The Indie Experience
August 10, 2009
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 10, Issue 16
To subscribe, click here
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1. Notes and Highlights From dM, the Chief Executive
Indie
2. Where's dM?: Seminars and Events With dM
3. Today's Indie Business Radio Show:
Get Your "Whuffie" On!
4. Featured Indie Beauty Network Member: Nikki Rodriguez
:: Augisa Organics :: North Carolina
5. Indie and Small Business Resources
6. About dM, the Chief Executive Indie
Make It Yourself!: Honey Yogurt Mask
1. Notes and Highlights From dM, the Chief Executive Indie
The
longer I own and manage a business and a home at the same time, the more I
am persuaded that the difference between failure
and success is equal to the difference between the amount of time I am focused on achieving specific goals and the amount of time
I am
distracted from that focus.
Simply sitting down with a sheet of paper before going to bed and writing down the top 5 things you will accomplish the next day can ensure that all 5 of those things are done by the time you are ready for bed the next night. When I do this simple thing, and wake up in the morning ready to cross off the first thing on the list before anyone else gets out of bed, I feel empowered, and I know it will be a great day.
Another thing I have started to do is use the stopwatch on my iPhone to keep track of how much time it takes me to accomplish certain tasks. For example, I give myself 20 minutes or so each weekday morning to read and share blogs at my Google Reader page. When 18 minutes are up, I Tweet the shared items with a link (here's an example) to my friends on Twitter so they can see what I'm reading and what my thoughts are about it. Then I reset the timer for 10 minutes and move to the next thing on the list, identifying and sharing a featured Indie Beauty Network member for the day. (Example)
In 30 minutes, I've accomplished two things that are critical to my daily success, and it's often done before my family gets out of the bed.
In their new book, Refocus: Cutting Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business, Ron and Tasra Dawson (they are autographing a copy of their book for me and my videographer husband in this photo!) share tips for professional photographers and videographers to remain focused on their business goals. I enjoyed reading the book even though I don't have a videography business. Many of the tips they share are transferrable to any kind of business, large or small.
Last week, the Indie Beauty Business coaching was The Indie Business Trifecta: 3 Habits that Lead to Success in Life and Business. Indie Beauty Network members, if you missed that session, members will be able to listen to the audio stream shortly. This week, to follow up on that introductory overview, we will revisit some of the things discussed there (leadership, technology and collaboration), and then move onto cover the importance of focusing on specific goals. We'll discuss how accomplishing even the smallest things builds upon your leadership skill set and sets you and your business up for long term success.
2. Where's dM?: Seminars and Events With dM
<
--- Featured
photo: Me and Group Coaching expert WendyY Bailey of Group Mastery Coaching.
I met WendyY on Twitter last year and we hit if off immediately. Earlier this year, when I spoke at the Morehouse Entrepreneurship Conference in Atlanta, I just knew I had to make it my business to check her out in person. So, after my day of speaking, WendyY treated me to dinner at one of Atlanta's best known soul food restaurants. It was delicious and I felt like I was chatting with an old friend. WendyY and I did not get to connect at last month's Indie Business Revolution, but I hope we'll be able to make it happen again. You can look at some of the fun that WendyY missed from the Atlanta event at the Indie Business Facebook Fan Page!
Today's Indie Business Radio: My guest will be Tara Hunt, author of "The Whuffie Factor," on August 10 at 1:00pm EST. Click here for information.
Coffee Tweetup: 8/12/09 at 7:00AM. This is an early morning event to celebrate the grand opening of The Coffee Table in South Charlotte. If you live in the Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel areas of South Charlotte, why not join us? Here's a link to one of my blog posts with a video, the address and more information.
The Focus Factor: 8/13/09 at Noon EST (Please note that the session is free for members of the Indie Beauty Network.) Click here for information. (For Indie Beauty Network members only!)
dM on "Coach In The Moment With Christine Laureano": 8/19/09 at noon EST. Christine will help me share the story of how I merged my work and life missions to create a cohesive whole (Christine calls this a "soul purpose life" that fulfills me both personally and professionally. Click here for information. For a quick snapshot of all things Indie, visit the Indie Business Twitter stream at this link.
dM on "Small Biz Chat": 9/30/09 at 8:00pm EST. Along with my husband, I will be sharing on this Twitter chat some of our experiences working in a business together at the same time as we run our home and raise our children. It has some really incredible advantages, but for us, it has not been easy. We look forward to helping other couples who may be wishing to work together both in life and in business. You know me, I plan to tell it like it is! In the meantime, if this topic interests you, you may enjoy this blog post: Making Love and Money: Before You Work With Your Spouse.
3. Today's Indie Business Radio Show: Get Your "Whuffie" On!
Tara
Hunt, author of "The Whuffie Factor," says that
without "whuffie," just about anything you say online is seen as spam, and
once that happens, you have negative reactions and loss of capital. Of
course, no Indie wants that to happen, right? That's why I thought it was
important to have Tara on my show. She's going to share how we can get our "whuffie"
on, and capitalize on it as the new social capital of the universe!
Indie Business Radio airs live every Monday at 1:00pm EST. There are two ways to join the live show:
Listen Only: Click here at 1:00pm EST and follow the instructions to choose your audio player.
Listen and Chat: Once you activate your audio player (above), you can join us for the accompanying live chat on Savorchat at 1:00pm EST. Just click the link, sign in using your Twitter or FaceBook account, and you can join us live!
Visit the Indie Business Radio Show 2009 Archives to enjoy past shows. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes by searching on Indie Business Radio.
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4. Featured Indie Beauty Network Member: Nikki Rodriguez :: Augisa Organics :: North Carolina
I
first met Nikki a few years ago, right after we had both moved to Charlotte
to escape the big city. Nikki followed her heart to Charlotte after meeting
her now husband on the Internet and I followed my research to a better
school system and a lower cost of living for my children. You can watch a
mini-news segment I created on Nikki and her company,
Augisa Organics, back in
2007
at this link at our social networking site.
Here we are two years later, and Nikki has accomplished so many of the goals she spoke about when we met in 2007. I believe that one of the best ways we all learn is by doing what we see other people do to be successful. That's why, before you read this feature, I invited you to be sure to first watch the video so you can get some of the background that has led to where Nikki is today.
dM: When did you start your business and what is the inspiration for it?
The inspiration for my business is my children and my desire to provide affordable organic body care products for the masses. My children are named August, Giovanna and Isabella. They are pictured here in order of the way their name appear in the business name: Au-Gi-Sa. (Those are my products on the shelf just beside August's left ear.)
When I was living in New York, I was enjoying being a stay-at-home mom. My then-husband was the bread winner but when we split up after our third child was just 5 months old, I was suddenly on my own. I had to get out and start working and take care of my kids, and that was tough. But I still always dreams of the say when I could start a business of my own.
Like many people who are looking to connect with new people, I began enjoying using the Internet to hook up with other like-minded people. I met lots of men and women, but one stood out above the rest. His name was Devrin and we hit it off immediately. After 5 months of online "dating," I packed up my kids, moved out of the big city and drove to North Carolina to be with Devrin. Sounds crazy, I know. But I felt in my heart it was the right thing to do. And it was.
After I arrived in North Carolina, I immediately began working to make my business ownership dreams a reality. I connected with the Indie Beauty Network and started learning and sharing. I also procured their affordable products liability insurance. I made and sold product and home schooled my children while Devrin worked a full-time job and maintained the website and helped me wherever he could. I enjoyed selling directly to customers online, but my dreams also included a nationwide presence. I knew that I had to work toward getting my products on retail store shelves in order to grow.
Today, a lot has changed. Our products are sold on the website, but they are
also sold in dozens of natural retail outlets throughout the southeastern
United States.
dM: What did you do in the early days to set yourself up to appeal to retailers?
Nikki: The first thing we started doing was vending at exhibits, women's fairs, craft festivals (like the Art & Soul Festival) and other places where large numbers of people congregated to have fun and find out about niche products like ours. We were making lots of sales and enjoying the process. While I knew I wanted more, our strategy was working because the word was spreading about our products. We often met naturopathic practitioners as the events we attended and some of them began carrying our products in their offices.
While all that was fine and good, we really got a kick in the pants to expand when Devrin was laid off from his job in June 2007. At that point, not only were we stuck with a small cosmetics business and 5 mouths to feed, but we also knew that it was a critical time in terms of the future direction of the business. We both knew that, on order to expand, Devrin would have to play a larger role in the business and so the job loss was almost like perfect timing.
We needed volume, so rather than Devrin looking for a job, he transformed himself into a sales representation. I took care of the kids, home schooled them and made products all day while he went out and found stores that would buy them wholesale. We started with local natural food stores. The first one we got into was Berrybrook Farm Natrual Food Pantry, a small, local community store outside Charlotte, in June 2007. It took about 5 months from start to finish to get our products in the store. We are customers so that helped. We just kept going back with samples until they purchased some. We were ecstatic and we knew in our hearts that it was only the beginning. We knew that once we got our products into Berrybrook, if they moved, we could use that experience to get into larger stores.
Berrybrook customers loved our products so they kept buying more, so we set our sites on Home Economist, a small chain with 3 stores in the Charlotte area. That process took much longer and more strategic planning. The owner of Home Economist was a hard nut to crack. Every time we went in to see him, he would nod and tell us that he was interested, and then we'd never hear from him again. But we just kept going back every few months and we kind of became friendly with him.
While we were chasing down Home Economist, we continued to do fairs and shows and pursue smaller retailers and natural practitioners with some success. One day, we were at a natural health fare selling our products with a naturopathic physician and the owner of Home Economist stopped by the booth because he knew the physician. He was impressed! Suddenly, we were the "chasees" instead of the "chasers," and he couldn't wait to get our products in his store. He made his first order for his 3 stores back in May 2008 and we've not looked back since.
dM: How did you use those early retail experiences to expand to where you are today, a year later?
Nikki: We have systematically used the sales reports from each new retailer to woo another one. That's what it boils down to. We started with Berrybrook and we used the sales reports there and other small locations and fairs to get into the Home Economist chain. We used the reports from Home Economist and set our sites on Earth Fare, the natural retail prize of the southeastern United States.
We pursued Earth Fare for a year and as of today, our line is sold is all 17 of their stores throughout the southeast, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee .
dM: What's new and exciting with your business?
Nikki: the Earth Fare news is fantastic. More new news includes the fact that our products are now vegan. At first, we were using honey and beeswax in some products, but we slowly began to notice more and more people asking buyers for vegan products. Earlier this year, we removed the honey entirely and replaced the beeswax with soy wax. This gives us a completely different marketing advantage. Also, our products contain only certified organic essential oils and certified organic flavor oils for the scents.
dM: What types of products do you have in your line?
Nikkie: sugar scrubs, lotions and butters in the bodycare line. We hve hair pomades and we also have a lotion that's a hair *and* body lotion. We also offer a baby line and products for pregnant bellies too.
dM: Where do you get the names for your products, like "Souls Collide" and "Chance Meeting?"
Nikki: Most of the product names are inspired my my relationships with my husband. Our story is so unusual, meeting online and moving in together after only a few months. We decided to use names that gave that story life. Since we are a husband and wife team, it's a fun way to sell our products.
dM: What is one of your best selling product and why does it sell so well?
Nikki: Costa Del Sol Lotion sells well I think because it reminds people of tropical delights. It's a sunny scented products that makes people feel happy on a rainy day.
dM:: What is it like to work without spouse?
Nikki: Hmmmm. Well, it's a delicate balance. In our case, we gave ourselves 3 months after Devrin was laid off to see whether we could do this together. If it didn't seem to be working after 3 months, he would just opt for a traditional job.
My advice to women who have a very small business and then find that their spouse has been laid off is to first, sit down, take a deep breath and don't freak out. Be realistic and ask questions before inviting your spouse to join you in your business. Can this business, if successful, really support the whole family? Are we filling a legitimate long term consumer need? Do my spouse and I have enough in common in terms of professional goals to work together successfully? Do our personalities and skill sets complement one another? Can we outsource what the two of us cannot do?
In my case, Devrin and I looked at our prior professional experiences and simply divided up the tasks. We gave ourselves 3 months, and when the end of that time came, we had gotten our products into 6 stores. At that point, we knew it was something we could grow and nurture. We knew that we could create a life that allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom and pursue my dream of business success as an outgrowth of my passion. Devin's professional background was in engineering sales and we knew that serving as the head of sales would suit his outgoing personality.
<
--
That's Nikki next to her products on the Earth Fare shelves. Aren't they
(and isn't she) beautiful?!)
dM: What tips can you offer other home-based business
owners?
Nikki: Dress to be productive. Even if I am going to be home all day or in the manufacturing facility for hours, I always dress the part. This helps me maintain an, "I am working" mindset. When I don't dress the part, I end up in sweats all day doing laundry, watching CNN and cleaning bathrooms.
dM: What is your typical workday like?
Nikki: First, let me say it's not work. I am always busy, but I love what I do so it's not work to me. My day starts 6:30. I get up that early so I can be ahead of the game for my children. I help them get ready for the day and then my workday starts around 9:00. I am usually formulating, researching and manufacturing most of the day while Devrin is out making sales calls. I take breaks throughout the day for meetings or to spend time with my children. Things will change when the school year starts. It's always a work in progress. I usually go to bed around 1:00am. As you can see, I usually get about 5 hours of sleep a night. Thank God I don't need a lot of sleep!
dM: What are the things you did to get your products into a major retail chain in a year's time?
Nikki: We worked our tails off and we were smart enough to start in our own back yard. We would find out that an Earth Fare buyer was at a location until noon and then, we'd rush over to meet her. We'd get there before noon and there'd be someone there to tell us that she had just left. This happened over and over and over again. We felt like they were avoiding us but we didn't care. If that's what they were doing, we figured everyone else chasing them would give up. We didn't care if we were the last ones standing. We did what we had to to.
In addition to having a good product and professional packaging, the most important thing we did was network.
I cannot tell you how many networking events I went to where I just stood there and met people. When I met people who knew about retail, I absorbed everything they said like a sponge, came home and shared it with Devrin and we put everything we learned into action right away.
We asked a lot of questions. Often times, the people we were asking didn't know that we were pumping them for information about a business. For example, if we were at a networking event and the owner of a retail store was there, I'd tell them I was fascinated in their work and ask them to tell me about what they did. People love to talk about themselves so I just let them go. Little did they know I was writing it all down in my head.
Another thing we did was go places where we knew the owners of the stores we wanted to get into would be. Local chamber meetings, political events, etc. It didn't matter. If a target was going to be there, we'd try to be there to. Then, we'd try to meet them and look for an opportunity to be at the right place at the right time.
Networking works. It's the most valuable thing you can do for your business. When we met a connection we thought would be helpful, we maintained the connections. In a town like Charlotee, you will eventually start connecting the dots in the natural products arena. Networking sharpened our instincts. Now we know that we can do this in any city we want to. It's the same thing over and over again.
dM: Was it difficult to get into Earth Fare?
Nikki: Once we knew what we were doing, it wasn't difficult. But the learning curve is steep. For example, we spent several months giving Earth Fare buyers small samples of our products. They never told us that they needed full sizes so when we didn't hear back from them, we figured they weren't interested. When we learned that we had to invest in giving away full sizes, we got our foot in the door. It makes sense that a retailer needs a full size product. Otherwise, how will they be able to know in advance how it will look on their store shelf?
Another tip: We also learned a lot about how large retail chains operate in terms of their store circulars. We have a friend who sells a nutritional supplement. In order for her to be included in Earth Fare's store circular, she has to pay $1,500 a quarter. (The fee includes some online promotions as well.) That's a lot of money for a small business, but it works so she does it every quarter for the extra exposure. It helps move her products. Earth Fare wants here to also offer product discounts and coupons. That's very hard to do when you're small because it cuts into an already slim profit margin.
Another tip: We also found out that we had to come to Earth Fare armed with "movement reports" to show that our products moved on smaller retail store shelves. Once they knew the products old elsewhere, they were more wiling to take a risk on us. By the way, retailers don't care about how much you sell at your website. That doesn't count to them. They want to know how much product moves from a store shelf, where a consumer can see, touch, sample, smell and feel it.
Another tip: Also, I advise that, if you really want to expand into retail, don't wait until you're ready to start doing the work. You have to start before your products are ready for prime time. Lay the groundwork in advance, then when you're products are ready, you'll be ready too -- to take advantage of the opportunities that will come if you don't give up.
Another tip: Also, be ready to offer training for retailer employees. Earth Fare and other retailers expect us to participate in periodic in-store events so we can train staff on our products and show consumers how to use them. And don't expect to get prime shelf space. You have to work for that by asking for it and being more helpful than everyone else who is asking for it. If your products move, and you show a commitment to helping them move, you are more likely to get the best shelf positions.
dM: What's on the horizon for Augisa?
Nikki: Our next targets include Peachtree of Georgia, a Georgia-based retailer with approximately 8 stores statewide. We are also targeting Fresh Market, with 152 stores nationwide. We chased them for a while and finally got a meeting. Now, they are evaluating our products.
dM: What do you think are the best things about being Indie?
Nikki: The freedom. Freedom to take a Monday off. Freedom to be home with my children when they are sick. I don't have to worry about getting permission to travel and do business at the same time.
dM: What has been your biggest business challenge and how did you overcome it?
Nikki: Working with my husband is a challenge. For example, if you hire an assistant and he doesn't do what you ask him to do, you just fix the problem by reminding him of what you asked him to do. Then, he either does it or he loses his job. It's not like that when you work with your spouse. You get what you get and sometimes, if you hold people accountable, well, you know. It's taken personally.
But make no mistake about it, I love working with my husband. He's really good at what he does. We just have to work through a few more issues than the next person.
dM: Who helps your business be successful?
Nikki: Of course Devrin, who spends a lot of time on the road selling sugar scrub. That's something he never thought he'd be doing! We also share an office coordinator, and a lab assistant who helps me manufacture products. We use some incredible manufacturing software called Soap works, which helps me manage costs and manufacturing processes. (This software is available from Soap Equipment, one of IBN's sponsors.)
dM: What are you doing when you're not working in your business?
Nikki: Playing with my children, crocheting. I love to crochet.
(dM: Nikki offered some great tips on how to sell your products to retail stores. If you would like to learn more, you may wish to join the new "How To Sell Your Products To Retailers" Group at our social networking site.)
How to connect with Nikki:
E-Commerce
http://www.augisa.com
(or call 877) 284-4728
Indie Beauty Social
http://www.indiebeauty.com/profile/IBNMemberNikkiRodriguez
Twitter
http://twitter.com/AugisaCoOrganic
5. Indie and Small Business Resources
<
-- Featured Photo: me and my friend, blogging mentor and author Tasra Dawson.
Connect with me and other Indies wherever it's convenient for you:
Indie Business FaceBook Fan Page
http://www.facebook.com/indiebusinessfans (Just so you know, this Fan
Page is not about me. Instead, it's about you and as it grows, I plan to use
it to connect small and independent business owners from all walks of life
and across all states and even nations. I'm not sure how that's going to
work, but I have a plan or two up my sleeve. There is power in the
connections, energy in the collaboration and inspiration in just being
together. I hope you'll join me there are we grow and create a fun way to
spur each other on to higher heights!)
My Google Reader Shared Items
(this link goes to the items I share through Google Reader,
including business, social media and IBN member blog updates! I love
starting each day by sharing my take on some fun, informative and
entertaining blogs and news stories.)
6. About dM, the Chief Executive Indie
<--
Featured Photo: That's me and my husband (to my left), and our friends and authors Ron
and Tasra Dawson.
I met Tasra online several years ago and she ended up coaching me into the blogosphere. I had already launched a blog in 2005 and a year later, I felt it was an unmitigated disaster. Tasra helped me get my blogging legs under me and today, I help other people plan, launch and maintain the blogs they need to share their passions and business offerings with the world. We spent this past weekend with Ron and Tasra, in part to give some physical substantiation to our online friendship and in part to celebrate the publication of their new book Refocus: Cutting Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business.
How can I help your group or conference gathering?!!
Donna Maria Coles Johnson, the Chief Executive Indie, helps small and independent business combine smart sales and marketing strategies with new media to create relationships and expand their sphere of influence. Through her blog and weekly radio show, dM delivers helpful and entertaining content that inspires, encourages and informs small business owners worldwide. Known for her innovative yet friendly style, dM's expertise has been showcased in Entrepreneur, Global Cosmetics Industry, Working Mother, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio, ABC World News This Morning, WUSA-TV9 (CBS Washington, DC affiliate), Ebony and a host of other regional and national media outlets.
Whether the topic is integrating career and family, leadership, small business ownership or new technologies, dM has a life-changing presentation for you and your audience. Contact dM today at donnamaria @ indiebeautynetwork.com to discover how she can contribute to your unforgettable conference or gathering event.
If this issue of The Indie Experience has been useful to you, please feel free to hit the Forward key and share it with a friend, or you can link directly via URL to this issue here.
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 Social 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.
