8 Benefits of Using Social Media Before Your Business Launches

Are you gearing up to launch your dream business? If so, congratulations! You are well on your way to the one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of your life. You probably already know that social media must be a part of your success story, but what you may not know is that, once…

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Random Acts of Holiday Shopping

When you want to buy something special for someone special, but you don’t know what to buy, but you want to buy something they will definitely enjoy, you need to practice random acts of holiday shopping. Our 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide makes it easy by featuring tons of wonderful products made by members of…

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I’m the New Small Business Columnist at QCityMetro.com

If you’ve been following my entrepreneurial journey for a while, you may remember that I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina eight years ago from my hometown of Washington, DC. This was a relatively easy transition for me since I set up the Indie Business Network from the very beginning to allow me to work from…

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How to Overcome an Online Sales Slump

Are you disappointed by this year’s online holiday sales? Do you feel overwhelmed at the notion that your products, as great as they are, will still be collecting dust on a shelf at the end of the holiday season? Do you feel like you are not privy some kind of secret magic sauce that others…

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Announcing 2×4 Live: Nashville

What better day to announce 2×4 Live than today — Small Business Saturday! After nearly sixteen years of business ownership, which was preceded by a long career working for someone else, I have concluded that entrepreneurship is the most rewarding way to provide for yourself and your family while you also have fun and create…

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Happy Thanksgiving 2015

As I embrace this wonderful day that we set aside in the US to reflect on the abundance and blessings in our lives, my thoughts turn to my Indie Business Network members, and Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs around the world. While we come from different backgrounds, and we have different hopes and dreams, a thread…

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November 2015 Access Q+A Coaching Call

Our IBN member Access Q+A Coaching Call has a new twist this month! Today, we’re debuting a “Hot Seat” coaching feature where a member or two, selected in advance, sit in our Hot Seat so our coaches can help them Masteremind (brainstorm) a specific challenge in their business. As always, our call will be recorded…

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November 2015 Member Makeover: Kiss Freely in Rockville Centre, NY

After the debut of our newest member benefit, our Member Makeover last month, I knew we were onto something. The hands-on, deep dive, live review of one of our member’s websites, niche, and brand presence not only informed her, but it also informed the entire membership. There is no better learning atmosphere then one filled…

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Announcing the 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide!

I am pleased to announce the release of our 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide! Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs from across North American are going all out to make sure you have wonderful local handmade goodness to share with your friends and loved ones this holiday season. Announcing the 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide! Our Handmade…

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October 2015 Member Makeover: Jade Lilly in Bolingbrook, Illinois

The big day is finally here! It’s the day of our first Indie Business Network Member Makeover, where we take a deep dive into a member’s website and answer their questions and make suggestions for how they can make their online presence even better. We start promptly at 1pm EST (11am MDT | 12pm CST…

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Community is King (and also, Queen)

Content is important, but community is king. In fact, it’s not only king, but it’s also queen. Content is everywhere, but community is everything. Content is all over the place, and most of it is either an overly sales-y waste of Internet real estate or a repeat (often plagiarized) of content someone else has already…

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Introducing Virtual Hot Seat Coaching!

I am SO EXCITED to share the launch of the Indie Business Network’s newest member benefit: The Virtual Hot Seat. (If you already know you want to be the first to sit in our Virtual Hot Seat, click here to apply.) As you know, our Head Coach, Christine Laureano of Ba6 Botanicals and Ba6 Content…

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How to Separate Your Self From Your Business

As a Maker and Handmade Entrepreneur, it sometimes seems impossible to separate your self from your business. This is not necessarily always a bad thing. The democratization of business and the work-life merger have made entrepreneurship accessible to everyone with a good idea and a mobile device. But while the era of sharp distinction between…

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