I recently cleaned out my inbox. It took 100 years. I deleted about 300 billion emails from guys who promised to show me how to make millions of dollars in my business if I would just give them my email address. I had never opened any of them. I should have unsubscribed, but I’m glad…
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Welcome to Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this fourth episode, I introduce you to Stacia Guzzo of The Handcrafted Honey Bee and Tehachabee Farm in Tehachapi, California. Stacia and I discuss how she manages her two Maker businesses as a wife and the mother of two young children, and how she became…
Everywhere we look these days, we see stories about the state of American manufacturing. Some say it’s dead. Some say it’s dying. Some say it’s alive and well. None of the stories account for the growth in the number of people making products with their hands and selling them to the public as a business…
Afew weeks ago, I watched with great interest the story of how an Anchorage, Alaska-based television news reporter resigned her position live, on the air. If you missed it, you can watch it below. (Note: Lower the volume at at 1:01 to 1:03 if you want to skip the expletive for younger viewers.) I quit…
My family loves pasta. I’ve cut back a bit on it, so when I prepare it, I try to make it count by including ingredients that I don’t use on a regular basis. For example, anchovies. This recipe is adapted from one I found in the back of the seat pocket in front of me…
It always makes me sad when creative entrepreneurs shrink from social media. At the top of every entrepreneur’s daily task list is the requirement that they make the cash register ring. Social media is one way to make that happen, yet many creatives do not embrace it — even when it’s clear that if they…
Do you sell your products at local fairs and markets? If so, it’s not just your customers you want to connect with while you are there. For example, meet our members: Angela Carillo, Roslyne Yates-Johnson and Anne Marie Esposito at the Women’s EXPO Long Island yesterday. Roslyne called Anne Maria and Angela her “Indie Sisters.”…
If you haven’t seen this video, you are living under a rock. If you have seen it, maybe today, you should watch it again — because who can’t use extra motivation for the day?! Check out this local reporter’s interview of Apollos Hester, an Austin, Texas, high school football player, right after they won a…
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Welcome to Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this third episode, I introduce you to Darren and Carrie Seibert of Soap Commander in Cherokee, Alabama, and we discuss how they manage their business while raising and home schooling seven (yes, 7) children. Being married to an unexpected entrepreneur is not always easy. You…
In case you missed the video, the September My Maker Box was filled with goodies to celebrate the start of the Fall season. From organic herbal tea and an autographed copy of an awesome business book, to a handmade tea wallet (the first I’d ever seen anywhere), so many handmade goodies for our Maker friends…
Don’t throw anything at me. I know you may want to, but please resist the urge, and listen up. I have been blogging since 2000. Back then, it was called “journaling.” I “journaled” quarterly for a few years, until my website designer (who I was paying to update my journals) told me that I might…
I am pleased to introduce you to Andrea Hence Evans, Esq., one of the illustrious speakers you will meet and get to know personally on #IndieCruise Mastermind 2015. Andrea launched The Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans in 2007 after serving for several years years as an attorney at the United States Patent & Trademark…
One of the things that says “Fall” to me is a plate filled with roasted vegetables. This dish is colorful, hearty and healthy (even with the creamed honey), and easy to prepare. This is actually one of the few ways my son will actually eat vegetables, so I make this dish quite often during the…
We scoured the Web this week to bring you some American Made Goodness from our members nationwide. Bursts of color, a bit of bling, some honey sweetness, a billionaire celebrity and more — all in the mix. It gives me such great pleasure to tell you about the love and beauty IBN members are adding…
I made this little video to show you all the goodies contained in our subscription box for the month of September. (If you missed the August My Maker Box video, you can see it here.) Oh, the handmade goodness! Take a look. The September My Maker Box was filled with all kinds of autumnal yummies…
In August, we shipped the premier My Maker Box, the subscription box for makers by makers. Each box contains at least $150 in handmade products and Business Success Resources you can use to grow your creative business. Watch this video to see what was in our first My Maker Box! What is better for a…
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Once you know you make a good handmade product, how do you know what to do next? According to Alana Rivera, you hone your skills before “jumping over the edge.” Alana started her handmade bath + body company, Etta and Billie in San Francisco, while she still had a traditional job. Today, not only has…
I found this video while hanging out on Vimeo the other day. I noticed it because one of our members is featured. It’s a very inspiring looking at what Jen Serena, a Burbank, California-based photographer, is doing to encourage and highlight local independent business owners in her area. Can you spot the IBN member? If…
Several months ago, I was interviewed by Becky McCray of Small Biz Survival: The Rural and Small Town Business Resource. Becky quizzed me on her podcast for my thoughts and advice to those of you seeking to grow a sustainable small business, especially if you are in a rural area. We joked abut my advice…
There is a slight chill in the air. My tomatoes are not growing like they were last week when I made Roasted Plum Tomatoes. Fall is coming, and with it, comfort food time. And what says comfort food during the fall better than pumpkin and soup? Put the two together with a little bit of…
Today I had the privilege of speaking about social media at “Farm to Market: 21st Century Practices For The Modern Herbal Entrepreneur,” an event co-sponsored by the North Carolina Natural Products Association (where I am a board member) and the American Herbalists Guild. My topic was “7 Easy Ways to Supercharge Your Online Marketing Efforts…