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…
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The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 235 featuring my interview with Scott Berkun. Stream Vault Episode 235 Click the play arrow to play the podcast. (You may have to click it twice.) On a laptop or desktop, use your…
I am pleased to announce our theme for #IndieCruise 2014: No More Beauty Business As Usual: January 26 to February 1, 2014. Our theme fully expresses the direction entrepreneurs must go in order to achieve as we look beyond 2013 to our long term success and fulfillment. Our speakers and topics reflect a strongly proactive…
If you missed last week’s Throwback Thursday, sharing some of the life changing experiences that compelled me to leave the “safety” of a “secure” job to start the Indie Business Network, you can get it here. This week, I take you through the first steps I took launching the business, and share some of the…
In this quick video, I share with you three simple steps to being productive when you have to work around your children. I’ve been doing it for nearly 14 years, and it’s not easy. But it can be done if you take it one step at a time. These tips are very basic and easy…
As you know, we maintain a private Facebook group for our Indie Business Network members. As the group grows and time passes, people may want to find out if specific topics have been discussed previously in the group. Members also want to find out if any of their friends or colleagues are a part of…
How exciting to share the latest news from our member, Brent Leonesio over at Smell Bent in Los Angeles, California. The Institute for Art and Olfaction has teamed up with artist and provocateur Austin Young for a collaboration unleashing Brent’s olfactory prowess in a new edition of perfume called, Accident. The unveiling, along with the…
Here’s a taste of the types of things we’re discussing in our private Indie Business Member Facebook group. While we discuss issues like product making and ingredient sourcing, most of the sharing is around business issues. Our members especially love topics concerning business and success mindset, increasing profits, as well as specific marketing and business…
Check out the very cool, customized wine barrels our member, Kristin Fraser Cotte of The Grapeseed Company, is using to showcase her products in retail stores. As you might guess, Kristen’s products all contain grapeseed extracts. How perfect, considering Kristin lives in Santa Barbara where there is no shortage and grapes, seeds and other fun…
For the next several months, on Thursdays, as founder and CEO of the Indie Business Network, I will guide you on a walk down memory lane to celebrate our nearly fourteen years of service to handmade and creative beauty entrepreneurs worldwide. We start our journey with a look back nearly 20 years when I was…
We’re so excited to tell you about The Soapmasters, a new learning and empowerment event from longtime Indie Business Network member, La Shonda Tyree of Handmade Soap Coach in Paterson, New Jersey, and I have a coupon code for you to attend at a $50 discount!! Scroll to the bottom to get the details. I…
Recently, our member Michael Neustrom of Prairie Lavender Farm in Bennigton, Kansas, was interviewed on Coffee Time with Roger Nelson on KNCK Radio in Concordia, Kansas. Roger interviewed Michael about the benefits of lavender, including that you “Eat it, drink it and it just makes you smells good.” Here’s a picture of English lavender in…
Our member, Brenda Foster of Bubs and Scrubs in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, has earned two minority woman business certifications: National Women’s Business Enterprise Certification and National Minority Supplier Development Council! But before I get to that, I want to share a video Brenda made showing the love and care she puts into her products. In this…
Our member, Lela Barker of Bella Luccè and Lucky Break Consulting in Columbia, South Carolina, recently returned from a weeks-long trip to Uganda. She took her 15-year old daughter, Chloe, along for the ride. The purpose of the trip was to personally deliver financial aid, reading books and encouragement to children in an orphanage in…
You probably know that the Indie Business Network places a premium on empowering our members to find their voice through blogging. Over the years, we’ve hosted dozens of private and member events designed to show our members the power of blogging, and to equip them to do it right. Today, with the Indie Business Bloggers…
We are excited to see our members participate in Martha Stewart American Made, honoring makers for their creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurial spirit. If you’re a creative entrepreneur in the areas of food, craft, design, style, gardening, or technology, nominate yourself for a chance at $10,000 to further your business, plus a trip for two to…