Last year, at my invitation, several members of IBN gathered in our private online networking area to discuss how we could support each other on Twitter. It was decided that on Fridays, each participant would select a person, comment on one of their blog posts and then ReTweet the post on Twitter. The goal was…
it’s that time again, time for Sunday Soup! Tomorrow’s radio show features Deborah Douglas, a CPA and the author of “Ripe: Harevesting the Value of Your Business. Deborah will take your questions and share tips about how to position your growing business to fully realize the rewards of business ownership! Join us at 1:00pm New…
Publishing comments at influential blogs in your field can help expand your sphere of influence efficiently and effectively. I call this “comment blogging” (I think I made up that phrase?), and I do it regularly. If done over a period of time, comment blogging can result in new client prospects, exciting collaborations and valuable features…
Donna Maria shares tips on integrating different media outlets for maximum engagement with your customers, clients and friends.
Recently, I interviewed Shiv Singh live on Indie Business Radio. Shiv is the author of Social Media Marketing For Dummies (affiliate link). He is also the Global Social Media lead at Razorfish, a brand engagement company. Shiv thinks that, in some ways, the term social media is a misnomer. In fact, in his social media…
The week is off to a fantastic start! It started off with the early morning publication yesterday of this week’s newsletter. I love publishing early on Mondays because my readers see the inspirational story of one of my IBN members as quickly as possible after the start of a new week. It’s amazing how much…
Blogging has enhanced my life in many ways. A blog is an extremely versatile platform and can be used by small and independent business owners in many ways. I recently suggested that startups could use blogs as a business planning tool. As Tim Berry, author of The Plan-as-You-Go Business Plan (affiliate link), pointed out in…
It’s that time again, time for Sunday Soup! We had freezing snow and rain here Friday night, so this is a weekend of hot chocolate and sledding. How’s the weather where you are? You asked some great questions last week and I am here again to answer more. Ask me about social media, leadership, small…
Last week, I shared some tips to spruce up your FaceBook Fan Page. Yesterday, I asked people at the Indie Business FaceBook Fan Page to share their Fan Page links, along with their tips and questions about attracting more people to a FaceBook Fan Page. My goal was to crowd source some new ideas so…
I agreed with many of the things President Barack Obama said in yesterday’s State Of The Union address. We do need health insurance reform. We do need to tackle the issue of childhood obesity. We do need to invest in the skills and education of American people. We do need to increase our exports to…
Donna Maria shares commentary on using social media and new technologies to be everywhere your customers are.
Today was one of the rare days where I preempted my radio show so I could capitalize on a difference kind of opportunity. I spoke on leadership at the 2010 Social Media Telesummit, hosted by Leesa Barnes. This was a virtual event featuring some of the leading names in social media. I enjoyed sharing with…
It’s Sunday! That means it’s time for Sunday Soup!! Sunday Soup is a new feature here at my blog where you can post questions in the comments, and I will answer them. Even better, you can answer each other using the Disqus threaded comments! So what do you want to talk about? Being a wife…
Today, I asked people at the Indie Business FaceBook Fan Page to share their Fan Page links, along with their questions and tips about how to use them. My goal was to share easy to implement tips everyone could use to enhance interaction and conversation at their Fan Pages. I got a chance to join…
One of the reasons using social media can be challenging for small business owners is because it is often difficult to quantify the return on social media investment. For example, if you invest a certain amount of time and/or money on social media outreach, how do you assess whether it was a good investment of…
These words never cease to move me. “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. … I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of…
Last Saturday, I celebrated my 10th year as the leader of the Indie Business Network, a trade organization serving small manufacturers of soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, candles, confectionery items and other health, beauty and lifestyle products. I am thoroughly enjoying serving my members, and I look forward to the next decade and beyond.Unfortunately, too many small…
In just a few days, I will celebrate 10 years of leading the Indie Beauty Network and serving the most innovative, creative and tenacious small and independent business owners in the world. I’m celebrating a few days early because today, for the first time, an IBN member has renewed her membership for the tenth year…
One of the first things I did when I launched IBN in 2000 was create a branded logo so members could easily share their IBN affiliation with customers, stockists and other stakeholders. As the leader of a nationwide trade organization, I have always felt that it is important to provide business member leaders with an…
Many small business owners conclude that Twitter is a waste of time without devoting a legitimate amount of time to learning how to use it to discover its potential value when applied to their unique situation. I recently read this post at ReadWriteWeb. It summarizes the results of a study (of sorts) on the value…
I enjoy working in a family business. After spending so many years fighting rush hour traffic and toiling away in the corporate jungles of Washington, DC, I am thankful for my lifestyle. I don’t have to jump through administrative hoops to take my children to the pediatrician’s office. I have more control over how my…