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.
As you know, IBN’s proprietary entrepreneurial framework, the Maker Method™, contains four sequential phases you must past through on the road to building a profitable business that makes you happy and successful and can generate income for life. Those phases are: Emerge > Engage > Evolve > Expand. Welcome to Episode 93 of the Indie…
The Indie Business Network was founded 20 years ago based on the transformative power of entrepreneurship. We believe it is time to replace traditional notions of entrepreneurship with the increasingly obvious reality that entrepreneurship is for everyone, and can be defined in different ways by different people with uniquely different lifestyle goals. You do not…
As an entrepreneur, you know that a little voice lives inside your head. You also know that the little voice does not always tell stories that work in your favor. In fact, the little voice often works overtime to insert gobs of fear, uncertainty and doubt into your everyday life. If the little voice roams…
We have come to call it Black History Month, but Black History is not a month. Black History is a story. It’s a true and inspiring story that resonates throughout time and space to highlight the beauty of a people and their many and unending contributions to our nation and the world. Black History is…
Very early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I learned that the only thing about my business that cannot be copied is me. The same is true for you. Whether it’s a product or a service, it can be duplicated. But there is only one you, and when the one and only you is integrated into…
Introducing Ali Smith of The Witchy Bibliophile in Pittsburg, Kansas. Ali is our 1Q 2023 Maker Scholarship recipient. Ali up-cycles tarot and oracle cards into bookmarks, keychains, magnets and other self-care items designed to add a little magic to your every day routine. About Ali Ali is a a queer, non-binary, autistic, disabled entrepreneur. Ali…
It’s been a great year – thanks to all of our amazing Indie Business Network members for riding with us for the past twelve months. As is our custom, we are sharing our annual reflections on some of many ways we had the opportunity to serve you in 2022. For nearly a quarter of a…
The new 2023 Indie Business Network Entrepreneur Member badges are here! Let Your customers, clients, members, and professional colleagues know that your Indie Business Network Entrepreneurship membership is current with our new 2023 Entrepreneur Member badge. You can display the badge at your website, on social media, and any other place where your professional affiliation…
Join us on January 31 for our live member event: “Understanding the Key Provisions of MoCRA“ Since 2008, the Indie Business Network has been involved in legislative advocacy efforts regarding updating federal cosmetic laws which have been in place since the 1940’s. We didn’t start blogging it until a few years later, and for you…
A few short years ago, a candle was a candle, a bar of soap was a bar of soap, a necklace was a necklace, and a cookie was a cookie. There was little variety, and the products looked pretty much the same. Fortunately, those days are gone. Today, high quality consumer products are available from…
Our January 2023 Indie Business Book Club selection is The Self-Employed Life: Business and Personal Development Strategies That Create Sustainable Success by Jeffrey Shaw. I have been self-employed for near a quarter of a century. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised at the selection of this book, which highlights and…
The Indie Business Network was founded 20 years ago based on the transformative power of entrepreneurship. We believe it is time to replace traditional notions of entrepreneurship with the increasingly obvious reality that entrepreneurship is for everyone, and can be defined in different ways by different people with uniquely different lifestyle goals. You do not…
Our December 2022 Indie Business Book Club selection is The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason. While it may seem like an odd choice for our book club, at nearly 100 years old, this book is regarded as a classic of personal financial advice. As entrepreneurs, how could we not take advantage of…
As the founder of the Indie Business Network, nothing brings me greater joy than presenting you with this curated selection of artisan made products to make your holidays merry and bright. Our members are going all out to ensure you have wonderful local handmade goodness to share with your friends and loved ones this holiday…
The Indie Business Network has thrived for nearly a quarter of a century, and a lot of people ask me how that happened. The question is articulated in different ways, but here is how one person put it recently on social media: “You have been so consistent with IBN, and I don’t see that very…
Our November 2022 Indie Business Book Club selection is Marketing: A Love Story: How to Matter to Your Customers by Bernadette Jiwa. The book is under 100 pages and can be read in an afternoon. It’s mainly about how to position your ideas to resonate with your target customers in ways that influence them more…
Introducing Shawaunna Middleton of Finally Loc’d in Charlotte, NC. Shawaunna is our 4Q 2022 Maker Scholarship recipient. Shawaunna owns and operates the Finally Loc’d hair salon in Charlotte, North Carolina. About Shawaunna Shawaunna is a licensed cosmetologist and loctician specializing in interlocks, trichology, and more. She is also a Sisterlocks® consultant and a MicroLoc Educator.…
Our October 2022 Indie Business Book Club selection is Live What You Love: Notes from A Passionate Life by Bob and Melinda Blanchard. This book celebrates the fact that there is more than one path to success. And that’s why you have to read it. In this book, we will meet the authors, a married…
I recently enjoyed the honor of being interviewed on Bubble Babez University’s Let’s Talk Live program with host Nikkie Davis! Nikkie reached out a while back to invite me to meet up virtually with her tribe to share a little about my entrepreneurial journey and what we offer here at the Indie Business Network. Nikkie…
The Indie Business Network was founded 20 years ago based on the transformative power of entrepreneurship. We believe it is time to replace traditional notions of entrepreneurship with the increasingly obvious reality that entrepreneurship is for everyone, and can be defined in different ways by different people with uniquely different lifestyle goals. You do not…
According to William Congreve’s 1697 play The Mourning Bride, “music has charms to soothe the savage beast.” Inspired by this well-known quote and our upcoming Indie Cruise 2023: Cabo San Lucas, this playlist is sure to soothe and deflect any beast out to stalk you — especially if you love sounds of sand and sea.…
