The Indie Experience
January 8, 2009
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 10, Issue 1
To subscribe, click here
-- Media Partner --
1. A Note From dM: Happy New Year!
2. Featured Indie: Emily Caswell of GCDSpa in Topsham,
Maine
3. Pick & Click: Choose your fun!
Make It Yourself!!: Peppermint Cucumber Whipped Body Cream
1. A Note From dM: Happy New Year!
I hope you are enjoying the first part of 2009! It's off to a bang for me and so many Indies that I connect with every day. You all have no idea how much you inspire and uplift me. Moment by moment, day by day, I just love connecting with you.
It's hard to believe but this newsletter is now entering it's 9th year. That's right, the first issue was published back on January 14, 2000. Before I got married. Before I had children. There was this.
You may notice some format changes in the newsletter. While the main section has always been a featured Indie, that is more prominent now. Much of the event related content, such as upcoming TV shows, speaking engagements, radio shows and other events, is listed at the bottom in the hopes that it will be easier for you to find without having to scan a large space. These changes are being made to consolidate some of the newsletter content and make it easier to enjoy in smaller places. I will be working on new ways to condense all of my media streams, including live TV, radio show and blog so that by the end of the year, you can get everything easily on your mobile device as well.
As always, if you have suggestions, feedback or questions about how I might serve you better, please do not hesitate to send me an email message to donnamaria @ carolina dot rr dot com.
Thank you for welcoming me into your email boxes each week. I hope and pray that I enhance your life as much as you enhance mine.
-- Media Partner --
2. Featured Indie: Emily Caswell of GCDSpa in Topsham, Maine
When
I first met Emily when she joined the Indie Beauty Network in 2006, I was
struck by the beautiful graphics displayed on her labels. I am not so
secretly envious (in a good way) of Indies who know how to draw, sketch and
otherwise translate colors and other abstract notions into beautiful
graphics and labels. Emily
does this quite well, and the fact that her products are wonderful
just adds to the fun. Like so many other Indies, Emily's first professional
career took her places she'd never thought she'd go. I am delighted to share
a little bit about this 37-year old wife and mom from Maine who also owns
and manages GCDSpa.
How did you start your business and what was the inspiration for it?
In late 2004, I owned a graphics and Web design business. For me, the work was very frustrating. I had worked for eight years with clients in the gift and wedding industries, which made for very seasonal work. I also had lots of Web promotion ideas I wanted to try, but my clients were primarily interested in traditional print media. Looking back, I suppose I was just a control freak! I kept thinking, "If I had a product, I know what I'd try here!" I really wanted more control over my business, and was ready for a change.
At Christmas in 2004 I had a fun weekend with a friend making bath salts and sugar scrubs for gifts. I loved the measuring and mixing (my first "real" job had been in a biotech lab, and I'd missed that), but I admit that those first gifts were all about the packaging! After designing packaging for other people, it was a welcome change to design something for myself and my own products. Some of the friends and family who received these first gift bags wanted to buy more for gifts, and I had an "ah-ha" moment: maybe I'd found my products!!? As I got further into the formulation side, I focused more on what was in the products than simply how they were packaged. I like to think I have a nice balance now!
Before all of this, I earned a degree in biology, and after graduating worked for a biotech company in vaccine manufacturing. Then I started a graphic and Web design business in 1997 where I designed packaging and advertising materials for local businesses. I also did photography and worked on web promotion and search engine optimization for my clients.
How did your professional background help prepare you for launching your own venture?
My science education and early lab experience were perfect training for working in a "home lab," as were the years with design and photography, but I think working with other Indie Business owners was the best preparation. When you serve Indies in the graphic and Web design world, you're almost more of a partner than a consultant or contractor. You learn so much about their business, and see what works and what doesn't in all aspects of business. While the specific aspects of my business were very different from theirs, the experience of working with them helped me learn some of the things to do or not do to be successful. To a large extent, I modeled my products-based business on the service-based businesses of my clients.
Who helps your business be successful?
I could not have a business without my husband and kids. They haven't "officially" joined my business (yet!), but we are in this Indie lifestyle together! Having your own business, even if it's a sole proprietorship, requires the participation and cooperation of a whole family. I'm very lucky to have immediate and extended family members who are very supportive and enthusiastic.
What is your niche?
My niche is customized wedding-related favors and gifts—bridal showers, bachelorette parties, wedding receptions. Almost all of the products I make are personalized with custom designs, colors, fonts and wording.
How do you market your products?
Almost all of my business comes from search engines, mostly organic results. More recently, I've experimented with paid advertisements,
and even attended my first craft fair in November. I have a small local following which is slowly growing by word of mouth.
What is your most popular product and why do customers tell you they
like it?
My most popular product is the personalized lip balm; in 2008, the best-selling flavors were pink champagne and blushing bride. I think people get so used to compromising
with what's available to the masses that it's a pleasant surprise for them
to discover that they can actually get exactly what they want!
Giving people what they want makes them feel appreciated and special. This is what I try to do for my customers, and this is what they say: "It is companies like yours that make the big events in life a little more special." (Yay!)
What's new and exciting with your business these days?
I'm excited about the new products I'm making with Dungaree Dolly's, a handbag design company and fellow Indie I've been collaborating with. Dolly makes
adorable cosmetic bags for my new seasonal and specialty fragrances and flavors, just the right size for the purse essentials. The bags are of course reusable and are made in the USA, and I get to support and promote another Indie's work, which
is wonderful.
I'm also thrilled to have a few upcoming media features, including one in Good Housekeeping
Magazine due out next spring!
What are some of the things you did in advance of your starting to make
it successful.?
I didn't realize it at the time, but being a "control freak" with my Web promotion work helped to launch my own products business! When I couldn't get any of my site clients interested in search engines, I started several wedding-related web sites on my own. I linked these to my clients' sites, hoping to "prove" that the traffic brought them sales. These experiments satisfied my own curiosity about search engine traffic and conversions, but my clients still weren't interested. So when I launched GCDSpa.com in May of 2005, I linked to it from my already-established wedding sites. Within a month, people were ordering wedding favors. I know it would have taken much longer to get traffic and orders without these sites.
What forms of social media do you enjoy using?
I see tremendous potential in using all of these outlets to connect with customers, possible collaborators, and the media. I have to admit I have not yet figured out how to balance the time spent in social media with the time I have to spend in design and manufacturing, blogging, and all of my other jobs. I'm either off completely or chatting away all day! I see myself figuring out how to be a better Twitterer in the coming year, as well as taking full advantage of the new Indie Beauty members only social networking site!
You can connect with me here:
Connect
with Emily on Facebook
Connect
with Emily on Twitter
What book have you used that has helped you start your business off on the right foot?
With all of the attention on the FDA Globalization Act, I found myself making sure I'd dotted all of my i's and crossed my t's. In that spirit, I ordered Marie Gale's Soap & Cosmetic Labeling and I'm so glad I did! It's a fantastic reference and should be on every formulator's book shelf.
What do you think are the best things about being Indie?
One of the many things I like about being self-employed is that I don't have to ask permission to try new things, or try to convince someone else that I can do something. If I think I can do it, it's up to me to make it happen. There's such freedom in that!
How did you discover the Indie Beauty Network, and do you enjoy your
membership?
When I started this business, my first big obstacle was insurance. I found IBN while researching my options, and it was a lifesaver. The reasonably-priced insurance made it possible for me to stay in business, but all of the other benefits of IBN have helped me improve my game: keeping me informed about industry news, offering media opportunities, and presenting ways to efficiently manage home and work life have been invaluable. I wouldn't just casually recommend IBN, I would say it is necessary to be a member if you are an Indie, particularly in this field.
What other tips do you have for others starting a business?
I think that some of the things that are necessary for business, such as social media and the pursuit of media coverage, can pull you far away from your own work and direction, and it can be challenging to keep focus. I would tell people starting out to pay attention to what other people are doing, and to what they are saying about you (good and bad), but to remember to listen to yourself, as well. There are a lot of people who will only have negative things to say, and the best thing you can do is to get far away from them...and join IBN, where other business owners are positive and supportive!
What has been your biggest Indie Business challenge so far, and how are
you overcoming it?
The insurance issue was a big one, and of course IBN had that solution. My other ongoing challenge is time, and the fact that I'm the only one who does my job. I used to live in fear of becoming ill because I knew my work wouldn't get done, but with two school-aged kids, sickness is a given! A year ago I changed my lifestyle to include daily exercise and a better diet, and as a result I've been healthier and better able to handle the other challenges that come along.
What are you doing when you're not working in your business?
For about five months of the year, my business competes with my other love, which is gardening! Here in Maine we have a ridiculously short growing season, which means that I spend the winter months planning the garden, gathering my seeds and even starting seedlings indoors. As soon as spring has sprung, I am outside as much as possible. In the past I enjoyed growing flowers so I could take pictures of them, but more recently I've started growing heirloom tomatoes and lots of other vegetables.
What do you think of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008?
I think the poet Anne Bradstreet said it best: "Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish." The FDA Globalization Act proposes the kind of law that gives government a bad name: we see the good intention, but the result would be disastrous. It is frustrating to consider all of the "bruising" our small businesses would take if this act or a similar proposal passed into law. I'll continue to do what I can to prevent it!
3. Indie Happenings: Fun ways to connect with fun Indies!
Indie Shopping TV: Join me tomorrow night LIVE when I'll present Roberta Perry and the wonderful sugar scrubs of her New York-based company, Scrubz Body Scrub. Like all other Indie Shopping TV shows, there will be a live chat so you can have fun chatting it up with your friends. Join us tomorrow night at 10:15pm EST.
Please note: the show airs at our UStream page here.
But you can collaborate with your favorite Indie Brands at our social networking site 24/7 here!
Indie Business Radio Show: Monday's guest will be Brook Noel, author of The Change Your Life Challenge. Brook will share her 3 strategies for staying balanced in an unbalanced world. And who needs help with that more than Indies??! Join us at 1:00pm EST for the first show of the year on Indie Business Radio.com.
Indie Cafe: We'll continue the conversation started on the radio show on Monday night at the Indie Cafe, where Indie Business owners meet to let their hair down and have fun sharing tips and information to help us successfully manage home and business. From new media to how to juggle home and business, we cover it at the Indie Cafe. Join us every Monday evening at 10:00pm EST for an hour of encouragement and uplift at Indie Live.TV.
Meet Me In Atlanta Later This Month! Hey, if you're in the ATL area, I'll be speaking at Morehouse College's Entrepreneurship Conference on January 28-29 at the Marriott Atlanta Airport. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to reach out to empower and encourage young people to become excited about the new age of entrepreneurial opportunities that await them. Won't you join me?? The conference is for people of all ages, so if you or someone you know would benefit from the energy and excitement of GenYers, come on out and join us!
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 - 2009 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 newsletter 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.
