The Indie Experience
December 1, 2008
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 9, Issue 43
To subscribe, click here
-- Media Partner --
1. Indie Beauty: Connect, Collaborate, Succeed @ Our Social
Media Site!
2. Meet IBN's New & Renewing Members
3. New at the Blog: 140-Character-Or-Less Keys to
Startup Success
4. Featured Indie Business Radio Show: From Bankrupt
to Indie Business Success
5. Indie Candy: Ghislaine Berube :: Casco Bay Gardens
:: Maine
Make It Yourself!!: Candy Cane Bath Salts
1. Indie Beauty: Connect, Collaborate, Succeed @ Our Social Media Site!
If
you're a member of IBN and you haven't checked out the
new site, you're missing out on tons of great discussions, blog posts,
questions, answers and tips. Here are some highlights happening now!
- Welcoming new beauty bloggers and an herbal lifestyle writer to the
site this week
- Upcoming teleseminar on how to use your blog to promote product sales --
without sounding "sales-y"
- We're also preparing for some great teleseminars on topics ranging from using your blog to promote your business without sounding "sales-y" and innovative ways to use new technologies to create new products with guest David Frederick, director of living media for Coty Beauty
If you're not a member, once you join the Indie Beauty Network, you can join the networking site and the fun right away! Once you're a member of IBN, just click here and complete the quick application!
2. Meet IBN's New & Renewing Members
Welcome Renewing Members!
In the Potter's Hand | Christine Gillund | North Dakota
* Member since February 2007. Family owned and operated
business offering specialty skincare and bath products designed for those with
troubled skin, celiac disease, chemical sensitivities or allergies. Our handmade
products are fragrance-free, corn-free, soy-free, citrus-free, aloe-free,
gluten-free, colorant-free and vegan. Includes bar and liquid soap, lotion, lip
balm, shea butter, massage oil, shampoo and conditioner.
Muileh Skincare | Vivian Dawson | Connecticut
* Member since April 2002. Muileh Skincare, LLC creates
aromatherapeutic bath and body care products from locally grown plants and
herbs; essential ingredients such as shea butter and Dead Sea salts are
harvested from land and sea. All products are prepared in small quantities to
ensure the highest quality product. Products within the Muileh Skincare line
include exfoliating vanilla brown sugar polish, soothing bath soak blends,
gentle cleansing soaps and gels, decadently rich moisturizing lotions and
invigorating foot salt scrubs.
Clean Glow Candles | Jennifer Tallmadge | New Jersey
* Member since November 2006. Lighten Up Naturally with
Clean Glow Candles. Every Clean Glow Candle is hand poured using only the finest
ingredients including soy and palm waxes, premium fragrance oils, and lead free
wicks.
Wholemande | Alan Halferty | Iowa
* Member since June 2005. WholeMade is an Iowa based
company the makes and provides natural aromatherapeutic products including bath
salts, sugar scrubs, natural soy candles, shea butters, bar soaps, lip balms,
shampoos and conditioners. Many products are vegan and contain organic
ingredients. WholeMade produces these high quality products in smaller batches
to ensure freshness and quality.
Eve-Lyn Organics | Clorine Brown | Maryland
* Member since November 2006. Eve-Lynn Organics --
handcrafted organic skin care for the world.
Plum Hill Pure Body Essentials | Jeanne Kissman | Idaho
* Member since November 2006. Plum Hill Pure Body
Essentials LLC Products are handmade in small batches. Our product line consists
of Sugar Body Scrubs, Body Butters, Body Wash, Bath & Body Oils, Body Linen
Sprays We feature 5 different Scents at all times. Plum Hill Products are geared
toward Dry Skin. Indulge yourself you deserve it!
Nourishing Earth | Jaclyn Sweet | California
* Member since November 2007. Nourishing Earth Body Care
and Candle Company. Nourishing plant oils and botanical extracts take center
stage in all of our products from hydrating lotions to lip balms. Our candles
are made with 100% vegetable waxes and hemp/cotton wicks. We proudly use soy wax
from beans free of pesticides and herbicides. Nourishing Earth is an
environmentally conscience company. We strive to use sustainable and recyclable
materials whenever possible for our business needs.
JMB Enterprises | James Woodbury | New Mexico
* Member since November 2007. Maker of very high quality
organic and natural personal care products, including soaps, deoderants, bath
bombs, lip balms and glosses, facial masques, cremes, and lotions. We also make
candles, including 100% natural beeswax candles, in addition to other spa
products including natural sea sponges, pumice stones, relaxation CDs,
aromatherapy, massage oils, and small water fountains. In addition, we grow and
sell specialty flowers.
Welcome New Members!
Salome's Simply Delightful Creations | Selena Cozart |
Virginia
* Salome's Simply Delightful Creations is a woman-owned, home based
business. We specialize in handcrafted and handmade bath and body products. We
feature handmade cold process soaps made the old fashion way using only the
finest ingredients. We also feature hair care products designed with Type 3 and
4 natural African American hair in mind.
Herban Lifestyle | Mary Kearns | Virginia
* Herban Lifestyle, a healthy answer to the urban lifestyle, offers
products that are good for you, and make the planet happy, too. All products are
handcrafted in small batches using natural and organic ingredients,
pureessential oils, in earthfriendly packaging. We offer body balms, lip balms,
bath salts, massage oils and scrubs. A portion of Herban Lifestyle’s gross
revenues are donated to Sierra Club and Herb Research Foundation.
MainElement Love | Tyrika Swails | Texas
* Personal care products.
Learn more about Indie members and their exciting products, services and activities by visiting their websites through our Online Member Directory. You can search for your favorite Indie by state/country, business name, keyword or alphabetical listings.
3. New At the Blog: 140-Character-Or-Less Keys to Startup Success
Here
are some current new and popular blog posts. Enjoy and feel free to make your
opinion known. And don't forget to leave your blog or website address so we can
learn more about you, your products and your services. Do you have something to
say? Post a comment and join the discussion!
Richelle Shaw Spells Success with three R's: today's Indie Business Radio Show guest breaks down 3 things every business owner must do to succeed
Ten 140-Character-Or-Less Keys to Startup Success: in true "Twitter-esque" style, I offer 10 keys, and commenters offer their own. Can you offer tips in 140 characters or less too?
Congratulations Startup Nation Winner: congratulations Indie Beauty Network member Linda Stein of Zosimos Botanicals, one of StartUp Nation's Top 10 Green Home-Based Businesses!
Getting to Know You: just had to tell you about this wonderful entrepreneur I recently met
Karin Abarbanel's "Lean Launch" Tips: Indie business Radio Show guest offers 3 tips to help you launch your business on a budget
Want more great information to help you grow your business? Then click here to get my blog posts automatically delivered directly to you through our RSS feed. If you prefer email, provide your email address at the blog, upper right corner.
4. Featured Indie Business Radio Show: From Bankrupt to Indie Business Success
Featured
Indie Business Radio Show: From Bankrupt To Indie Business Success
We all know that women are different. Special. And we have a reputation for being, well, emotional. Whether it's a well deserved rep or just another stereotype, author and small business expert Karin Abarbanel says that women launch businesses differently. So she wrote a book about it and she joined me on today's show.
If you missed it, the download is coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy my blog post about how Richelle spells "success" with three "r's." Also, stream and download hundreds of other shows from 2008 at Indie Business Radio.
-- Media Partner --
5. Indie Candy: Ghislaine Berube :: Casco Bay Gardens :: Maine
"When the cat's away, the mouse will play." Perhaps no group of women knows that better than those of us who have been left alone in a kitchen with a bowl, beeswax, fragrance oil, olive oil and left over baby food jars. But while some of us find a hobby, others are captivated by the drive to generate income. And so it was with 61-year old Ghislaine Berube of South Portland, Maine, who founded Casco Bay Gardens, LLC after finding that the joys of consuming chocolate and tabloid magazines all day could only last so long.
How
did you start your business and what was the inspiration for it?
My husband, Jim, had an out of state client who wanted "face time" with him for two years. I was thrilled that while he tended to his business for two years, I would enjoy eating bonbons and reading People magazine. All that idle time made me happy for about two weeks. I guess, we "entrepreneurs” don’t “idle” well.
Personal care has always been a hobby of mine so I started dabbling in earnest when Jim was away. He teases me that I'm making up for not having had a chemistry set as a child. This is my first business, started in 2000. Before that, I worked as a computer programmer in my husband's business.
Do you make your products yourself?
Yes. I make everything myself. It may sound daunting to those not in the
‘business,” but organization is the key. If you know you’re going to turn
your work space upside down to make 100 lip balms, heck, you might as well make
a thousand.
How many products are in your line?
I
have 10 products in my line. I try to introduce two new items each year --
though if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. My best selling products are
the Lobsterman's CoolKiss, Lobsterman's Balm and Lobsterman’s Silicone Balm.
The customers love the skin feel, purity and instant soothing qualities of each.
The Lobsterman's Balm is one of my first products. Made with almond oil, shea
butter, beeswax, cocoa butter, Vitamin E and essential oils, it's perfect for,
well, lobstermen. Landlubbers all over love it too!
Who helps make your business successful?
My husband is my biggest helper. He doesn’t pour lip balm or lotion but really steps up when I have an administrative crisis. He’s a software developer and systems analyst so when the label printer is kicking up (which is most of the time), he sets up the print jobs. Today, he’s doing my taxes. He’s put all my formulas in Excel sheets where I only need to change the number of units I want to make and all ingredients are re-calculated. He designed a spreadsheet that tells me the cost, to the penny, for a lip balm. If it weren’t for him, my whole life would be on “Post-It” notes.
I also use a gifted graphic designer, Jessica Simmons (jessica@jessicasimmons.com; no website). She is responsible for “the look” of my labels, brochures and website. She always has such unique ideas. As entrepreneurs, we have to accept that we just can’t do everything well, and there are times when you need to call in “the big guns” This is not inexpensive but it is definitely an investment that’s paying off now.
Tell me about the theme of your business and your fantastic website, with all of its clever nautical-themed navigation tools?
The site is Jessica Simmons' brainchild . We do get a lot of positive feedback so I hope my customers like it because they’re going to be seeing it for a while! My Maine theme came from my homesickness when I was out of state for a while with my husband on business. I would put myself to sleep at night thinking of ways to devise a “hook” for my products. I know that there’s a certain ‘romance’ about Maine and the ocean so I played with possible product names, company names, etc.
My company name, Casco Bay Gardens, is more cumbersome than I now like. It doesn’t really convey what I or my products do, but since the company is now incorporated under that name, I’m living with it. All the products are trademarked and start with "Lobsterman’s", so I have continuity that way. Casco Bay just doesn't really fit in. I’ll probably come up with a solution at some point -- ah, creativity! I believe it’s imperative to have a “hook” or theme in order to make your products to stand out, especially in the online age where you can so easily search for items of specific interest and get tons of leads. Having a hook really helps with sales. Customers will buy more than one product as gifts because they like the look, or the look implies that the quality is the same for the entire line.
How does your family and non-business responsibilities impact your ability to run Casco Bay?
I have three daughters and seven grandchildren, and I adore every single
one of them. There's no one in my home and work space except for Jim and me
so I have the luxury of being absolutely self-centered. My hat is off to the
parents who juggle kids, busy households, business and families. Those are
the heroes! Hang in there women, your time’s coming! I aim to live my life
as stress free as possible so I try to be regimented but flexible. I try to
plan ahead and keep stock on hand.
How
do you market your products?
I market my products at trade shows on the east coast. I stopped doing craft fairs because the money I brought in didn’t compensate for the set up work I had to do. I did a "regular" craft show this weekend because the promoters assured me that there is an anticipated attendance of 250,000 and they set up my booth with pipe and drape. I have a list of clients who receive periodic “is it time to re-order” brochures and I use a professional sales person who gets a percentage of sales. This is not lucrative for me, but it does spread the word about the products. g a member of the family.
What are the best things about doing what you do?
My favorite part is working alone in my ‘jamies" on Monday night
since I spent the day shopping because I didn’t feel like working on
Monday morning. Also, autonomy. I get to decide what product to develop,
when and how to market, also, I have the autonomy to decide which bill to
pay in February when cash flow is at its worst. You win some, you lose some.
What are the biggest challenges and how do you overcome them?
My biggest challenge is that I’m non-confrontational. I like to ‘make nice”. It’s not always possible in business and I can rise to the occasion when I need to but there are days when I wish I had an “enforcer”. Another challenge is that I don’t have a lot of people to bounce off concerns and new ideas on. dM was very helpful when someone was misappropriating my logo. I e-mailed her asking for suggestions and she promptly answered with encouragement and suggestions; the one that made the most sense was consulting an attorney. This is the way I went, with success. One does learn about networking, and other resources out of necessity.
What are your annual gross revenues? You may describe it in terms of increased annual revenues from last year to this.
My sales seem to increase modestly but steadily around 15%. My big
problem is that I am not a good salesperson, I love to hang out in the lab
where I really get my jollies but if I have to "pound the
pavement", it's like a fate worse than death. There is a good buzz
going about the products and I'm getting good press, for which I'm grateful,
but I'm not really good at follow through. I guess that the business is
growing as fast as I can handle now. Not that I don't want to be the next
Aveda, please understand. This year I'm really going to sit down and
re-evaluate my direction; get my act in gear. I've just got to figure out
how to get fresh input. I'm not taking a salary yet, everything I make goes
back into the company. The most important part of starting and growing a
business is having the nerve and the energy to put yourself out there.
Nobody has more knowledge or enthusiasm about your product than the owner
has. That is the bottom line!
What
business book have you enjoyed that has helped you in business, and why?
Crafts Market Place, edited by Argie Manolis is for the beginner, but still is a good resource. It's unpretentious and covers the basis of business; vendors, craft shows, wholesale shows, finance, etc. Of course, Allured Publishing's Resource Library is chock full of cosmetic chemistry books with the latest buzz on ingredients. I find Preservatives for Cosmetics” by David Steinberg invaluable.
What are you doing when you're not working Casco Bay Gardens?
Jim built me a cabin in the woods so I like to go there and read. I know it's nice that he built me a cabin but I really think he did it so he could spend thousands of dollars on many tools. It is totally away from work and I can’t check my e-mail in the middle of the night if I'm there. Even though I was leery of starting a new hobby (look at what happened last time I did that!), I do like to work with stained glass. It keeps my fingers busy and I can work 10 minutes at a time and still make beautiful things. I also do volunteer work for a museum and a hospital.
Why do you love being Indie?
I love being Indie because I’m the star of the show.
This
is Indie Candy, so if you were a brand of candy, what would you be and why?
PayDay, because if I keep going, someday I may actually have one.
Learn more about Casco Bay Gardens and stock pile some of Ghislaine's products for dry winter skin at her website.
If you enjoyed this issue, please feel free to share the link with others! See you next week. In the meantime
Enjoy your life, build your business and have your way!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Indie Experience
The Indie Beauty Network | www.indiebeauty.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2008 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 this newsletter 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 this newsletter 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, this newesletter 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.
