November 2009 - Indie Business Network®

Vault Episode #174: Steve Wilkinghoff [Podcast]

PodcastBy Donna Maria November 30, 2009

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The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 174 featuring my interview with Steve Wilkinghoff, the author of “Found Money: Simple Strategies to Uncover the Hidden Profit and Cashflow in Your Business.” Steve, a former accountant, decided to share his…

Join Me For Our First Indie Site Party!

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 27, 2009

I am pleased to announce IBN’s first online Indie Site Party on Monday, November 30 — Cyber Monday — at Noon New York time!! Our first party will be hosted at our social networking site and will feature IBN member Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer, of Newport News, Virginia. Indie Site Parties are just like…

Happy Thanksgiving!

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 26, 2009

It’s been three years since we moved from our hometown of Washington, DC to Charlotte, North Carolina. While we love a lot of things about Charlotte, we miss home, especially our family. After traveling all day, we finally arrived here late yesterday afternoon. Being here is such a treat. This photo was taken a few…

My 3 Blogs

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 25, 2009

I am often asked what I do. While I am involved in lots of business activities, my initial answer is always the same: I lead the Indie Beauty Network (IBN), a trade organization that provides business and advocacy services to small companies that make health, beauty and lifestyle products, and also to the companies that…

Indies On Assignment: Assignment No. 1: Beef Up Your Brand!

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 24, 2009

In the 1980’s, a popular commercial for a chain of fast food restaurants featured two elderly ladies praising the “bigness” and “fluffiness” of a hamburger bun. A third lady looks more closely and hollers, “Where’s the beef?” The circus-like music in the background reminds of us how ridiculous it is to praise a flashy hot…

Vault Episode #173: Dr. Bruce Piasecki [Podcast]

PodcastBy Donna Maria November 23, 2009

Podcast (indie-business-podcast-vault): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:43 — 91.0MB) | Embed

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The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 173 featuring my interview with Dr. Bruce Piasecki, the author of “The Surprising Solution: Creating Possibility in a Swift and Severe World.” Dr. Piasecki is an expert in leadership, product development, and…

Radio Show and Book Review: My Interview With Michael McLaughlin

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 20, 2009

This week’s Indie Business Radio, show features Michael McLaughlin, author of Winning the Professional Services Sale: Unconventional Strategies to Reach More Clients, Land Profitable Work, and Maintain Your Sanity. Michael is a management consultant and speaker with more than twenty years in the professional services industry. He is the founder and a principle of MindShare…

Eye Contact: Optimizing The I to Eye Connection

LeadershipBy Donna Maria November 18, 2009

This is a guest post by Luci Weston of Here We Are With Luci, sharing topics and solutions to make your life better, brighter, and easier. If you would like to submit a guest post for my blog, please read the guidelines here. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook offer new ways to socialize that are simple,…

Why You Don't Have To Be Smart To Be Successful

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 18, 2009

In his new book, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, Malcolm Gladwell says that psychologist Daniel Willingham conducted a set of experiments designed to test how quickly people become efficient at a task. For the experiment, he told people in Group A in what specific sequence a pattern of x’s would appear on a…

FTC To Host Workshops On "Journalism and the Internet Age"

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 17, 2009

On December 1 and 2, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold two days of workshops on how the Internet has affected journalism. The workshops come in the wake of the release last month of the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which become effective on the first day of…

Vault Episode #172: Michael McLaughlin [Podcast]

PodcastBy Donna Maria November 16, 2009

Podcast (indie-business-podcast-vault): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:50 — 94.9MB) | Embed

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The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 172 featuring my interview with Michael McLaughlin, the author of “Winning The Professional Services Sale: Unconventional Strategies to Reach More Clients, Land Profitable Work, and Maintain Your Sanity.” With years of experience…

My Remarks At Indie Business Revolution: Portland

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 14, 2009

These are my prepared remarks for tonight’s event. I wish everyone reading this could be here, but since that’s not possible, I wanted to give you a flavor for what fun we are going to have and let you know that I hope to see you at a future event when I come to a…

The Social Media Revolution

Social MediaBy Donna Maria November 11, 2009

The brains behind this video is Erik Qualman of Socialnomics. Erik is a seasoned social media expert who was a guest on Indie Business Radio a few weeks ago. On the show (you can read a summary, watch a video and stream the audio of the whole show here), Erik shared lots of tips and…

Announcing Products Liability Insurance For Your Sweets and Confectionery Products

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 11, 2009

When I launched IBN in 2000, there was a small but growing number of people making soaps, cosmetics and other consumer products in very small quantities. With the explosion of the Internet and the availability to everyone of multiple e-commerce opportunities, micro-manufacturing in many markets has grown tremendously. Up until 2005, Illinois-based RLI Corp. provided…

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, A La Mamma Mohs

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 8, 2009

I usually don’t blog about baking, but I do love to bake. I don’t get to do it often because I’m such a busy Indie, but I like to make time for baking during the holidays because it seems to enrich my family life to do so. My kids love me for it and my…

Six Strategies For Being An Effective Media Outlet For Your Small Business

Social MediaBy Donna Maria November 8, 2009

In order to be an effective media outlet for your business, you should abide by some basic journalistic principles. While the technologies that support journalistic endeavors are constantly changing, the basic tenets of good journalism have remained constant for hundreds of years. The challenge for you is to use those principles to establish the branded…

Announcing The Beauty-Fall Bath & Body Recipe Contest!

SuccessBy Donna Maria November 5, 2009

As you may know, I am the founder and CEO of the Indie Beauty Network, a trade organization representing small and independent manufacturers of cosmetics, candles, aromatherapy products, soaps, jewelry, confectionery products and other health, beauty and lifestyle accessories. My members manufacture products on a micro-scale, often by hand from scratch. In addition to manufacturers,…

Twitter List Widgets Use RSS To Help Small Business Owners Expand Their Reach

Social MediaBy Donna Maria November 5, 2009

If you enjoyed my article containing 10 ways small business owners can use Twitter Lists to expand their sphere of influence and build trust and credibility, then you’ll be happy to know about this new Twitter widget creator allowing you to quickly and easily aggregate specific List content into a widget that can be displayed…

Plummeting Newspaper Circulation Creates New Media Opportunities For Small Business Owners

Social MediaBy Donna Maria November 4, 2009

This is a momentous time in American history for small and independent business owners. That may seem like an overstatement to some, but it’s not. We are in the midst of en economic transition that is creating new opportunities for tiny businesses nationwide. There are many reasons for this transition, and one of them is…

Proof That Social Media Is Killing Print Magazines

Social MediaBy Donna Maria November 3, 2009

When I quit my corporate job to start my business, the first thing I did was call the vice president of public relations at the company I was leaving and ask her how to get good PR. She referred me to a veteran in the industry who broke the devastating news that my business was…

FDA Social Media Hearings: Day 1 Wrap Up

News and AnnouncementsBy Donna Maria November 2, 2009

Today, I attended via webcast the FDA’s hearings on the use of social media to promote medical devices and drugs. The hearings started at 8:00 this morning and I listened uninterrupted until around 3:00, and then off and on after that. The speakers included drug companies (including some that also make cosmetics, such as Johnson…

Monthly Archives: November 2009