I am pleased to announce that I have been named the Handmade Business Expert for the Small Business Trends, an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. Small Business Trends content is syndicated through ACI Information Group (formerly Newstex) and other sites around the Web. This trusted…
Blab closed in August 2016, so we removed the video. You can still read the tips and strategies Melody and I discussed in this post. This Blab was recorded live on New Year’s Day on the Indie Business Blab channel. I hesitated to share it because there are times when the audio overlaps, resulting in…
The new 2016 Indie Business Network member badge is here! Indie Business Network members in good standing can log in and grab the code for the badge for the current year at this link. (Members: remember to log in before following the link to avoid the “Ooops” page!) The badge looks like this, except there…
It’s time to cut the fat! A few weeks ago, I reached out to fellow entrepreneur and Indie Business Network member Melody Bockelman of Private Label Insider to catch up and chat about life and business. The conversation ended up lasting nearly an hour, and as it progressed, we both concluded that we had to…
For many of you, this is no introduction. After all, most of my members have met Jennifer personally in our Secret Facebook Group. Others have benefited from her website and blog design services, especially using WordPress. What you may not know is that, for much of 2015, Jennifer was an integral part much of what…
It was incredibly difficult to whittle this book list down to twelve, but I did it so I could present you with a monthly reading list for the New Year. I believe anyone can benefit from these books, whether or not they are an entrepreneur of any kind, and whether or not they have a…
Unbelievably, it’s nearly 70° in Charlotte on Christmas Day! It’s a bit of a challenge to feel “Christmas-y” when it’s this warm, but regardless of the temperature, it’s still a wonderful day. My kids are happy with multiple electronics devices hanging out of their ears and hanging off of their bodies, plus there is a…
Your face is fabulous already. You don’t need anything to make it better than it already is. But if you like the idea of a bit of extra sparkle and smoothness, then you’ll love these products from members of the Indie Business Network and the 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide.
How many creative entrepreneurs do you have on your holiday list? There are lots of ways to gift them something special, but I bet a professional service or program can be one of the last things that occurs to you. Our 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide Professional Services Department fixes that by offering the perfect…
In previous posts, I have introduced our speakers for #IndieCruise 2016. Just in case you missed them, they are me, Anne-Marie Faiola, and Stacia Guzzo, Kim Jones, and Roberta Perry. There are only 32 days left until we gather in Cancún, Yucatán, Mexico, for this amazing retreat, and I think you will agree that I…
There are surely more than five fatal mistakes in business, but not all of them can be addressed effectively in a single blog post. These five mistakes can. If you hunker down and focus, you can begin to take corrective action on these five mistakes in as little as an hour. Do you see anything…
If you are looking for some pampering gifts to give your friends and family members this holiday season, then you have come to the right place. Indie Business Network members make a host of handcrafted bath and body products. There is so much to choose from, and something for everyone. You can check out the…
If you like gifting candles for the holidays, you are in good company. According to the National Candle Association, 76% of people view candles as an appropriate gift for the holidays. In case you are one of those people, this post will make it easy for you to give the gift of candles to add…
Are you gearing up to launch your dream business? If so, congratulations! You are well on your way to the one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of your life. You probably already know that social media must be a part of your success story, but what you may not know is that, once…
When you want to buy something special for someone special, but you don’t know what to buy, but you want to buy something they will definitely enjoy, you need to practice random acts of holiday shopping. Our 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide makes it easy by featuring tons of wonderful products made by members of…
If you’ve been following my entrepreneurial journey for a while, you may remember that I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina eight years ago from my hometown of Washington, DC. This was a relatively easy transition for me since I set up the Indie Business Network from the very beginning to allow me to work from…
Are you disappointed by this year’s online holiday sales? Do you feel overwhelmed at the notion that your products, as great as they are, will still be collecting dust on a shelf at the end of the holiday season? Do you feel like you are not privy some kind of secret magic sauce that others…
What better day to announce 2×4 Live than today — Small Business Saturday! After nearly sixteen years of business ownership, which was preceded by a long career working for someone else, I have concluded that entrepreneurship is the most rewarding way to provide for yourself and your family while you also have fun and create…
As I embrace this wonderful day that we set aside in the US to reflect on the abundance and blessings in our lives, my thoughts turn to my Indie Business Network members, and Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs around the world. While we come from different backgrounds, and we have different hopes and dreams, a thread…
Our IBN member Access Q+A Coaching Call has a new twist this month! Today, we’re debuting a “Hot Seat” coaching feature where a member or two, selected in advance, sit in our Hot Seat so our coaches can help them Masteremind (brainstorm) a specific challenge in their business. As always, our call will be recorded…
Have you heard of Periscope? Of course you have. Have you used it? Have you used it well? Would you like to learn how to use it better, from someone who is one of the earliest adapters … and who has nearly a million hearts!!? (You must know what “hearts” are, right?!) If you want…