I saw this video from our member, Kendra Cote, over at Amathia Soapworks and I just had to share it with you. It does such a great job of showcasing the care and artistry that goes into every bar of handmade soap Kendra makes. And don’t you just love the soap stamp? I want every…
Here’s a fun project for you — imagine living the life of your dreams in the city of your dreams. Can you picture it? I did, and seven years ago, my husband and I picked up our toddlers and moved from our hometown of Washington, DC, Charlotte, North Carolina, in search of life that was…
Do you like to bake? I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m a good baker. But I do know a good peach cobbler when I see (and eat) one, and it’s very exciting to me that states are creating ways for small scale producers of home baked goods to legally sell their delicious creations. Here’s…
I am excited to announce my topic on #IndieCruise 2014: How to Add Membership and Subscription Programs to Your Business. I selected the topic in alignment with our 2014 cruise theme, No More Beauty Business as Usual. In business today, you can treat your customers like everyone else treats them, or you can treat them…
I am pleased to announce our September 2013 Indie Business Book Club pick: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin. 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 together in business and in life.…
If you know me, you know I am all about defining and owning life and business on your own terms. You probably also know that my personal and business missions are the same: empowering women (and guys too!) to maximize their potential through small business ownership. That’s why, when serial New York Times best selling…
Today, the world is filled with creative and handmade entrepreneurs. This was not always so. There was a time when terms like “handmade” and “creative-made” and “maker” were the very definition of quality and value. Those days are gone. Having a quality product is the baseline now, and nothing less will do. But there are…
I am pleased to announce that my family and I will host the grand opening party for the Indie Business Studio outside Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, October 3, from 5:30pm to 8pm. The ribbon cutting will take place promptly at 5:30.* Our address is 206-B North Hayne Street in Monroe, just 30 minutes south…
Here is a question I received recently at our Facebook Page: “How do we stop running our businesses so reactively and start being more proactive? Do you ever feel like you’re running your business, reacting to sales, reacting to non-sales, and filling orders, and just not being proactive?” I answered the question in this short…
If you missed last week’s Throwback Thursday about Indie Business Network’s first media feature, you can get it here. Today, I’ll share about how my book, Making Aromatherapy Creams and Lotions, came to be published back in 2000. In 1998, I was still toiling away at a “real” job by weekday, but by night and…
This month, our member, Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry, celebrates the publication of her first book. Well, since she is a self-published author, it’s not exactly her “first” book. But it is her first book published by a publishing company. Check out this ultra cute sketch of Anne-Marie surrounded by the thing in the world…
Do you know what a caldarium is? Well, it’s time you found out. A caldarium is a room containing warm water baths, such as those you might have seen during Roman times. Lucky for you, you won’t have to be a time traveller to visit a caldarium today. All you have to do is make…
You are invited to join me for a complimentary Indie Business Network Member Access Q+A Call on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (7:00 pm Central, 6:00 pm Mountain, 5:00 pm Pacific). As you may know, among the many ongoing benefits of Indie Business Network membership are our frequent coaching and mentoring…
My husband shared this video on his personal Facebook page the other day. It’s a bit longer than the videos I usually watch on Facebook, but I was riveted and insired by the life of Richie Parker, the man featured. I watched again, for the second time with my son. He was riveted too. I…
Last Monday, in our private member Facebook group, I challenged Indie Business Network members to choose one full 24-hour period this week to refrain from using Facebook entirely. I did it yesterday, and I’m excited to learn if any of our members took a break as well. One day is not a really long time,…
We recently learned that our member, Linda Balon Stein of of Zosimos Botanicals in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is being challenged to choose between moving her business outside her home or terminating some of her employees. The zoning laws in Linda’s area prohibit home-based businesses from having more than one employee. Linda has an employee and an…
Last week, I posted our second Throwback Thursday, sharing how the first thing I did when I launched Indie Business Network was publish a newsletter. Today, I’ll share how we landed our first media feature on January 31, 2001. Unfortunately, I did not retain the original tear sheet, but it still appears online today. Here…
Our member, Selena Cozart O’Shaughnessy of Salome’s Simply Delightful Creations in Charlottesville, Virginia, was recently featured in the C-VILLE (for Charlottesville, Virginia) Weekly, a local newspaper in her area. Selena’s show stopping smile is beautifully captured in this image, by photographer Sarah Cramer Shields. Salome’s Simply Delightful Creations is a woman-owned business specializing in handmade…
The question of how to hire someone to help with social media marketing comes up a lot in the Indie Business Network’s Secret Facebook Group. In this quick video, I share some basic but critical thoughts on how you should approach this issue. Many people make the big mistake of looking for someone who is…
Exciting news from our member, Leah Patterson over at Etniq Mineral Cosmetics in Little Rock, Arkansas! In this video, she announces that Etniq has been chosen as the official cosmetic line for Miss Black USA Pageant 2013, taking place tonight in my hometown of Washington DC. Not only are we super happy for Leah and…
We could not resist sharing this video with you. Oh yes, it’s one of our members’s Kickstarter campaigns, but that’s not why we wanted you to see it. We wanted you to see it because it will make you smile. Danielle Vincent over at Outlaw Soaps in Oakland, California has not only co-invented one of…