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…

Details

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…

Details

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…

Details

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…

Details

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…

Details

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…

Details

The Fall 2015 30-Day Blog Your Brand Challenge Starts Today!

Yes, that’s right, another 30-Day Blog Your Brand Challenge starts today! In June of this year, one of my members (Stacia Guzzo, if you want to know which one) told me that she had seen stunning increases in traffic to her website since she started blogging more regularly. Since I have been a blogger for…

Details

Season 4: Episode 4: Martha Stewart American Made with Kim and Brett Borup of Paper Bandit Press [Podcast]

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 4 of the Indie Business Podcast! This season is all about celebrating finalists in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. So far, I’ve connected you with Riche Holmes Grant from the Style category, Gilyn McKelligon from the Design category, and Colin Fickes and Mary Collins from the Food category. Today,…

Details

Maker Mastermind Live Recap: October 2015: Portland

The name of this event has been changed from “Connection Day to Maker Mastermind Live, and this post has been updated to reflect the new brand. For more information about the Maker Mastermind Live Tour, to register for the city closest to you, or to request that we come to your city, click here. Hello…

Details

New Handmade at Amazon [Video]

Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to launch a handmade market place. That should come as no huge surprise I guess since Amazon’s mission is to sell everything to everybody. Watch this video to learn more. What is really interesting about this is that Amazon is already selling in its main store tons of the…

Details

Our October 2015 Access Q+A Coaching Call

Today, I am hosting one of my most popular member events — our monthly Access Q+A Coaching Call! Not only do we get to take a break from being in the weeds to connect and grow together, but our members get answers to the most challenging business, success, and lifestyle questions that are affecting them…

Details

Season 4: Episode 3: Martha Stewart American Made with Humdinger Juice [Podcast]

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 3 of the Indie Business Podcast! This season is all about celebrating finalists in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. So far, I’ve connected you with Riche Holmes Grant from the Style category and Gilyn McKelligon from the Design category. Today, it’s about the Food category, and I’m pleased to…

Details