I am pleased to announce the March 2017 Indie Business Book Club pick: The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, by Al Ries and Laura Ries. Thanks to our book club member, Rolande Sumner of Butter Angels in South Carolina for suggesting this book. If you’re not familiar with the Indie Business Book Club, you can…
Successful entrepreneurs crave connection. They thrive on it. They love being together virtually in Facebook groups and on social media sites, but they know that nothing can replace the energy, uplift and inspiration that comes with being physically together with like-minded people who “get” them. That’s where events like The Makers Summit come in. One…
This event has been canceled. Get entrepreneurial lessons learned from the last 2×4 Live event at this link. Do you ever feel isolated in your business? Like you know you’d benefit from the energy of a community of people to encourage you, but you don’t know where to find them? Do you feel like your…
I am pleased to announce the 2016 Artisan Entrepreneurs of the Year! Our winners were selected by vote from 14 finalists. The winners received the most votes in six categories. A total of 480 votes were submitted by the finalists customers, peers and friends. If you missed the overview of the Artisan Entrepreneur of the…
As I shared last month, I spoke at the United States Lavender Conference (USLGA) in Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend. Not only did I get the chance to help hundreds of small business owners embrace a less stressful and more effective approach to social media, but I also got to hang out a bit with some…
For the past several months, I have been devoting more of my time and energy to taking better care of myself physically. One of the people who is helping me do that is my friend, Anne-Marie Faiola who is a fitness and nutrition expert. Last year, I joined her Best Day Ever Challenge, which challenged…
I’m pleased to announce that Indie Business University (IBU) is officially open for enrollment for a limited time. My team and I have been working on it for months, and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with you. I won’t repeat everything you can read at the Indie Business University…
I am pleased to announce the January-February 2017 Indie Business Book Club pick: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey. Click here to join the club for free on Facebook. If you’re not familiar with Indie Business Book Club, click here to learn more about how…
Happy New Year everyone! As we glide into 2017, I am pausing to reflect on the magnificent blessing I have to serve thousands of Makers and Artisan Entrepreneurs all across the nation. It is such an honor to serve you. 2016 was a year of great intention for the Indie Business Network. We introduced a…
The new 2017 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 the current year. After you log in, choose the “Get your 2017 Member Badge” icon and follow the prompts to display your current membership…
I‘m coming to Arizona! I am excited to share that I’ll be speaking at the United States Lavender Conference in January. I recently read that there are more than 300 independently owned lavender farms in the United States today. How great that we no longer have to go to France to enjoy the many benefits…
I am excited to announce the 2016 Artisan Entrepreneur of the Year Awards! The Artisan Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards allows artisans and their customers and clients to nominate and vote in six categories that uniquely reflect the creativity and innovative spirit of the artisan entrepreneur: • artisan product(s) • product photography • Instagram imagery…
Our member, Alana Rivera of Etta + Billie, was interviewed this past weekend by the host of KTVU in Oakland, California, about the San Francisco Etsy Team Indie Holiday Emporium which took place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Watch the video below. As Alana shares in the interview, the event featured over 200 brands of…
We’ve known how awesome handmade soap is for decades, but some people are just now figuring it out. Check this video of rapper Kendrick Lamar and NBA great Shaquille O’Neal finally “getting it.” How fun is that? This video is part of American Express’s Shop Small initiative, where card holders can earn rewards when they…
I am pleased to announce the November-December 2016 Indie Business Book Club pick: Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. Click here to join the club for free on Facebook. If you’re not familiar with Indie Business Book Club, click here to…
Along with you, today, I honor those who served! I have never lost a loved one to war, but I know that many of you have, or you have served with the fallen. As we relax, beach, and barbecue today, I join you in remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could have…
Studies show that when you track your progress toward specific goals, you greatly increase your chances of actually achieving your goals. That’s why I’m excited to announce IBN’s newest member benefit — our Tracking Progress Worksheets! Using our new customized worksheets, our members can easily and quickly track their progress toward the goals that will…
I am pleased to announce that I have been named the Handmade Business Expert for the Small Business Trends, an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. Small Business Trends content is syndicated through ACI Information Group (formerly Newstex) and other sites around the Web. This trusted…
The new 2016 Indie Business Network member badge is here! Indie Business Network members in good standing can log in and grab the code for the badge for the current year at this link. (Members: remember to log in before following the link to avoid the “Ooops” page!) The badge looks like this, except there…
It’s time to cut the fat! A few weeks ago, I reached out to fellow entrepreneur and Indie Business Network member Melody Bockelman of Private Label Insider to catch up and chat about life and business. The conversation ended up lasting nearly an hour, and as it progressed, we both concluded that we had to…
For many of you, this is no introduction. After all, most of my members have met Jennifer personally in our Secret Facebook Group. Others have benefited from her website and blog design services, especially using WordPress. What you may not know is that, for much of 2015, Jennifer was an integral part much of what…