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.
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 178b featuring my interview with Brad DeGraf. Brad is an industry veteran, starting his career in computer animation back in 1982. However, his expertise extends beyond animation. Since 2000, he’s been exploring…
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…
UPDATE: 1/29/10: While this is an informative post, I discovered that it is against FaceBook’s Terms Of Service to have more than one FaceBook account, so I deleted the personal account. Last September, I shared my new FaceBook social networking strategy, designed to help me stay connected to business colleagues and friends, as well as…
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 178 featuring my interview with Marlon Smith, husband, father, motivational speaker, and author of “Living with Purpose: 40 Days to Empowering You and Your Family”. Owner of Success by Choice Inc., a…
Blogging has enhanced my life in numerous ways. I love sharing my ideas and experiences at the same time as I chronicle my growth as a woman and a business leader. But even more than that, this blog is a great way to meet and connect with the wonderful people (you!!) who take time from…
As I prepare to celebrate my 10th anniversary in business, I am keenly aware of the many mistakes I have made, and of what I have learned from them. I’ve made more than 99 mistakes over the past 10 years, and each one has equipped me to meet new challenges and given me the experience…
I am not into New Year’s Resolutions because they are not profitable for me. Since I set, adjust, achieve and abandon goals for a variety of reasons all year long, setting new resolutions on January 1 seems sort of anti-climactic. But I do like the idea of selecting a “ThemeWord” that encompasses the notion that…
I have been thinking about the goals I set earlier this year, both the ones I met and the ones I didn’t meet. I’m over the latter (and there are a few of them), yet I feel positive, satisfied and energized about the things I accomplished in 2009. I know that some goals were not…
This is the third in a series of posts featuring small business owners’ suggestions for things you can do to be successful in 2010. Last week, I told you about Joan Morais, an IBN member who increased her productivity and profitability this year by hiring a virtual assistant. I also told you about Marla Bosworth,…
For the past few years, I have enjoyed “elfing myself.” Each year, it’s more fun and interactive. If you’re looking for quick and fun way to generate more holiday laughs, check out Elf Yourself and have some fun! My kids and I made this video and they can’t stop laughing. I hope the same thing…
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 177 featuring my interview with Nancy D Solomon, the author of “Impact: What Every Woman Needs to Know to go from Invisible to Invincible.” Nancy is an expert in the field of…
Last year, I met Leesa Barnes, author of Podcasting for Profit. Leesa graciously accepted my invitation to be a guest on my radio show, and you can stream or download the interview with here. (Jamila White hosted that show for me while I was away speaking at a conference.) While I hope to meet Leesa…
My eight year old daughter is far more organized than I was at her age. She likes to make lists. In fact, on Friday nights, she often makes a list of all the things everyone in the house needs to do on the following Saturday. Much of the time, the lists focus on toys she…
The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Welcome to the Vault Episode 176 featuring my interview with Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski, a dynamic husband-and-wife psychology team with a mission to inject heart and compassion back into the world of business. Their latest book,…
The comments at my three blogs are always helpful, professional and polite, even when they disagree with my commentary. In fact, the only comments I reject are spam or comments that simply make no sense, usually because they are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. I am also a frequent commenter at other people’s blogs.…
I hosted IBN’s first Site Party on Cyber Monday and had a great time doing it! The best news is that our featured Indie, Charlene Sevier, sold 11 pieces of her beautiful handmade jewelry in under 60 minutes! As you may recall from this post announcing the party, Charlene makes combines a passion for beads…