The Indie Business Network offers a valuable and transformative entrepreneurial experience. As its leader, I recognize that not everyone has the resources to access IBN’s array of entrepreneurial mentoring, coaching, and training services, especially when they are first starting out. To help offset the challenge for as many as possible, each quarter, we offer a…
I founded the Indie Business Network 20 years ago because I believe in the transformative power of entrepreneurship. I also believe that it is time to replace traditional notions of entrepreneurship with the mindset that entrepreneurship is for everyone. You do not have to reach annual revenues of multiple zeroes before you have a “real”…
I am thrilled to announce the launch of IBN’s newly designed website at for Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs at www.IndieBusinessNetwork.com. After months of copy writing (and re-writing), thousands backend technical updates (some still happening!), and a few hundred hours of hemming and hawing, I am finally delighted to officially open our newly updated virtual doors…
At-home wellness is not just important in the middle of a pandemic. It’s important always, and that’s one reason IBN will soon publish Essential Self-Care: the Modern Woman’s Guide to At-Home Beauty Rituals and Well-Being. But until that book is available (stay tuned!), we are encouraging our members to maintain wellness at home through our…
This is an old post. Effective December 31, 2021, companies manufacturing alcohol-based hand sanitizers under the temporary policies referenced in this post were required to cease production of those products. For more information, visit the FDA’s announcement here. Effective Immediately, Indie Business Network members with product liability insurance through IBN’s program with Veracity Insurance Services…
I am excited to announce the newest addition to our Indie Business Fit Club — Yoga and Stretch with Kim Jones, perfectly timed to support the physical, emotional, and mental wellness of our members as they simultaneously lead their businesses and face down COVID-19. Kim will host two classes a week. We’ll start the week…
One of the benefits of IBN membership is a live monthly Indie Chat with someone who has mastered a topic that will help you be successful in your Maker business. Indie Chats events are great opportunities to learn and grow in our supportive community, and to meet some of the people who can help you…
We have all heard the news. We are all experiencing collective fallout. In the wake of COVID-19, the Indie Business Network is facing an unprecedented opportunity to serve our members better as they lead their businesses through this time of freakish uncertainty. At IBN, we’re committed to helping you thrive in these turbulent times. As…
Sadly, Holly Port has transitioned, but you can still click links here to support her family and the Lotion Bar Cafe. If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you know that my favorite thing about entrepreneurship is not the money, but the amazing relationships I have been blessed to nurture and cultivate over…
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Indie Business Network! Twenty years ago today, IBN was founded with the goal of helping women to maximize their potential through small business ownership, and with the vision that every woman in the universe would know without a doubt that she could support herself and her family by…
Let Your Customers and Colleagues Know That Your Membership is Current! The new 2020 Indie Business Network member badge is here! Indie Business Network members in good standing can log in and grab the code (without the watermark) for the badge for our 20th anniversary year. After you log in, choose the “Get Your Member…
It’s hard to fathom, but 2019 is nearly over, and with its conclusion comes the time for an amazing celebration for us here at the Indie Business Network. I’ll get to that in a few minutes, but first, I’m excited to reflect with genuine joy and happiness at the pleasure it has been to serve…
We are excited to announce the winner of IBN’s Instagram Pod Holiday Giveaway. Our theme was Holiday Wonderland. It was fun! The IBN members who participated loved it, but no one is happier than our winner, @Tuscon_Vegan, whose colorful Instagram is all about vegan product reviews and deals. She will soon have a delightful collection…
Find Indie Makers has been replaced by IBN’s official Member Directory About Find Indie Makers Find Indie Makers makes it easy and fun for you to discover and buy the products of American Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs. As consumer tastes shift away from the commoditized version of life that has been pushed by big business…
I am pleased to announce the May/June 2019 Indie Business Book Club pick: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, by Donald Miller. If you’re not familiar with the Indie Business Book Club, you can click here for more information. We start reading the book together with a live book club meeting on…
We are excited to announce the winner of IBN’s March Instagram Pod Giveaway. Our theme was Your Perfect Bath Retreat. It was fun! The IBN members who participated loved it, but no one is happier than our winner, a mama, nature lover and adventure seeker, who will soon have a bath filled with amazing products…
I am thrilled to share that Indie Business Podcast is now available on Spotify for your listening pleasure. To subscribe now, just open the Spotify app on your phone, search INDIE BUSINESS PODCAST, and click subscribe. In addition to Spotify, you can listen to Indie Business Podcast on your favorite podcast app. Here’s a list…
I’m pleased to share that applications for Q2 Maker Mastermind Circles Business Incubator are officially open. Spaces are limited, and there is an application deadline. Why Maker Mastermind™ Circles Business Incubator? I won’t repeat the details on the information and application page, but I would like to strongly encourage you to check it out today. If…
I am thrilled to share that several of our members are featured in a recent issue of the Handmade Business Magazine. The article, entitled Your Packaging Problems, Solved!, appears in the September 2018 issue. The article features real life case studies and tips from the trenches to help Maker and Handmade Entrepreneurs solve their packaging problems. Here are…
One of the benefits of IBN membership is a live monthly Master Class with someone who has mastered a topic that will help you be successful in your Maker business. Our Master Classes are great opportunities to learn and grow in our supportive community, and to meet some of the people who can make help…
I am thrilled to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Tennessee Soap and Candle Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, next month. I know it will be an amazing time because I spoke at the event in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and it has never once disappointed. Click here to register for this event. The Tennessee…