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.
One of the best ways to be inspired to make yourself and your business the best they can be is to learn from the success of others. That’s why we love to spotlight our members here at the blog. Today, you’ll meet Susan Mann of Manor Hall Soaps in Springfield, Massachusetts. Susan has been a…
One of the best ways to be inspired to make yourself and your business the best they can be is to learn from the success of others. That’s why we love to spotlight our members here at the blog. Today, you’ll meet Jacqueline Gibbs Berry, founder of JourneysMother in Teaneck, New Jersey. This collage features…
Our member, Carrie Seibert of Simply 7 Skincare in Cherokee, Alabama is an impressive planner. It’s a good thing too, since she and her husband, Darren, have seven children and a growing business making lovely handmade soaps and other bath and body products. There’s no grass growing under their feet where the holidays are concerned…
One of the best ways to be inspired to make yourself and your business the best they can be is to learn from the success of others. That’s why we love to spotlight our members here at the blog. Today, you’ll meet Rhonda Hodge, founder of Rbella in Murphy, Texas. This collage features Rhonda’s Whole…
I am pleased to announce our November 2013 Indie Business Book Club pick: The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. For the past few years, I have hosted Indie Business Book Club, a fun and convenient way for Indie Business Network members to learn and grow…
One of the best ways to be inspired to make yourself and your business the best they can be is to learn from the success of others. That’s why we love to spotlight our members here at the blog. Today, you’ll meet Maia Singletary, founder of Astrida Naturals in Chicago, Illinois. This collage features Maia…
The busiest and most exciting time of the year is finally here for Indie Business Network members nationwide! It’s such a thrill to be connected with them across the miles via the Web and on our member Success Calls. It’s like one big happy party all year long, especially during the holidays when our members…
Today, I discovered that one of our members, Deborah Kraemer of Abbey Brown in Chicago, was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams yesterday! Endure the ad and the “happy” unemployment news, and skip to 2:00 to see Deborah’s interview with NBC’s Ron Mott. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about…
One of the best ways to be inspired to make yourself and your business the best they can be is to learn from the success of others. That’s why we love to spotlight our members here at the blog. Today, you’ll meet Valerie Rice, founder of Piper Tate in San Francisco, California. This collage features…
I am excited to introduce you to our youngest member, 13-year old Zandra Cunningham of Buffalo, New York. Along with her parents, Zandra owns and manages Azariah’s Innocence, a bath and body company. Zandra recently hosted a screening of the popular “Girls Rising” movie, designed to a file featuring the stories of nine girls around…
It was a fun ride, but the Indie Business Studio closed in 2014. You can read a little about why in this post. Thank you for visiting! The big day finally arrived. After months of planning and anticipation, I hosted the grand opening for our new Indie Business Network Headquarters and the Indie Business Studio.…
I am pleased to announce our October 2013 Indie Business Book Club pick: The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battless, by Steven Pressfield. For the past few years, I have hosted Indie Business Book Club, a fun and convenient way for Indie Business Network members to learn and…
I am thrilled to share that our member, Marilyn Thompson of Victoria’s Lavender in Newberg, Oregon, has published her first book. Entitled Live a Legacy, Leave a Legacy: Choosing to live with hope and courage in the face of Lou Gehrig’s disease, the book is an intimate look at the life of Troy Thompson, Marilyn’s…
One of the fun things I have planned for the Indie Business Studio grand opening is an artisan coffee service from the Franklin Street Coffee Company. From the beginning, this seemed like the perfect addition since the coffee shop opened around the corner back in June. Over the weekend, I confirmed our pricing and arrangement,…
Since it was originally published in September 2013, this article has been updated to reflect the current status of the trademark dispute. Thank you for visiting! Bonnie Garrity of Good Earth Spa in Indianapolis, Indiana, say she believes that Trademark No. 4359286 for the word mark SOAP LOAF, registered to Petunia Farms of Liverpool, New…
If you are in the South Charlotte/Monroe area and you see this brightly colored flyer (or the black and white version of it) announcing our grand opening, be sure to pick it up! We are thrilled with the fun design by Jenny Prevatte of TwiliteCS. As you can see, it’s brightly colored and fun just…
How exciting that we can share that our member, Cindy Jones of Sagescript Institute, is featured in a recent article in the Denver Post. Cindy is a cosmetics chemist, and through Sagescript, offers cosmetic product testing and consulting services to help you confirm the efficacy of your products. I love this picture (by photographer Cyrum…
In this video, I share a few tips to help you deal with the frustration that sometimes results when people don’t respond to you. This happens frequently when you have a business — people send an email asking about your event or sale and you promptly (and often personally) reply. Then, you never hear from…
If you get my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, you know that I am looking at the possibility of hosting a local radio show here in my adopted hometown of Monroe, NC. Reed Alexander, one of the station personalities, has invited me to be his guest on the morning show tomorrow at 10:00. Reed…
As you know, the ribbon cutting grand opening of Indie Business Studio is set for October 3 at 5:30. Get the details here. One of the things I’m most excited about is giving everyone in attendance chances to win fabulous raffle prizes. If you are one of the first to arrive, you’ll also get a…
Each month, I meet with other entrepreneurs in a Charlotte Mastermind Group. Our meeting location is a branch of the Carolina Premier Bank in South Charlotte. The venue is comfortable and we enjoy complementary Wifi, coffee, and super soft and cozy executive chairs. Yesterday, in the middle of our meeting, a man wearing a suit…