A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 3, Issue 10

Visit Our Web Site For Fabulous Spring Savings!!

Essential Wholesale | 2725 SE Ash, Portland, OR 97214
(866)252-9639 Toll Free | Email: info@essentialwholesale.com 

Don't miss this call on March 21, 2002, from 9:00pm - 10:00pm EST. For details and to RSVP, click here.

HBN is pleased to announce that HBN member Bramble Berry has increased the HBN member discount from 5% to 10% for fragrances, colorants, essential oils and molds. Thanks Anne-Marie and Bramble Berry for your unwavering support of the handmade toiletries industry. 

Question: "First of all, cultivate a contented spirit. Recollect that nothing so soon fixes disagreeable lines upon the face as habits of scowling, or facial contortions of any description. Keep your soul above the petty trials of life. Look up, my dear friends, and forward. Above the roughness of the earth you will always find a bit of blue somewhere in the firmament, and if you watch patiently you will find a little star of hope trying hard to send you a loving little twinkle of encouragement out of the blackest night. Don't waste your strength losing your temper over small things. We have just so much vital force, each one of us. If we waste it over trifles (and a lot of strength escapes in each angry word), we will not have it for our work or diversion."

To win, be the first to respond with name of the person who is credited with saying the above and win a copy of HBN member Sandy Maine's book "Creating An Herbal Bodycare Business."

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry.

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.

This series of articles looks at a collection of questions that should be asked and answered by any owner of a start up business, and probably also by business owners who are already established. Last week, we looked at Question No. 1: Do I Have Enough Money? We discovered that the cold harsh reality is that the answer is "no." But thankfully, with a little innovation, creativity and planning, that obstacle can be overcome. (If you missed the first article, you can read it here.)

Another one of the things that can help overcome a lack of capital is plain old fashioned hard work. That's why this week, we'll be examining Question No. 2: Do I Have Enough Stamina? Stamina has been defined as enduring strength and energy and you'll need lots of it to prosper in business. To have a successful business, you have to work hard. And to work hard, you have to have stamina. So this question, and the answer to it, will tell you a lot about whether your business is destined for success. 

How many of you can testify to the fact that owning your own business rivals running an Olympic marathon in terms of the energy and stamina needed to make it work??!!! (I see all of those cyber-hands going up!!) A high energy level is an essential characteristic of a successful small business owner. Our businesses often take on our personal characteristics. Some people are naturally high energy so their businesses will be naturally high energy. Others have to work harder than others at maintaining the level of enthusiasm necessary to stick out their venture. If you have a high energy level, more power to you! You will probably have relatively few problems harnessing the kind of stamina needed to make your enterprise a success.

But if you are not naturally high energy, adding a small business to an already full life may be difficult for you. I am a naturally high energy person which allows me to tackle most tasks with vigor and see them through to the end. But even with my high energy level and enthusiasm for the topic of small business ownership (especially in the aromatherapy and handmade toiletries industries), it is still difficult sometimes to squeeze it all in. I cannot count the number of times I find myself working at 2:00 in the morning just before or after a breast feeding, and then making my way to the kitchen to wash dishes because I couldn't get to it right after dinner! In fact, as I write this, it's 3:55am. Whew!! I'm tired again just thinking about it.

Of course exercise and eating healthfully are not only keys to business success, but are often also keys to long life. In addition to those, here are a few of the things I do to help maintain my high energy level.

1. Take At Least One Day Off A Week. As I write this article, it is the wee hours of a Monday morning and one of the reasons I feel capable of tackling it is because I took all of Sunday (and most of Saturday) off. I attended church in the morning and returned home to fix and enjoy a simple meal of tossed salad, bar-b-que chicken, baked beans, rice and collard greens with some family members. I was pooped at the end of the day, maybe even more pooped than I would have been had I spent the day in my office. But freeing my mind from the cares of business allowed me the time away from it that I needed to refresh my soul with other things in life that matter. I am the first to admit that it is usually tough for me to pull myself away from my office for an entire day, but when I do, I feel revived and refreshed when I return. Investing energy in people and things that will long outlast any business venture restores my spirit and helps me begin my work week with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Sunday may not be the best way day for you to stay away from work, but whatever the day, try to find it in the week so that you can rest from business work and concentrate on those things that really matter most in your life.

2. Take At Least One Warm & Reviving Bath A Week. Not too many Sundays go by when I don't light some candles and take a warm bath. Since having a baby, I have found that this is an essential part of my week. I used to read a book while I soaked, but I abandoned that a few months back, preferring instead to totally relax and think about as little as possible. Deep breathing, softened light and scented water are the only things I allow myself to contemplate as the cares of the week before dissolve and then go down the drain. While the bath doesn't make the cares go away forever, it does allow me to temporarily forget about them so that they don't seem so overwhelming when I sit down to deal with them on Monday morning. Taking a weekly bath reminds me that I don't always have to be "doing something," and I can simply enjoy "being." And once I take the time to run the water and add a few essential oils or scented treats (my favorite is my Lavender Bath Syrup which you can get the recipe for at www.MakeYourCosmetics.com), I don't want to do anything, and this provides me with renewed stamina I need to do "everything" on Monday! 

3. Spend Special Times With Good Friends. On a monthly basis, I try to schedule some time with a friend or two. We may enjoy a spa treatment, a brisk walk, some shopping, coffee and a bagel (Karen, are you there??!), a movie, a fun lunch or just time sitting on the floor in the family room talking. Whatever we choose to do, taking the time to nourish the satisfying personal relationships in my life gives me cherished time away from business. When I return to it, I feel a renewed sense of purpose, meaning and excitement and am prepared to roll up my sleeves once again.

So be sure to ask yourself if you have the stamina demanded by small business ownership, and remember that taking continuous steps to renew your energy level will not only be good for your business, but also good for your health!!

SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their Perfumer's Emporium.

Coming soon!! A Canadian partner for our users north of the border!!

From preparing a business plan to publicizing your business on a shoestring, our audio tapes are a convenient and cost effective way for you to Create The Life You Love through small business ownership. Our tapes include:

* an introduction to contract law
* chats with experts on the topic of using various cosmetics preservatives
* launching a winning Web site
* designing memorable logos and graphics
* how to choose a products liability insurance program
* and MORE!

To view our entire collection, click here. As always, your satisfaction is guaranteed! If the tapes you purchase do not help your business, return them for a full refund!

Last month, I favorably reviewed a lotion product that was not handmade. If you missed that review, you can read it here. In that article, I said that if I wanted to make a thick, rich lotion that had a non-greasy feel, I would want it to be just like that product. Well, lo and behold! It wasn't me who formulated the handmade version of "thick, rich and non-greasy," it was HBN member Vicki Bedell at Essential Restoratives. And out of the blue, she sent me a bottle of my very own earlier this month!

So this is it! The product I would make if I wanted thick, rich and non-greasy. With the product reviewed last month, I enjoyed it as I put it on and it did not leave a greasy feel. Both of those things are good. But with Healing Hands, I enjoyed putting it on, it did not leave a greasy feel AND it also left a light and silky sheen and feel on my hands. It's hard to describe since it was not a greasy sensation. It was more of a feeling of "I have been moisturized, but I'm not slippery now." I know you beauty product junkies know what I mean!

If you're looking for something to give you that same feeling, you should try Healing Hands. And while you're checking out Essential Restoratives, don't miss out on their other great products at Essential Restoratives. (Actually, their Healing Hands product has not quite made it to the Web site shopping cart yet, but I just couldn't wait to tell you about it. To order before the Web site is updated, call Vicki at (800) 893-6008.

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