Welcome to Episode 41 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this podcast episode, I introduce you to Kara Brook of Waxing Kara and The Honey House in Owings Mills, Maryland. Kara says that entrepreneurship is in her DNA. As you'll hear in the first part of the interview, her business experience includes leading Internet-based startups, but the truth is that Kara has always been an artist at heart. Among her past businesses is one where she made and sold paintings created with a medium composed of beeswax, tree resin and pigment.
Today, Kara is the founder and CEO of Waxing Kara, a spa brand with a retail store called The Honey House, and lines in exclusive online stores and plush spas nationwide.
You will love hearing Kara describe her entrepreneurial journey, including the story of how she created the beautiful Waxing Kara logo, and her tips to help you create an awesome logo that perfectly reflects your brand and carries your message directly to your target customers. Enjoy my interview with Kara NOW!
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Episode Show Notes
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- The story behind Waxing Kara, including the depth of her online experience as a web developer and how she “retired” to become an artist and a beekeeper. (starting at 2:24)
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- Painting with beeswax, tree resin, and pigment (who knew?) and the realization of “where the order of the art in her life was going to fall.” (starting at 8:12)
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- How Kara has woven the advancement of her life with how she makes money, and the birth of the Waxing Kara brand. (starting at 12:15)
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- The story behind the creation of the gorgeous Waxing Kara logo. (starting at 14:15)
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- How Kara landed her first wholesale account, after being featured in a branding and packaging blog. (starting at 15:44)
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- Why Kara chose the bath and body industry, starting with one body butter and one scrub (containing honey of course) over others she could have participated in. (starting at 17:16)
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- The story of the opening of The Honey House in Owings Mills, Maryland, in October 2014. (You must visit! The address is below). (starting at 20:17)
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- Kara' employees, both full and part-time, who help her manage the retail store, publish social media content, and product production. “There's never any idle time.” (starting at 22:46)
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- How Kara came to participate in the Martha Stewart American Made program, and became a contributor to Martha Stewart's blog. (starting at 24:38)
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- Kara's visual branding and logo design experience, advice, and recommendations, and how to find and work with a graphic designer who has experience in your space. (starting at 27:24)
- What's next for Waxing Kara? (starting at 35:30)
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Kara Brook, Waxing Kara and The Honey House
Three Actions You Can Take Right Now
At the Indie Business Network, we are not just about listening and being inspired. We are also about thinking carefully about what we hear, and then taking measured steps toward specific goals. Here are 3 actions you can consider taking right now based on my interview with Kara.
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- Hire people who can do more than one thing.: Kara shared that her employees don't do just one or two things. They are trained to do multiple things so that no one is ever idle and all of the jobs that need tending to actually get done. In particular, using the Internet to gt the word out about your business requires the creation of content that leads to your front door. Finding people to help you create content is always a smart idea.
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- Get your logo right from the very start: Creating a brand that works for you is not just about pretty colors, shapes, and fonts, and a nice design. It's about creating a combination of elements that sends the right message to the people you want to buy your products. Look for a graphic designer who gets that, not just for a person with talent.
- Begin with the end in mind: If you're new to entrepreneurship, or if you're launching a new brand, start by planning what you ultimately want to create. What do you want your business to do for you? Settling on this at the beginning will streamline your planing and help you get specific results that make business fun and profitable.
Explore Additional Resources
Retailer of home and garden decor: Terrain
Branding and packaging blog: The Dieline
Wholesale consulting: Lucky Break Consulting
Maker program: Martha Stewart American Made
Trademark attorney: Andrea Evans, Esq.
Online retailer: Uncommon Goods
Trade organization for Makers: Indie Business Network
Visit The Honey House at 10209 Grand Central Avenue Suite 118, Owings Mills, MD 21117. Telephone: 410-363-2200.
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