April 2013 Theme and Book Club Pick: #LeanIn by @sherylsandberg

Iam pleased to announce our April 2013 Theme and Indie Business Book Club pick: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. If you are an IBN member, click here to join me in our private Facebook book club group, and request to join in the upper right. For…

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IndieMeetup: Newark: March 27, 2013: with @SoapCoach

Today’s the day — #IndieMeetup Newark, hosted by IBN’s Local Director: La Shonda Tyree. The fun goes from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at The Crop Shop, 720 Monroe Street in Hoboken.   In case you have never been there, The Crop Shop is a wonderful arts and crafts boutique offering classes to help kids and adults…

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#IndieMeetup: Chicago: March 23, 2013: with @AstridaNaturals

Tomorrow’s the day — the first #IndieMeetup in Chicago, hosted by Maia Singletary, our new Local Director there! The fun starts at 1:00 at the Overflow Coffee Bar at 1550 S. State St. in Chi-town.   By he way, Overflow Coffee is not just any old coffee spot. It’s Indie and woman owned, and all…

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The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Act of 2013 Is Introduced

According to a press release at the website of Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), he and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) yesterday introduced the The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Act of 2013 (PDF). If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that this is not the first piece of cosmetics legislation that has…

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Let’s understand the patent application process, with @BreastChekKit

Did you know that simple things we do every day without thinking can form the basis for a multi-million dollar income stream? Consider my friend, Linda Lewis, inventor of Breast Chek Kit, a patented seamless breast self-exam shirt that makes it easy for women to conduct and track monthly self-breast examinations comfortably and privately. Who…

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#HandMadeChat No. 42: Customizing Your Skin Care Regimen with @JackieBernardi

On Thursday evenings from 8 to 9pm ET, IBN hosts #HandmadeChat, a Twitter talk show to help handmade and creative entrepreneurs sell more products, have more fun, and be more successful personally and professionally. While the show is aimed mainly at business owners who make and sell handmade consumer products, the topics and discussions can…

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Welcome IBN’s Local Director: Maia Singletary @AstridaNaturals: Chicago

I am thrilled to introduce you to Maia Singletary, IBN’s new Local Director in Chicago! Maia is CEO of Astrada Naturals in Chicago, where you can get “Freshly handcrafted skin care & fragrances customized with natural ingredients.” Maia has been an active and enthusiastic participant in the Indie Social community since 2010. She decided to…

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5 Steps to Boost Your Courage Quotient

As you’re building your business, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the number of things you have to do reasonably well to be successful. This can be debilitating, causing you to shrink back from accomplishing your goals, or even setting them in the first place. But the truth is that, if you are not regularly…

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Featured IBN Member: Dawn Fitch of @Pookalita

Our member, Dawn Fitch of Pooka Pure and Simple in Orange, New Jersey, was recently invited to show viewers how to make sugar scrub on on the Ebru Today. Take a look. Dawn showed the show hosts how to make Strawberry Orange Honey Scrub with grated orange peel, strawberries, and honey, and also Coffee Body…

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Need to hire a virtual assistant, but not sure where to start?

Afrequent topic of discussion among my IBN members and clients revolves around the issue of, “Not having enough time to do it all.” Everyone deals with this issue at different points in their lives, most of all when they find themselves at the helm of a business of their own. But even when desperate for…

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I’m Speaking at the Tennessee Soap and Candle Social in Nashville!

Today, I’m excited to share that I have been invited to speak at the Tennessee Soap and Candle Social on May 4th, 2013, at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in the beautiful city of Nashville. Hosted by Rachel Turner of Music City Suds, the Tennessee Soap and Candle Social is an annual gathering of soapmakers and candlemakers…

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