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    IBN Home > Newsletter > Archives > 2010

The Indie Business Experience
March 22, 2010

A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 11, Issue 9
To subscribe, click here

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Click Here to See a List of What's On Tap This Week @ Indie Business

1. "How To" Monday: How to Get Back on the Fitness Wagon After Being Ill
2. Meet Our New and Renewing IBN Members
3. This Week's Indie Business Radio Show: Rawn Shah on Social Networking for Small Businesses
4. Featured Article: Gabriela Ylomen :: Muddy H20 Etc. :: Washington
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: Creamy Oats Citrus Scrub

If you're wondering where I was last week, I was sick, sick, sick. Despite my best efforts, this newsletter was just not going out! By coincidence, I had not scheduled a radio, and I was so glad because it was one less thing to scratch off of my list as I lay in bed suffering from the worse cold and sinus infection ever. Not only that, my kids were sick too. Ugh!

But I'm back! And while I was out, I remained focused on pursuing my fitness goals. I couldn't wait to get back to my running, which, even though I'm still not 100%, I was finally able to do on Friday.

Someone suggested I share a few tips on how I got back on the fitness wagon so quickly after being ill. I blogged about it here so feel free to head on over for a look. Here's a quick summary of my suggestions:

1. Keep track of progress. Since I Tweet and FaceBook many of my workouts, I had a lot fun reviewing my progress while I was in bed. Doing this kept me motivated and inspired. By the time I felt like I could halfway breathe, I was itching to get back out and better myself.

2. Stay connected to others who are also pursuing fitness. This was so fantastic! Staying up with other people's fitness routines kept me in the loop. I never felt like a slug because I stayed so motivated by everyone else's aching biceps and turned out abdominals. Watching other people stretch their physical limits made me want to do the same. I follow fit people because they remind me of my responsibility to myself to take better care of my body.

3. Make fitness a habit. Since I had already started incorporating fitness into my lifestyle, picking up my running even before I was 100% was a natural thing to do. I don't think I could have waited much longer! The fact that it was already a normal part of my days made me want to get back to normal that much faster.

You can read the whole blog post here.

HOT This Week At Indie Business Blog:

1. Create the Life You Love: are you doing it?
2. Build Your Own Corporate Ladder: you can do it!!
3. Back to the Future: Small and Home-Based Business Ownership Strengthens Families
4. When All Else Fails, Fail
5. Raw Foods Adventure #1: Avocado Grand (And Where is Imar Hutchins?)
6. Exer-preneurship: The Cure for a Flabby Body and a Flabby Business
7. An Invitation to Write for My Blog
8. The Bored and the Restless
9. I'm Speaking at the Soap Guild Conference!
10. I'm the New "Mayor" at the YMCA!

Thanks for allowing me into your email boxes and have a great week!!

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!

Lillian Skincare | Angela Bowman Wales | Tennessee
IBN Member Since March 2008
Specializing in mineral makeup, Lillian Skincare offers a full range of skin care products – including spa quality facial products, handmade soap, moisturizers, bath products and soy lotion candles. We show commitment to our motto “Be good to your skin” by carefully formulating each product with nature’s finest ingredients that include locally sourced beeswax and honey as well as fair trade African shea butter.

Soaps by Star | Starlene Moore | Texas
IBN Member Since January 2005
We carry soap molds, oils, butters, colorants, jojoba spheres, additives, herbs. Just about anything you might need for soap or bath and body products. We are adding to our inventory each month.

Scented Pleasures Herbs and Gifts | Dolores Leeper | Texas
IBN Member Since March 2007
Handcrafted herbal gifts for home and body made from simple & natural ingredients such as olive oil & beeswax. Luxurious bath salts and soothing skin balms created with herbs, flowers and local honey. Gentle glycerin soaps to cleanse & fragrance. Soy candles to light & scent your rooms. Discover a world of handcrafted scented pleasures for home and body.

Dargonfli Skincare | Giselle Palacios DelMundo | New York
IBN Member Since December 2008
Dragonfli's mission is to create natural skin care and beauty products for diabetics, because maintaining a healthy body is easiest path to a
positive selfimage.

Pacific Scents | Marlene Sun Sternberg
IBN Member Since February 2008
Pacific Scents specializes in handmade, premium quality bath and candle products. Our candles, bath and body products are made from the finest ingredients. We offer a full line of candle and bath products in over 150 scents. Our products are made fresh, when ordered. Pacific Scents proudly offers fund raising and wholesale opportunities as well as home parties, party favors, gift baskets and birthday parties.

Pink Quartz Minerals | Doree Klassen | Wisconsin
IBN Member Since January 2008
When Only Natural Will Do. Vegan mineral makeup with only pure minerals, no chemicals, fillers, by products or plant matter. A full range of products from foundation, veil, blush, bronzers, correctors, concealers and eye shadows. Each small batch is made by hand using original formulations.

FunnyHorse | Tamara Duriavich | Illinois
IBN Member Since April 2008
All-Natural Fly & Mosquito repellents for Horses, Dogs & People; Practical Equine Accessories for the Practical Horseman; Specialty items for the Traditional Hunter & Fisherman. We specialize in all-natural fly and mosquito repelling spray, roll-on gel and lotions; fragranced glycerine saddle soap; Un-Skunk scent-removing soap; hunting and fishing scent-removing & cover-scent soaps & sprays. We use all of our products on ourselves and our horses - if it's not good enough for us, we won't sell it to you.

Buttercup Naturals | Patricia Butter | New York
IBN Member Since April 2009
Through our brand Buttercup & Jake, our mission is to create safe, gentle & natural skincare products specially formulated for kids. Our soothing formulas contain only the gentlest vegetable based ingredients with locally grown calendula and locally harvested honey and beeswax. Our products contain no petrochemicals, no parabens, and no irritating fragrances. We strive to raise awareness of how the products we choose affect our health, our community and our planet.

Inanna Herbal Remedies | Nancy Eagles | Canada
IBN Member Since March 2010
At Inanna, we research, formulate and manufacture products using plants and herbs as a basis for healing and soothing. We have created 3 lines of products: natural skin care, baby care and herbal first aid.

Joppa Minerals | Amy Booher | Michigan
IBN Member Since March 2009
We are a manufacturer of natural mineral cosmetics and paraben-free skin care. Joppa Minerals is a family-owned business located in SW Lower Michigan. We strive to provide quality products at an affordable price with fabulous customer service. Taking years off your Looks, not off your Life.

Daisy May Natural Scents | Delores Harris | New York
IBN Member Since March 2007.
We create a mild, fragrant, vegetable oil based soap that cleans your body, uplifts your spirits and refreshes your mind.

Truce Organics | Marueen Hardiman | Massachusetts
Truce products were created not to start a business, but rather to ensure that I had a truly pure product to use myself. After making products for family and friends, I received such positive feedback that I decided to share my products with all.

The Home Bottega | Andra Cassar | New Jersey
Our company sells family recipe lotions body butters and soaps, along with 100 % soy wax candles. We made our own bath bombs and soaps to resemble pastries and foods that you would find in any local bakery.

Yum Yum Candle | Chelsea Elam | New Jersey
Yum Yum Candle, LLC is a soy candle company rooted in creativity & enjoying life. We're driven by endless possibilities, spontaneity & having fun. All of our products are high-quality, handmade, unique and fanciful. Our product line includes body massage candles and reed diffusers, as well as room and linen sprays. Life should be enjoyed. Make life sweet... make it yummy!

Wild Violet Essentials | Rebecca Monroe | Michigan
Providing a fresh, natural alternative to bath and body care products not commonly found on store shelves. The philosophy is simple don't put onto your body what you wouldn't put into your mouth. Utilizing nature's gifts the way they were meant to be used in a ethical, environmentally sustainable manner.

Mariah Country Soaps | Sheree Tompkins | California
Mariah Country Soaps takes enormous pride in creating farm fresh goat's milk soaps and lotions in a variety of fragrances, including aromatherapy. Custom orders are welcome and private label soaps are also available.

Anya's European Choice Holistic Skin Care | Anna Narkhova | Tennessee
Holistic skin care products with pure and organic ingredients.

< --- Featured photo: This week's radio show guest! Social networking strategist Rawn Shah

David Russo has been in the human resources field for decades and has earned national recognition and awards as an innovator in providing quality work environments. He is known as a champion of driving business value through human resource management. He shared fantastic tips for how small business owners can make the most of not only employees, but also virtual assistants, as we build our businesses.

I'm bummed that I did not get this newsletter to you before yesterday's show! The audio will be read in a few days. Meanwhile, 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!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!

Gabriela, owner of Muddy H20 in Vancouver, Wa, is a former jail guard. Believe it or not, she's not the only IBN member who once guarded our nation's prisons for a living. Maybe there's a lesson there. Anyway, it just goes to show you that, no matter what you're doing now, if you're not happy, you can change it! Gabriela's story shows that, and it shows that there's life after a business partnership. And her assessment of social media may sound more than a little familiar.

Gabriela is 46 years old and she had 3 children -- they are hens named Fiona, Robin and Desdemona. Here is some of her story.

dM: What was your inspiration to start your business?

Gabriela: In 2000 I was in desperate need of something to balance my career as a jail guard. So I went back to school and got licensed as an aesthetician and began providing services at a salon. I quickly learned that what I enjoyed was teaching peoples how to take care of their own skin. I started developing dry mask formulas to be used for teaching. When I had a co-worker, Heidi, test the masks she exclaimed that they were more effective on her adult acne then what her dermatologist had prescribed. In 2003 she and I started our business as partners.

As for our name, we were waiting to go into a meeting when our attorney told us that the name we’d chosen was already being used by another cosmetic company. What to do? At that time our product was being called a beauty mud. So I said “Muddy Water?” and Heidi replied “Muddy H2O!” That’s how we came up with our company name.

Heidi got us hooked up with the business program at the local University. As a class project a group of senior students put together a very comprehensive business plan for us. When we took it to our bank to apply for a line of credit they were really impressed. We haven’t updated the plan though I probably should. I think the only major thing that has changed is who exactly our target market is.

dM: What's your niche?

Gabriela: Our niche includes both our market and our products. While vending at Expo West in Las Vegas it became obvious that our niche market was definitely natural product stores and Food Co-ops, not the gift and spa type stores we originally thought. Lucky for us considering the current shift of consumers toward natural retailers.

Of course we all think our products are special and unique. I think our products are unique because they all come in dry form. This is key in a couple of different ways. First, since they are dry we don’t have to add any preservatives, texturizers or emulsifiers. Second, when any ingredient gets yet it immediately starts losing its effectiveness. With our products you notice results the first time you use them because the ingredients are fresh each time.

dM: How do you market your products?

Gabriela:  We’ve done a few trade shows marketing to retailers. That’s worked well when we’ve wanted to expand beyond the NW. We wholesale our products so we only do a few local retail shows. Ones that we find fun. To be honest, most of our marketing has been word of mouth and simply calling a store and offering to send samples. I usually hear back from then before I have a chance to follow up. How lucky am I! Working with independent reps is probably the way for us to go at this time. Our feelers have been put out there so that will be happening soon.

dM: What's your most popular product?

Gabriela: What is your most popular product and why do people say they like it? Feel free to provide a short testimonial from a customer about this product and please send me a nice photo of it so I can include it in the feature. 100% Natural Deodorants! Pit Powder is our most popular product followed closely by Pit Stop.  Here's what one customers said about our Pit Stop.

"As a 50-something woman, I am always looking for something that will keep me dry. Regular 'healthy' deodorants don't work. I discovered Pit Powder nosing around the shelves at Ashland Community Food Coop. I love it, think every woman in this boat should try it." ~Denise, Jacksonville OR

dM: What's new and exciting with your business these days?

Gabriela: Well my partner has recently chosen to leave the business for personal reasons. This has been a huge challenge for me but also very exciting. It’s been frustrating at times, a lot of hard work and more than a little cursing. The upside however has been tenfold. There is no way I could have developed this business and gotten it to where it is without a partner, especially Heidi.

What H2O needs now to move it up to the next level is the vision and quick decision making ability that only an individual person is capable of. I’d always been the dreamer and Heidi would take that and make us look good. She has taught me so much that now I feel I’m able to take a vision and execute it much quicker as a sole proprietor. I’ve been fortunate to have the benefit of both methods of ownership.

dM: How do you use social media in your business? 

Gabriela: Frankly the answer to this question I find a little embarrassing. I haven’t been taking advantage of any of the many forms of social media we have at our disposal these days. Until recently I was one of those who thought social media was for those social types with too much time on their hands. Well was I wrong!

A friend who is in the process of starting his first business has taught me a priceless lesson. For years he’s been a member of a blog where he shares common interests. Over those years he has made a lot of friends. Now he is starting a business that organizes events which incorporate activities that interest a lot of his fellow bloggers. For his first event, which is still a couple of months away, they’ve had to double the number of entries allowed and have that many again on a waiting list. Impressive sponsors for the event are coming out of the wood work and the list of gifts and prices are nothing less than amazing. You better believe I will be putting social media and networking on my calendar.

dM: Who helps your business be successful?

Gabriela: It’s been absolutely amazing who has been willing to help and get involved. Friends and family have offered free labor and advice. Other business people have shared information, resources and immeasurable support. Venders have been happy to help a small business. All our “models”, one gal being the waitress at a local restaurant, have worked for product and been thrilled to be involved. If I could list every single person responsible for our success it would surely read like a Grammy Award winner’s acceptance speech!

The one person though that I’ll pledge my business life to is my graphic designer. Let’s call him John, cause that’s his name. John is an amazingly gifted person. Single handedly he has created H2O’s branding and continues to take us to new levels. He believes so much in me and this company that he’s offered to work for peanuts until the first million rolls in. Then I’m going to owe him big time!

dM: What are the best things about being a small and independent business owner?

Gabriela: Ha…..replying to these questions while poolside in Puerto Vallarta! Aside from that it’s so rewarding to be responsible for my own victories and defeats. In developing this company I’ve created something that fits my personality and my lifestyle. Right up there at the top of the list also are all of the wonderful and most interesting people I’ve come to know through my business.

dM: How did you discover IBN, and what do you think of your membership?

Gabriela: After the third person asked whether I was familiar with IBN I figured it would behoove me to do so. I’ve been enjoying my membership for a couple of years now. For myself there are really two major aspects of being an IBN member. One is the knowledge and comport that there are other small business owners out there who understand. Feeling that you’re understood is huge. And second is information. IBN has provided me with information I didn’t even know I needed. I’m sure this information has prevented me from reinventing the wheel more than once. Believe me reinventing the wheel can be costly in both time and money.

dM: What tips can you offer other small business owners to help them be successful?

Gabriela:

1. Make a preliminary business plan BEFORE starting your business. Doing this should give you a pretty good feeling for if you have a good idea for a business.

2. Do as much ground work as possible BEFORE you ever sell your first product or service. Once you start “doing business” it’s hard to go back and work on your foundation. We spent our whole first year getting our ducks in a row. A small part of that work was finding a good business attorney, forming our partnership (LLC), insurance, financing, focus groups for packaging, etc. Things I wish we would have done were to have a stronger book keeping system in place as well as reliable supply chains for products we use in manufacturing.

3. Schedule personal time and stick with it rain or shine. Running your own business will always take more time than you have. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed.

dM: What is a favorite business book, and why do you recommend it?

Gabriela: My recommendation on this would not be books but journals and periodicals. Especially ones published for the area of the country where you do business. Here is my thought as to why. The way we do business today is changing and it’s changing fast. We need the what, when, where and how’s of today. Not of last year or even six months ago. Also, books give you the advice of one person as opposed to many. And reading local helps you keep the pulse of your consumer. Two sources of reading I’ve found helpful here in Vancouver, Washington are the Vancouver Business Journal and Southwest Washington’s emerging urban lifestyles magazine, Northbank Magazine.

dM: How has owning a business enhanced your life? Any regrets?

Gabriela: It’s hard to even express the ways owning my own business has enhanced my life. This experience has opened up a whole new world. The experiences and knowledge I’ve gained changed how I view the world around me. It’s changed who I am and how I carry myself in that new world. I enjoy my life so much more now because of the confidence and skills I now have. As for regrets, not really other than some of the money and time I spent in the beginning. But that’s the nature of owning your first business.

dM: What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a small business owners, and how did you overcome it?

Gabriela: The biggest challenge with owning my own business is balancing time. You see I also have a full time career. Now you might ask, as many do, if the business is going so well why don’t you quit your job and work the business full time? With the county department I work for I’m eligible for full retirement at age 50 with 25 years of service. I’ll be 50 in four years. And there in lays the problem. My business is chomping at the bit to expand but retirement is four short years away! I can’t let it go because there is too much of a need for natural products out there, especially deodorants. Do I limit the business until I retire? Or do I consider selling to another business that has the manufacturing and distribution systems already in place that can do my business justice? Right now I don’t have the answers to these questions. Time will tell.

dM: How, if at all, is your business being affected by the current economy?

Gabriela: I’m thankful every day that I have a recession proof job that lessens the stress associated with owning a business in times like these. The business is faring better than a lot I think and I’m thankful for that as well. It continues to grow. The sale of products that are seen as luxury items are down for sure but people are still going to buy deodorant when things get tuff. Deodorant sales have been very strong. I have noticed that retailers are putting in smaller orders and choosing to order more often. I think the down turn in the economy has made people more aware of where their dollars are being spent. Add to that all the negative information coming out about product ingredients and it’s a good time to be in the deodorant business.

I do think it’s a great time to start a business. Like I said earlier, things are changing. Conventional rules may no longer apply. It’s a wonderful time to be able to make up our own rules as we go along. Think outside the box as they say. Having said that I think a person has to be very careful when deciding what kind of business to start and how they are going to go about it. And this goes for expanding a business. Go slow if you have that luxury. I would recommend a business that has low overhead, doesn’t need employees right away to operate and don’t, don’t, don’t overextend yourself with credit.

dM: What are you doing when you're not working in your business?

Gabriela: Oh my we could be here all day on this one! I’ll try to keep it short. I enjoy walking, hiking, backpacking, dirt bike riding and camping. Anything outdoors really. I love to travel both around the world and around the corner. A long solo trip every summer is a must. I’m into permaculture. I have a small lot in down town that I’m filling with edible landscaping and three wacky chickens. Then there’s reading and cooking. And if this isn’t enough I’m an extreme bather….my next business is to travel around bathing in such places as a Korean bathhouse, a Moroccan hammam, Native American sweat lodges, natural hot springs and then blog about them. We’ll see how that pans out!

What are your sales like?

Gabriela: I’m certainly not rich yet but I am wealthy. Each year annual sales have grown well and our distribution has increased. 2009 was a special business year for me. This is the year H2O started paying for itself. Anyone who has owned their own business knows this is a land mark year. The business has come into its own and even made a small profit.

How to connect with Gabriela:

Website
http://www.muddyh2oetc.com/

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 - 2010 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.

Intellectual Property Ownership Statement. ©2000-2008. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. All rights are reserved. US Library of Congress ISSN 1530-9630. The Indie Beauty Network is a division of Indie Business Media, LLC. The Indie Beauty Network, the Indie Beauty Network logo, the Indie Experience, Indie Business Media, Indie Business Radio, Indie Business Conference, Indie Business Magazine and all related trade and brand names, graphics and logos are the registered trademarks or trademarks of Indie Business Media, LLC.

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