The Indie Experience
March 16, 2009
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 10, Issue 7
To subscribe, click here
-- Media Partner --
1. A Note From dM: Beauty From Palestine
2. Featured Indie: Marilyn Boerner :: Victorie, Inc.
3. Pick & Click: Choose your fun!
Make It Yourself!: Snowy Hand Scrub
1. A Note From dM: Beauty From Pakistan
Things
are really shaking over at the
Indie Beauty site.
With over 1,600 people and more joining daily, I am discovering something
I didn't anticipate. People from all over the world are connecting with
us, and recently, Riyam Kafri (pictured) found us, all the way from
Palestine.
Riyam said she discovered Indie Beauty after first discovering Make Your Cosmetics.com. This lead her to my book, Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions, and the book eventually led her to the Indie Beauty site. I am constantly amazed at the power of the Internet, arent' you?
Riyam started making balms in her kitchen. With some financial help from her parents, she started selling them and making a profit. Now, her dreams include opening a retail store in Ramallah. In addition to balms, Riyam now offer hair masks as well. If you are interested in connecting with business people from all over, Indie Beauty is a fun place to be. I participate in as many discussion as I can, but I have to admit that I have the most fun watching other people discover each other. It makes me smile that I played a part in creating something that dwarfs me entirely.
Indie Beauty does not belong to me. I may have started it, but it really belongs to all of the people who are having a good time there. From Riyam Kafri in Palestine to Cebra in the United Kingdom, and every place in between, there's no shortage of people to help you in your virtual global travels. Here are some fun things you can do at our site right now:
- Enjoy a lively discussion started by native Nigerian Funlayo Alabi (Shea Radiance) about the 9 principles of fair trade
- Celebrate with Kelley Maddison (PRIIA Cosmetics) who just launched her business, and with Linda Balon-Stein (Zosimos Botanicals) who is a contributing author to the newly released book What's It Like Living Green?: Kids Teaching Kids by the Way They Live.
- Enjoy Jill Jones' (Bidwell Botanicals) short course on Lavender herbs.
- Introducing Subject Matter Groups! Our first one just launched yesterday, it's called Melt & Pour (M&P) Mania With Soapylove. It's the perfect group for anyone who wants to learn more about M&P! More Subject Matter Groups are forming now and if you're a member of IBN with an area of expertise (and that would be all of you!!), you can set up yours up and start sharing your knowledge and expertise with everyone else. You can learn more about setting up your Subject Matter Group, and get some suggestions for subject areas at this link.
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 having me again this week. I hope you have a fantastic day as you also enjoy your life, build your business and have your way!
-- Media Partner --
2. Featured Indie: Marilyn Boerner of Victorie, Inc. in Port Angeles, Washington
As
I listened to Marilyn tell me about how she started
Victorie, Inc., my
heart became so full. You see, like me, Marilyn is a parent. But you don't
have to be a parent to relate to her story. All you have to do is love and
be responsible for providing for a child. Marilyn built her business with
very little money. Some might say that's a detriment. But in Marilyn's case,
as a single mother with an unshakable drive to provide for her daughter,
Marilyn was not deterred. As you'll see, she pulled out all the stops,
finding resources and strength when it seemed like there were none. Marilyn
shows us that even if the whole world thinks that you and your business idea
are crazy, with dogged determination and the incalculable will of a parent
providing for a child, there's practically nothing you can't do. Enjoy!
How did you start your business and what was the inspiration for it?
I had worked in a jail as a corrections officer and sergeant for about 10 years when I had to deal with some tough, depressing, mentally draining circumstances concerning my work environment. It was during this time that I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit to start studying about the plants and oils in the Bible. I remember the days of being so excited and surprised to see so many plants, trees and flowers in the Bible. This was God's way of teaching me His Word in a whole different way and certainly helped me deal with the work situation that had begun to consume me. The name of the business, "Victorie," is to help teach me the true meaning of how we can have Victory in our lives through Jesus Christ. I have found out through the years that this is an ongoing process and does not happen instantaneously. As I am often reminded by the Holy Spirit, it die not look live victory when Jesus was hung on the cross and crucified. Sometimes, when it looks like our world is turned upside down, that is when God does miracles. It is a journey that is never dull and always presents new challenges.
How did your professional background help prepare you for launching your own venture?
I've had several positions: phlebotomist, hobby and craft store employee, clerical worker, collections agent, health and fitness instructor, corrections officer, single mother of two children. I guess you could say that doing everything prepared me to do one thing: my business! In addition, I have always taken classes in college to help me get ahead. I have a strong, natural creative background, along with teaching and technical and quality control skills. I am a good problem solver and negotiator. All of that helps too.
Tell me more about the challenges you faced starting your business?
I started this business as a single mother. As a result, I did not have a lot of time to fiddle around with things. As soon as I started, I began exhibiting at farmer's markets and fairs and these experiences were successful enough to lead to to believe there was a market for my products. Next, I tackled the Internet. Unfortunately, I paid a website designer a lot of money to design my website and then paid more for search engine optimization. Then, I decided to open a retail store. Business was slow and after 4 months, I knew I needed to do something else so I moved with my daughter to Portland, Oregon.
When my website still failed to produce adequate sales, I decided to teach myself how to do it. My website designer discouraged this decision, and told me that it would take a "long, long time to learn site design." But when a mother needs to feed her child, a "long, long time" is no deterrent. For a mother, determination prevails. I met a new friend who was willing to help me and I redesigned my entire website in just two weeks. Having control over my online presence has helped me immensely. I can put things on sale, add new text and products and anything I want to do -- when I want to do it. Later, my friend taught me how to do my own search engine optimization. Once I learned how to do this, business began to turn around.
So you can see, my whole business up tot his point has been trial and error and a whole lot of grace from God Himself. I had no business plan. Just a desire to have my own business and provide for my daughter. It also helped that I was crazy enough to believe I could do it. I have never had a lot of support from my family for my decision to be self-employed.
During the tough years, God allowed me to connect with a handful of ministers and pastors who helped me out along with the way. Each one gave their precious time to counsel me free of charge. They prayed for me, loved me unconditionally and encouraged me to keep going. They even sent me money for rent, food and computer repairs. Without these precious individuals, I would not be where I am today. I am eternally grateful to them.
What are some of the things you did in advance of starting your business that have helped make it successful?
I started out by selling products at local farmer's markets and craft fairs to see if there was any demand for my products.
Who helps your business be successful?
Friends and mentors who have come along over the years have helped me a lot.
How do you market your products?
I started out doing retail in a small town. However, the product line was too specialized to be supported by a single small community. I switched to national distribution through my website and have recently begun to exhibit at trade shows.
What is your niche? What makes Victorie products so special?
Our niche is Biblical, inspirational and spiritual aromatic products. We
offer a lot of information from a Biblical and historical point of view for
our customers. In these trying times, many people are looking for something
to give them hope and encouragement. We aspire to be an inspiration and
share our testimony when the opportunity presents itself. We seem to be "niched"
in this arena on the Internet and by word of mouth through churches
nationwide. I design a variety of product that I believe may sell and then
test market them online to predict demand and potential profitability. I
usually give a product six months to a year before making a final
determination whether to keep it in our line. Some make it and some don't. I
have discovered that the product name, description and graphics used have a
huge impact on sales. As a result, designing new products and packaging is
very important for my business to keep things energized. Lots of trial and
error!
What is your most popular product and why do customers tell you they
like it?
Queen
Esther's Perfume and Anointing Oil is a favorite. People say they love the
scent and the story of Queen Esther in the Bible. Another favorite is our
new Aroma Kiss, a lovely aromatherapy travel stick (pictured). It allows you
to experience aromatherapy on the go, with no mess. You can inhale it or
apply it directly to the skin for aromatherapy benefits. It's great for
reflexologists. Just "touch and go."
What forms of social media do you enjoy using?
I never have the time.
What book have you used that has helped you start your business off on the right foot?
I personally do not spend any time reading "business" books. I spend most of my reading time conducting research about plants and their chemical constituents as well as essential oil safety issues. As a certified aromatherapist, I am always actively researching the chemical profiles of essential oils and trying to determine the errors in the aromatherapy books. Most of them base the therapeutic qualities on available herbal data and that data does not always apply to the oil. Some of my favorite aromatherapy books are The Chemistry of Essential Oils by David Williams, Essential Oils, 1995-2007 by B.M. Lawrence and The Essential Oils (Volume 6) by E. Guenther.
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?
I found the Indie Beauty Network doing an online search years ago. It has been a benefit to my business and I recommend it to others. I love creating new products and launching them to the world!
What other tips do you have for others starting a business?
Test the demand for your product before investing too heavily and learn how to price your products correctly.
What has been your biggest Indie Business challenge so far, and how are you overcoming it?
Understanding my strengths and weaknesses and accepting the fact that I can't do it all. To handle this, I now hire people to help me in the areas I need it most. The other difficult thing has been teaching on the phone for free. I love to teach, but this was taking up so much of my time. My solution was to create an alias for myself. "Marilyn" is only available by appointment now :-) This seems to work.
What are you doing when you're not working in your business?
Watching CSI or spending time with my grandchildren.
What do you think of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008?
I have no problem with it except for the additional paperwork and problems trying to figure out how to classify some of my products. I wish some things were more clear in this arena.
3. Indie Happenings: Connect, collaborate and have fun!
Indie Business Radio Show:
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Faythe Levine, co-author of
Handmade Nation, will be my guest on Indie Business Radio
on Monday, March 23, 2009! This amazing woman is traveling the world sharing the
rise of DIY art, craft and design. The book is fantastic and Faythe will join us
to share how she was inspired to take on the Handmade Nation project, which
includes a fabulous documentary that is screening around the globe. I hope you
will join me for a fun hour with this engaging and very talented woman. Join us
live at 1:00pm EST on Monday, March 23. You can listen to
the show live at my radio show site,
but if you really want to enjoy the action, you'll want to listen and chat at
the same time here. if you want to listen and chat with
other listeners at the same time, then join us
at this chat page. (It's free of
course, but login is required.)
Facebook: Join me at Indie Beauty's new Facebook page!
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 Monday night at 10:00pm EST for an hour of encouragement and uplift at the Indie Cafe (IBN members only!)
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.
