I’m excited to announce the December selection for the Indie Business Book Club: The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham. If you could reverse a few of the mindless business decisions you’ve made over the years without thinking things through, you’d likely be leading a very different business, right? Well, you’re smart, but that doesn’t…
I’m excited to announce the November selection for the Indie Business Book Club: Teaching Creative Workshops In Person and Online by Patricia van den Akker. This book is a must-read for makers, artisans and creative entrepreneurs who want to complement their product business and generate income by sharing what they know with people who want to…
I’m excited to announce the October selection for the Indie Business Book Club: The Art, Science and Business of Aromatherapy: Your Essential Oil & Entrepreneurship Guide by Kayla Fioravanti. While this book was originally written for aromatherapists, the lessons extend far beyond essential oils. Kayla weaves together her insider industry expertise with timeless entrepreneurial principles that…
I’m excited to announce the September selection for the Indie Business Book Club: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can feel exciting, intimidating, or even irrelevant depending on where you stand. But no matter your perspective, ignoring AI is the one response you cannot have if you want to be…
I’m excited to announce the August selection for the Indie Business Book Club: The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About by Mel and Sawyer Robbins Most self-improvement books are designed to help us reframe how we think so we can begin to take the actions that will change…
I’m excited to announce the July selection for the Indie Business Book Club: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, by Donald Miller. No matter what you are selling, you need a story to sell it. That’s good news because whether or not you know it, your brand was built on a…
I’m excited to announce the May June selection for the Indie Business Book Club: Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business by Pat Flynn. I chose this book because, now more than ever — in both business and life — community reigns supreme. This read offers powerful…
I’m excited to announce the May 2025 selection for the Indie Business Book Club: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. I selected this book because I’m more convinced than ever that the success of your business depends on your ability to build, nurture, and lead a strong community around your brand.…
I’m excited to announce the April 2025 Indie Business Book Club selection: The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue by Robbie Kellman Baxter. I personally chose this book because one of my favorite things to do is help people turn connections into cash by showing them how…
Now that I’ve been a successful entrepreneur for over a quarter century, I can speak with great confidence about the good, the bad and the ugly of leading a business. Like I always say, I don’t have advice, but I do have experience, and in my experience, it’s easy to start a business, but it’s…
One of the questions I receive most often from clients and members is, “How can I market my business more efficiently and effectively?” This is just a fancy way to ask for tips on ways to be seen and found by more people who will buy your products and services. While there are a million…
If you’re anything like me, each new year begins feeling like it will be the best one yet. But as the weeks roll by, my excitement sometimes begins to fade. By the time I’m a quarter of the way through the year, I can feel like I’m falling short of the progress I’d hoped to…
One of the important issues business owners face is how to select, secure, and protect their brand names. Of course, you want a brand name that makes you personally happy and satisfied. On the other hand, the fact that you like a certain name does not mean you can own, secure, and protect it as…
As you may know, August is one of the most popular vacation months of the year. That’s why our theme for this month is Rest and Rejuvenation, and our book is Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity. In it, author Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, teaches us that it’s possible to overcome…
As maker entrepreneurs, we often feel crazy amounts of pressure to make more stuff and check off boxes, often without considering the enduring significance and long-term impact of what we are creating. Sure, it’s great to have sales every day, but they really don’t matter unless they are tied to outcomes that make a long-term…
A thrilling moment is on the horizon for the Indie Business Network as we eagerly anticipate the arrival of our 25th year of continuous service! Thanks to the unwavering support of our extraordinary members, we’re gearing up to commemorate a quarter-century of dedicated service to small business owners across North America. Save the date: January…
If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt or generally felt like you don’t have what it takes to truly achieve your highest dreams and aspirations, then our March 2024 Indie Business Book Club pick just may be the super catalyst you need right now. Authored by Jamie Kern Lima, co-founder with her husband of It Cosmetics,…
Hospitality is defined as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” The benefits of offering high degrees of hospitality in your business become obvious when you consider how important it is to make every effort to receive your customers and clients in ways that reflect how much you value and…
If you’re like me, every year starts off as my best year ever. The trouble is that about a quarter of the way through the year, my motivation can begin to wane and I can start to feel like I am not making the progress I should be making. If that feeling continues for too…
Nearly 24 years ago, I left a fantastic career track in corporate America to launch the Indie Business Network. Everyone I knew thought I had lost my mind. At the time, it was a disaster of epic proportions to be fired or laid off, and no one was quitting their job — even if they…
As entrepreneurs, we are understandably concerned with how we invest our limited financial resources. As it turns out, we should be at least as concerned with how we invest our limited hourly resources. After all, we can make more money. But we cannot make more time. Our next Indie Business Book Club pick takes this…