Resources To Help You Build Your Bottom Line Indies have to be especially careful about how we spend our money. It sounds good to enjoy small business tax deductions, but we can’t overlook the fact that we have to make money before we can deduct it! We must be careful with every dollar, whether someone…
Chicken Indie Is Not An Option Yesterday, an opportunity to feature members of the Indie Beauty Network on Indie Business Radio arose at the last minute. While totally unexpected, I thought it was a great chance for Indies to get some free pub. I circulated an email to companies featured in my 2007 Holiday Gift…
Fun Products For Little Girls Strawberry Banana and Grape scents are complemented by uplifting messages to help little girls feel confident and beautiful. What little girl could resist the j.blossom Mini Fun Pack Gift Sets? Certainly not mine, as you can see! Get your Mini Fun Packs at j.blossom.com. $12.00 in reusable…
Cut The Excuses To Look Your Business Best The guest on today’s Indie Business Radio Show was Kim Duke, the Sales Diva. The audio won’t be ready for download for a few days, but in the meantime, I wanted to share something Kim said on today’s show that I thought was wonderfully instructive. …
To Link Or Not To Link, That Is The Qustion Question: I recently launched a new website. To increase traffic, I listed my site link at a few relevant free listing sites. Now, I’m getting lots of requests for me to link back to their sites and other sites. Should I do this? Mary in…
Even I Have A Soft Spot For Credit, With Limits Even though I love what I do, I work hard and long to make Indie Business Media, LLC and the Indie Beauty Network profitable. To do that, I associate with the banking and credit card industries from time to time. But as you can see…
Back when I had a “real” job, when I got sick, I called my boss and told her I was going to take the day off. My voice usually sounded awful and my boss commented that I needed my rest and that she was grateful that I was not coming into the office to infect…
Guest Shares How To Shave Thousands Off Your Grocery Bill Last week’s Indie Business Radio Show was one of the most popular ever. It featured my next door neighbor, Suzanne Phillips, whom I have dubbed "Real Coupon Queen." She earned that title by shaving $7,000 off her grocery bill in a single 12-month period. As…
Texas Indie Embodies The Indie Revolution If you want to describe someone who is all talk and no substance, you might say "big hat, little cattle." I guess if you describe someone as "big hat, big cattle," they are really walking their talk. But if you are "little hat (or lots of hats), big cattle,"…
Last week, I spoke with an Indie who said that one of the things she learned on Indie Business Podcast is the importance of having an email newsletter. She emailed me to tell me that she got a sale just hours after sending out her first ever email newsletter. It was the first sale she’d had…
… For The Better It finally happened. Television writers across America did something about the fact that they are not fairly paid for their work. The result? They are on strike, and with them goes the writing that sustains late night television shows like Letterman and Leno, daytime soap operas and prime time sitcoms. …
C’mon. Link Out! Everyone has a pet peeve or two. You know, those pesky little things that happen every day. And even though you know they shouldn’t bug you, they somehow manage to drive you nuts anyway. Blogs are great places to vent about your pet peeves. So here goes. My pet peeve is online…
It’s Fall. Hibernate. Take Time For You. Recently, it occurred to me that the Indie Business Blog is all about business. That’s as it should be I suppose. However, for people who don’t know me personally, it may look like I eat, live, sleep and breathe nothing but business. Guilty. Sort of. Well, except when…
Check Out The Latest Indie Beauty Gossip I love gossip — craft gossip that is. But with two young’uns, a radio show and a growing business, there’s not much time for crafting (or gossip) unless it’s done with safety scissors and crayons. But I can live vicariously through Craft Gossip. Former Indie Beauty Network member…
Real Coupon Queen To Appear On Indie Business Radio Would you like to get money through your computer? OK. I can do that. Your comments and requests for more Real Coupon Queen prevailed, so clear your calendar. That’s right. My neighbor, the shy but soon to be famous Real Coupon Queen has agreed to be…
How Couponing Is Changing My Life For The Better Last night, a friend I’ll call "Jim" dubbed his wife the "Coupon Queen" because she saved $700 on groceries last year by clipping coupons. No offense, Jim, but your wife’s coronation is a fraud. My next door neighbor, a stay at home mom named Suzanne, is…
Prepare Business Proposals That Close Deals A happy shout out to freelance writer and editor Matt Alderton who included my advice in a new article he wrote for the Masterd Card Business Essentials Library to help Indie Business owners prepare proposals that land new business. Matt…
AARP May Have Some Money For You! But time is short! The deadline to apply for the women’s scholarship is October 31. A big shout out to Indie Jamila White for the heads up! If you are over 40 and enrolled or will enroll in a school or…
Donna Maria shares some of the story of indie beauty entrepreneur Lela Barker of Bella Lucce.
Tips for Being a Cheerful Giver All Year Long It’s mid-October and the season of opportunitites to donate to various worthy causes is upon us. For most Indies, philanthropy is not seasonal. Instead, we give back in numerous ways, not all of them financial, all year long. I believe that how much we give is…
Indie Herbalist Combines Three Passions To Make A Profit Like all new college grads, Maria Noel Groves of Wintergreen Botanicals in Allenstown, New Hampshire, looked forward to putting her degree to good use. As a journalism major who also loved herbs, it seemed almost predictable that she would make a living by using the written…