After the debut of our newest member benefit, our Member Makeover last month, I knew we were onto something. The hands-on, deep dive, live review of one of our member’s websites, niche, and brand presence not only informed her, but it also informed the entire membership. There is no better learning atmosphere then one filled…
I am pleased to announce the release of our 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide! Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs from across North American are going all out to make sure you have wonderful local handmade goodness to share with your friends and loved ones this holiday season. Announcing the 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide! Our Handmade…
The big day is finally here! It’s the day of our first Indie Business Network Member Makeover, where we take a deep dive into a member’s website and answer their questions and make suggestions for how they can make their online presence even better. We start promptly at 1pm EST (11am MDT | 12pm CST…
Content is important, but community is king. In fact, it’s not only king, but it’s also queen. Content is everywhere, but community is everything. Content is all over the place, and most of it is either an overly sales-y waste of Internet real estate or a repeat (often plagiarized) of content someone else has already…
What an amazing Season 04 we had on the Indie Business Podcast! It was so exciting to introduce you to a Martha Stewart 2015 American Made Finalist from each of the four categories: Style, Design, Food and Crafts. The winners will be announced tomorrow, October 23!! I am gearing up for Season 05, but for…
I am SO EXCITED to share the launch of the Indie Business Network’s newest member benefit: The Virtual Hot Seat. (If you already know you want to be the first to sit in our Virtual Hot Seat, click here to apply.) As you know, our Head Coach, Christine Laureano of Ba6 Botanicals and Ba6 Content…
As a Maker and Handmade Entrepreneur, it sometimes seems impossible to separate your self from your business. This is not necessarily always a bad thing. The democratization of business and the work-life merger have made entrepreneurship accessible to everyone with a good idea and a mobile device. But while the era of sharp distinction between…
Yes, that’s right, another 30-Day Blog Your Brand Challenge starts today! In June of this year, one of my members (Stacia Guzzo, if you want to know which one) told me that she had seen stunning increases in traffic to her website since she started blogging more regularly. Since I have been a blogger for…
Ihave previously introduced you to a few of our speakers for #IndieCruise 2016. Just in case you missed them, they are me, Anne-Marie Faiola, and Stacia Guzzo. Today, I am thrilled to share a new speaker, Roberta Perry from Scrubz Natural Skincare in Bethpage, New York. Join me in welcoming Roberta, as we prepare to…
Would you like to ask the insurance broker who services IBN’s product liability insurance program some questions? Are you uncertain about exactly what is and is not covered? Are you considering buying insurance, but are not sure whether or not you need it? Thinking about switching to IBN’s program, but want to get some questions…
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Welcome to Season 4, Episode 4 of the Indie Business Podcast! This season is all about celebrating finalists in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. So far, I’ve connected you with Riche Holmes Grant from the Style category, Gilyn McKelligon from the Design category, and Colin Fickes and Mary Collins from the Food category. Today,…
The name of this event has been changed from “Connection Day to Maker Mastermind Live, and this post has been updated to reflect the new brand. For more information about the Maker Mastermind Live Tour, to register for the city closest to you, or to request that we come to your city, click here. Hello…
Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to launch a handmade market place. That should come as no huge surprise I guess since Amazon’s mission is to sell everything to everybody. Watch this video to learn more. What is really interesting about this is that Amazon is already selling in its main store tons of the…
Today, I am hosting one of my most popular member events — our monthly Access Q+A Coaching Call! Not only do we get to take a break from being in the weeds to connect and grow together, but our members get answers to the most challenging business, success, and lifestyle questions that are affecting them…
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Welcome to Season 4, Episode 3 of the Indie Business Podcast! This season is all about celebrating finalists in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. So far, I’ve connected you with Riche Holmes Grant from the Style category and Gilyn McKelligon from the Design category. Today, it’s about the Food category, and I’m pleased to…
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that I am hosting Connection Day in Portland next week. And unless you’ve been under a bigger rock, you know that Essential Wholesale EWL is my sponsor and co-host. What you may not know is how EWL can help you grow your cosmetics business, and…
Member Makeovers are here! Based on conversations with you, our members, I saw the need for a service offering live, tactical, hands on training to help you attract more people to your website to discover and buy your products. Member Makeovers is that service, and it starts right now! Member Makeovers take place via live…
Only 109 days until #IndieCruise 2016 Mastermind at the beautiful Club Med Luxury Resort & Spa, Cancún, Yucatán, Mexico on January 17 – 21, 2016. I have already introduced you to two of our speakers: Anne-Marie Faiola and Stacia Guzzo. Today, I am pleased to share that, based on the questions I receive from Makers…
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Welcome to Season 4, Episode 2 of the Indie Business Podcast! This season is all about celebrating finalists in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. Last week, we brought you Riche Holmes Grant, our choice from the Style category. Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to Gilyn McKelligon of Hannah Bergen in Portland, Oregon,…
Are you curious about what it takes to get media attention for your business? Are you afraid to pitch? Maybe you know you’re not ready and don’t know what to do to position yourself to be ready? Wondering what to do to get your brand ready for prime time media attention? If you find yourself…
Earlier this year, I opened my Blog Your Brand Training Project to all Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs. Since then, nearly 200 (189 as of today, to be exact) Makers with blogs businesses are leveraging our blogs to build community and attract increasing numbers of targeted visitors to our websites. Our first #BlogSwap is Monday, October…