Indie Business Blog

Ten 140-Characters-Or-Less Keys to StartUp Success

Use These 10 Tips to Save Your Business Before It Starts

Since I joined Twitter back in April, I have been challenged to summarize coherent thoughts into 140 characters or less. To be honest, that's quite a feat for me since I love to write and all my life, have been told that Im a little on the wordy side.

           

But I think I'm getting better at editing myself down (your comments in agreement, or not, are welcome!), and to prove it, I assembled these 10 140-characters-or-less keys that you can use to lead your business to success even before it starts. In fact, even if you are already in business, doing these 10 things regularly can help you stay on track.

Happy Thanksgiving!

            

I hope you all have a great day today. I included a little message in my Indie Experience newsletter today. If you get a chance, I hope you'll enjoy it.

Congratulations StartUp Nation Winner!!

Indie Beauty Network Member Wins Top 10 Spot As Green Business

I was excited to learn this week that Indie Beauty Network member Linda Balon Stein of Zosimos Botanicals was selected as one of StartUp Nation's Top 10 Greenest Home-Based Businesses. Linda's company was chosen from thousands of entries. Pictured here are some of her most popular products, a line of lip balms made with sweet almond oil, cocoa butter and colors from natural ingredients like acai berries from the Brazilian rain forest.

        

I have known for a while of Linda's business and personal commitment to the environment, particularly after meeting her in person at Indies in the City earlier this year. But now that she's won a national award for her dedication, I'm delighted that the world will know too. Join me in congratulating Linda! Here's a little about her and how she leads her award winning company.

Getting To Know You: Tanea Smith

Introducing An Inspirational Indie Sister

One of the best things about having a blog, a radio show, a Twitter account (@indiebusiness), serving as president of the Indie Beauty Network and being so socially connected online is that I meet tons of interesting people. Recently, I met a beautiful Indie Sister whose personality, style and positive disposition warmed me up in no time. So you know I had to tell you about her.

                             

Tanea Smith is owner and creative director at She's Got Papers, a New York-based creator of fine stationery including the most adorable baby business cards. Tanea was kind enough to send me a box of her writing papers, and while I'm tempted to keep them because they are so pretty, I've already started using them so I can spread the beauty around a bit. Indies, get to know my new friend Tanea Smith.

Karin Abarbanel's "Lean Launch" Tips

Indie Business Radio Show Guest Shares Tips For Launching On a Budget

Today's guest on Indie Business Radio was Karin Abarbanel, co-author of Birthing the Elephant: The woman's go-for-it! guide to overcoming the big challenges of launching a business. I found Karin through Indie Beauty Network member Lisa Kennally, who owns lisa ann skincare. As a passionate book lover, Lisa helps a bookstore in her hometown to schedule and host author book signings. She booked Karin at the bookstore, and sent me an email to tell me how awesome she was.

            

You know me, I had to introduce Karin to my Indies. I was on the phone with Karin in a flash, and was happy to welcome her as my guest on today's show. Karin spoke eloquently about the need for a small business book that focused on helping women deal with the emotional issues associated with launching a business, and Birthing the Elephant certainly fits that bill. Karin shared a ton of tips, starting with personal ones gleaned from launching her own business 18 years ago after quitting her job to be more available to her newborn son. (Sound familiar?) The show stream and download will be ready in a few days, but in the meantime, here are some of Karin's "Lean Launch" tips.

The Indie Business Challenge

If My Action Items Don't Work For You, I'll Cut You a Check

The economy stinks right now. We hear about it all the time, way too much if you ask me. I make it a point not to listen to all of the negativity. Nevertheless, reality is what reality is, no matter what you listen to. But enough of that. Whether you are just starting your business or you've been around the block a few times, these 3 action steps will strengthen your business in any economy. And that's a promise from me. I've done 2 of these 3 things with a special vengeance over the past few months (the third will launch this week) and the difference in my business has been phenomenal. More focus. More fun. More business. More profit.

       

So here's a challenge. If you have been operating your online business steadily for at least a year, you are already on Twitter and have an active blog, I challenge you to do each of these 3 things for 3 solid months, and do them consistently and well (yes, I am the person who determines "consistently and well"), and if you don't see sales increase, I'll give you $100. See? No matter what, even if you lose, you win!

Dreams Are Not Just For Dreamers

How Dreaming HUGE Can Transform Your Life and Your Business

I once saw a television program featuring an interview of 9-time Olympic gold medal (and 1-time silver medal) winner Carl Lewis. You may recall Lewis' inspiring track and field accomplishments during the Olympic Games of the 1980's and 1990's. During a time when track and field athletes were being disqualified left and right for drug testing violations, Lewis inspired everyone with his stellar career, unmarred by even the slightest allegation of impropriety. Just look at the form, focus and poise he displayed in this Sports Illustrated Magazine photo.

        

During the interview, Lewis was asked what advice he had for aspiring Olympic athletes. His response was simple, "Dream huge, not big. You have to dream huge in order to accomplish anything in this life. Don't sell yourself short by limiting your aspirations to just the "big." Dream HUGE! Dreaming HUGE made all the difference in my athletic success."

Your New Career: Publisher

Embracing The Role That Makes Business Fun and Profitable

A few years ago, I worked with a client to help her launch an online newsletter. I'll never forget what she said to me as we moved through the process: "This seems like too much work, Donna Maria, I don't want to become a publisher." Since I was a journalism major in college, and since I have had a blog, a newsletter, a radio show, a magazine, etc., for years, I felt a twinge of guilt. After all, I love to write and talk, and putting information out there comes easily to me.

        

I explained to my client that all businesses are publishers, even if all they have is a single website page or a tiny business card. She resisted me and launched her business without any way of communicating with her target customers. I never saw her newsletter and last year, I noticed that she is no longer in business. There are a million reasons why people go out of business, and one of them is a refusal to embrace the notion that, to be successful, you must communicate directly and regularly with your customers. In other words, you must be a publisher. Here's why.

I'm Quoted in Maine Business .com

Behold, the Value of Your Time

My friend and fellow Indie Beauty Network member JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva usually does a much better job than me of using Google Alerts to track when people are featured in the media. Good thing too, because if she didn't, I might not know that my article about the 3 people who will kill your business was quoted in Maine Business.com earlier this week.

                    

It's always an honor to be quoted for anything I write. I am so pleased that Carl V. Natale, also known as the "Duke of URL," thought enough of my article to include it as part of his article on the value of time. In "Don't Do This Yourself," Natale talks about DIY Guy, the name I gave to the Indie Business owner who feels like he has to do everything himself. Natale suggests deciding whether or not you should perform a particular task by assessing the value of your time. Natale says: "Is it cheaper for you to do it or find a vendor? What can you do with the extra time? There's the chance it will be spent doing something that brings in money."

Good advice Duke, and thanks for including me in your article.

How David Slew Goliath

A Shepherd Boy's Example Could Save Your Business

As Indie Business owners, we are often considered the "Davids" of business, fighting to get a foothold in a world of mega-corporations, which are sometimes called "Goliaths". Last Sunday, I got a refresher course in courage as one of the leaders at my church spoke about how David slew Goliath in Biblical times. The message gave me spiritual strength, but it also reminded me of how we as Indies must slay the giant every day.

                  

You can find the story of David and Goliath in I Samuel, chapter 17 of the Old Testament. In the midst of a war, the Israelites were having trouble finding someone to fight the Philistine warrior, Goliath. When David, the youngest of four brothers, volunteered, everyone laughed at him. But David took himself seriously when no one else did, and that's exactly what we must do if we are serious about our business ventures. David stood up to Goliath. He won the battle and the rest is history. Here's how he did it.