If You Have A Talent, You Have A Business Rebecca Picard loves playing "Eye Spy With My Little Eye" with her 6-year old son. But when she aims her Nikon D2X at a subject from her Brattleboro, Vermont, home and photography studio, it’s more than just child’s play. Like so many…
A friend told me that she if she doesn’t pay her mortgage by the 16th of the month, a late fee is charged. Last week, she was running a little late and was not ready to mail her check until the 15th. So she called the mortgage company and asked if she could pay by…
I watched a little Joel Osteen last night. His message encouraged people to take time after work to adjust their attitudes so they did not bring workday stress into the home. Good advice. The problem is that for most people, the distinction between work and home is blurry at best. …
When it comes to money, I want to be like my mother when I grow up. But when my father passed away a few months ago, my life sort of stopped. And when that happened, I wrote three checks without first depositing money into the checking account. The bounced check fees totaled over $100. Ooops.…
This is a nice picture. But who cares? It’s not your picture. Stock photos can be used at a website to complement the products being sold. But while they can set the mood for the products, they can’t represent the products. People want to see what they are buying, not…
Alright already! So the 2007 Love To Be Indie Contest was great, but it was making people work too hard. That’s what I was told anyway. I was testing that theory with new simplified contest rules but that’s not working either so I’m bagging this contest and will return soon…
A life well lived. A passion well executed. Anita Roddick :: 1942 ~ 2007 Get Anita Roddick’s book, Business As Unusual, and be inspired to put your talents and passions…
We start out in business excited about the great stuff we’re going to do. But it’s easy to get carried away with all the enthusiasm, and forget how important it is to stick to the basics and keep things as simple as possible. My mom says it’s great to learn…
Since October 2005, I have hosted over 200 episodes of Indie Business Radio, a weekly Internet talk show featuring my interviews with thought leaders and influencers offering practical strategies to help you achieve your goals. I originally launched the show because I was unable to respond to all of the requests from people who needed…
Since everyone wants a business that booms, not busts, I get emails regularly from people asking how to boom in the beauty business. A business is as distinct as a fingerprint, so one-on-one or group coaching is best to address individual details. Since I lead the Indie Beauty Network, many of…
My mother is a great money manager. Small investment accounts opened 50 years ago are today worth thousands. She takes care of her money and her money takes care of her. I plan to be like her when I grow up. But they want to ruin it for me. They…
Boot camps generally describe workshops that help you do things. Oprah's Boot Camp will help you lose weight like a rich person. Writers Boot Camp will help find the writer in you. Mushing Boot Camp will help you learn to mush. But if you don't have time to exercise, write…
It was Saturday morning. All I wanted was to do was scramble an egg and eat it all by myself, along with a biscuit and some fresh cantaloupe. Here’s what happened instead.
My daughter started kindergarden this morning. I teared up a little, but was mostly all smiles because I want to let her know that I whole heartedly encourage this first step toward independence and self sufficiency. That's why I am baffled as to why some parents and educators disagree with…
Donna Maria shares a single working mom’s unique perspective on the topic of “work.”
Recently, I worked with "Sarah," an hebalist who asked me to review a "corporate identity" proposal she received from a graphics artist. The proposal was for $9,000 to create a logo, business cards, brochure, letterhead and other collateral materials. That’s a lot of money, but the bigger issue for Sarah was whether she knew herself…
Riding high on the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, The Walt Disney Company last year dumped several high level executives who were responsible for labor intensive projects that did not result in lucrative licensing deals. In June 2007, the third installment in the Pirates series took in $43.2 million worldwide in…
To express that it’s difficult to find something, you may say, "it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack." I felt that way a few days ago when someone called and said, "Hi, I found you in the September ’07 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine …" I didn’t hear another…
I am joining you today from the studios of WUSA-Channel 9, the CBS affiliate in my hometown of Washington, DC. (Go ‘Skins!), fresh from taping "Moms Love Lucy," a show to help the station launch DVM moms.com. Moms Love Lucy will air on Friday, September 1 from 8 to 10:00pm EST, and will feature me…
In football, a blitz occurs when a defensive player charges the quarterback with the goal of forcing the football from his hands by any means necessary. After making decorations for their Crocs with clay and rhinestones, Sheri and Rich Schmelzer and their kids started selling them to family and friends.…
It was exactly sixteen years ago that I took responsibility for my own life. The first step in doing this was creating a business that could afford my sons and me financial independence." So wrote Paula in the introduction to a chapter from her cookbook, Paula Deen & Friends: Living…