Donna Maria is an award-winning attorney, entrepreneur and motivator with a passion for empowering small and home-based business owners. As the founder and president of the Handmade Beauty Network, a leading trade organization representing small businesses nationwide, Donna Maria has inspired thousands

of "Lifestyle CEOs" by helping them maximize their potential through small business ownership. At her law practice in suburban Washington, DC, Donna Maria leverages her experiences as an attorney and entrepreneur, with various legal tools and resources to provide guidance to her clients in the areas of Internet law and domain name dispute resolution issues, strategic business planning, contracts, financing, marketing, public relations, governmental relations, trademark and intellectual property protection (trademark and copyright law) and virtually every aspect of concern to emerging growth companies in today's competitive global economy. More than a lawyer, Donna Maria has been called "the essence of entrepreneurship."

She is the author of "Making Aromatherapy Creams &-Lotions (Storey Books, 2000) and her inspirational articles have appeared in such publications as NAHA's Aromatherapy Journal, The Aromatic Thymes, The Natural Foods Merchandiser, The Saponifier, Natural Health Magazine and The Handcrafted Soap Maker's Guild Newsletter. Her popular "Lifestyle CEO" column can be enjoyed weekly in her online newsletter, The Handmade Beauty Connection.

Donna Maria is the 2003 US Small Business Administration's Washington Area Home-Based Business Advocate Of The Year and has been featured or quoted in several publications including Washington Woman Magazine, The Washington Business Journal, Upscale Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, smallbusinessdepot.com, CNNFinancialNews.com,
ladieshomejournal.com, The Houston Chronicle, and has also been a guest on the Discovery Channel and ABC World News This Morning. She lives with her husband, daughter and son in Maryland.