Indie Business Blog

Indies In The City: August 5: Washington, DC

Join me, fresh from my "march" on Washington against the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, for the next Indies In The City!

When: August 5, 2008
Time: 5:30pm
Where: California Pizza Kitchen, Dupont Circle (on the red line)
Special Guests: Anne-Marie Faiola of Brambleberry (pictured with me), Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale, Lela Barker of Bella Lucce (see me and Lela on video from Indies In The City: Columbia, SC). UPDATE: Jamila White of j.blossom will be joining us on Capitol Hill!

Please leave your comment below as an RSVP because we need to get the restaurant a count. Bring some cash to pay for your meal. One drink of your choice is on me!

See you there!

For regular doses of Indies In The City fun, subscribe to Indie Business Blog today.

Passion, Purpose and Profit

Your No-Fail, Winning Combination

There's a lot of talk about business and passion these days. As it concerns Indie Business, it's mostly about how passion gives you an edge and how, without it, you will either fail in business or be miserable even if your business is successful. Passion is undoubtedly important. When I first started making soap and beauty products, I was driven obsessively and solely by my passion for all things natural and fragrant.

          

No matter how long or hard I had worked at my job, I came home and made something that I could rub on my body. My passion consumed me, but eventually, more than passion began to drive my efforts. I began to entertain the possibility that I could use my passion to help people discover handmade beauty products by selling them in my own retail store. This came to pass when I opened Maria Grace Bath & Aromatherapy Shop. But I quickly discovered that my passion-filled, pie-in-the sky thinking, however endearing and sincere, was not enough.

Flex Your Media Muscle

Save Time, Money and Take Control

The longer I coach Indie Business owners, the more I am persuaded that our success requires that we become our own best media outlets. We must become the news we want to be. While traditional media outlets and publicists can complement our efforts, ultimately, the responsibility rests with us to literally become the media on our behalf. After all, we have access to all of the tools needed to create interesting and informative content that can be delivered directly to our target audience.

          

Over the years, I have hired PR firms, done my own media outreach and created outlets of my own, including Indie Business Radio, my Twitter home and this blog. My experiences and the work I have done with thousands of Indies confirm my belief that, as great as it is to be quoted in mainstream media, at the end of the day, each Indie is his or her own best mouthpiece.

This truth is pointedly illustrated by the recent experience of my friend, colleague and Indie Beauty Network member, Jo Ann Hines, the Packaging Diva. (Throughout this article, "writer," "reporter" and "blogger" are used interchangeably, a testament to the ever changing and ever expanding media landscape.)

Indies In The City: Columbia, SC

I hosted our second Indies In The City gathering in Columbia, South Carolina last Saturday. Click on the picture to enjoy the video highlights. Marvel at how brave (or something ...) I am to include a picture of me with an attractive exfoliating mask all over my face!

             

Indies In The City will soon be combined with the Indie Business Breakfast, a jam-packed, 3 hour Indie Business Bonanza where I will unveil my signature Indie Business System and companion book, workbook and audio CDs. This is the system I have used to take a business from nothing to beyond my wildest dreams!

Websites referenced or mentioned in this post:

Bella Lucce
The Ivory Magnolia
kgbags
Vista Print

The Nova Studio: Business Boot Camp (Indies In The City will be here on Sept. 19 -- San Francisco Bay Area!)

Upcoming Indies In The City gatherings include San Francisco Bay area (in September), Portland (in October), Chicago, San Diego, Seattle, Raleigh/Durham, Atlanta and more. If you'd like to host Indies In The City, let me know in the comments section below.

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Video: Indies In The City: Washington, DC

And be sure to subscribe subscribe to Indie Business Blog so you don't miss out on future events in your area!

Tips to Help You Love Your Customers

A few months ago, author and customer service guru Michael D. Brown appeared as my guest on Indie Business Radio. As the author of Fresh Customer Service, Michael had a lot to say about the decline in customer service over the years and what Indie Business owners can and should do to make sure that poor customer service habits do not kill their businesses.

          

If you missed that show, listen to it now so you can incorporate Michael's tips to help you love your customers. I know Michael would have some choice advice to offer the company my business partner husband and I had to deal with earlier today. Let me tell you what happened.

Indies in the City: Columbia, SC

We had so much fun Saturday at Indies in the City, Columbia, South Carolina. Panera Bread offered a wonderful respite from the soaring temperatures. We had plenty of space to take over several tables in the middle of the restaurant!

Here's a picture of everyone smiling in the midst of the chicha. A video is coming soon!

          

Seated: Dedra Harvin, Ivory Magnolia; Terri Bynoe, freelance beauty writer, Pat Healy, Kimberly Morris, kgbags. Standing: Anita Nelam, Lela Barker, Bella Lucce; dM

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What's Love Got to Do With It?
Indies in the City: Washington, DC

Borrowing Dumb Oh Dumb

A few days ago, I caught a recent segment of ABC's Good Morning America. Host Robin Roberts (one of my favorites) interviewed GMA's financial contributor, the president of Ariel Investments, Mellody Hobson. Mellody was sharing her "Borrowing 101" tips.

          

After confirming that credit is hard to come by these days, Mellody offered "solutions" to the dilemma, including that you should consider asking a friend to co-sign for a loan if you can't get a loan on your own. Huh?

Top Ten Tips For Teaching Children About Money

One of the best things about being Indie is teaching children about money from an entrepreneurial perspective. I love showing my kids the connection between our business and our ability to care of our current and future needs as a family.

          

This past Monday, along with some of my fellow Mocha Moms, I was called upon by award winning journalist Michel Martin, host of NPR's Tell Me More, to share some of my best tips for teaching children about money. You can listen to the show audio here.

When it comes to money, we have to be vigilant and steadfast in teaching our children. We must arm them with a money mindset that helps them avoid ending up on the short end of the next economic meltdown. It's important for everyone, but especially for those of us who are not relying on a traditional job to secure our well being. To that end, I offer my tips for teaching children about money.

What's Love Got to Do With It?

Only Everything, so There's Indies in the City

Several years ago, science proved what we already knew: functionality can be deadly. Remember what happened when they put a baby monkey in a cage with a fake monkey mommy equipped with a nipple through which the baby could nurse? The baby died. The other baby thrived in a cage with a real monkey mommy, equipped with nipple, hugs, love and warmth. We're no different.

          

That's why I host Indies in the City. This Saturday, me and my Indie co-host Lela Barker of Bella Lucce (winner of the 2007 Indie Beauty Business of the Year Award) will gather with other Indies for hugs, love and warmth in Columbia, South Carolina. Lela has been a member of IBN since March 2005 and over the years, we have of course connected through blogging, Twitter, email and phone calls. But at the end of the day, there's no substitute for the hugs, love and warmth that accompany the real thing.

I don't want a cold, hard and merely functional business. I want hugs, love and warmth and I get it at Indies in the City. Lela agrees.

Making Money vs. Making a Profit

My life's work focuses on Indie Business success. But unlike many other small business experts, I focus on creating life and financial contentment rather than on making millions or getting rich. That's why I'm so excited to be traveling to San Francisco (one of my favorite cities) in September to join Lori Nova and other Indies for Lori's Business Boot Camp.

          

Lori calls this Boot Camp "The Mother of all Business Seminars". I caught up with her to find out more about what she's planning and what sets this Business Boot Camp apart.