The Indie Business Experience
February 22, 2010
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 11, Issue 6
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Indie Business Roll Call!: If you are present and accounted for to start a new week of service, success and profitability, click here to check in at our FaceBook Page!
1. "How To" Monday: How To Win Some Free
Handmade Stuff From Morocco!!
2. Meet Our New and Renewing IBN Members
3. This Week's Indie Business Radio Show:
Hank Moore on building your "Business Tree"
4. Featured Article: Liana Spiegel :: Marmalade Hills
:: Michigan
5. Indie and Small Business Resources:
Encouragement, Inspiration and More!
6. About dM, the Chief Executive Indie: How Can I Help
You??!
Make It Yourself: All Purpose Salve With Lanolin
1. "How To" Monday: How To Win Some Free Handmade Stuff From Morocco!!
See
those slippers? They are handmade blah blah.
Would you like to enter to win a pair in the color of your choice, along with a set of beautiful handmade tea glasses?
Well, you can! All you have to do is enjoy the wonderful story of how Lela started From Morocco, With Love (and get some tips for starting your own non-profit someday), and follow the easy instructions to share the opportunity with your friends.
HOT This Week At Indie Business Blog:
1.
See Who Was At Last Week's Indie Business Roll Call
2.
The Snuggle Factor (or how my son broke my heart this weekend)
3.
Interview With Lela Barker (and enter to win some free stuff!)
4. How to Turn Unused Space Into a Video Set: this is a
series of video posts designed to empower you to start putting the power of
video to work for your business. So far, we've done three segments. The
first is an introductory overview. The
second and
third show you step-by-step how we're moving forward. (Be sure to check
the comments on the third post for even more tips from a commenter who is a
professional videographer.)
5. Me and My Best Girl (or why I'm glad I quit my job!)
6.
Great Readers Are Great Business Leaders
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!
If it's time to renew your membership, click here! To join and start putting IBN to work for you today, click here!
Nidasii
| Nicole Perkins | New York
IBN Member Since February 2006
Nidasii is a line of bath and body products made lovingly with natures
finest ingredients. Our products contain creamy butters, nut oils and rich
blends of essential oils. At Nidasii we believe natural beauty is for every
body.
Scrubz
Body Scrub | Roberta Perry | New York
IBN Member Since October 2008
Scrubz All Natural Sugar Body Scrub is four body care products in one! It is
a Body Cleanser/Scrub, Facial Scrub, Preshave/Shaving Oil and a Moisturizer!
We blend pure cane sugar with 9 natural oils, then use a mixture of
essential and fragrance oils to create 20+ scents! We use no alcohol,
artificial preservatives or color so it is safe for daily use on body and
face! We're Softening The World One Jar At A Time.
Soap Dance
| Patricia Ehaney | Wisconsin
IBN Member Since October 2008
Soap Dance is a natural body care company located in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Founded in 2000, we specialize in natural, homemade soaps. We also create
other body care items including lotions, creams, fragrance mists, lip
butters and glycerin soaps. Our products can be found at local retailers
throughout the Northeastern Wisconsin area, my retail store, various
national outlets and at our local, seasonal farm market.
Muddy H20
Etc. | Gabriela Ylonen | Washington
IBN Member Since February 2009
Muddy H2O natural skin and body care products are manufactured by hand:
*Chocolate, French Clay and Matcha green tea face masks. *Pit Powder natural
deodorant. Sweat without the stink!
Good Fortune |
Jennifer Jack | Tennessee
Good Fortune offers superior natural skin care products for real people with
real needs. We handcraft everything locally with a positive spirit and
believe in a better way of life. We support clean living, living simply,
living responsibly, and caring for each other and our beautiful earth.
Together we can help change the world: one mind, body, and spirit at a time!
By Regina Gale | Regina Dozier | California
By Regina Gale offers an exquisite line of beautiful perfumes and make-up
handcrafted and very special because each product has a story behind it's
inception. It's all from love.
Greenridge
Organics | Colleen Miller | Florida
Beauty products to feed your skin, naturally with organic whole ingredients.
Our holistic, aromatherapeutic approach towards skincare combined with our
dedication to organic and raw, living food ingredients sets us apart. We
specialize in organic face creams, serums, eye treatments, complexion soaps,
body treatments, and soy candles, all handcrafted by a certified herbalist.
Vegan & vegetarian friendly.
Judith & Regina | Regina Abel | Pennsylvania
Judith & Regina LLC. is a skin care line that incorporates natural products
with the benefits of essential oils.
Kohana | Christie Wanlass | California
The lush tropical beauty of the Hawaiian islands is the inspiration for the
luxurious natural and organic bath and beauty products created by Kohana.
Exotic butters and extraordinary ingredients such as organic coconut oil,
rich Kona coffee and green papaya enzymes have been incorporated to beautify
the skin. Rare flower extracts like jasmine and ginger essential oil are
among the fragrant scents evoking the atmosphere of the Hawaiian islands.
Connect with nature, and experience Kohana skin.
The Bath Place |
Kimberly Thigpen | North Carolina
The Bath Place is a family owned and operated company born out of a desire
to provide safer, healthier products for our family. It is our belief that
daily hygiene should leave you simply fresh, confident and clean without the
use of excessive chemicals. Our products are handmade with simple
ingredients that are good for your skin. Our products are produced in small
quality controlled batches - hand cut, poured, whipped, stirred and packaged
with care.
Bumble Bee Studio
| Julie Diers | Virginia
Featuring natural artisan luxuries for the bath, body & home to soothe the
skin, mind & spirit. Each handcrafted, herbal infused product is formulated
with nature's finest plant & fruit oils and butters, pure essential oils and
fresh botanicals. Be good to yourself...be good to your skin & to your
senses.
Shadow Lights
Minnesota | Kimberly Hinnenkamp | Minnesota
Home made soy candles and candles accessories.
Cherry City Bath Company | Amy Kunz | Oregon
Cherry City offers luxury vegan and paraben free bath and body products in
hundreds of scents. Whether you are looking for Tahitian Black Tea,
Buttercream Frosting or, White Tea & Rose, you are sure to find something
delicious in the City!
Createology Creations | Sylvia Johnson | Michigan
Candles and natural body care products.
Soy Light Candle Co.
| Nichole Babinec | Ohio
We are a family run business that makes the yummiest smelling soy candles
and tarts. We also sell tart burners. All of our products go through a ton
of testing before being added to our line so you can be sure you are getting
a quality handmade product that will fill your home with wonderful aromas!
3. This Week's Indie Business Radio Show: Hank Moore on building your "Business Tree"
<
--- Featured photo: Today's radio show guest! Hank Moore, author of
The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving
Hank Moore is a seasoned business advisor who has worked with some of the largest and most respected businesses in the nation. He is a member of the "Silver Foxes," an organization dedicated to sharing the wisdom of seasoned executives with the CEOs coming along behind them. He'll talk with us today about long-term strategies to protect your company in any economy, and how to position yourself and your business for future expansion and profitability.
Join us for today's show!! 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 2010 Archives to enjoy all of this year's informative, business building shows. Click the "Older Archives" to enjoy hundreds of other fantastic shows -- all free, all for you, all the time!
-- Sponsor --
4. Featured Indie: Liana Spiegel | Marmalade Hills | Michigan
I love profiling businesses all over, but I especially enjoy sharing success stories of people in parts of the nation that have been hit particularly hard by the recession. One such state is Michigan. But even though the state and its mega-businesses are struggling, small business is booming in Michigan. Take 31-year old Liana Spiegel's Marmalade Hills. Liana just launched her lovely website so be sure to have a peek, but if you want to buy anything, head on over to the etsy site -- which is where I got my fabulous stash of her handmade soaps, as you can see here at the FaceBook Fan Page!
Originally from Ukraine, Liana has been living in the United States, and married to her husband, for 11 years. They have two children, ages 5 and 1. Liana is one of IBN's newest members, having just joined in November 2009. I was very excited to see her jump right in immediately and begin participating and networking. It wasn't long before I got a glimpse of her products and had to have some for myself. (These soaps are amazing!)
Liana says that entrepreneurship is in her blood. Her father was one of the first post-Soviet era entrepreneurs, and she says he's her biggest role model. I'll let her tell you the rest.
dM: What was your inspiration to start your business?Liana: During my teenage years I was involved firsthand in building our business from ground up. The second factor would be my desire to minimize and reduce pollution of our common playground - Earth. I don't think of myself as revolutionist or "eco-extremist", I have two simple agendas that I think every person can relate to. #1 - Next time you are throwing recyclable item into the garbage bag think that this garbage bag will not go to the landfill, but that it will be buried right behind your house. See how fast you will run out of space on your own backyard... #2 - I always cared about food that I put into my stomach and the same goes for my skincare habits. I would not saturate my body on daily basis in things that are packed with chemicals. Don't we get more than enough of those unintentionally anyway? There are some things in life that you have no control over, but to live an eco-friendly, healthy life style is a matter of choice. And it is my choice. So after my entrepreneurial experience in my early years, Ukrainian law school, 5 years full time job in automotive industry, 6 years living in US, and one 2 year old kid I started looking around in hopes of finding a perfect business opportunity and I stumbled upon natural soapmaking. And Oh Boy, I was hooked! One year later on October 2006 Marmalade Hills was registered with the State of Michigan.
Marmalade Hills is derived from the name of my current city Bloomfield Hills that my family now calls home. It is an older residential area of metro Detroit with lots of mature trees, many small lakes, rolling hills and winding roads. So that is where the "Hills" part comes from. Our subdivision was built 60 years ago over a place of an old orchard and the whole area used to be apple and pear orchards... so that is where the "Marmalade" part comes from.
dM: Do you have a formal business plan?
Liana: I did not and still do not have an official business plan. I always knew that I just had to start somewhere. However, it is not to say that we are doing this without a plan. For now we are still learning and our planning is a constant work in progress. Our planning goes something like this: At the beginning of the year we establish our sales target for the year, from that we calculate the amount of product we would need to sell by each category of our product, then we come up with strategy to achieve these sale numbers and from that we layout the production plan.
Through this process what starts off as a yearly sales target ends up in a weekly schedule including production, inventory, purchasing, marketing and so on. Every Sunday night is our plan review and brainstorming night, when my husband and I sit down and review the schedule and all the action items and reevaluate our immediate goals, adjust production schedule if needed, cross out things that have been done (my favorite part) and recommit ourselves to our vision. I taught myself to wake up in the morning and look into my planner, even if I know that I won't see anything new there, it is important to remind myself what needs to be done today to stay on track for the year.
dM: What's your niche?
Liana: When I started thinking about
soapmaking, I noticed that there were so many wonderful soaps and natural
products that I always enjoyed, but for some reason just a list of wholesome
natural ingredients did not excite me that much when I was buying them. It
was like a "pill" that I had to take. Most soap bars were lookalikes, all
the labels differed from each other only by name and ingredients... It was
just not "cute." So I started to experiment with colors, designs and scents.
I wanted my soaps to be more artistic, I wanted great product pictures, I
wanted my labels to speak to the customer and I wanted customers to be happy
and excited about natural products. I think so far we are on a good track.
dM: How do you market your products?
Liana:
Our goals are changing from year to year and this year most of our marketing
will be done through our local trade/craft shows, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr,
Marmalade Hills Blog and Etsy shop. I also have a couple of good friends who
help me successfully spread the word and who brought lots of sales and fans
to my Fan Page. For time being our friends, family and local shows are most
effective for our sales.
My newsletter and blog seem to be the best tools right now to get my
message out and make contact with people. They generate a lot of email
conversations, and hopefully as people get to know me better, the
conversations will start to migrate online.
dM: What's new and exciting with your business these days?
Liana: We are getting ready to participate in a few nice size shows this year. I am making a lot of product and playing with new scents. My husband will be helping me at the shows and we are both very excited to spend some time together building our dream. We also have a goal of acquiring few wholesale accounts this year and it is also very exciting and challenging at the same time. But we like challenges!
dM: I see that you just launched your new
website, how is that going?
Liana: Our website is going to be lovely when it is done! But as always we have taken on a project bigger than we can tackle at this moment. But we are moving ahead slowly. My husband is a software developer and he is trying to implement what he does at work. We're doing everything ourselves without any shopping cart templates, so we have complete control of what we want it to do and how we want it organized and laid out.
dM: How do you use social media in your business?
Liana: I really enjoy using Facebook because it is very user friendly, it puts faces on people and it doesn't need much time to post daily updates for your fans. However, as I learned from dM, Facebook by itself may not be so useful unless you link it to your blog. Facebook is great for interaction but information gets lost easily and goes unnoticed too often. A blog is better organized and that's why it is easier to find information that you are looking for. It also provides interaction on more detailed and deeper level.
dM: Who helps your business be successful?
Liana: There are four things that Marmalade Hills could never exist without. First is my husband. I would not even think about starting a business without knowing that I can always rely on him. He is my mentor, my leader, moral support, tech support and my biggest fan. He is my rock. Second is our parents. Their help is tremendous! They are our babysitters, our cleaning ladies, chefs, personal assistants, our salesmen and biggest fans. Third are our kids. They are our angels who we live for and strive to achieve our best for and who uplift our spirits during toughest days. Fourth are our friends. I have couple of close friends who tell everyone they know about Marmalade Hills. These friends had brought me half of my sales last year and probably half of my fans. And their great encouragement helped us to stay afloat through the first years. Without these four ingredients Marmalade Hills wouldn't be moving forward to the new, better and bigger year. I have to add though, that I am very grateful to all our friends who simply show their enthusiasm about Marmalade Hills whether it is with thorough feedback, new ideas or clippings from local newspapers and magazines. When you are starting out it can be hard to stay motivated and not to get discouraged. Any interest or support that comes from your family and friends can either make you or break you.
dM: What are the best things about being a small and independent business owner?
Liana: First and foremost it is that it is my own. I sometimes refer to Marmalade Hills as my third baby. Second is that I love being in charge. That I can turn this business into anything I want! So there is always something to look forward to. It's not like: would I get a raise this year? Where will I be in 5 years by working for this or that company? When you are in charge of your business, you can be as big as you want to be! Gosh, I love this feeling! Third is that I am doing something I love. And when you do something you love it makes you happy and a happy person is a better person.
dM: How did you discover IBN, and what do you think of your membership?
Liana: First when I was just looking around, I stumbled upon one of your member's website (can't remember which one it was now) and saw Indie Beauty Logo, followed the link and added it to my favorites. Three years later I'm finally here.
We all need our peace of mind and product liability insurance is a "must have" when you start selling to a larger audience. So, that was my first reason. But I also knew that I need a supportive network of knowledgeable people who will always be there for me with their wise advise and expertise and who have already "been there, done that". Indie Beauty Network just seemed more inviting and personal than any other network groups. So when the time came, I had no doubt in my mind who I was going to go with. And I wasn't mistaken. dM is a go to person when it comes to networking. You don't need to spend hours and hours searching and researching on how to turn social media into your friend and not into a time draining machine. Just ask dM she knows everything! Seriously. IBN is full of resourceful and knowledgeable people and experts, this is definitely the place to be.
dM: What tips can you offer other small business owners to help them be successful?
Liana: Well, not too long ago I was starting out myself and at that time I would've loved for somebody to show me the way and make everything easy and clear. But unfortunately in life you usually have to learn everything yourself. While learning you definitely will need: 1) Positive attitude. Things WILL go wrong: something will break, someone will turn you down, you won't have much sleep and sometimes it will seem like there's nothing to show for your efforts. Your favorite job will not always make you happy, you'll feel down, discouraged, stressed out. When something goes wrong the key is not to overreact. Slow down, take a step back, try to understand what went wrong, learn your lesson and do better next time. If you need a boost of confidence and recommitment to your vision open your planner and start planning, crunch some numbers and stay on track. Always remember that tomorrow WILL be a better day! 2) Start small, start now. For example, as a soapmaker/skincare formulator, nail down one great recipe for each product. Start off with a few scents and not too many types of product. Don't over-prepare or over-improve when starting out or you may not start at all. 3) Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Again, using soapmaking/skincare as an example, labels must be nice, product presentation enchanting, description may take as much time as making the product.
dM: What is a favorite business book, and why do you recommend it?
Liana: Now I am reading First Things First
dM: How has owning a business enhanced your life? Any regrets?
Liana: Doing what I love makes me happy and makes me a better person and therefore a better parent, a better wife and even a better daughter. I had reevaluated so many things in my life since I started this venture. The only regret is that I haven't started it earlier.
dM: What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a small business owners, and how did you overcome it?
Liana: There were a few times when I was very discouraged and weak. What got me out of it and forever let me put this behind me is that I took a deep breath, set everything aside, sat down in front of the computer with my husband and we put everything "on paper." Every task that needed to get done, every problem, every fear, and a solution for every fear. And seeing it all laid out in the spreadsheet and seeing that every problem can be resolved with certain actions is what got me out of that hole.
dM: How, if at all, has the current economy affected your business?
Liana: This economy didn't have much effect on our business. We are pretty young and we haven't seen better times, so we are happy with what we have now.
dM: What are you doing when you're not working in your business?
Liana: My hobby is my kids. I love
playing with them, seeing them grow and change. My daughter and I love to
bake together. Every summer we go camping on Lake Michigan's east coast. It
is gorgeous! I enjoy gardening as well.
What are your sales like?
Liana: So far we were able to triple our sales each year without much effort or advertising on our part. We are hoping to do the same this year and even more year after that. We have big plans for our small company.
How to connect with Liana:
Website
http://www.marmaladehills
FaceBook
http://facebook.com/marmaladehills
Twitter
http://twitter.com/marmaladehills
5. Indie and Small Business Resources: Give 'N Take @ Our Social Networking Site!
Here's a sampling of some of the fun photos, blogs posts and discussions being led by IBN members right now!
1. A New Candlemaking Expert Group: share your stories, ask questions and get answers about making candles
2. Want Some Fragrance Oils?: Melissa Stowe is cleaning out the fragrance bin and she has lots available (watermelon, raspberry, lotus berry blossom and more!)
3. Refined vs. Unrefined?: Tips, ideas, questions and answers from product making expert Joan Morais on using one or the other in your products
And at the Exclusive Members Only Networking Site Now!
1. Popular consumer magazine features bar soap as good for your face. You may be able to use this in your marketing.
2. My commentary on how a product-making video can adversely impact our FDA advocacy efforts: I would love your thoughts as professionals.
3. New iPhone app rates cosmetics ingredients as good or bad: what do you think of this?
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.
