A bomb dropped in the retail space this morning. With Amazon’s $13.7 Billion purchase of Whole Foods, a slowly expanding gulf between niche and mass market has finally become a gragantuan divide. The news just dropped a few hours ago, and I’m still developing my thoughts. Completion of the sale is subject to approval by…
Last week, I shared some of the inspiring accomplishments of Indie Business Network members in our new Makers on the Move column. (If you missed last week’s stories from Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs in New Jersey, Ohio, Vermont, and Ohio, you can catch them here.) This week, our winning moves come from New York, Oklahoma,…
Welcome to Episode 7 of the Maker Mastermind Show. If you missed previous episodes, you can binge watch them here. Be sure to join the free Maker Mastermind group on Facebook so you can join us live for the next show, and be entered to win prizes and/or get discount codes on the artisan made…
Recently, I told you about our member, Christina Wennstrom of in Redondo Beach, California, and her fabulous “road trip of a lifetime. If you missed Part 1 of her journey, you can get it here. Christina has ended her road trip, and this post shares Parts 2 and 3 of her exciting journey. Christina attended…
Last week, I shared some of the inspiring accomplishments of Indie Business Network members in a new Maker on the Move column. (If you missed last week’s stories from Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs in Louisiana, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, you can catch them here.) Based on the positive feedback received after the first Makers on…
See for yourself why thousands of people have joined the Indie Business Network community over the years. We invite you to experience our unsurpassed entrepreneurial training and community with a free day pass on June 1, 2017. Meet our members, enjoy complimentary networking with other Maker and Handmade Entrepreneur leaders, get access to one of…
To join the free Indie Business Book Club, click here. This month, we read Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in the Indie Business Book Club. While the book is aimed primarily at large, traditional businesses, our book club members managed to scale some of the advice to fit our needs.…
To join the free Indie Business Book Club, click here. I am pleased to announce the June 2017 Indie Business Book Club pick: The Introvert Entrepreneur, by Beth Buelow, PCC. Thanks to our book club member, Univerze Ramos of Bubbly Moon Naturals in New York for suggesting this book. If you’re not familiar with the…
Every week, Indie Business Network members do amazing things, and I remind them of the benefits of being bold and out loud about their achievements. Members are encouraged to brag on themselves, and when they do, it’s another opportunity for me to brag on them. Whether it’s opening a retail store, or launching a branded…
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Welcome to Episode 55 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I’ll introduce you to Paul Chambers of The Gentleman’s Box and The Subscription Summit. A few years back, through his web design company, Paul was asked to design a website for a subscription box company. Seeing more than just a website design gig,…
For nearly a decade, this blog has recounted the journey of multiple pieces of proposed legislation designed to amend cosmetics laws in the United States. This post is the latest in that series. Yesterday, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act of 2017. A bill with the…
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Welcome to Episode 54 of the Indie Business Podcast! This time, it’s just me. No guest, and I have something fun and exciting to share with you today. Indie Business Podcast has helped so many people gain the skills and confidence, and enjoy the mentoring, they need to be successful as Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs.…
Welcome to Episode 5 of the Maker Mastermind Show. If you missed previous episodes, you can binge watch them here. Be sure to join the free Maker Mastermind group on Facebook so you can join us live for the next show, and be entered to win prizes and/or get discount codes on the artisan made…
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Welcome to Episode 53 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Briar Winters of Marble & Milkweed in New York City. Briar launched her business in 2010 after a career as a pastry chef in a Manhattan hotel. The tagline for Briar’s business is “analog beauty,” a mindset that very…
Welcome to Episode 3 of the Maker Mastermind Show (formerly the Artisan Made Show). If you missed the first two episodes, you can catch them here and here. In this episode, I and my co-host, Christine Laureano, interview Adora Winquist of Adoratherapy in Asheville, North Carolina, and she answers the question when did you stop…
When our member, Christina Wennstrom of Soap Seas in Redondo Beach, California, reached out to me a few weeks ago to ask if I would like to blog her and fellow IBN member Kristina Nanninga’s upcoming “road trip of a lifetime,” I immediately jumped at the chance because I knew it would be fun and…
To join the free Indie Business Book Club, click here. This month, we read The Fortune Cookie Principle by Bernadette Jiwa in the Indie Business Book Club. The introduction to this book reminds us that your business will fail if you do not think through and clarify your brand story. It’s not enough to have…
Late last year, I hosted two pilot episodes of the Artisan Made Show. (If you missed them, you can catch them here and here.) After some tweaking, the show is now the Maker Mastermind™ Show, and the first episode will air LIVE on Monday, May 1 at 12pm ET at the new Maker Mastermind™ Facebook…
To join the free Indie Business Book Club, click here. I am pleased to announce the May 2017 Indie Business Book Club pick: Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Thanks to our book club member, Andrea Laurence of Catalyst Body Coaching in Sydney, Australia, for suggesting this book. If you’re not…
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Welcome to Episode 52 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Nieves Rathbun of By Nieves in Petrolia, California. Nieves’s business started out of an unexplainable passion for skincare products and perfume. She describes her brand as a kind vintage, but also modern, and she’s done an exquisite job of…
To join the free Indie Business Book Club, click here. This month, we read The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries in the Indie Business Book Club. While the book is old (published in 2002), it proves that certain fundamental business principles really never change. In today’s technology filled world,…