From Sea To Shining Sea

Please join me in welcoming several Indies to the ever-expanding Indie Beauty Network family. It never ceases to amaze me what a blessing it is to connect so many like-minded people from across the nation. Stop by their websites to pick up your favorite Indie beauty treats, and while you’re there, let them know you…

Details

jblossom Plants Positive Seeds For Little Girls

I love it when I see an Indie stretching to take full advantage of her God-given talents and gifts to have fun and make a living. When I think of all that my friend Jamila White is doing, I sometimes think she must be the first cloned human. Not only is she the "E-Commerce Diva"…

Details

The Stores Less Traveled

I was in a Dilworth’s Coffee House expecting to get a plain old cup of coffee, but the first thing I saw was a display of Indie beauty products made by Moondance Soaps in Raleigh, North Carolina. Forget about the coffee! I want some soap! It started me to thinking about how so many great…

Details

Where Is Your Office?

Until two days ago, my office was located in a corner of the master bedroom of the home we rented when we moved to North Carolina last September. Before that, I was used to a spacious home office between the family room and the powder room. I was totally spoiled. Since we moved into our…

Details

Moving Day!

Hi Everyone!! That’s me in my "cool shades" taking a break from the hassle of moving day. My daughter is the photographer. You can see her in my lens! Yes! I said "moving day." That’s right. We’ve moved again. Last year, we moved from our hometown of Washington, DC to a town called Waxhaw, south…

Details

Indie Friend In The Wall Street Journal

Congratulations to Indie Beauty Network member Renee Deal of Deal Farm Soap in Massachusetts! Renee and her business are featured in today’s Wall Street Journal’s Startup Journal. Renee is married with a 2-year old son. She makes her fabulous goat milk bath and body products in a basement factory located in her home. I gave…

Details

There But For The Grace of God Goes Indie

I love doing business with other Indies. That's why I was so glad to find David at the Mail & More franchise location in my new hometown in suburban North Carolina. My office and home are co-located in a rural area and the post office is quite a distance away. Mail & More is two…

Details

Trade Show Magic

Last week, I delivered the keynote address at the Conference of Handcrafted Soap Makers in St. Louis. While there, I met with Susan Ryhanen of Saipua in New York. Susan (pictured, left, with Sima Dadamiya of Jumana Handmade Products in the United Kingdom) is a member of the Indie Beauty Network and a savvy trade…

Details

5 Reasons To Be Indie

I – Income. Indie business owners define and generate wealth on their own terms. N – Newsworthy. Indie business owners create “buzz” as they simultaneously pursue their passions, help others and support themselves and their families. D – Destiny. Indie business owners don’t rely on traditional means of income to define, create and control their…

Details

Vault Episode 1: Pilot Radio Show [Podcast]

The Vault is an archive of my first podcasts so there is a record for you to enjoy. Published on September 21, 2005, this is my (Donna Maria’s) very first podcast episode. It was recorded when the word “podcast” barely existed, and there was very little technology available to record and distribute audio content online.…

Details