A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 7, Issue 33
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1. IBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing Members!
2. Lifestyle CEO Report: Special Guest Lisa Comella
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win something wonderful!
4. Feature Article: Jugglin' It and Lovin' It!!
5. Here & There: Calendar of Upcoming Events

Handmade Beauty Recipe of the Week: Breakfast Mask

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through IBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.

\Life.Style CEO\n. A person who owns and manages a business, not solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards of entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun.

And visit the Lifestyle CEO website book page to get the scoop on my book featuring several members of the Indie Beauty Network who are the ultimate examples of successful Lifestyle CEOs!

Last Week's Answer: David McConnell, founder of Avon

This Week's Question: Over 2 decades ago, a woman with a little bit of money and a dream began making bath salts, potpourri, herbal vinegars and other handmade treats in her kitchen. Her first in-home sale was a huge success so her next step was to engage a manufacturer's rep. After disappointment using someone to rep her products, the woman took her wares to some stores herself, and emerged with $1,000 worth of orders. After another rep took her products to the New York Gift Show and emerged with $30,000 worth of orders, the woman asked a friend for some help, and together, they filled the orders themselves, one by one. Out of these humble beginnings grew a now successful and growing company. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and employing over 100 people, the company sells a wide variety of products including soaps, body washes, specialized body treats, fragrance mists, foaming bath gel, creams, oils and lotions.

Be the first to answer and win something delicious!

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's name will be announced in the next newsletter!

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I love featuring IBN members! And apparently, you dear reader, like it too! I get tons of email from people who tell me how inspired they are when they read how other people rise to the various challenges of entrepreneurship. Though they come in different shapes and sizes, the issues we face really are the same. Lack of funding, not enough time, too many hats to wear -- the list goes on. It's not a cake walk, but it is fun, and I believe that we are all in this together and we should do what we can to help each other. I hope and pray that this week's feature -- and those in the past and to come -- help you make your business all it can be and more!

It's my special pleasure to present today's featured entrepreneur, not only because she's so knowledgeable about what she does and is a super nice person, but also because she lives in my city! If you haven't connected with some entrepreneurs in your city, I strongly encourage you to do so. You can share sources, networking activities and millions of other things that will enhance not only your business but also your life! A double whammy, so if you're not connected, what are you waiting for? Check out IBN's Online Member Directory to meet some people where you are! And now, onto this week's featured entrepreneur, my friend and colleague, Jamila White!

It All Started When ...

Jamila (pronouced jah-meal-ah), a 33-year old native of Bowie, Maryland, had no intentions of starting an Internet consulting business. In fact, all she wanted was a side gig selling t-shirts from the trunk of her car. After graduating from college,  she worked in marketing communications. While she loved the work, she hated the corporate environment, but credits it with introducing her to the Internet early on.

"I started a few web sites on my own, just for fun. One of the sites was an online community for African-American fraternity and sorority members. It became very popular. At the same time, I had a side business selling Greek merchandise to friends, at special events, out of the trunk of my car, anywhere. My intention was to open a retail store. At 22 years old, I had no money and couldn't qualify to get any loans. So I reluctantly turned to the Web as a means to raise money for the "real" store. I quit my job and apartment at the end of 1996, moved into my Dad's place and turned his basement into a warehouse. I fought it every step of the way, but my father finally helped me see that the Web store was the "real" store! I had customers all over the world.

"At that time, there were no real examples of e-commerce. Everything I did was trial and error. Except for my knack for marketing, I had no idea how to run a business. I made lots of mistakes, but succeeded in spite of myself. Those were crazy, hectic days. I did it full time for three years, until I burnt myself out.

"Others saw my success and started asking me to show them how to do it. I had figured out a method to reach just about any audience online. So I turned to consulting in 1999 and called myself and "Internet Strategist." My first big client was PBS - a huge, very visible opportunity. That's when I started Jamila White and Associates, Inc. -- my second business -- and "E-Commerce Diva" is a spin-off brand from that.

'The E-Commerce Diva" started as a nickname I was given back in 2000 on a listserv called DC Web Women. Any time someone had a question about e-commerce, I was usually the one to answer it. So people started saying "ask Jamila, she's the e-commerce diva." So in 2003, I created it as a brand. It sounded catchy, memorable, and fun. It's the part my larger Internet strategy consulting practice that's specifically for small businesses who need help marketing and selling their products and services on the Internet."

... And Now, She Can't Stop Herself

"I started my first business with about $1500 of my own money, and another $2500 from the "3Fs" (Friends, Family and Fools!). All of that went into inventory. I just kept reinvesting every penny back into my business, buying more and more inventory, and after a year I quit my full-time job. My second business, consulting, had minimal overhead. So I didn't need to raise money.

Today, Jamila is starting yet another venture, but she's handling the money differently. Things are different this time around, with j.blossom, her new bath and body care products business. "Instead of just flying by the seat of my pants, I wrote a formal business plan for the very first time, with detailed market research, operational plans, and financial projections. I entered three business plan contests, and ended up winning a total of $4,000 in startup grants from two of them." The plan also helped me get approved for $50,000 through an SBA loan and line of credit, but after much soul-searching I ended up turning it down and decided to self-finance."

What?! You Turned Down $50,000?!!! Explain ...

"I was approved for a SBA-guaranteed loan and line of credit from a non-profit lender that was recommended to me by my counselor at the Small Business Development Center. While I was initially very excited, during the dragged-out loan process I found the lender to be less than professional, and I didn't like the financial terms that came with the loan because I didn't think they accurately reflected the loan amount, my history, my creditworthiness, or the amount of collateral I was offering. They wanted everything but my first-born child. They also wanted me to submit future personal expenditures to them for written approval!

"While I was debating whether to apply elsewhere, I opened a checking account for my new business at another bank, which immediately offered me a home equity secured line of credit that was twice the amount I had applied for through the first lender, and with much better terms. I lost three months waiting on the first lender's decision and paperwork, and I decided I couldn't wait any longer to launch j.blossom. I haven't ruled out the possibility of a converting to an SBA loan in the future, but if so I will certainly do it through a different lender, and after my product line launches. I learned an important lesson in business and personal self-esteem during that process: the very minute I made the decision I was worth something better that what I was being offered, I literally was offered something better!"

Not All Fun and Games

"I'm still a one-person operation, so prioritizing tasks is a challenge for me because I wear many hats. Hiring a virtual assistant three years ago was probably the single best business decision I've ever made. By taking on administrative tasks, she helps me focus on the things I do best and, more importantly, the things that make me the most money. As a result, my business has grown tremendously and I wish I'd done it sooner! 

"In the beginning, the toughest part was fear. Taking the risk to do something you love and make a living at it can be terrifying at times! Almost 10 years later, I still get scared sometimes, but I've learned to live with a certain degree of uncertainty, and even thrive on it. I can wake up each day and choose to worry about every big and little thing that could go wrong today, or I can choose to be thankful that I can do the things I want, the way I want, and control my own destiny. I choose the latter.

Loving It Anyway

"There are so many things I love about what I do. I've met so many really amazing people. It feels good to be able to help people achieve their dreams. At the end of the day, what I do isn't about widgets and web pages. It's about helping others share themselves and their gifts with the rest of the world. I love the freedom that I have to implement my own ideas, to work from the comfort of my own home (where I am free from both cubicles and control-top pantyhose!), to set my own schedule and not have to ask someone else's permission for time off. And with j.blossom, my soon to launch bath and body company, I'm looking forward to providing little girls with great products that make them feel good on the inside and the outside.

Her Tips On Success

"For anyone thinking about starting your own business, GO FOR IT! It's important to do your homework, but it's also important to take action. Even if you start out small, just START.

"Find and connect with other entrepreneurs, people who have already accomplished what you're hoping to do -- find a mentor. Go to the SBA, to local business centers, and take advantage of their professional advice to help you research your business idea and plan your course of action. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and get rid of negative, toxic people (even customers!).

"I highly recommend two books by Suzanne Falter-Barnes: "How Much Joy Can You Stand? A Creative Guide to Facing Your Fears and Making Your Dreams Come True" and "Living Your Joy: A Practical Guide to Happiness," both by by Suzanne Falter-Barns. They offer motivational yet practical advice for creative people who are trying to start businesses yet still deal with the real world issues of day jobs, spouses and kids, fear, and money. Good stuff!

"In addition to funds (you have to have at least some money to start a business), it's really important to have emotional support and support in the form of expertise. I'm very fortunate to have had an incredibly supportive family and close network of friends since day one. I call them my personal group of cheerleaders. They don't always understand all my zany ideas, but they always cheer me on.

"Through the years, I've also learned to tap into professional networks like IBN and DC Web Women, and educational centers. SBA offices, chambers of commerce, women's business centers -- they all have tons of resources and professional advice. A lot of it is free or very low cost. If I wasn't so hard-headed, I would have used these resources the first time!"

Putting It Together

"When I realized j.blossom was going to be more than a hobby, I began to scale back on my consulting a bit to focus on bringing the products to market. It's been a financial sacrifice but I believe it will pay off. Also, although they are two separate businesses, they work in a symbiotic way. What I learn from one business certainly applies to the other: I apply my Internet marketing expertise to grow j.blossom; and the hands-on, grassroots e-commerce work I'm doing in j.blossom enables me to be even more effective in teaching other entrepreneurs how to market themselves online.

"There are so many creative, enterprising folks out there who want to succeed as entrepreneurs, but most folks don't know where to start when it comes to the web. I teach a lot of workshops and teleseminars, and I help clients one-on-one with strategic consulting and online marketing. People say they learn a lot because I explain things in regular English -- no "technobabble" -- and rely on my first-hand experience as an e-commerce merchant on what does and doesn't work. There's so much bad (and overpriced) information out there about Internet marketing. A lot of people claiming to be online marketing gurus who never actually packed a box or chased the UPS guy down the street."

Living By Faith

I asked Jamila what she has noticed to be the most significant thing holding people back from living the life they say they desire to live?

"Fear. Most people are afraid to take a chance and step out of their comfort zone. Afraid of failure, and afraid of what other people may say or think. Afraid of having their ideas and creations criticized. Sometimes even afraid of success. Like I said, I get scared sometimes too. But for me, what's even scarier than fear of the unknown is fear of regret. I'm terrified of regret! At the end of their lives, people don't regret what they did, they regret what they didn't do! So I choose to live with no regrets, even if that means trying something new and failing at it. I can look back and say I gave it my best. Having had so many friends and relatives who left this world at very young ages -- 17, 19, 24, 30, 34 -- I can see that tomorrow isn't promised. I choose to make the most of today. I choose to use my fear to motivate me. And I choose to live by faith.

You can subscribe to Jamila's free online newsletter at her website. Also enjoy her column in the Handmade Beauty Business Magazine. And stay tuned for j.blossom's launch later this year! You have to pay attention to keep up with this lady!!

As always, there's a lot going on at IBN, and our members are very busy. I'll be including this chart in upcoming issues so everyone can stay abreast of the happening here at IBN!

Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Indie Beauty Network | www.handmadebeauty.com

Copyright (c) 2000 - 2006 by The Indie Beauty Network (IBN) and Donna Maria. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized distribution or reproduction is prohibited. IBN does not necessarily endorse any product, event or ideology featured in The Handmade Beauty Connection (HBC) or on IBN's website. All information is provided on an "as is" basis and no express or implied warranties are given. Any use of the information contained in the HBC or on IBN's web site, including recipes, is solely at your own risk. IBN and Donna Maria disclaim any liability in connection with the use of all recipes, products reviewed and other information. Except for sponsorships, HBC refuses compensation from companies to feature or mention their names or products. Opinions expressed in any Product Review are personally those of the reviewer and do not represent the views of IBN, Donna Maria (unless she is the reviewer) or any other person or company.