Joseph RiverWind of NativeTouch is Taino Musician of the Year!

Of course you know Indie Business members make great products, but what you may not know is that one of them in particular also makes great music. Joseph Riverwind, who operates Native Touch, LLC, in the mountains of western North Carolina with his wife, Laralyn, was named Musician of the Year at the Taino Awards…

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May 2013 Indie Business Book Club Pick: The Athena Doctrine

Iam pleased to announce our May 2013 Indie Business Book Club pick: The Athena Doctrine: How Women (and the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future, by John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio. If you are an IBN member, click here to join me in our private Facebook book club group, and request to…

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#HandmadeChat: May 2013 Lineup

On Thursdays at 8pm ET, IBN hosts #HandmadeChat, a weekly Twitter talk show to coach, inform and inspire handmade and creative entrepreneurs. If you’ve never attended, now is the time. #HandmadeChat is a fun, inspirational and supportive event where you’ll learn so much about making your business more successful. As you’ll see below, you can…

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#HandMadeChat No. 48: How To Make Natural Cosmetics, With @JoanMorais

On Thursday evenings from 8 to 9pm ET, IBN hosts #HandmadeChat, a Twitter talk show to to educate, train and inspire creative and artisan entrepreneurs to be successful business owners. While the show is aimed mainly at business owners who make and sell handmade consumer products, the topics and discussions can empower and encourage the…

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The Evolution of Entrepreneurship: From Artisan, Back to Artisan Again

I came across this insightful information graphic showing the evolution of entrepreneurship, and I wanted to share it with you. Notice how it all began with Renaissance Tradesmen (and women!) — artisans who turned their ability to make things into a living. These creative entrepreneurs not only knew how to make beautiful things that people…

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Indie Business Member in the News: Funlayo Alabi in Poize Magazine

Our member, Funlayo Alabi, co-founder with her husband of Shea Radiance, is featured on the cover of the current Poize Magazine. Inside, she shares a bit about how she got her products into Target stores. Doesn’t she look lovely on the cover? According to their Facebook page, Poize is a guide for women who are…

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#HandMadeChat No. 47: How To Use Independent Consultants To Sell Your Products

On Thursday evenings from 8 to 9pm ET, Indie Business hosts #HandmadeChat, a weekly Twitter talk show to educate, train and inspire handmade and creative entrepreneurs to be successful as business owners. While the show is aimed mainly at business owners who make and sell handmade consumer products, the topics and discussions can empower and…

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10 Signs It’s Time To Move Your Small Business Out Of Your Home

Ilaunched Indie Business from a spare bedroom in my Washington, DC, home in 2000. Since my family and I moved to North Carolina in 2006, our office has been in a room on the first floor of our South Charlotte home. In September 2010, I told you about our move to a co-working space in…

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Welcome to Our New Website!

Welcome to our new website! We are excited that you are here with us to celebrate a new look. Watch our short welcome video … we’re so glad you’re here! When we began serving handmade entrepreneurs in 2000, the handmade beauty industry hadn’t fully formed yet. It’s always growing and shifting of course, and Indie…

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#HandmadeChat: April 2013 Lineup

On Thursdays at 8pm ET, IBN hosts #HandmadeChat, a weekly Twitter talk show to coach, inform and inspire handmade and creative entrepreneurs. If you’ve never attended, now is the time. #HandmadeChat is a fun, inspirational and supportive event where you’ll learn so much about making your business more successful. As you’ll see below, you can…

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#StartSomethingStupid, with @RichieNorton

Looking back, I am still stunned at what has happened in my life since I quit a pretty “secure” job to start making beauty products full-time. Of course, I’m not making products to sell anymore, but I still marvel at how the “stupid” idea of starting a nationwide trade organization from scratch now empowers many…

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Video: #IndieCruise MasterMind 2014 Registration Now Open!

Iam pleased to announce that #IndieCruise MasterMind 2014 will set sail January 26-February 1, 2014 for a 6-Night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Falmouth, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and Labadee, Haiti. Our cruise designer is Suzanne Niemeier at The Cruise Authority. Call her with your registration information…

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