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Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
January 14, 2002
This week, we celebrate the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential leaders in world history. He fought for equality, justice, hope and economic empowerment, not only for people of African descent, but for all people of the world. If your schedule permits this week, pause for a moment to remember this great man and be thankful that we have all benefited from the struggle for which he so willingly laid down his life.

A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 3, Issue 2

This Week's Sponsor: ---> http://www.BioChemica.com <---

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1275 S. Patrick Drive, Suite P, Satellite Beach, FL 32927
Tel: (321) 773-7457 | Fax: (321) 777-4235 | Email: biochris@bellsouth.net or biochemi@bellsouth.net

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!!
2. HBN Announces The First Beauty Call Of 2002
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win a copy of Natural Foot Care by Stephanie Tourles, courtesy of Storey Books!!
4. Create The Life You Love™ Tip: How Long Is Your Wish List?, Part III
5. Create The Life You Love™ Audio Tapes Now Available

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members

~ Welcome New HBN Members!

Bottles and Jars.Net | Anne Kremer | New York
* glass and plastic bottles and jars in all shapes and sizes

The Soap Goat Soap Shop | Monique Durian | Canada
* soap and craft making products, large selection of soap molds, bases, colors, etc.

Aunt Roma's Handmade Gifts | Roma Christensen | Idaho
* Roma has upgraded her membership to supplier level since she now supplies raw materials to the industry!

~ Welcome Renewing HBN Members!!

2. HBN Announces The First Beauty Call Of 2002!!

Only A Few More Days to Sign Up ... Just A Few Spaces Are Left!!

Start your New Year off right by participating in HBN's first Beauty Call of 2002 on January 17. We will welcome Katherine Hutt, a public relations expert who will provide members with tips on publicizing their businesses on a shoestring! Katherine is a seasoned public relations professional with several years of experience working with small businesses to publicize their activities and increase their visibility in the marketplace.

If you have not joined HBN, this call alone will be worth the price of membership! Join other like-minded small business owners to learn first-hand about publicizing your business on a shoestring, getting the most out of every media opportunity and making sure that your business gets the attention it deserves!!

Start 2002 off right by joining this special Beauty Call!! Your bottom line with thank you!! For details, click here.

3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: the winner of last week's contest was Gayla Sanders of Ontario, Canada. Gayla won a generous sample of the answer last week's question!!

Last Week's Question: I am an essential oil which is taken from a grass that grows wild in tropical climates. Some say I smell a bit like roses and geraniums. In fact, I have historically been used to adulterate rose oil. I have been called Turkish geranium oil or Indian geranium oil. People of some African cultures put the plant I come from in food to help the digestion process. I work well with any skin type and am frequently used in skin toners and facial creams.

Last Week's Answer: palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii stapf)

This Week's Question: Who is the well known beauty diva who said, "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right."?

To win this week, be the first person to name the beauty diva to whom the above quote is attributed and win a copy of Natural Foot Care by Stephanie Tourles, courtesy of Storey Books.

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner will be notified by email and their name posted at HBN's home page.

4. Create The Life You Love™ Tip: How Long Is Your Wish List, Part III

"If You Fail To Plan, You Plan To Fail." Anonymous (and my mother)

Last week in Part II, we looked at a great way to begin prioritizing your goals and "wishes" for 2002. By now, you should have two lists, the "Must Do" list and the "Can Do" list. It you missed Part II, it's not too late to get started by clicking here.

This week, we take our "Must Do" list and develop an Action Plan for the top 10 items on the list. Since failing to plan is one of the number one reasons for the demise of small businesses, not to mention a major reason why goals are not attained, preparing an Action Plan is the single most important step toward shortening your wish list this year. An Action Plan helps us start realizing our hopes and dreams by giving physical presence to our dreams. Any one of us can have a fantastic bunch of wonderfully worded goals, but if we don't have a plan to make them become reality, what's the point?

Step 2: Develop An Action Plan.

Before actually writing an Action Plan, begin thinking outside the box. In other words, don't be restricted by traditional notions of what makes sense. Unleash your most powerful thinking and really brainstorm about the most effective and efficient ways to accomplish your goals. Write down your ideas, no matter how outlandish they may seem. Unleash your creative energies and you will find that you will begin to look at your goals in an entirely new way. Use a separate sheet of paper for each goal and develop an Action Plan for each one. Your Action Plan should contain specific items and should be tailored to the realities of your individual lifestyle and business style. Here's what a sample Action Plan might look like.

Goal: Increase Subscribership To My Email Newsletter By 1,200 People By The End of 2Q 2003

Action Plan

By March 2002:

* purchase and read a recommended book on producing a quality email newsletter and keep notes on the ideas that appeal to you
* find places on the Internet that help with ideas to increase subscribership; subscribe to their newsletters if they have any and check the Web sites regularly for updates and new ideas
* subscribe to other newsletters and see what is good and bad about them
* ask 3 trustworthy friends and/or business associates to provide honest feedback about the current newsletter
* ask newsletter subscribers to complete a reader survey which seeks to find out what they think are the best and worst qualities of the newsletter
* investigate various ways to promote an email newsletter, via your Web site, other people's Web sites (by purchasing ads), written advertisements, marketing inserts in boxed orders (yours or other people's), etc. Focus on free and low cost promotional ideas.
* develop a promotional budget and plan to work within it

By June 2002:

* begin implementing the ideas that appeal to you from the book
* analyze the feedback received from subscribers and implement changes based on the feedback
* analyze the feedback received from friends/business associates and implement changes based on the feedback
* implement new ways to promote your newsletter as uncovered in your investigation. Be sure to stay within your budget.
* implement ideas received from newsletters and from observing other newsletters to which you have subscribed (use the good ideas and make sure your newsletter does not repeat the negative things!)
* break down how many new subscribers per month you'll need to reach your goal (starting in July 2002, for example, you'll need 100 new subscribers each month in order to reach the goal of 1,200 new subscribers by the end of 2Q 2003)

By September 2002 & At The End Of Each Quarter Until The End of 2Q 2003

* assess progress to date to see if you are on target; ask your friends and/or business associates what they think of your changes
* if you're not on target, assess why and make adjustments to the plan; if you are exceeding your goal, keep it up and implement a few more changes if possible to maximize the success

Of course, everyone's plan will be different, even if the goal is the same. The point is that each point in your Action Plan should play an integral role in achieving your end goal. There should be no wasted effort! Don't go through 2002 wishing for what might be. Instead, plan for what will be and move toward it!!

Next week, we'll take a look at Partnering ... the final step in shortening your wish list!

5. Create The Life You Love™ Audio Tapes Now Available

Designed to inspire, encourage and coach you to create the life you love! Tapes Now Available:

1. Legal & Regulatory Challenges Facing The Handmade Toiletries Industry Today: Applying Yesterday's Laws To Today's Marketplace. Includes the latest on cosmetics, trademark and Internet law. Perfect for online toiletries and aromatherapy businesses! 2 90-minute tapes. To order, click here.

2. Planning NOT To Fail: How to Prepare A Business Plan That Positions You For Success!! Handmade toiletries/aromatherapy centered business planning tape with tips for making the most of your small business. Selected by the College of DuPage for use in their continuing education aromatherapy course!! 1 60-minute tape. To order, click here.

3. Audio Tapes Of Several HBN Beauty Calls™ are now available, including Aubrey Hampton (natural preservatives & the FDA inspection process), Melody Upham (transitioning from manufacturer to supplier, general business tips) and Kim Baron (how to design and maintain a winning Web site.) For details on these and other tapes, click here.

Visit The Handmade Beauty Connection Archives.

Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries industry:

HandmadeBeauty.com: the leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com: over 400 suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com: ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com: sound advice for your small business, We2We Success Seminars
HandmadeBeauty.com: e-greeting cards coming soon!
Handmade Skin Care.com: secure online shopping coming soon!

Have your ad seen by nearly 3,000 subscribers! Click here to see why Essential Wholesale says that the returns from their newsletter ad "just keep on coming," and why Anastasia's Ideas says "the ad I placed for my handmade soaps just 2 days ago has generated 6 huge retail orders and 2 new wholesale inquiries from HBN members with retail shops. Things are really good ..."

Donna Maria, Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
Jenn Givler, Associate Editor, Jenn@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Handmade Beauty Network | www.HandmadeBeauty.com