Donna Maria is an entrepreneur mentor, the founder and CEO of the Indie Business Network, and the host of the Indie Business Podcast and the Indie Business Retreat. She has been recognized as one of the most trusted voices for Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs. Her coaching and consulting enterprise trains thousands of new and evolving entrepreneurs every day.

The Jibbitz Blitz

In football, a blitz occurs when a defensive player charges the quarterback with the goal of forcing the football from his hands by any means necessary.              After making decorations for their Crocs with clay and rhinestones, Sheri and Rich Schmelzer and their kids started selling them to family and friends.…

Why I Love Paula Deen

It was exactly sixteen years ago that I took responsibility for my own life. The first step in doing this was creating a business that could afford my sons and me financial independence."              So wrote Paula in the introduction to a chapter from her cookbook, Paula Deen & Friends: Living…

Vault Episode #75: Jill Iurato [Podcast]

The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 75 featuring my interview with Jill Iurato. In today’s world, conventional styles of work often leave people feeling unfulfilled. As a response, there is a growing trend of “moonlighting,” where individuals start…

Your Best Trade Show Now

Indie Beauty Network member Jennifer Hardaway of KLEAN Bath and Body is a woman on the move. In addition to holding down a full time job, she makes and sells fabulous products, including this luscious German Chocolate Cake Body Scrub. Decadence in a jar, do you hear me?! Can you stand it? Of course not,…

Your Name In Fights

I used to hate my name. My mother named me Donna because she liked the Donna Reed Show. Great. I’m named after the perfect television stay-at-home wife and mother. Oh well. At least people can pronounce my name. My late father was not so lucky. His name was Acrafare James Coles, but since no one…

Vault Episode #74: Aliza Sherman [Podcast]

The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 74 featuring my interview with Aliza Sherman, the author of “Everything Blogging Book”. This episode is dedicated entirely to blogging, and Aliza is a true Web pioneer, online marketing expert, and a published…

Women’s Conferences Spur Sales

Indie Beauty Network member Jamila White is a busy woman these days. In addition to working on a lucrative e-commerce consulting project for the Smithsonian Institution, she serves several clients one-on-one and also runs j.blossom, a bath and body products company aimed at young girls. I caught up with Jamila yesterday at the Mocha Moms…

Mocha Moms Rock Atlanta!

Today, I spoke at the Mocha Moms National Conference outside Atlanta, Georgia. Without Mocha Moms, my life as a young mother would have been a train wreck. After marrying in May 2000, quitting my job in November 2000 to start my business and delivering my daughter Vanessa (here enjoying her first birthday cake) in October…

Vault Episode #73: Jena Thompson [Podcast]

The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 73 featuring my interview with Jena Thompson, the founder and president of Daisy Blue Naturals. For any business Network member, expanding our businesses and reaching a wider audience is always a top priority.…

The Indie Business Trifecta

If you could be guaranteed Indie Business success just by remembering 3 things, and working according to them, would you be up to the challenge? If so, here is today’s tip: The Indie Business Trifecta.Read it. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Act on it. 1. Make Technology Your Slave.Big topic, I know. But let’s start…

Best Little Soaphouse In Texas

Congratulations to Indie Beauty Network member Rachel Lane of Barcelona Bath & Body, the best little soaphouse in Texas. (Well, candles, sachets and room spray too, but they messed up my catchy title). Rachel won a copy of Marie Gale’s book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain…