I‘m very fortunate. I had a vision for my business from the moment it started. Over the years, I have taken it for granted that everyone else did too. I have learned that this is not true. If you don’t have a sustainable vision for your business, you will after you take the steps outlined…
You all know how critical I believe blogging is to the overall success of your business. One of the reasons blogging works so well is because you can use Rich Site Summary (RSS) to automatically deliver new blog content to subscribers via email or via a reader (like Feedly, the one I use). Well, today,…
As we pause to honor the workers and Makers who offer such valuable contributions to our nation, I am pondering the incredible merger of work and life we are witnessing today. This is not the first time America has seen the work-life merger. Life and work were a cohesive whole just two generations ago when…
What an amazing Season 03 we had on the Indie Business Podcast! It was such a thrill to share with you the stories of so many Makers on Main Street, Creative Entrepreneurs who are dotting the landscape with beautiful retail stores on Main Streets across the nation. I am gearing up for Season 04, the…
The longer I am in business, the more I appreciate the importance of managing my entrepreneurial energy. In the early years of my business, it was as simple as getting up, getting a bunch of stuff done, and then calling it a day. That’s still the big picture, but now that my business has matured…
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Welcome to Season 3, Episode 12 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this twelfth episode of my Makers on Main Street series, I will introduce you to Amber Hawthorne of Bambu Earth in San Juan Capistrano, California. Amber just hosted the soft opening of her store this past weekend, and she tells us all about…
As you probably know, I’m a big believer in the power and wisdom of using a blog to attract more customers to your website. Attracting customers is not the only reason I believe blogging is critical to your success as an entrepreneur (here are other reasons), but it’s one of the big ones. After nearly…
One of the things we discuss from time to time in the Indie Business Network is how to incorporate philanthropy into your business model. I hosted an exclusive member Success Call on this topic a few months ago, and it was one of the most well attended ever. The interview here shares a high level…
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Welcome to Season 3, Episode 11 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this eleventh episode of my Makers on Main Street series, you’ll meet Cindy Jones, Ph.D. of Colorado Aromatics in Longmont, Colorado. Cindy started her business 10 years ago on the heels of a career as a chemist and microbiologist. After serving as a…
Entrepreneurship can be lonely … but not for members of the Indie Business Network. Every month, I and IBN’s Head Coach, Christine Laureano, host a private coaching call exclusively for members of the Indie Business Network so they can get answers to their most pressing business and success questions. Today’s call was one of our…
Are you a soapmaker? Are you still making your soaps in a small room or two in your home? There is nothing wrong with that, but if you want some inspiration to take things to the next level by getting having your own soapmaking studio, then look no further than our member and soapmaker extraordinaire,…
Business is built on real relationships with real people, yet too many Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs think that if a marketing strategy does not produce quick sales, it’s not a good marketing strategy. That’s not true, and I’m going to tell you why. After 15 years in business, I’ve learned that the marketing strategies that…
Last month in this post, I introduced you to Anne-Marie Faiola who will be speaking on #IndieCruise2016 Mastermind on the topic of Practical Tips to Organize Your Business for Stunning Success and Unsurpassed Productivity. Today, I’m excited to introduce you to another speaker: the lovely Stacia Guzzo of Handcrafted Honey Bee in Tehachapi, California! Join…
Today, I purchased my ticket to the 2015 Martha Stewart American Made Summit, set for Saturday, November 7, in New York City. If you have not purchased your ticket, you can do so here … and save $50 if you share the event on Facebook as you register. (I did!) Whether or not you are…
How you define success has a lot to do with how you interpreted the title of this post when you read it. Did you take one look and conclude that it was just click bait? Or maybe you read it and muttered that there is no such thing as an overnight success. If you thought…
This quote from my Shareable Image Gallery makes it easy to remember why it’s so important to maintain a manageable product line. No matter what kind of business you have, if you have too many products in your line, you will never have enough time to actually marketing and sell them. “ It’s better to…
On Wednesday evenings from 8 to 8:30pm ET, I host #MakerBizChat, an Instagram event to help Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs build a solid business foundation, increase your income, and use your business to create the life you love. Our topic tonight was DONNA MARIA’S PHILOSOPHY ON DIFFERENT STUFF. I chose this topic because some random…
No matter what kind of business you have, and no matter what type of product or service you offer, you must be an entrepreneur first. Most Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs do not start out with an entrepreneurial mindset (I didn’t), and that’s OK. It is a process. It does not happen all at once. But…
I spent last week learning how entrepreneurship is like baseball. Well, really, I spent it watching my son play about a million baseball games at the beach. Before last week, I knew little about baseball. I thought it was about hitting a ball hard, and running around the bases, with the goal being to get…
One of the most important jobs you have as an online entrepreneur is to regularly write and publish content that attracts people to your website, nurtures customer relationships and builds a solid platform for your business. At times, this job is so daunting that you may be tempted to hire someone to write for you…
If you have read my blog for even a few weeks, you know how important it is that you maintain a blog to support your business. When I first started blogging, my intention was simply to have a place to share my thoughts ideas, and connect personally with members and prospective members of the Indie…