#MakerBizChat No. 14: How to Build a Strong Community Around Your Brand

On Wednesday evenings from 8 to 8:30pm ET, I host #MakerBizChat, an Instagram event to help Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs build a solid business foundation, increase your income, and use your business to create the life you love. Our topic tonight was HOW TO BUILD A STRONG COMMUNITY AROUND YOUR BRAND. I chose this topic…

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Season 3: Episode 10: Makers on Main Street with La Shonda Tyree [Podcast]

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 10 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this tenth episode of my Makers on Main Street series, you’ll meet La Shonda Tyree of Handmade Soap Coach in Paterson, New Jersey. Before La Shonda opened her soapmaking studio in Paterson, New Jersey, her business underwent multiple changes and growing pains. She…

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Blog Your Brand Training Now Open to the Public!

In January 2015, I launched a training project called Blog Your Brand, exclusively for select Indie Business Network members. It was by application only, and one of the requirements was that you had to publish a new blog once a week or you would be removed from the group. Yes, that’s how serious I am…

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Connection Day New York City: Early Bird Expires July 14!!

Tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of the UBER Early Bird Rate for Connection Day 2015, which will take place September 13-14 in New York City! Here is the link to reserve your spot now. In addition to being a great excuse to spend a few days in New York City, Connection Day…

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Speak Up For Yourself Before You Need To

One of the things I learned early on in my entrepreneurial journey is that, while opportunities come to everyone, not everyone is ready for the opportunities that come to them. I made this short video tip to emphasize this point. After I posted this video to Instagram, one of our members, Carrie Seibert of Soap…

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5 Steps to Participating in Facebook Groups Without Being Salesy

Last month, I wrote a post called 8 Ways to Add Value to Professional Facebook Groups. This companion post drills down a bit more to share a 5-step approach to promoting your business in Facebook groups without being “that smarmy, slimy, salesy person.” I have seen some otherwise healthy Facebook groups and forums in other…

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#MakerBizChat No. 13: How to Regain Momentum After You’ve Lost It

On Wednesday evenings from 8 to 8:30pm ET, I host #MakerBizChat, an Instagram event to help Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs build a solid business foundation, increase your income, and use your business to create the life you love. Our topic tonight was HOW TO REGAIN MOMENTUM AFTER YOU’VE LOST IT. I chose this topic because…

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Why I Did Not Release an Episode of the Indie Business Podcast Today

We are closing in on the end of Season 3 of the Indie Business Podcast. Our theme, Makers On Main Street, is one of the most fun topics I have covered since I began podcasting in 2005. It’s thrillling to draw out the stories of Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs who own and manage retail stores…

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10 Things That Make IBN Members So Awesome

One of the greatest joys of leading the Indie Business Network is the fact that I have a front row seat to watch so many women from all across North America grow in wisdom and confidence as they lead their businesses into the future. I sat down recently and contemplated the character traits and habits…

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My Current Favorite iPhone Apps

If you have seen me recently, you have probably also seen my iPhone 6+. It’s a pretty big piece of equipment considering the 5.5″ screen, but I love it. It takes super clear and crisp photos and has lots of storage for the audio and video files I need to have at my fingertips so…

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Blogging Anyway

Twenty two days ago, dozens of Indie Business Network members and I began a journey called the Blog Your Brand 30-Day Challenge. The prize is a complimentary year of membership in the Indie Business Network for everyone who publishes a post, according to our rules, every day from June 14 to July 13, 2015. As…

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What Indiependence Day Means To Me

Today is Independence Day, or “Indiependence” Day for all you Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs out there. It’s a day where I personally celebrate not only the birth of my home country, but also my own personal birth as an entrepreneur. In 2009, following an article I wrote about my Indie lifestyle, I received an email…

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How to Stay Married to a Nontrepreneur

Is you spouse or partner a “nontrepreneur?” If you’ve never heard that term before, it’s because I made it up. A nontrepreneur is a person who is not an entrepreneur. I don’t use that term to refer to people in “real life,” but I thought it was a fun sort of tongue-in-cheek way to describe…

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#MakerBizChat No. 12: The &+$# Truth About Online Marketing Today

On Wednesday evenings from 8 to 8:30pm ET, I host #MakerBizChat, an Instagram event to help Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs build a solid business foundation, increase your income, and use your business to create the life you love. Our topic tonight was THE &+$# TRUTH ABOUT ONLINE MARKETING TODAY. I chose this topic because I…

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