The presents are wrapped and a fire is roaring in the fireplace. Fragrant holiday candles are burning (Ginger Fig from our member over at Creekside Candles in West Virginia), and there is festive music playing, mostly Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis. The kitchen is a mess because everyone has been snacking all day but no…
As we continue to share our handmade holiday surprise gifts, we are reminded that it is good to give and it is good to receive, but both are best when the giving comes first. In 2014, everyone serving on the Indie Team truly gave of themselves to serve your members. That’s one reason why the…
Our members are generous all year long, but during the holiday season, they often take a little extra time to share their best products. If you don’t believe us, check out this amazing assortment of handmade goodness form our 2014 Indie Business Network Holiday Gift Exchange. We are thrilled to open surprise packages all year,…
What?! Another giveaway? Well, it is the holidays. And we do love to surprise you. And it is better to give than to receive, yes? So, if you liked our last few giveaways of the season, you will love this one. We have partnered up with some of our other Maker pals to create a…
Today, we are excited to introduce new Indie Business Network Head Coach, Christine Laureano, who will lead our exclusive IBN member monthly Access Q+A Coaching Calls. More about our coaching program later, but first, here’s a bit about Christine. Her association with IBN began in 2004 with the launch of her first business, which she…
Retail store ownership is not for everyone. It certainly wasn’t for me. But as more Americans seek ways to keep local dollars circulating in their own communities, many of our members are finding success in bricks and mortar. Our Jennifer Wojcieski opened the in2uition Mercantile in Oakdale, New York, just in time for the holiday…
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Welcome to the BONUS of Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this thirteenth episode, a bonus for Season 1, you will meet Kayla Fioravanti. Kayla is a wife, mom, author, kitchen chemist, farmer, entrepreneur, aromatherapist and poet, and she’s going to share how to publish your book on Amazon. One of Kayla’s dreams…
Last year, we hosted the first annual Indie Business Network Secret Santa Gift Exchange, with 19 gifts exchanged. This year, we blew Santa off the chimney with 72 participating members gifting each other awesome American Made gifts, representing 20 states. And, wow. Just WOW! If you have some shopping to do, here is the place…
This post introduces you to the Arts Business Institute, but first, a quick background. Each month, the Indie Business Network hosts a Success Call for its members. Success Calls are about an hour long and feature a guest who is an expert in a particular area that Maker/Handmade Entrepreneurs need to embrace and implement in…
As of December 2015, the Indie Business Network is no longer accepting PayPal for membership dues. Dues payments can be made with all major cards: American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. We hope to be able to offer PayPal as an membership dues payment option in the future. Thank you for visiting! Up until several…
Last month, we hosted the I Heart Indies Giveaway with Gloss48. A lucky winner named Terri in Lake City, Florida, was randomly chosen from over 10,000 entrants to win a $50 gift certificate to Gloss48, and her choice of $50 worth of American Made handmade products from our member, Alana Rivera at Etta + Billie.…
Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday, we were gearing up to release the first episode of Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast. Fast forward 12 weeks, we find ourselves celebrating the successful release of twelve 30 to 40 minute interviews of some of the most amazing Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs on…
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Welcome to the final episode of Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this twelfth episode, you will meet Annie Pham of Cirque Colors in Brooklyn, New York. Like many other Indies, Annie was employed at a well paying but unsatisfying job. Having been raised by parents who were entrepreneurs, Annie knew that there…
What would the #IndieCruise Mastermind event be without activities to help everyone center their minds and pursue their highest intentions for success in the New Year? What would our #IndieCruise be like without activities like belly dancing and yoga? Luckily, we will never know because we are fortunate enough to have Kim Jones of Urban…
I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving! My family and I traveled from our home in Charlotte to my hometown of Washington, DC, to enjoy an entire fun-filled week with family and friends. It was such a treat. This year, about 50 relatives and friends gathered at my cousin’s house to eat, take selfies, hug,…
We are excited to wish all of our members and friends a very Happy Thanskgiving! As we move ever closer to the busy holiday season, let’s pause to remember what’s really important about this time of year, including all of the friends, family members and colleagues who support us all year long. May everyone who…
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Welcome to Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this eleventh episode, you will meet Erin Pikor of Naiad Soap Arts in San Diego, California. Erin is a graphics designer by trade, and when she was laid off of her job in 2007, she decided to turn a crafty afternoon activity into a business.…
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Coming up with a good product is the easy part, and that’s just the price of admission. These days, you need so much more than that, starting with persistence and the ability to personally sustain a high level of energy and stamina for years at a time.…
Happy Monday! It’s a great day here at the Indie Business Network! We have teamed up this week with Gloss 48 to offer a $50 gift certificate to Gloss48 and also, $50 of sustainable, handcrafted bath and body products from our member, Alana Rivera, over at Etta + Billie. Enter to win below, and then…
It’s always exciting to launch a new website, isn’t it? Everything is fresh and new. Rather than the “new car smell,” you can sense the “new website smell” coming right through your screen, right? We smelled it last week when our member, Mary Beth Worzella of Mbeze in Wausau, Wisconsin, launched a gorgeous new site…
Earlier this month, we received a lovely gift from one of our members. All of our members are special of course, and they all stand out for different reasons. One of the many ways SunRose Aromatics is special to us is because the company is one of the first to join the Indie Business Network…