Indie Business Blog

WBO American Dream Launches

When I was in Florida last year to speak at a women's conference, I had the pleasure of meeting a Twitter friend in person. When I Twittered that I'd be traveling to her neck of the woods for an event, Margie Zable Fisher took time out of her busy work day to meet me for lunch at my hotel. I love meeting people at any time, but there's something special about connecting with a person in the flesh after you've sort of gotten to know them online first.

            

As you can see from the picture, Margie and I had a nice lunch, and I have made a Twitter friend and business colleague for life. And like most of my Indie Twitter friends, Margie is busy putting her 2009 business plan into action by launching the WBO American Dream Program, a new program for women business owners that includes a terrific newsletter called the WBO Digest.

Take The "I Am Indie Business" Pledge

The 10 Commitments of 2008

The "I Am Indie Business" Pledge empowers you by changing the paradigm through which you view the connections between family, home, wealth and business. They are the commitments that I and my family made that helped us reach our goal of successfully managing home and business, without compromising either.

         

To find out if you're ready for the Pledge, enjoy the "I Am Indie Business" video. Is 2008 your year to take the pledge?

Bring On The Indie Business Revolution!

If You Have A Passion, You Have A Business

Yesterday, the business section of my local paper ran a story about a woman with disabilities who is perfectly capable and willing to work. She's been employed her entire adult life, but at only 54 years of age, is unable to find a job.

          

She was laid off after 29 years at Bank of America in 2002, and recently lost another job due to a reduction in force when the company she worked for lost its biggest contract. I hope she enjoys some kind of pension from the bank and that the other company can provide severance and unemployment compensation.

Double-Minded Dilemma

Successful Indies Look In One Direction Only

A New Testament Bible verse says that a double-minded person is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8) That's true, especially when it comes to business. Every day, I speak with Indies who love what they do. They want to make money and maybe even ditch a full-time job so they can support themselves while also pursuing their passion. But there's a problem, and it's not that they are lazy, clueless or shiftless. They are simply double-minded.

          

One mind wants to pursue a hobby all day and have fun. The other one wants to pursue a hobby all day, have fun and make a living. The former means eventual starvation and poverty. The latter could possibly mean the same. So they buy a bunch of supplies, come home and create create create. Then once there are dozens of products on the shelf, they put a few photos up at a website and expect them to fly into people's shopping carts. When that doesn't happen, they claim that they tried and things just didn't work out.

Fear It And Forget It

Don't Let Camera Shyness Keep You From Your Dream

Yesterday I posted my Indie Business TV interview with Karen Williams of Indie Beauty Network member Pockuts. Before the interview, Karen told me she was terrified of being in front of a camera that was capturing her every move. She was afraid that she would say something incorrectly or just not like the finished product.

          

I assured Karen that if she pretended like we were the only people in the room, she would forget the cameras were rolling in no time. After the interview, Karen told me that once she started talking about her products and the thought and care that goes into producing them, she began to feel surprisingly at ease. I am so pleased at how Karen pushed through her fear, not only because I got the benefit of sharing her story with you, but also because her courage and tenacity will inspire and encourage other Indie Business owners to overcome their fear of cameras and the media in general.

Share From Your Heart

Years ago, when I was an attorney at law firms and Fortune 500 companies, the butterflies in my stomach never went away. From the time I rose in the court room to the time I sat down, I was terrified. Early in my career, I was so frightened that at one of my first trials, the judge was kind enough to actually walk me through the first several questions in my direct examination. He knew that my poor performance was due to nerves and not lack of preparation.

In the court room, I was nervous in part because I was speaking about things I had been taught rather than about things I was passionate about and loved to share with others. Today, even though I sometimes get a little nervous, time and space suspend themselves when I share my passion for women who are making their business dreams a reality.

There's really no secret to making the butterflies go away. The best thing to do is to accept that they are there and acknowledge that you are nervous. If you are living out your passion and somone asks you about it, just share from your heart as Karen did and chances are good that the cameras and microphones will quickly fade into obscurity as the things you love most in the world rise to the ocassion.

Indie Beauty Business For Sale

This Could Be Your Chance To Break Into The Market

Looking for a way to break into the Indie Beauty business without strating from scratch? Then consider snapping up this company with a great media portfolio, trademarks and other assets that could have you on your way in no time.

          

The Seller prefers to remain anonymous and will consider serious inquiries only. I am not brokering this transaction so please do not contact me personally for details since I have none. Contact information for the Seller is at the end of this post. Here's an overview of the Seller's representations.

Being Chicken Is For The Birds

Chicken Indie Is Not An Option

Yesterday, an opportunity to feature members of the Indie Beauty Network on Indie Business Radio arose at the last minute. While totally unexpected, I thought it was a great chance for Indies to get some free pub. I circulated an email to companies featured in my 2007 Holiday Gift Guide and several Indies who had the time joined me for a fun show.

          

But one Indie's response to the invitation puzzled me: "I'm too chicken to participate."

Over 40 And Short On Finances?

AARP May Have Some Money For You!

But time is short! The deadline to apply for the women's scholarship is October 31. A big shout out to Indie Jamila White for the heads up!

                  

If you are over 40 and enrolled or will enroll in a school or training program within 6 months of the scholarship award date, you could get from $500 to $5,000 to complete your studies.

Formal training is vital to small business success. Everyone from customers to potential investors want to know that you have invested in yourself by accumulating the knowledge needed to serve their needs. If you need help doing that, this opportunity may be for you!

For details and to apply, click here.

How Many Toilets Would You Clean?

To What Lengths Would You Go To Make Your Business A Success?

At 26, Indie Beauty Network member Lela Barker was a newly divorced, unemployed college drop out and the single mother of two toddlers. When most people in her position would have been looking for the nearest secretarial job, Lela was starting her business. She landed an order with a local spa, which covered payment to a website designer. But she still needed good product photos.

          

So she called on her aunt, an expert photographer. But Lela didn't go to Auntie for a handout. Instead, she offered to clean her house from top to bottom in exchange for some product photos. One Friday night, Lela dropped her children off at a relative’s house and drove several hundred miles to her aunt’s house where she spent the entire weekend cleaning toilets, polishing furniture and mopping floors.

How We Live

Indie Business Owners Redefine Working For A Living

Last night, I watched a little of The Billionaire Inside. Donald Trump was the guest and one of the things he talked about was how his father worked all the time. "There was never a time when he wasn't working," said Trump. "He hated to take  a day of vacation, and then couldn't wait to return to work. He had a passion for it. It was all he wanted to do."

          

Isn't that what being Indie is all about? The 600+ members of the Indie Beauty Network are all very different, but we have one thing in common. We work in the morning, we work in the afternoon, we work at night. We are thinking about work as we fix dinner. We are conjuring up new products as we nurse our babies, load the dishwasher and take the clothes out of the washing machine. We are taking notes about work when we're stuck in traffic. It's work work work. And we love it love it love it.

We love it so much that it's not work. As Indie Business Owners, we make a living doing what we love to do. That's not work. Instead, it's like being high all the time. It's stress, but not stress. It's pure, unadulterated fulfillment. It's purposeful, and as it was for Trump Sr., it's more than just how we earn a living. It's how we live.