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Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

January Focus: Make 2025 Your Best Year Ever!

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaJanuary 7, 2025

If you are reading this at the beginning of the New Year, it’s likely that you’ve set some goals for yourself and your business that you hope to achieve this year. Researchers call this “the fresh start effect.” Perhaps you’ve heard of it. At the start of a new year, we all look for opportunities…

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November Focus: Crush The Holidays!

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaNovember 3, 2024

The holiday season is upon us, and that means that the next several weeks provide an opportunity to connect with our audience members, loyal fans and buyers on a personal level in ways that do not present themselves during the rest of the year. It’s a compressed time frame, which means it’s more important than…

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October Focus: Protect Your Trademark(s)!

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaOctober 7, 2024

Protecting your trademark is essential. Many business owners hesitate to register their trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office due to uncertainty about the process, a lack of understanding of the benefits, or concerns about the costs involved. But the long-term expenses of not registering can far exceed the initial investment. Failing to…

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7 Steps to Make Your Business Thrive in Any Economy

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaAugust 2, 2024

Last month’s theme here at the Indie Business Network was How to Thrive in Any Economy. I selected it because one of the things I hear most often today from clients, Indie Business Network members and other small business owners is that sales are down “due to the economy.” While it may be true that…

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August Theme: Rest + Rejuvenate

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaJuly 17, 2024

As you may know, August is one of the most popular vacation months of the year. That’s why our focus for this month is Rest and Rejuvenate, 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 burnout and…

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Schedule Your Focus Meeting Today!

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaJune 16, 2024

With nearly 25 years of experience leading the Indie Business Network and coaching and consulting other entrepreneurs, I’ve had an intimate look into the workings of thousands of businesses. And here are some things I know for sure. Growing a business does not have to be hard. The truth is that many people think more…

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Direction is More Important Than Speed

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaMay 19, 2024

Direction is the cornerstone of meaningful progress. If you want to visit a friend in Chicago, no matter how fast you go, you’ll never get there if you keep changing direction to visit friends in Louisville, Nashville, and Detroit. It’s the same in your business, if you set a goal to get to a certain…

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5 Ways a Podcast Can Help You Sell More Products

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaFebruary 12, 2024

One of the questions most frequently asked questions I receive from entrepreneurs is how to more effectively market their products. One marketing tool I suggest because it works, almost without fail, is a podcast. If you are struggling to take your marketing efforts to a new level, it may be time to consider a podcast.…

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Fighting Etsy’s New Transaction Fee is a Waste of Time

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 12, 2022

If you are considering fighting Etsy’s marketplace transaction fee increase, don’t waste your time. For those who don’t know, effective yesterday, Etsy has increased the fee it charges Etsy sellers to sell products on the platform from 5% to 6.5%. The increase in this “marketplace transaction fee” has caused some Etsy sellers to put their…

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Effective Publishing Strategies for Makers

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 2, 2022

In response to my marketing advice about effective publishing strategies, a client once told me she refused to get bogged down with publishing email newsletters. Her logic made some sense. She told me that she did not go into business to become a publisher. As I listened, a feeling of complete dread overtook me. Even…

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Top 10 Reasons You Should Seriously Consider a Membership Business Model

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaJune 10, 2021

Have you ever thought adding a membership component to your current business model? If you’re like most of our members, you probably have. But even if you haven’t I strongly urge you to seriously consider it. The membership business model has done more for me personally and professionally than I could have ever imagined. It…

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6 Types of Recurring Revenue Business Models You Should Know About

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaSeptember 11, 2020

There are six basic types of recurring revenue business models you should know about. Each has its own unique characteristics. I’m sure you can leverage at least one of these to generate endless repeat sales opportunities and create a fun and engaging community around your brand. This overview is required prerequisite reading for everyone who…

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Introducing IBN’s Virtual Coworking and Accountability Program

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaMarch 18, 2020

As a virtual organization with 20 solid years of experience helping Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs use technology to build their and brands, IBN is uniquely situated to train entrepreneurs to maximize the use of technology for the benefit of their brands. At no time in IBN’s 20 years of service is this more important than…

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4 Ways to Improve Your Business When Sales are Slow

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaMay 14, 2019

On this episode of the Maker Mastermind Show, I was asked to share some ideas to help you be productive when sales are slow. Of course it stinks when sales are slow, but you can turn that frown upside down and use the time to your advantage. Here are four ways to do that. 4…

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Four Easy Ways to Improve Your About Page

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 22, 2019

On this episode of the Maker Mastermind Show, I was asked for my best and easiest ideas to improve the all-important About Page at your website. Your “About Page” is an opportunity to woo your prospects and draw them into what you and your brand stand for. It’s a chance to replace the tired old…

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Top 3 Newsletter Publishing Secrets

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 15, 2019

If you know me at all, you know that I believe in the power of list building and email newsletter publishing. I have published a newsletter for nearly 20 years, so I know what I’m talking about. Newsletters help you generate sales. Newsletters help you drive traffic to your blog and social media pages. If…

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How to Personalize Your Personal Brand

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 8, 2019

This post is about the power of using your personal brand to represent, even embody, your marketing message. This presents a fantastic opportunity to leverage who you are personally for the benefit of your business. After all, while there are products on the market that are similar to yours, there is only one you. When…

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The One Thing You Must Do Before Starting Your Business

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaApril 1, 2019

If you’re just starting a business, you have a lot to consider: what to sell and how to sell it, whether to use a Facebook group, what to blog about, how to use social media, etc. Those things are important, but one thing is even more important, and you may have overlooked it entirely. I’m…

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Your Packaging Problems: Solved!

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaFebruary 20, 2019

In our private entrepreneurial discussion community, IBN members discuss and resolve entrepreneurial problems all day long. Recently, I sat down with a few of them to talk shop and learn how they resolved some of their toughest packaging challenges. After your customer’s order is placed into the hands of your shipper, it is completely outside…

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How to Sell When You Hate Selling

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaDecember 7, 2018

Wouldn’t it be great if you could sell your products with confidence and success, even if you think you hate selling? Well, you can. But it starts with one basic requirement. Stop selling. Seriously, it’s not as hard as you think, especially when you embrace an approach that not only allows you to sell more…

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How to Find Mentors to Help You Grow Your Business

EntrepreneurshipBy Donna MariaDecember 4, 2018

I have been mentoring women for nearly 20 years, and I have been mentored all my life. But not in the ways you might think. You might think that I’ve been surrounded by mentors who meet with me personally (and for free) over a leisurely meals to school me in the ways of the entrepreneurship.…

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