Indie Business Blog

Are You Cheating Yourself and Your Customers?

Give Them More to Love: A Book of Your Own

In April 2000, Rosanne Tartaro of SunRose Aromatics joined the Indie Beauty Network. I had just launched the organization a few months before, so Rosanne's joining was like a vote of confidence that helped confirm that I was on the right track with the benefits I offered to small business owners.

             

Since then, "Roe" and I have become so much more than business colleagues. We are friends. So it gives me great pleasure to let you know of the publication of her book, "Chakra Balancing: A Beginner's Guide." I caught up with Roe in her aromatherapy studio in Bronx, New York to get the scoop on chakras and her best tips on self-publishing.

Small Business, Global Mission

How One Indie is Taming the Global Shea Butter Trade, One Nut at a Time

Yesterday, I posted about how blogging on a schedule can help you keep blogging quick and painless. I suggested doing an "interview post" on Mondays. Never one to ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, I'm going to test drive my suggestions to see how they work for me. Here's my interview post, with Adam Chapman, owner of Savannah Black.

                      

We've all heard the saying, "Do well by doing good." To me, it's another way of expressing what my mother always said: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words, what goes around comes around. Adam Champan is one Indie Business owner who is makes all of those phrases come alive through his business, Savannah Black, which imports shea butter products from Africa.

"I Won Best In Show!"

Behavioral Therapist Turned Indie Rises Above At Gift Show

When I found out that Indie Beauty Network member Danielle Flemming of Danielle & Company had won "Best In Show" for her Organic Soap Garden at Extracts earlier this month, you would have thought I won. You see, Danielle has been a member of the Indie Beauty Network since February 2003, and I have watched her business grow by leaps and bounds over the past several years.

          

Danielle's Organic Soap Garden contains 2 full size bars of organic shea soap and 3 travel size organic shea body washes, packaged in a biodegradable planter pot made from rice and grain by-products. It comes with a matching biodegradable saucer which doubles as a cap. The soaps are wrapped in acid free lotka paper that is embedded with wildflower seeds so it can be planted. The Organic Soap Garden comes with organic soil so you can plant the lotka paper and seeds in the lovely pot. It's completely reusable. Nothing goes to waste.

I asked Danielle to tell me a little about her journey from kitchen soap maker to award winning bath and body product leader.

Alaskan Indie Takes On The Big Apple

Indie Beauty Network Member On The Big Idea

Even though I don't ascribe to the belief that making millions is the ultimate small business goal, I do enjoy The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch. I especially like it when my friends are on the show. A few weeks ago, my friend and fellow Mocha Mom Cinnamon Bowser of The Nail Taxi, a mobile nail boutique, pitched her business model on the show She walked away with a commitment from The Knot for site-wide editorial and no cost sponsorship links.

          

Tonight, another friend and member of the Indie Beauty Network Lee Cloward of We're No Angels Soap will be featured. Last year, Lee wrote to tell me that she prepared a video tape about how much she is inspired by the show. She must have struck a nerve because they selected her video to air tonight during the final 30 seconds (or so) of the show, which airs at 10:00pm EST on CNBC. Check out my Indie Business TV review of Indie Beauty Network member handmade soap products, featuring Lee's "Dick's Hairy Goat Soap."

Flowers And Fusion

East Meets West In Wedding Design Business

When Dorothy ("Dot" for short) was a child, she and her sisters desperately wanted a video game console. Rather than buy one for her children, Dot's mother gave them some glue, paper and cardboard and told them to make their own video game.

The sisters spent hours assembling what Dot (pictured, middle, with sisters Canna (at Dot's right) and Mei) says turned out to be a pretty good rendition of the real thing, complete with joy stick and seat for the sisters to take turns using their makeshift race car video game.

Fast Forward a few decades and you get a lovely melding of flowers and east/west fusion, as the creative talents of these sisters combine at Mints to create dream weddings for couples throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

Soap and Business, The Indie Beauty Way!

Longtime Indie Beauty Member Struts Her Stuff

I am always so pleased with the success of Indie Beauty Network members. Of course "success" is different for all 650+ of our members, but there's no denying that video makes it easy to share what my members are doing. Today, I'm pleased to present this clip where member Anne-Marie Faiola of Brambleberry in Bellingham, Washington, shows a local television reporter how to make champagne fragranced, star-shaped melt and pour soap.

   

Notice how comfortable Anne-Marie is in front of the camera. Doesn't she make you just want to whip out your mixing bowls?!! And did you note that she's barely 30 years old? Anne-Marie is proof positive that you can enjoy your passion and make a comfortable living at the same time.

Little Hat, Big Cattle

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," you might be Indie. And if you're in Texas, you might be a particular Indie I know named Maggie Hanus, a member of the Indie Beauty Network almost since it started and the proud owner of A Wild Soap Bar.

    

Maggie's Indie husband is a landscaper, and the couple raised their sons Jory and Cael to be Indies as well. In fact, along with Maggie, Jory is featured in the video. What Maggie has done with her business is truly amazing. She told me that they added 40 new wholesale accounts just in the past two months. All of their products are made in the small shed Maggie built behind their home. Little hat, big cattle indeed.

To enjoy my interview with Maggie about her business and how this wonderful video was produced, and enter to win some of her soaps, keep reading.

Good Things Come In Three's

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 word to educate others about herbs.

          

What was less predictable was that one of the nation's most respected natural magazines would crown her "staff herb expert," ultimately giving her the ability to chart her own Indie course. Here's how it happened.

Blanket Coverage

Indie Mom Turns Sewing Habit Into Thriving Business

Like all new moms, Jill Bredow used soft blankets to welcome her babies into the world. Like me, she made them herself. Like me, she didn't care whether anyone else liked them. Like me, she just wanted to make her kids feel loved. The similarities end there. When people saw my blankets, they said, "How nice." When people saw Jill's blankets, they pulled out their wallets.

Open life. Insert business, AllyZabba, that is. Here is some of Jill's story, and pictures of some blankets that almost make me want to have another child just so I can wrap him or her up in one. I said almost.

Eye Spy With My Little Eye

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 Indies, Rebecca always felt that working for someone else was perfectly safe and sensible. Then along came motherhood and everything changed. Here is some of Rebecca's story, complemented by some of her striking work.

Why I Love Paula Deen

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 It Up Southern Style. As if that's not reason enough to love Paula, here's more.

Your Best Trade Show Now

Indie Beauty Network member Jennifer Hardaway of KLEAN Bath and Body is a woman on the move. In addition to holding down a full time job, she makes and sells fabulous products, including this luscious German Chocolate Cake Body Scrub. Decadence in a jar, do you hear me?! Can you stand it? Of course not, and why deprive yourself? You must get some this instant.

Jennifer is fresh from a successful apperance at the California Gift Show on July 20-23, 2007. This was Jennifer's first trade show experience and it was a huge hit. But Jennifer didn't just show up on the trade show floor with a table and shoe boxes and a table cloth for risers. Oh no, this girl planned her first trade show for months and when the big day finally arrived, she was ready.

In addition to recruiting two people to alternate with her at KLEAN's show booth, Jennifer (pictured) enlisted a close business confidant to outline the booth to scale in advance so no detail was overlooked. By showtime, Jennifer was hyped, and 3 weeks later, orders are still rolling in.

Jennifer said that the only thing keeping her from doing a trade show was, well, not doing a trade show. She sat down with me to share some of her show planning strategies and recommendations to help you make the most of your next trade show appearance. To enjoy Jennifer's tips now, click

For more trade show tips, click here.

Ally Kats: Today's Happy Indie Surprise

I always get such a thrill when I see Indie Beauty Network member products in shops that I just happen to stumble upon. Today, it was The Olive Branch near my new hometown in North Carolina.

I love decorating my home (even though I'm not terribly good at it) and I have noticed the shop for months, but always drove by because -- well, you know -- we Indies are busy. But today, I decided to give it a try. A few hundred dollars (+) later, I left with some lovely new home accents like a magnetic mail box cover with the initial "J", a clock, a new pair of handmade earrings, a decorative door wreath and a welcome flag for the front yard. (Clearly not a shop I can afford to frequent on a regular basis!)

But the best part was that I saw an Indie's products on the shelves! What a happy Indie surprise that was! Ally Kats in Vancouver, Washington has great products for little girls. I just had to whip out my camera and take a photo of the Apple Blossom Bubble Bash (how cute is that for "bubble bath?!!) and Body Wash.

Ally Kats owner Colett Bigler recently sealed the deal to purchase the company from Robyn, the prior owner in Biddeford, Maine. Colett had worked as a sales rep for the company for a few years and when Robyn put out the word that she was selling, Colett jumped right on it. She already knew the products were very popular so how could she resist?

And popular they are! Little girls from all walks of life just love them. So how could I resist picking up this little pink frou frou purse with some Lily Grapefruit goodies tucked inside for my sweet little frou frou daughter? Alas, it will be several months before The Olive Branch budget will be replenished. But it sure was fun!

Colett will be the featured Indie Candy in next week's Indie Experience Newsletter, which will include tips and suggestions for what to look for when buying an existing business. You can subscribe to the newsletter in the upper right corner of the blog, or just click here.

Best Little Soaphouse In Texas

Congratulations to Indie Beauty Network member Rachel Lane of Barcelona Bath & Body, the best little soaphouse in Texas. (Well, candles, sachets and room spray too, but they messed up my catchy title).

Rachel won a copy of Marie Gale's book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, reviewed here.

Rachel has been an Indie since January 2004 and makes great soaps, candles, sachets and room spray in 5 scent combinations: Cinnamon Sandalwood, Grapefruit Ylang Ylang, Vanilla Lavender, Lemongrass Fennel and Coconut Bay Rum.

Some of Rachel's Indie Business philosophy:

• I love being Indie because it gives me the freedom to live the lifestyle I want for my family.
• About my full-time job, I miss the pay check and the feedback that I'm doing a good job.
• Other than make money, I am in business to empower women to set the mood for their lives.

If you get a chance, head on over to Rachel's site where you can view a glorious selection of soaps, sachets, candles and room sprays. It's an exceptional line of products that not only serves useful bath, body and room freshening purposes, but also make great gifts. They are upscale, boutique and beautifully presented, and Rachel offers wedding and corporate gifts too.

If you are looking for something unique to stock your shelves or your online store, you can't go wrong with these products. And while you're at the website, have fun refreshing Rachel's home page, which rotates beautiful photographs of all 5 fragrance collections.

It's A Dirty Business, But Someone's Gotta Do It

Indie Beauty Network member Tammy Doering has a dirty business, and she's proud of it. As the self proclaimed "Mud Queen," Tammy's out to change the world's perception of mud as a dirty, gooey mess that everyone should avoid.

As the owner of Dead Sea Bulk Materials in Anniston, Alabama, Tammy shows up at women's conferences whenever she can to get down and dirty with attendees who stand in line to try out her mud mask treatments. Tammy mixes everything by hand on site using heavy duty mixing equipment. At last week's Northern Florida Crafters Convention in Tallahassee, Florida, she was on hand with her muddy mixtures to alleviate everything from sagging chins to sun-exposed skin.

Tammy combines her muds with things like mango powder, sea salt and rose essential oil to create masks she says counteract years of skin wear and tear, and she has a blast doing it. If you have a spa, Tammy will customize muds just for you, and private label them under your brand so you can offer a one-of-a-kind treatment to your clients. If you're more a do-it-yourselfer, you can buy Tammy's base mud and powders in bulk and create your own muddy concoctions.

Here, Tammy's helping hands seal a Bulgarian Rose Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask on a woman needing help minimizing a few chins. No doubt, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to load up the car with heavy electric mixers, huge mixing containers, plastic wrap, paper towels, gloves, aprons and eye protection, all in order to spread the gospel of mud, but Tammy says that when you have a passion and a product you believe in, it's easy to go the extra mile to share it with others.

I'm always glad when Indies like Tammy share how much work it is to have your own business. There's enough misinformation out there these days about how "easy" it is to blow off your job, toss all caution to the wind and start making your millions. Ha! The reality is that while it is fun, and it's great to have control over your lifestyle, it's a heckuvalotta work to own and manage a business. If you don't like to work, keep your day job. If you want to work, but want more say in how and when you work, then Indie Business lifestyle just might be for you.

You can learn more about how Tammy The Mud Queen turned mud into money in an Indie Candy feature I did on her business in my free, weekly online newsletter. (Subscribe upper right). And if you want to try your hand at making some of your own mud masks using goodies in your kitchen, an easy recipe to start with is Breakfast Mask with oats, sugar, honey and milk.

WHOLE: 12 Principles For Rebuilding Life After Breast Cancer

I am celebrating today because my friend Jacci Thompson-Dodd's new book, Whole: Women Healing Ourselves With Loving Energy: 12 Principles For Rebuilding Life After Breast Cancer, is finally available!

Jacci is a wife, mother and health care professional whose career has focused on implementing programs to serve the African American community. She has been working diligently over the past several months to assemble her new book, which is based on her work with cancer survivors. "Cancer survivors are released from treatment with a lot of medical information, but little instruction on how to nurture themselves holistically -- mind, body and spirit," says Jacci. Along with her social marketing firm, We Speak Loudly, this book changes all of that.

While geared toward breast cancer survivors, WHOLE is a wonderful tool for any woman who has been through any type of trauma, including the challenges of life we all face. There are healthful recipes, suggestions for meditation and even some of Jacci's original poetry. There is also a companion WHOLE "Spirit Journal" to help you chart your journey.

And much to my delight, the book includes a chapter on how to make your own body care products, and many of my favorite recipes are included. Jacci says that to Restore (Principle #7) means to "lavish loving energy on yourself," and her book includes many of my favorite recipes to help you do this: Honey Sugar Hand Scrub, Vanilla Rose Brown Sugar Body Scrub, Honey Powder and more. (Additional recipes are at MakeYourCosmetics.com)

Jacci took a few minutes from her busy schedule to share some of her story, and to share some tips for aspiring self-published authors.

Bath By Chocolate

Chocolate is not just for eating. If you don't believe me, try Rendezvous' Chocolate Soap made with real chocolate.

When it arrived in the mail, I had a hard time not biting into it. Rendezvous owners Erik and Karen Burgess are a husband and wife team who are raising two kids while making all kinds of decadent indulgences. (Read more about them here.) While their speciality is environmentally friendly soy candles (they have a chocolate candle named for the Swiss Alps), I am partial to the soap. If it was in a bakery window, I'd have to bite it to know it wasn't a brownie.

Other Indie Beauty Network members offering you a chocolate fix:

Bella Lucce's Chocolate Spa: body wash, sugar scrub, masque, bath bubbles, etc. made with real Dagoba chocolate and French cocoa absolute.

Hella Good's Not That Innocent Chocolate Raspberry Truffle: woven cotton bath cloth drenched in cocoa powder, cocoa butter, raspberries and soothing oatmeal. Also in Chocolate Cherry, Hot Cocoa With Marshmallows and other indulgent flavors.

Safe Scents' Chocolate Cherry Cordial Bar With Shea Butter: you can't go wrong with shea butter, cocoa and goat milk to clean and sooth any skin type.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane With the von Natur Travel Pack

Have you ever been caught at the airport with toiletries that are too big to make it through the security check point? I have, but not anymore with the airline tested von Natur Travel Pack. (I tested it.)

Complete with shampoo, conditioner and lotion in a custom plastic container that fits all 3 perfectly, it's just $10.95. It's made with lots of good stuff, like organic aloe vera and green tea extract, plus essential oils of sweet basil, cedarwood, peppermint and eucalyptus for a clean, unisex scent. While you're at the site, check out their mineral makeup line and other face, bath and body products. You can even get refills for your Travel Pack at Essential Wholesale, von Natur's co-owners' other company.

I have known von Natur's owners, Dennis and Kayla Fioravanti, for several years, and von Natur has been an Indie Beauty Network member since the company started. Not only are the products great, but so is the story behind them.

After discovering the benefits essential oils for their own personal use, husband and wife team Dennis and Kayla Fioravanti started making their own bath and body products at home. Eventually a friend invited them to her home to share some of the products. Much to their delight and surprise, people not only bought some of the products but also asked how they could join the business. There was no business at that time, but Dennis and Kayla didn't let that stop them. Within weeks, they launched a home party plan business and started recruiting sales reps.

The small, Portland-based company grew into what Kayla calls, "The giant monster that had us working around the clock." To find out how they tamed the giant and turned it into a multi-million dollar, worldwide business with several revenue streams -- all while managing a home that includes 3 active children -- download or stream my interview with them on Indie Business Radio.

Purely Enchanting: Combining Family & Business

The dictionary defines enchantment as a magical spell, and that's what Debbie and Bill Brink of Pure Enchantment in Rocky River, Ohio cast on me when I finally met them in person at the Conference of Handcrafted Soapmakers earlier this month. (See more conference photos here.) The couple launched Pure Enchantment in 2003 after discovering the benefits of using handmade soap on a family vacation in Wilmington, North Carolina. I first encountered them online in July 2004 when they joined the Indie Beauty Network.

Pure Enchantment's signature product is the shea butter lotion Made with 30% shea butter and oils of almond, avocado and jojoba, it comes in 4 scents: Cucumber Melon, Coconut Lime Verbena, Oatmeal Milk & Honey and Orange Patchouli. The body size is 3 ounces ($13.50) and the purse size is 1/2 ounce ($4.50). If you had been at the conference, you would have gotten your very own sample. Mine was Cucumber Melon and soon it will be all gone. My family and I used to soothe minor sunburn after spending the afternoon at the pool on Memorial Day. You can get the lotion bars here.

In addition to running the business, Debbie and Bill have 5 children ranging from elementary to senior high school. They recently left their traditional jobs in the real estate industry to manage Pure Enchantment full-time. At the conference, Bill said, "We are now wholly focused on Pure Enchantment and glad to be making products in a family owned enterprise that gives us the ability to spend more time together as a family." And isn't that what being Indie is all about!!?

Until now, Debbie and Bill have declined my invitation to share tips for combining family and business on Indie Business Radio due to concern about the publicity that might result while they had full-time jobs. Now that they have handed in their pink slips, I'm planning to schedule them for a future show. Stay tuned!

jblossom Plants Positive Seeds For Little Girls

I love it when I see an Indie stretching to take full advantage of her God-given talents and gifts to have fun and make a living. When I think of all that my friend Jamila White is doing, I sometimes think she must be the first cloned human. Not only is she the "E-Commerce Diva" and owner of her own e-commerce consulting company, but she also owns j.blossom, a line of bath and body products featuring labels with affirmations for little girls. My daughter, Vanessa, loves the Strawberry Banana Smoothie bubble bath, which says: "Short or tall, thick or thin, I love the skin that I am in." Jamila is a member of the Indie Beauty Network. Here's a bit about her, in her own words.

Indie Friend In The Wall Street Journal

Congratulations to Indie Beauty Network member Renee Deal of Deal Farm Soap in Massachusetts! Renee and her business are featured in today's Wall Street Journal's Startup Journal. Renee is married with a 2-year old son. She makes her fabulous goat milk bath and body products in a basement factory located in her home. I gave Deal Farm's "Positively Pampered Lavender Collection" to a friend last month and she loved it. Read the article for great tips from a successful Indie who has mastered the art of managing home and business -- without compromising either.

Congratulations Renee!