The Indie Experience
January 25, 2010
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 11, Issue 3
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1. "How To" Monday: How To Spruce Up Your
FaceBook Fan Page!
2. Meet Our New and Renewing IBN Members
3. This Week's Indie Business Radio Show:
Replaced By 2010 Social Media Telesummit 2010
4. Featured Article: Lorrie Beach | Canterbury Cabin |
New York
5. Indie and Small Business Resources: Featuring
Wonderful New Indie-Made Products!
6. About dM, the Chief Executive Indie: How Can I Help
You??!
Make It Yourself!: 1 2 3 Dry Skin Mask (this easy recipe keeps getting rave reviews at the site!)
1. "How To" Monday: How To Spruce Up Your FaceBook Fan Page!
Did you know that there are tons of really easy things you can do to spruce up your FaceBook Fan Page? One of them is this great FaceBook Fan Box. See how you can simply click on the spot that says: Become A Fan! Well, when you do that, you become a fan without even visiting the page. Try it!
Don't you want your fans to be able to to that!? I'll be sharing how to do that this week at my blog so be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don't miss it. You have the option of subscribing by RSS feed or via email.
In the meantime, I want you to know how easy it is to add what's called a Reviews Tab to your FaceBook Page. When you set up your FaceBook Page, the Reviews Tab is added automatically. Most people delete it because they're not sure what to do with it. That's a fine option, but the Reviews Tab is a great way to make it easy for your fans to share testimonials about the products and services you offer. Reviews pages are great, but only if they actually display reviews. A Reviews Tab with no reviews doesn't make your business look good so it's important to use the Reviews Tab (ask your raving fans to share their feedback about your offerings at the tab) or delete it altogether.
To see how my Reviews Tab looks, click here.
If you deleted your Reviews Tab because you weren't sure how to use it, here are step-by-step instructions for adding your Reviews Tab back, and how to use it.
1. Log into FaceBook and go to your Fan Page.
2. Choose "Edit Page" under your avatar.
3. Scroll down to "Reviews," then click "Application Settings" underneath it. A window will pop up. To add the Reviews Tab as a tab, click "add" beside "Tab: available." To add the Reviews Box as a box, click "add beside "Box: available". You can add one or the other. You can also add both so your Reviews display as a tab at the top of your Fan Page, and also as a box when people choose "Boxes" from the options at the top. I prefer the tab option because it's front and center!
NOTE: As you know, FaceBook wouldn't be FaceBook if everything worked exactly the same way for everyone. If you don't see your Reviews Tab where I said you would see it, then do this:
1. Choose "Edit Page" under your avatar.
2. If Reviews is not on the list, scroll all the way down to the bottom left of the page and you should see a place where you can see more FaceBook Applications. Click there. That will take you to a page that lists FaceBook Apps. Put "Reviews" in the search bar on the left.
3. You should see "FaceBook Reviews" appear in the list. Choose it and then follow the prompts to activate it on your page.
Once you activate the Reviews option, be sure to ask some people to share feedback. You won't want your fans to click on "Reviews" and see nothing there! It's super easy for your fans too. All they have to do is click "+ Write A Review," then add their review. BONUS: When a fan writes a review, it automatically posts on their profile page!! This means more exposure for you! (After a fan writes a review, be sure to go to the profile page and thank your fan for a rave review!)
To see the discussion from last week's FaceBook Friday, click here. To see my blog post with simple things you can do to spruce up your FaceBook Fan Page, click here.
HOT This Week At Indie Business Blog:
Thanks for allowing me into your email boxes and have a great week!
2. Meet IBN's New and Renewing IBN Members!!
Here is a listing of the new and renewing IBN members!
Website links are included where appropriate. You can see an entire
official
membership directory at our flagship website. You can also meet members
who are active in our social networking site
here!
LotionCrafter | Jen Welch | Washington
IBN Member Since
Dragonfly Dreams | Pamela Guest |
Texas
IBN Member Since aji.
Least Likely 2 Breed | Leigh Stevens | Pennsylvania
Nica Naturals
| Benardett Jno-Finn | Louisiana
Nica Naturals manufactures shea butters, bath salts, soy candles, and other
natural products designed to promote a holistic approach to health, beauty,
wellness, and restoration. Benardett, seeks to create products that enhance
beauty, promote wellness and an appreciation of our natural selves which is
reflected in our company motto: Natural. Beautiful. You.
Lea
3. This Week's Indie Business Radio Show: Replaced By Social Media Telesummit 2010
<
--- Featured photo: Author and 2010 Social Media Telesummit Host, Leesa
Barnes
When Leesa Barnes invited me to be on the faculty of this year's Social Media Telesummit, I jumped at the chance. Even though the best available time slot was right smack in the middle of my weekly radio show.
I've never allowed a speaking opportunity to preempt my show, but after 5 years, an opportunity finally warranted the bump. So, today, there will be no radio show so I can appear at the 2010 Social Media Telesummit. My topic is: "Business Success Through Effective Tribal Leadership: How To Solidify Your Niche, Stake Your Claim and Empower Yourself and Others Through Effective Tribal Leadership." After leading IBN for 10 years, I have a lot to share and of course, I'll be mentioning many of my IBN members specifically during my presentation.
Wish me luck! And if you're not registered to attend the summit, but you're thinking about starting your own podcast, you will enjoy Jamila White's guest interview with Leesa, who is the author of Podcasting For Profit, on my radio show. You can stream or download it here.
Indie Business Radio airs live on Mondays at 1:00pm New York Time. There are two ways to join the live show:
Listen Only: Click here at 1:00pm New York Time 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 New York Time. 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 all of last year's informative, business building shows. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes by searching on Indie Business Radio.
-- Sponsor --
4. Featured Indie: Lorrie Beach | Canterbury Cabin | New York
Lorrie Beach is the 39-year old mother of two daughters who owns Canterbury Cabin in Greene, New York. Lorrie joined IBN in April 2007, but I met her many years before that when she had just started her business and I was teaching a business class at Lutzy's Lather in near Harrisburg, Pa. Lorrie is married and her daughters are ages 16 and 17. She started her business in 2001 after accompanying her mother to a soapmaking class. She originally went just to keep her mother company. In fact, she couldn't figure out why anyone would even want to make their own soap, consider how full the stores are of every variety imaginable. Well, needless to say, it didn't take Lorrie long to eat her words. She was hooked on the creative process, the fragrances, the colors, the chemistry and everything about it. Lorrie knew before she left the class that she was going to start a soapmaking business. Here's more in Lorrie's words.
dM: What was your inspiration to start Canberbury Cabin?
Lorrie: My inspiration for the name Canterbury Cabin...I wanted something that balanced the feel of old-world artisan England with the beauty of nature. Our intent is to merge that feeling with fresh bold fragrances and colors. My children have grown up with the business. They were 8 and 9 year-old little girls when Canterbury Cabin started in 2001, their little arms struggling to lift just one box of soap at craft shows. They are now 16 and 17 year-old young ladies who can design fragrances and color combinations, label/shrink wrap/heat gun any product, calculate sales tax in their heads, understand inventory systems, understand the importance of customer perception down to product placement on a shelf, and can answer a myriad of questions on soap and candlemaking. We have grown this business together and have created many remember when moments.
A couple of regrets I have is probably not investing earlier in time-saving equipment, and not investing more time in learning new technology, not attending a Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference sooner (why did I wait so long?) and not allowing myself to think outside the box. I now know that the perfect soap swirl is the one YOU create, make it your own style and just go for it.
dM: Do you have a formal
business plan?
Lorrie: I do not have what most people would consider a formal business plan. However, from the beginning I have approached my business as one big, never-ending research & development project. I guess I think of the process as Research -> Goals -> more research -> To-Do Lists or Action Plans to reach the goals -> Re-assess (am I accomplishing my goals, is my goal still the correct goal, does it need to be modified or do I just need to push harder to meet the goal) -> once the goal is accomplished, reassess/research to improve it because it should never be good enough. Although it is not a formal business plan per se , it is documented (in various Post-It Notes, Notebooks, electronic files, etc) and it is measurable and it keeps me focused, but allows me to be flexible or adaptable if necessary.
dM: What's your niche?
Lorrie:
It's hard to say exactly what it is, it is more of an
experience that I want to create for the customer. I love fresh bold colors,
especially swirled designs, I love fragrances, and I am constantly trying to
find a new twist on a scent blend. I love botanical ingredients and of
course I love lather. I want to convey that feeling to my customers in the
soap designs, colors and fragrances. I want customers to pick up that bar of
soap because it looks amazing, buy it initially because it smells
out-of-this-world & they can’t find that fragrance blend anywhere else, and
come back for more soap because they loved the way it performed. Now that is
a happy customer.
dM: How do you market your products?
Lorrie: Canterbury Cabin products are marketed through craft shows throughout New York State. We try to build up small pockets of customer bases throughout the state to build a following for our products. We also have a website canterburycabin.com that we sell our products through. We utilize Yellow Book Pages and Yellow Book Online subscriptions to establish our local and regional business credibility, and on Twitter to expose our business to a wider national audience. We try to keep the Tweets relevant to our products and business while attempting to infuse our business personality. I believe that consistent and relevant Tweets are the best for a business Tweeter. We are also members of important networking and industry trade groups like Indie Beauty Network, Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, and our local Chamber of Commerce.
dM: What's new and exciting with your business these days?
Lorrie: In January, we launched a logo design project for Canterbury Cabin using an online graphics design community of thousands of graphic artists. We drafted and posted our logo specs and set a price and graphics artists just start submitting designs. The project is only 7 days in duration, we are on day 5 and already have more than 80 entries. It is an exciting process but tough to communicate what you want in a logo. I am finding it is important to be specific in the design specs about what you want and what you do not want, provide constant and specific feedback to designers so they can develop their designs to bring them closer in line with your vision, and also letting them float their own ideas. If you are creative in your own right, then this may not be a path you’d want to follow. But for me, my creativity starts and ends with soap, so I needed the fresh outlook and myriad of ideas for logos.
dM: How do you use social media in your business?
Lorrie: I am fairly new to social media and a little technically challenged, but am trying to make strides in that area. This past year my social media accomplishments are as follows: I learned how to text on my cell phone in May 2009 (yeah, do not laugh. I am a late starter, but now just try to stop me from texting); created a Twitter account and keep it active with Tweets; I learned the basics of using TweetDeck in January of 2010. I also have a FaceBook account but have not had a chance to figure it out yet. Of all the social media, I typically use Twitter, even to the extent that my two teenage daughters tell me that they are embarrassed when their friends ask what their Mom is doing on her cell phone, my daughters just shake their head and sigh and tell them that she is Tweeting again.
dM:
What is your best selling product and why?
Lorrie: Mandarin Tiki Soap (pictured upper left with other of our soaps) has been the number one seller since I put it in the lineup in Spring 2009. It was actually my daughter, Mara's, idea. She wanted something uber citrus fresh with lots of oatmeal, so I came up with Mandarin Tiki. Everyone who smells it goes 'oh my!'
Our top selling soaps are: Mandarin Tiki, Almond
Honey Oatmeal, Milk & Mint, Cinnamon Cedarwood, Spice Pumpkin, Spice Apple,
and Lilac Blossom. We sell more goat milk soap than soy candles, but the
candles are a close second. We really have two groups of customers:
there's the soap/lotion/lip balm people and then there's the candle people.
Who helps your business be successful?
Lorrie: Amazing suppliers and business resources are key to our business success, but Canterbury Cabin would not be able to function without my family. My husband has become a labeler extraordinaire and he can shrink wrap and wield a heat gun like no one else can. My 17 year old daughter has an amazing nose for scents, in fact she will be majoring in Chemistry next year at college and hopes to eventually get a Masters Degree specializing in Fragrance. My 16 year old daughter has an amazing eye for color. My mother is my chief cheerleader and she is a fabulous sales person at craft shows.
dM: What are the best things about being a small and independent business owner?
Lorrie: One of the best things about being an independent business owner is being able to take a vision and translate it into a growing company. My goal someday is to be able to work on my company full time, but I am not a risk-taker so that probably will not happen until the kids are finished with college.
dM: How did you discover the Indie Beauty Network and what do you think of your membership?
Lorrie: I don’t remember how I discovered the Indie Beauty Network, but I think I have been a part of it for many years. I remember attending a Branding/Trademarking/ Business session with dM in Pennsylvania many years ago. I do enjoy my Indie Beauty Network membership because it gives me access to great business and industry resources, information on media leads, and Products Liability Insurance, Indie Beauty Network members also receive the benefits of getting the latest information on new or potential regulations affecting our industry. I would never be without my Indie Beauty Network membership.
dM: What tips can you offer other small business owners to help them be successful?
Lorrie: 1) Make sure to take into account all your costs when setting your price. That includes your time and overhead. It is hard to raise prices once customers get used to your prices so do not low-ball yourself; you would also have no room to move for wholesale prices. 2) Be yourself. That applies to your products and your company image, do not try to be like everyone else. Otherwise you’ll just blend into the crowd. Everyone has their own style, let your uniqueness show in your products and business image. 3) Join trade groups and associations within your industry and outside your industry.
dM: What book have you read that has encouraged you in your business?
Lorrie: My favorite recently read business book is Chocolate on the Pillow Aren’t Enough by Jonathan M Tisch. It talks about going beyond offering a good product or useful service by establishing customer connections and by creating a unique and memorable customer experience. The author mentions that Great companies are defined by their discipline and their understanding of who they are and who they are not. But also, great companies must have the courage to examine strategic opportunities that are transformational, as long as they are not inconsistent with the guiding principles and values of the core business.
dM: What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a small business owners, and how did you overcome it?
Lorrie: My biggest challenge has been trying to establish and grow the Canterbury Cabin business while continuing to work full time for an employer, and balance that with family. Growing a business requires much personal time. Face it, we small business owners research fragrances, develop product lines, manufacture the products, we are also the packaging/shipping department, bookkeeping, marketing, and so on. Time is not only money, but time is sanity. To keep me and my family sane while trying to balance, I have found that investing in equipment and tools that increase efficiency are essential. The less time it takes me to accomplish a task, the more time I have to do other things on the To-Do list or spend more time with family.
dM: How, if at all, has the current economy affected your business?
Lorrie: The current economy has not affected our business in a negative way. In fact, 2009 was our highest sales year ever. We saw a 33% increase in our sales. A sluggish economy can be a great time to start or expand a business, especially if you do not run any long term debt with it. Suppliers and other services companies are offering great deals, some companies are going out of business and you can find upgraded equipment and tools at discounted prices, which helps your bottom line if you are poised to take advantage of it.
dM: What are you doing when you're not working in your business?
Lorrie: When I am not working in my business, which is very rarely, I kind of sound like a throw-back to another century. Here are some things I really enjoy doing:
- Spin luxury fiber (alpaca, merino, angora, camel, mohair, cashmere) into
yarn. Of course I love colorful fibers. One of my favorite activities is
attending the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY in
October.
- I love to knit, my grandmother taught me when I was 14. I learned how to
knit socks in September just because I always wanted to.
- I demonstrate hand-dipped taper candles at the New York State fair in the
Agricultural Museum, all whilst wearing colonial-period dress.
- Love to cook and bake, always looking for a new recipe to try. Love love
love Paula Deen!
- Novice gardener. I make homemade strawberry jam with the strawberries from
our garden every year. I also can or freeze vegetables from our garden plot,
- Love Americana, period-style architecture, 18th or 19th century home
interiors, wrought iron, punched tin, pewter, lanterns.
- Avid reader in the following categories: business, cooking, historical,
quilting, sewing, knitting, culinary mysteries.
What are your sales like?
Lorrie: We saw a 33% increase in our 2009 sales and we are very excited about that!
How to connect with Lorrie:
Website
http://www.canterburycabin.com
Twitter
http://twitter.com/canterburycabin
5. Indie and Small Business Resources: Give 'N Take @ Our Social Networking Site!
<--
Featured photo: our home page screen shot, featuring the pretty smile of this
week's Featured member, Karrie Welch of Fortunate Face Minerals in Westfield,
Ma!Valentine's Day is coming! Here are some fantastic new offerings from IBN members! You know you want it all!
Taylor Made Organics Whipped Body Souffle: organic shea, coconut and more
JoAnne Bassett Love Inspire Dream Gift Boxes: natural fragrance box collections
La Isha Orange Coconut Face Polish: gentle sugar crystals
Cactus and Ivy Valentine's Day Goodness: Chocolate Strawberry Body Suffle and Red Hot Chai Tea Body Rub
The Bead Dreamer's Fern Necklace: fresh water pearls and crystal in amber and olive tones
Hothouse Botanicals Chocolate Almond Truffle Body Butter: with organic Sapote fruit oil and cocoa absolute!
6. About dM, the Chief Executive Indie: How Can I Help You??!
I
would love to speak at your next women's group or conference gathering??
Donna Maria Coles Johnson, the Chief Executive Indie, helps small and independent businesses owners, combine smart sales and marketing strategies with integrated, branded digital media tools to create relationships, expand their sphere of influence and increase sales. Through her blogs 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!!
See you next week! In the meantime,
Enjoy your life, build your business and have your way!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Indie Experience Newsletter
www.IndieBusinessBlog.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2009 by 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.
