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.
Welcome to Season 1 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this fifth episode, I introduce you to Samantha Dickey of Dirty Beauty Skincare in Woodstock, Georgia. Here is how Samantha describes her handmade products: “Hand-poured and developed by a farmer’s nerdy lipstick-lovin’ granddaughter.” You should be able to tell from that description that Samantha is…
As the leader of the Indie Business Network, I have the privilege of witnessing the birth of a lot of new businesses. Frequently, new Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs find IBN because they need product liability insurance. After they join, they discover that the coaching and mentoring included with the membership are even more valuable than…
Last week, I introduced you to Andrea Hence Evans, Esq., one of our speakers for #IndieCruise Mastermind 2015. Today, I am pleased to introduce you to Kismet Andrews, another successful creative entrepreneur whom you will hear from, and dine with, on #IndieCruise Mastermind 2015. Kismet launched Bar Maids in 2001, and joined IBN in 2009.…
Recently, I stumbled across this simple video which sums up many of the feelings I have about living my passion as an entrepreneur. I do wish younger people were included in the video, but once I looked past that, I saw a pretty powerful statement. The line that stands out most to me is this:…
Our members are all over Instagram like hot syrup on a fluffy pancake! Since part of my job is to hang out on Instagram and take in all their wonderfulness (lucky me), I thought I’d share some of their latest handmade goodness so you don’t miss out. A few days ago, I told you that…
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…
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…
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…
