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.
Part of the reason I didn’t publish last week’s roll call last week is because I am in the midst of re-working my business week to accommodate a new fitness routine. I am determined to find a rhythm that allows me to be as healthy as my business is. If I had not worked out…
When my children were babies and toddlers, they were so cuddly. Whenever I wanted a hug, I got one. Whenever I wanted a snuggle, I simply started snuggling. It didn’t matter where we were or what was happening, mommy always got the warm fuzzies. Today, my 8-year old daughter still jumps at the chance to…
This week, IBN member Lela Barker, owner of Bella Lucce in Columbia, SC, is launching an exciting new non-profit venture. From Morocco, With Love offers wonderful products imported from the beautiful nation of Morocco. I have seen this venture unfold from the time it formed as a seedling in Lela’s mind, so this week’s launch…
In yesterday’s video post, I announced the exciting arrival of the dry wall. Today, I am happy to report that we found someone to help us place the dry wall. More about that later. For now, I want to share how we have decided to deal with the window on our set. As I mentioned…
The dry wall is here! Earlier this week, I introduced my husband business partner’s and my new series to teach you how to turn unused space in your garage, basement or office into a video set. If you missed the introductory video, you can watch it here. This video is a short update on the…
The only thing my daughter asked me for this morning was to meet her for lunch at school. When I said I wasn’t sure I could make it, her face dropped. So here I am. When she entered the cafeteria and saw me, I got the most amazing hug in the world. This is why…
My husband business partner and I are turning the unused space in the loft above our detached garage into a studio where I can record and share more videos to empower you to make smart decisions in all aspects of your business. We’re kicking things off with a series of videos to help you turn…
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 182 featuring my interview with Rebecca Bollwitt. Rebecca is the author of “Blogging: Create and Maintain Valuable Customer Connections to Drive Your Business.” This episode delves into the world of blogging, a topic…
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 181 featuring my interview with Deborah Douglas. Deborah is the Managing Director of Douglas Group, a highly successful middle-market banking firm known for its remarkable 95% success rate in assisting business owners with…
Money is neither good nor bad. It’s intangible. It doesn’t think. It doesn’t feel. It does nothing on its own. Making money is something the government does. They design it, they print it, they make it. We don’t make money, we earn it. We either earn it honestly or we earn it dishonestly. There are…
It’s that time again, time for Sunday Soup! If you get two Soups today, please disregard the other one with my apologies. It’s been one of those weekends! You asked some great questions last week and I am here again to answer more. Ask me about social media, leadership, small business success, mompreneurship, family business…
Yesterday, I read a post at my social networking site by a person who hopes to one day own her own business. Her post shared her anger and disappointment at receiving a raise at her job of twenty-six cents, covering her past 24 months of service. I related to her situation since similar things happened…
This afternoon, I attended the Annual Pride Entrepreneur Education Program (PEEP) Luncheon. PEEP is a non-profit organization devoted to eliminating socio-economic disparities in the African American community by promoting education, financial literacy, attainment of technical skills and entrepreneurship. This video, produced by my company and presented during the luncheon, features the inspirational story of Dr.…
Other than tonsillitis and a hernia as a small child, a fractured shoulder a decade ago and the occasional cold or flu, I have been blessed with good health. As a teen, I was a cheerleader and played tennis almost daily. In college, I walked practically everywhere I went. But law school and practicing law…
For those of you who don’t know, in addition to teaching and speaking about small business leadership and success, I also lead IBN, a trade organization for manufacturers of health, beauty and lifestyle products. Recently, the business building conversations at IBN’s private networking area have increased considerably. If you haven’t visited for a while, today…
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…
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…