Our member, Christine Laureano of Ba6 Botanicals in Hampton Bays, New York, is featured in Long Island Business Newsday this week for her new business strategy to use direct mail catalogs as a marketing tool. I am excited to see Christine create a niche publication that will reach her customers directly, providing them with colorful…
Did you have a nice holiday weekend? I got some much needed rest and enjoyed hanging out with my children. I fired up our charcoal grill and got busy. While my chicken and burgers were a big hit with the kids and our guests, my personal favorite dish was this Mango Fruit Salad With Honey…
Since last summer, I have been pleased to write a monthly column for Chris Brogan’s Owner Magazine. This month’s column marks my 10th for the online publication, and I’m excited to share it with you here because I think every Indie can relate. My July article is entitled Make Up Your Mindset, and it contains…
Our member, Sénica, in New Orleans, is being featured at the “Bring it to Wal-mart” showcase at Essence Music Festival this week! Benardett Jno Finn, Sénica’s founder and CEO, tells me that it’s a chance to share the Sénica story on a larger platform. If you are at Essence Music Festival on Sunday, July 6…
American manufacturing is not dead. It’s alive and well, and living here at the Indie Business Network. Need some proof? Today, we launched My Maker Box, an exclusive, hand-curated box of Handmade In America products. My Maker Box is a monthly subscription box For Makers, By Makers, and contains products created by Makers and Handmade…
If you have read this blog for a while, you know that I don’t spend a lot of time tooting my horn, or even IBN’s horn. I much prefer to toot IBN members’ horns, and I do that very well. But no matter how much or how little tooting I do, the truth is that…
One of the best ways for you to be inspired in your business is to learn from the insights and experiences of others. When you see someone else using a business to define success on her own terms, you can’t help but want to have a similar experience. Today’s featured Indie Business Network member says…
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking at International Natural Hair Meetup Day in Washington, DC. I had such a fun time learning more about how to manage natural hair, especially my daughter’s, and enjoyed meeting tons of Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs from the DC area. The nation’s capitol is my hometown, so I was…
One of the best ways for you to be inspired in your business is to learn from the insights and experiences of others. When you see someone else using a business to define success on their own terms, you can’t help but want to have a similar experience. Today’s featured Indie Business Network member uses…
I am thrilled to share that I am a guest on Andreea Ayers’s Launch Grow Joy Podcast! For those who don’t know, Andreea is the founder of Launch Grow Joy, a Colorado-based business that helps people launch and grow their product lines. Her podcast features successful entrepreneurs with a consumer product line and the marketing…
Here’s a great chance for us to meet while I’m in DC this weekend! I’m delighted to announce that I am speaking at the International Hair Meetup Day outside my hometown of Washington, DC. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to buy your tickets to the event, and to enter to…
One of the most rewarding things about leading the Indie Business Network is serving handmade entrepreneurs who know how to support and encourage each other’s dreams. It melted my heart when I received emails over the weekend from some of our members who sold their handmade products at the 6th Annual Boonsboro Green Fest in…
Here is one of the most buttery things ever. It’s an handmade body balm from our member, Nieves Rathbun, of By Nieves in Petrolia, California. I love many things about this handmade body balm, most especially how it feels when it’s rubbed into the skin. It also smells to die for. Watch the video to…
Several years ago, I got an idea to create a documentary of sorts to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurial MAKERS nationwide. I sent my husband business partner out to gather B-roll and photographs of members who were making waves in their local communities. Here is the result. As you can see, it’s a kind of…
Indie Business Network members are some of the most creative people in the world. They come from near and far, even in the smallest towns in America, they are creating a whole new way to integrate life and business. Today, I’m excited to tell you about one of them: Jennifer Hardaway of KleanSpa in Burbank, California.…
If I didn’t have to deliver the keynote at this weekend’s Tennessee Soap and Candle Gathering in Nashville, I would probably be at Unique LA with hundreds of Makers from around the nation, including several of our Indie Business Network members. In this post, I’m going to let you know who they are so you…
Indie Business Network members are some of the most creative people in the world. They come from near and far, even in the smallest towns in America, they are creating a whole new way to integrate life and business. Today, I’m excited to tell you about one of them: Shari Fowler of Iberian Skincare in…
This month, all across America, Indie Business Network members are heading into the spring season at the local farmer’s market. I just returned from opening day at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market near Charlotte, North Carolina. It was pouring down rain, but on the bright side, nothing sold out, even though I didn’t arrive until…
Indie Business Network members are some of the most creative people in the world. Not only do they design and produce amazing products, but they also have creative ways to showcase and market them. From very cool logos to fun-to-watch videos (like the one below), there is never a dull moment when it comes to…
Indie Business Network members are amazing. While I have met dozens of them in person, I’m connected to many hundreds virtually. They all stand out for different reasons, and this week’s featured member is no exception. I’m excited to introduce you to Kelli Parisian, founder of Parisian’s Pure Indulgence in Woodland Hills, California, outside Los…
Im excited to share that I will be traveling to Tennessee to deliver the keynote address at the Tennessee Soap and Candle Social on May 3-4th, 2013, at the Montgomery Bell State Park outside Nashville. Hosted by Rachel Turner of Music City Suds, the Tennessee Soap and Candle Social is an annual gathering of soapmakers…