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.
For the September 2020 edition of the Indie Business Book Club, we read The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter. According to the dust jacket, the book is designed to “show you how to turn ordinary customers into members for life.” If you’re not familiar with the Indie Business Book Club, you can click here for more…
I am pleased to announce the October 2020 Indie Business Book Club pick: Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt. This book was selected for obvious reasons — it’s designed to inspire Makers like you and like all of my Indie Business Network members. Another reason I selected this book is because it is authored by former IBN…
The Indie Business Network offers a valuable and transformative entrepreneurial experience. As its leader, I recognize that not everyone has the resources to access IBN’s array of entrepreneurial mentoring, coaching, and training services, especially when they are first starting out. To help offset the challenge for as many as possible, each quarter, we offer a…
According to a recent report in Global Market Insights, a market research and strategy consulting firm, the United States pet care industry ballooned to $95.8 Billion in 2019. While most of the growth came from pet food products, a respectable portion of the increase was due to personal pet care and accessories. Indie Business Network members…
Get Game-Changing Insights from Healthy Hair + Self-Care Experts The old ways of managing your hair probably are not working anymore. It’s a new day for women who are ready to kick outdated stereotypes to the curb and take control of the statement their hair makes about who they are and what they stand for.…
Artisan made bath bombs are more than just bath time treats. In fact, one of the most oddly satisfying things you can do on Instagram these days is to watch a beautifully manicured hand drop a perfectly shaped bath bomb into warm bath water, and be transfixed as the colorful swirling ooze fills the tub…
Indie Business Network members have great online businesses as you know, and they also have some great retail stores and studio locations. But you may not know that many of them also sell their products at local farmer’s markets nationwide. If you have never been to a local farmer’s market, you are missing out on…
There are six basic types of recurring revenue business models you should know about. Each has its own unique characteristics. I’m sure you can leverage at least one of these to generate endless repeat sales opportunities and create a fun and engaging community around your brand. This overview is required prerequisite reading for everyone who…
According to an article I read recently, sniffing pumpkin fragrance is so closely related to the pleasure we experience when biting into a pumpkin pie or sipping a pumpkin spiced drink, that our brains get a positive kick of dopamine (the brain’s “feel good” chemical) when we smell it. Whether or not that’s true, I’m…
Business partnerships inspire me, especially since I am in business with my husband of 20 years. There’s nothing quite as motivating as an enterprise built by “couplepreneurs” who love and support each other as they simultaneously serve and support their clients and customers, each other, and the household. As great as it sounds (and it…
For the August 2020 edition of the Indie Business Book Club, we read How to Get Sh*t Done by Erin Falconer. In promotional materials, this book is touted as the the first productivity book by a woman in a decade. (It was published in 2018.) The book calls on women to stop configuring the exhausting lives we…
“How do I generate repeat sales inside my Facebook group?” is a great question, and I hear it a lot. I think many Makers ask me this question because they know I have hosted Facebook Groups for over a decade. They also know how uncomfortable it can feel to behave in an overly sales-y way…
Recently, I shared several hair care product brands that I have the pleasure of serving here at the Indie Business Network. One post was not enough to embrace all the American made hair care goodness, so here is Part 2. Whether you love your hair, hate your hair, want to change your hair, or just…
Welcome to Episode 74 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today’s Maker Story introduces you to Kirsten Conner of Flourish Beauty Lab in White River Junction, Vermont. Kirsten is a retail store owner and product formulator who makes artisan products designed for people who are super sensitive to ingredients and fragrances. Her main focus is on…
I am pleased to announce the September 2020 Indie Business Book Club pick: The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue by Robbie Kellman Baxter. This book was selected personally by me because I believe a well executed membership business model is the best business model on the…
According to the US National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, several animal and human studies suggest that lavender may be an effective treatment for certain neurological disorders. Among other things, they show that lavender has mood stabilizing, sedative, and analgesic properties. Of course that’s no surprise to Indie Business Network members…
“How can I create more repeat sales in my business?” I’m glad you asked! I created the 5-Day Recurring Revenue Challenge Summit to help you answer that precise question, and get the party started. Filled with action-packed adventure challenges, informative live Q+A sessions, an ahh-mazing speaker lineup, and chances to win some American Made swag…
One of the best things about being Indie is that you love what you do enough to talk about it all the time. We love it when our members talk about their entrepreneurial journeys because it gives us an opportunity to tell you even more about them. Today, we bring you Kirsten Connor of Flourish…
I am excited to tell you about the launch of a new Level Up and Create Podcast by IBN’s longtime member, La Shonda Tyree! I’m even more excited to tell you how honored I am to be the very first featured guest! When La Shonda invited me to join her for her inaugural guest episode,…
Haircare products are everywhere. It’s a good thing that they are because while most of us have hair, none of us with hair has the same kind of hair as others. There are so many variations! Not only that, our hair changes as we age and also with the seasons. No wonder there are so…
For the July 2020 edition of the Indie Business Book Club, we read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD. This quick read packs a powerful punch, providing you with the perfect reminder of your personal power as we move through the challenges of COVID-19. It’s delivered in the form of a fable in which…