I admire your commitment to your dream.

This story is truly inspirational. For all the bad days when it seems easier to give up, its nice to know that there are motivated people out there to carry out their dreams. Goodluck!!! Keep your dreams close to your heart and it will pay off in the end!

Great vid; I love "salt of the earth stories" Keep up all the hard work. Your clothes are the coolest! You're a great fricken business woman and a talented artist. You deserve everything you get---peace.

Melissa, your story is inspiring. Having helped my father with his own business while in high school, I know how hard it can be to strike out on your own, with little more than the ideals of how earning a living should be. Good luck to you, you deserve it.

SO inspiring and true of entrepreneurial journey...so glad you followed the magical moment!

It has been an absolute pleasure to be one of the former "non-green" boutiques who now carries Mountains of the Moon's collections. Melissa's talent, positive attitude and perseverance definitely opened my eyes to the importance of earth-friendly fashion and helped me get over stereotypes about what eco-fashion represents. Take one look at her design work - it could be on the cover of Vogue! I can't think of a more deserving company. I truly hope you win.

Your clothing is beautiful and your story inspiring. Best of luck to you!

Environmentally correct. Good personal story. Professionally presented. What else do you need? Award her! Plus my girlfriend says the dresses and clothing are really good.

Melissa, Congrats for making it this far and good luck!

good luck Melissa, you definitely deserve to win for all your hard work and great designs.

Very nicely done. Definitely my pick for the grand prize.

As a CPA and small business owner myself, I can absolutely relate to this story. It's inspiring without a doubt, but even more than that, it's useful. Your advice is solid, specific, and genuine. I also think that the underlying humor is great and makes this entry really stand out. I can visualize the pigeon poop - you poor thing. ;-) Glad you held your head high and prevailed! I really believe you deserve to win. Can't wait to go look at your website.

Keep up the great work! You truly are an inspiration! It is so wonderful to see someone achieve their goals! Especially a woman! Congrats again. My daughter Madison wants to be a fashion designer and when I showed her this so became even more excited to know it was possible.

You're an amazing, beautiful, talented inspiration to all. Love you and good luck!

Good luck Melissa!!!!

I'll never look at a pigeon the same way again. Hi Melissa! We haven't met but my husband and I (Jake and Val Townsend) are friends with Robbie. We can see why Robbie loves you so much (BTW - Hi Robbie!) Good luck!!!!

YOU are what successful small businesses are all about these days--putting in your time, never giving up, being creative throughout the whole process, and supporting our mother Earth! AND you make all of your customers look and feel great by offering up amazing products...

GOOD LUCK, you deserve this!!!

I have the utmost respect for you & your efforts.

A truly inspirational story, a wonderful message, and an unbelievable talent!! GO MELISSA!

Some cultures believe being pigeon pooped is a sign of good luck. I hope that your incredible story, and the symbolism of being pigeon pooped will shower Mountains of the Moon with these welll-deserved business grants, and years of creative green fashionista designs.

I can't begin to express how commendable it is that you not only believed in your business model so much, but also in doing something to better the world. Green businesses are the "in" thing right now, but you were a pioneer. Your story and advice are incredibly useful to others in sustainable business industries (and really, in any industry). Good luck Melissa. Seems to me that you really deserve to win this grant and continue making a difference.

Hi Melissa, Sarah actually e-mailed all of us the link to your video and I'm so glad she did. You really worked hard on! I remember getting a call that you won "Most Likely to Succeed" in highschool... Some things never change! I know times are tough right now and I really hope you win. I will pass this on to a few e-mail lists I am part of. GOOD LUCK!

very useful advice! good luck, it's a really great video & story!

I am So proud of you!

Melissa, Congratulations for following your dream and not giving up! I wish you success with this contest and with your business in the future.

Melissa--Gret Video! Love RY and family.

Melly....This is soooooo inspiring! I am quite moved.....Little t

Keep doing what you do. It's important to have local businesses succeed now more than ever.

Good luck Melissa! You definitely deserve it!

Good luck Melissa! You deserve it!

Melissa, Great and inspring video. I surely hope that grant is yours to continue your success. Cheers for you perseverance! -Amy

I love to see someone work so hard about something that they feel very passionately about. Best of luck to you!

You rock as small business woman and as person. This was an excellent video!

Love Mel, and what she does!

I am truly inspired!! Thanks for sharing your story, and many blessings to you and your company!!!

Solid, constructive advice and really fascinating story. My wife is quite the fan of your designs, and in fact has watched you really grow over the last few years. In a time when many small businesses are failing because of the economic downturn, it is incredibly admirable to see you work to hard to prevail. And kudos to you for doing something that goes above and beyond just making a profit.

Hi Melissa, I met you at the benefit you organized with Climate Cycle in December and have since been an avid fan of Mountains of the Moon! I love your video and also the fact that 'giving back' is such a huge part of your mission. If every business was like your's, the world would be a much better place! I will share this with the Ecoguru list and GOOD LUCK!

I knew you stayed up working on this video for days but WOW! Am I surprised that you taught yourself video editing in a matter of days? Nope, that's how you operate! The pigeon poop part is HILARIOUS even in such a moving story, and your advice is very useful! I know it's been really tough lately, I really, really hope you win Mel. I can't think of a more deserving person. xoxo

It is very exciting to see you in the finals Melissa! You are the definition of hard work and your passion is inspiring. Keep up all the good work and best of luck to you!!

Absolutely amazing story. Makes me want to start my own business!

Awesome!!!

Ive got a quote that applies from mother Theresa perfectly. "Do not wait for leaders or others, do it alone person to person"

Congrats and as a chef you have all of the respect I can give!!!

Hi Melissa, I am a follower of your blog and a fan on facebook and as an aspiring designer who just started my own small business, Mountains of The Moon is a constant inspiration to me. I like how your video talks about all of the things you learned to do on your own like accounting, website building, networking and research. That is helpful information to know. Thank you for sharing this on your blog and with the world. I hope you win!

Life is all about fulfilling your dreams and it's been a pleasure to watch your company grow and achieve all sorts of success. Best of luck in this contest and beyond.

Great looking video, Mel! I hope that your business wins the grant!

As someone who knows Melissa and the long hours she has worked and sacrifices she has made not only to create a successful business but also to try to keep things afloat in a failing economy, I can't express enough how much this grant would mean to keeping her mission going. As a small business owner, I can't express enough how useful and inspiring her story is! Thank you for being a truly good person and a devoted member of the small business community!

Duffy210

Congrats from Sam & Heidi's parents.

Congrats and keep up the hard work.

Great Video and Good Luck! the back round music was top notch as well,

Congrats Melissa on getting so far! I'm sure your colleagues on the fashion-incubator forum would be thrilled to vote for you too if you let them know about your opportunity :).

best

Kathleen

http://fashion-incubator.com

rock on! thank you!

/kins

I wore your skirt and reversable top for my graduation. As I was carrying my luggage from the hotel to my car, I was stopped by a stranger. She loved your work and asked how she could buy the skirt. I explained your eco-friendly approach to design and creation and passed on the website. Thank you for making this ugly ducking feel like a swan.

awsome story, good luck on your endeavours.

Hey Melissa,

I tried to get in on this grant myself and am now putting my vote for you to take it all the way! Your company is very inspiring and the world needs more eco conscious individuals. (And super cute clothes!)

Best of luck,

-Coco Tardiff / Coques Design

Hi Melissa~I know Erin Mahoney,(sweet & cool!)~& I knew any friend of hers was a good person!~ I got info regarding this video and your company via her~ I create jewelry, and would one day love to be a full-time jewelry designer~It's very inspiring to see you w/ your own business! Good luck and much future success to you!~I am going to want some of your clothing soon!! I love the wide-legged pants! Peace & Luck~Connie

Best of luck to you! I wish you well. You're such a great inspiration.

Congatulations on making it to the finals. You absolutely deserve it and continue to be inspirational to all of us who know you!

Melissa you are an awesome individual and designer. It's been great to see your career grow from the first time we 'met' through the PB's. You are very talented and deserve this more than any one else I know. It's always a pleasure to see your booth setup in Centeroo! Good luck -- I hope you win!

So inspiring, Melissa. It was wonderful to meet you in Chicago! I wish you the best in this contest! You deserve to win!

I have been a fan of Mountains Of The Moon for about 20 years. Oh wait that was the song. I have been a fan of Mountains Of The Moon apparel ever since I heard about her efforts, ideas and style. Very cool. Good video & cool Umphreaky soundtrack as well. Thanks for this. I'm voting for you. DGold, Fayetteville ARK Honest.FM

Beautifully done Melissa (story, video, design work, company and ethics!). You are a pioneer. I really hope you win the grant. You could do so very much with your talent and drive.

The more people think like this the quicker we change our world for the better. Best of luck

Congratulations on the success of your business. Keep up the great work!

Well-deserving of a biz grant and much success in the future !

nice work mel!! best of luck to you.

Well done Melissa. It seems that you've found what you love to do and you're making 'it' your living. I hope the voting leans in your favor. Take care.

Melissa, Check it: outhttps://www.horatioalger.com/SCHOLARSHIPS/index.cfm

You're an outstanding example of, 'being the change you want to see in the world.' You are the hope that Obama that is the impetus for Obama's popularity and from Chicago to boot. Love it.

Go to The Parthenon tonight and have some Roditis and saganaki. It's a treat you're sure to enjoy.

Heath

good luck! i love ur pants!

Great job Melissa, we are all voting for you here in Arkansas!!!

Go Melissa Go!! You're amazing.

What an inspiration you and your company are! You totally deserve the grant. I wish you great success. I also hope to be wearing your clothing soon. Thank you for all of hard work!

Amen sister!!!

Best of luck!

Yes, in today's society of make a quick buck fast, we forget that it really takes a lot of hard work before things can pay off. You have the right thinking to go the places you are wanting to go. Good Luck you will succeed.

Best of luck, Melissa. You truly deserve this!!!

Good telling of personal story. Excellent use of stills, graphics, and going right into the mini-documentary interview with the business owner.

Some text bumpers could be larger, since they're really hard to read on a small screen. But as a concept they are great segues, especially when you show movement.

Definitely a consideration for the grand prize. Great story and inspiring, good tips, and best conclusion with what she says she'd do if she won the grand prize.

Melissa, I have been watching your encouragement of the others in this and you truly are a great reflection of what ethics should be in business. I have been where you are and having the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you that good values, vision and passion always have a true reward. Great job!

Good luck Melissa!!!

Phenomenal video from a phenomenal company. The blood, sweat, and poop that it took to build MotM and make this video are evident. Good luck...you really deserve to win.

/J

You are inspiring. Good Luck!

unbelievable.

Very inspiring!

Hooray for pigeon poop!

Good Luck to you & your team! You are doing great things:) Hard work pays off! love you girl!

Jen VB Bereta

Great job, Melissa! Your designs are amazing and you have always been way ahead of the curve, especially in terms of eco-friendly fashion.

Beautiful story! You got my vote and much respect. Awesome video, good luck and thank you for sharing this to us all!

Great story and great video, Melissa. even though I am another finalist in this contest, I felt I should comment on the excellent job you did! I am also a fellow Green America member) Good luck in the contest and in your business!

Your clothes and cause are beautiful!!

Melissa! You are awesome. And Robbie, very nice job on the video work my friend. I never heard the falling down story :) Very inspiring. I'm proud!

Loved it! I'm very proud of both you and Robbie! Good luck... I know you deserve it. Now, let's go set up some vending booths!!!

Great job. Truly an inspirational story. Good luck in all that you do. I hope you get the grant.

melissa, I admire your hard work and dedication towards accomplishing what seemed to be impossible, but your determination and persistance paid off! I have loved your threads and jewelry for over 5 yrs now and have watched your company grow. As a new sole proprietor and small business owner, I am facing all of the challenges to grow a business but the passion and love of fitness and wanting to share w/others is what keeps me going. As a woman, I feel so empowered to own my own business! thank u!

melissa, I admire your hard work and dedication towards accomplishing what seemed to be impossible, but your determination and persistance paid off! I have loved your threads and jewelry for over 5 yrs now and have watched your company grow. As a new sole proprietor and small business owner, I am facing all of the challenges to grow a business but the passion and love of fitness and wanting to share w/others is what keeps me going. As a woman, I feel so empowered to own my own business! thank u!

I am so glad that I came across this. I am one of those people that settled down and found a corporate job while you struggled to live your dream. While I still have at least three of your skirts from many years back that I wear to festivals, your new designs now show a maturity that allows women like me to wear your clothes into the office as well. You are an inspiration and a reminder that we do not have to walk away from our beliefs in order to succeed.

Wishing you all the best. You are living the dream now:)

thank you melissa. such a wonderful gift you are sharing! bless up! sj*

great story and great video.

Wow! I am beyond impressed Mel! You have always had a special knack for working hard and learning everything you could in order to be the very best you could be. Your mom told me that as soon as your video camera came in the mail, you devoted every waking moment to learning video editing in a just a few days. I was impressed as always with your dedication, though not surprised ;-). Creating such a quality video in just a few days with no experience is representative of your business as a whole... Just as you made a really professional - and touching - video with no budget and your own two hands, you created a business on your own through hard work and an open mind to learning everything you could about running a successful company. You are the definition of a truly dedicated entrepreneur and I can't even put into words how much I think you deserve this grant. You have gotten so far on your own... Imagine how far you could REALLY go with some outside help. You could change the world! We are all rooting for you! Hope to see you soon and buy that beautiful wrap dress on your website!

INSPIRING : The creative and clever way you choose to combine pictures, voice, words, video and music into your video to tell your story. Also your story as a whole and your obvious dedication.

USEFUL : The invaluable experience you share in just a few minutes and the genuine advice you give.

FUNNY : The pigeon poop! Wonderful comic relief in the middle of an emotionally moving story.

Really, really great job.

amazing

By far my favorite entry. Great story and also very helpful for a new business owner like myself. JD

Fantastic story!Ohhh so true on being self employeed. Good luck you deserve the top prize. Peace & Light

When this whole crazy contest thing is over, I'd love to discuss collaboration at some sort of event. We come to Chicago every so often and your business looks wonderful. Congratulations and good luck!

Good luck Melissa! Wonderful video.

i mean, really! a self motivated, beautiful lady who is pigeon pooed upon to get noticed finally. shoo-win. der.

good luck. namaste.

Melissa- you are absolutely amazing and incredibly inspiring. I hope you win this, you deserve this more than anyone. I have forwarded this video on to everyone who has lost hope. Keep doing your thing!

Goodluck Melissa, I own a small jewelry business. I know how trying it can be to keep motivated and get your name out there. You should be very proud of yourself. Love, Ginelle Cloar

Keep up the great work Melissa!

Melissa... I see that you are very dedicated and work very hard

good luck and keep following your dream

Ben

Melissa, you are a true inspiration. I sincerely hope you receive this grant. Lots of love, Liz

great video - good luck

I love your story and the dresses are beautiful Melissa! Good luck - I hope you get this and can't wait to see more.

Mellisa--great video. Who was your great producer??? Good luck!!!

RayNW

Good job! Like the vid and wish you all the best.

Josh Miller

Dear Sweet Melissa! How far you have come since those old Bloomington days. I am glad to see you are doing well and looking to expand your business. Your video literally brought tears to my eyes. I wish you all the best and will keep you in my prayers for your grant. Keep up the amazing designs!! Much love to you and yours. Ahimsa, Katie Mae

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

Congrats on becoming a finalist for the grant...and best of luck the rest of the way.

- Tom Bellos

Melissa, I live in Brooklyn, and truly, I live in your clothing! I hope you win, and I am telling you, I will never look at a pigeon again without thinking of you and your inspiring story! Good luck!

i always look forward to the monthly mountains of the moon e-mails, & was really excited to see it in my inbox tonight, with the link to this inspiring, useful, and yes, funny video! so great to put a face & story to your fabulous clothes. i will be crossing my fingers & toes that you win this grant, because the world needs more small businesses like yours, run on blood, sweat & tears, & doing something for the greater cause. your devoted customer, jean harper

Melissa, I have read about your activism before. You rock! I wish you great success. I would like to see you design something for men and women using hemp. Your first stand alone store should be a monolithic dome....talk about eco-friendly.

Wow--a wonderful inspiration! I love what I have bought from this company and I hope that it GROWS.

I *love* your clothes, Melissa. My wife and I both wear them. Good luck!

Thank you for being such a huge inspiration. Your wise ways, love of Mother Earth and a strong sense of future for generations to come, makes you a powerful ally in our fight for environmental issues. Earth-conscious items for a mature audience with a lust for great fashion and extravagant style, I love it! Much more luxurious than the patchwork I used to wear- with a genuine feel of sincere Eco Passion. Thank you for being you Melissa, and great luck to you- XO

This is a great story! I'm glad you never gave up, so that so many people and the environment could benefit from your clothes. Thanks for being such an inspiration and positive catalyst. You rock!

you rock!!!

Very inspirational! Good Luck and all the best:)

Yes, melissa you and mountains of the moon are amazing! Love your clothes and your story is inspirational - go girl!

What a great story!! Def an inspiration to all!!! Keep up the good work...Mountains of the Moon rocks!

Very well put together video, great story, and probably the most useful advice I've heard in a long time. I actually ended up watching the video several times both because I enjoyed it and also because each time I tried to create an account in order to rate it, the intuit site wouldn't let me do so. I ended up trying Mozilla as my browser instead of IE and that seemed to do the trick. Best of luck, I really think this is the best one.

Best of Luck to you Melissa. You are an inspiration to us all! Your designs are the Best!

I love this company's fashions and have ordered things in the past from them, but I never knew her story. I love it even more now - I hope you win Melissa. Your hard work and determination are an inspiration to me!

This is a great story. I love the video too. Good luck and I hope you win because I want to see your clothing line and company expand.

The best characteristics of the human race are embodied in Melissa.

I love Mountains of the Moon for my kids, but I'm a plus sized woman and would really love to see some plus sized fashions for women! Best of luck and thank you for your hard work and perseverence.

Its so amazing, inspiring, usefull and appericiable....

This was realy appreciable, interesting, Inspiring,useful and realy good.... I love this :)

go get em m.o.t.m

It has been a real inspiration watching your vision with MOTM evolve, you are such a strong & influential woman & I believe you can to succeed in all you do!

Melissa, I have been wearing your clothes for years and LOVE them! I will continue to be a fan as long as you continue to persevere! Keep up the GREAT work! You have my vote.. You deserve to win it!

I have been purchasing your products and loving your designs for about 3 years now & shared with so many others. We are so blessed to have people like yourself in the world to promote eco conscience products and the independent entrepreneur. I believe your business and designs are truely lost arts. You and your staff (whom I have noticed have stuck with you) are an inspiration to what carving a living can be.

Wow! You and Robbie did a great job putting this video together. It really paints you and your company in a professional light, holds the adult attention span, and makes you look very intelligent and beautiful (as it should). I wish you the best!!!

I have always enjoyed yr designs, I only wish they were available for grrls my size. Good video and good advice as well. Keep up the good fight!

This video is very inspiring and I love the story of the hard work faced with adversity which pigeon poop changed it all. You go girl. The pigeon poop was your good karma coming back to you. Good luck I hope you win you deserve it.

Awesome video!

Good luck, I'm rooting for you. I have one of your dresses, which I think I will have to get out and wear tomorrow! Best wishes.

Mike and I have both been trying to vote for days with no luck so I finally tried at my home computer and it seems to be working? Even if I didn't know you, I'd still vote for you. The way you made the movie with the words, music, and pictures and especially the documentary with you telling your story was creative and beautiful. I know you could really do great things with this grant. You've been through so much and still came out on top. Kudos to you and I really hope you win.

really well done video with useful advice and a truly inspiring story. i gave all three ratings to you. hope you get the grand prize grant.

yeah I finally figured out how to vote! good luck!

Wow, what an inspiration you are. I hope u get your funding:):)

Been a consumer since 2004 and am proud to be one. Definitely a more empowering feeling to buy one small item from Mountain of the Moon than Walmart. Keep up the good work.

Been a consumer since 2004 and am proud to be one. Definitely a more empowering feeling to buy one small item from Mountain of the Moon than Walmart. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for sharing your story! best of luck.

Thank you thank you thank you for caring!!!

Hey everybody! Wow! It has been an amazing experience to read through everyone's comments here, as well all of the e-mails we've received from our customers, friends, friends of friends, family, etc. about our video and story. We've definitely put the word out far and wide, and have even met some new friends through this contest!

For all of you who have contacted me and said that you have experienced trouble rating our story due to issues logging in or creating an account, please try again later tonight or tomorrow, as we have been told that the IE bug with be fixed by then.

Again, thank you so much!

what an awesome video sharing a great story about an amazing woman!! congrats on being a finalist and i hope to see you as the grand prize winner!!

Nicely done. Good luck.

You have really come a long ways. I'm very proud of you for living your passions in life. I wish you the best of luck in this awesome adventure!

Congratulations on getting this far! Good Luck and all the best! I rooting for you!

Congratulations Melissa on getting this far! I'm rooting for you to win! Good luck and all the best!

It is so great to hear your story. Your passion and eye for fashion are very inspiring! Thank you for doing what you do and sharing it with the rest of the world. I love the taste level of your designs and am proud to carry them in my little start-up boutique. It is truly awesome to partner with companies like yours, sharing mutual goals and helping each other succeed. I really want you to win so you can do even more! I am so glad Leann forwarded the link so I could get my vote in. best of luck

You ROCK MY WORLD!

What a fantastic thing you are doing Melissa. You have a wonderful story and it's very endearing to see someone working so hard for a much greater cause than just running a business alone. I'd love to see Mountains Of The Moon win.

It keeps saying I had already voted and that's not true, how can I cast my vote?

Melissa, I love your clothes -- Good luck!

Yay MOTM!

I regularly purchase products from your website and have nothing but good things to say about your company and your products to my friends. I am very excited to see how far you have come and I hope you win!

Melissa, One word...AWESOME!! Much congrats on making it as a finalist, and I damn sure hope that you get that grant; you definitely deserve it!

Drive to succeed! I like it, good luck!

Drive to succeed! I like it, good luck!

Really impressive, interesting video, and great story of what it takes to start and maintain a business. You've proven that you made smart, cautious decisions and did your research in order to make the eco-friendly thing work, for your company and for the greater good. I'd love to see where you could take Mountains of the Moon with this grant!

You deserve this, and the world deserves to have you! Go out there and make a difference! Susie and I are pulling for you!!!

What a great story of hope and success! Thanks for sharing.

Your passion and your drive is both inspiring and admirable. I absolutely love your work from the "craftivism" to the look and feel of your designs. You are well on your way, and will continue to have my support and I will continue spreading the word to others. Thanks again Melissa and best wishes. -Niema

you can truely tell you have a passionfor what you do. I lov that you stick with your dreams through thick and thin and pu everything into it! You are such an inspiration

Keep the vision!

We love you Melissa and Mountains of the Moon! You have been an inspiration to all of us over the years. I love all of your designs and am the happy owner of several items you have created. :)

Melly, I am so proud of MOTM for sharing your inspiring story! You are making such a positive imprint on the earth! Good luck!! CHEERS!

congrats on becoming a finalist! proud of my "childhood" g&r t-shirt wearing friend.....you deserve the top prize. stacy

Great and ethical race Melissa! Congratulations and good luck as this part of the race ends!

Well done video, inspiring and useful story, creative approach, solid advice, and of all of the videos I have watched, one of the few where I could actually see a realistic plan for putting the grant money to good use.

Good luck, Melissa. MoTM is your baby and you deserve to see it flourish. Your message is one for all to learn from!

Melissa You are such an inspiration for not oliy up and comming business people but also for those already there... my best to you and Robbie & thanx for all you do. M.

This one might not have the most votes, but after watching 15+ of these movies I think it's the best entry for the grand prize. Good work and good luck.

Great job on your video. How long have you been running this business?

Melissa is an inspiration to all small business owners like myself. And with times as tough as they are right now, more and more valuable small business like Mountains of the Moon (& my own company Wiggle Puppy Productions) are at high risk of going under! I wish you all the best and hope people see the potential in you, your company and the benefit of your clothing & designs.

Wake up people! It's not enough just to look good anymore!

Your video gave me goosebumps! You've come so far, I really hope you win this grant so you can carry out your mission and take your company to new levels. Cheers to ecofashion!

Good Luck

Melissa,

Fabulous Video! I wish you the best of luck in your career.

Fondly,

Lisa Friedlen

So inspiring! I'm a high school teacher, and this drive, ambition, and perseverance is exactly what I try to instill in my students. I'm showing your video as part of a lesson on "The American Dream"! Thank you so much!

Wow again! I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Thank you! Mtnmama48, you are right, I don't definitely don't have the most votes, but seeing the sheer number of times you all have viewed the video (!!!!!) really says something to me, and reading your feedback is incredibly encouraging. So many of you have helped us in networking this, and I can't begin to thank you enough. No matter what happens with the contest, it is thrilling to see the support system I have, and it motivates me to really try to take my business to a bigger place! Wigglepuppy, so many of us who own small businesses have been really affected by the uncertainty of today's economy. We just all need to continue to support, encourage and learn from each other: Perseverance!

David_3, thank you, I worked really, really hard on it, and I am so glad people like it. :) Regardless of the outcome of the contest, it provided a creative outlet for me to tell the story of my company's beginnings, and to learn a new craft (learning beginner's video editing evoked a passion I didn't even know I had!). I started the business right out college, although at that time it consisted of me, a hand-me-down sewing machine, and not much else. I began working with a local manufacturer about 4 years ago, and about 3 years ago officially became Mountains of the Moon LLC. As I said in my story, I am proud of what MotM has accomplished, and I really believe that drive and hard work helped me reach the goal of getting the fashion industry to finally open up to eco-friendly designers. But there is so much more that can be done with my company.

I want to hire at least one full time staff member (I have two amazing part time employees but really need more help), get a 'real' studio/office outside of my home studio/office space, be able to attend bigger trade shows, be able to produce larger collections than just a few new designs each season, have the ability to produce larger ranges of sizes (and eventually kid's and men's clothing), have a realistic PR and marketing budget, the list goes on... More than anything, I want to be able to educate as many people as possible on how wearing eco-friendly clothing can not only be stylish, but can also make a profound positive impact on the environment. Being able to do something good through my work is a part of being a business owner that I will never sacrifice. :)

Thank you all again for the encouragement. I wish I could respond to every single comment. You are all welcome to contact me with questions, feedback, comments, suggestions, etc., any time at melissa(at)mountainsofthemoon.com. I never let an e-mail go unanswered!

Oops, looks like I got my davids mixed up ;). David_bw, my last comment was in response to your question. (David3, thank you for your encouragement!)

i hope you win! Great story and video!

YOU ROCK!!!! Wow....didnot know u were all about the green movement! Nice! Good luck to you and your team!!!!

WoW! As a coach working with girls 3rd-5th grade to encourage self-confidence and perserverence, your story is so inspiring! Melissa you are a strong,smart, and tenacious woman. You GO ROCKSTAR!

Mellisa you are truly an inspiration to us all. No Quarter! Long live beautiful clothing

Melissa, I hope your company wins! It certainly deserves to! I like the fact that your head AND heart are involved in what you're doing! It seems somewhat ironic that when you were at a potentially very low point, a little pigeon poop inspired you to perservere! All business owners know that it takes dealing with a little "poop" to make it work! Great job!! Good luck!!

Melissa, I hope your company wins! It certainly deserves to! I like the fact that your head AND heart are involved in what you're doing! It seems somewhat ironic that when you were at a potentially very low point, a little pigeon poop inspired you to perservere! All business owners know that it takes dealing with a little "poop" to make it work! Great job!! Good luck!!

I absolutely love this company and want to help it thrive in any way I can! I have been enjoying the clothing that Melissa and the other talented artists have created for years; their forward thinking,ability to create unique, trendy clothing that is kind to the environment, and incredible determination has given life to a successful business and a loving family that appreciates all that Mountains of the Moon stands for! Much peace and love to you all!

From the time you were a tiny girl, you possessed an eagerness to learn new things, a desire to help others, and an aspiration to be the very best you could be in absolutely everything you tried. I cannot being to express how proud I am of you. Your accomplishments continue to amaze me, and I have no doubt that you will achieve things even bigger than I am able to imagine. Love, Mama

Melissa, I am so proud of you for following your dream. I can not think of a more deserving individual. Keep on keeping on!

=) good luck! i remember when you first went online and i support you all the way pretty mama!!! i live in my mountains of the moon gear and you know all us SBs are mighty proud of our melly moon =) good luck

Loved this Melissa. You truly are an inspiration.

Go Melissa! You Rock!!!!

Thank you for your comments on on Compostable Plates. We too wish you the best. Your story is inspiring. We too believe that passion, hard work and a desire to learn should lead to success.

Thank you!

Hi Melissa,

I can relate to your story ECO Fashion Can be as if by magic. I'm glad you didn't give up.People think being a dersigner is all Ritz and Glitz. They don't see the side of the biz that makes it so worth while yet such hard work.Go for it, I hope you will be even more sucessful teaching as you go and getting everyone to buy sweatshop free and organic. Designer Anna Herman

Awesome. Congrats on the Top 50!

Truly Inspirational!

Melissa I'm sincerely touched by your story. It felt as if you were speaking directly to me. Your designs and spirit are genuine and lovely. Fashion biz or other, we can all learn from and heed your advise. You've inspired me to continue to grow our brand. Best of luck!

loved your vid as well! would love to connect post-contest. shoot me an email--maia (at) urbanescapesnyc.com

Congratulations, glad you won 1st place from Intuit despite all other competitions. May your business grow and thrive by doing something you enjoy to do while preserving the planet earth.

Elmer