April 22, 2002
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A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 |
Vol. 3, Issue 16
This
Week's Sponsor:
The Handmade Beauty Network
3 Reasons To Join HBN On April 23!
1. Our Business Resource Center - a growing library of online resources to help you start and grow your business!
2. Our Products Liability Insurance Program - join dozens of members who have purchased peace of mind and security!
For 30 more reasons written by HBN members, click here!
Oh! And what's that 3rd reason to join HBN on April 23? We're celebrating spring with a discount on our memberships! If you submit your online application between the hours of 9:00am EST and 5:00pm EST on Tuesday, April 23, 2002, you'll receive a 20% discount on membership dues for your first year, PLUS a free copy of our audio tape: "Preparing A Business Plan That Positions You For Success"!! with accompanying outline. (First time members only, online applications only, discount taken upon processing.)
To join, click here!
1. HBN Update: Welcome New Members & HBN Members On The Move!!
2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win a generous sample of shea butter courtesy of HBN member BioChemica, plus have a chance at winning a second prize too!
3. Create The Life You Love™: Saving Your Business Before It Starts
4. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com
5. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Chamomile Soap by Outer Body Experience
1. HBN Update: Welcome New Members & HBN Members On The Move!!
~ Welcome New HBN Members!
B-girl Aromatherapy
| Cathryn Swan | New York
* 6 B-girl aromatherapy blends
packaged in totable glass vials; love&bliss, empower, focus, de-stress, cash flow and
sleep
Urban Botanica,
Inc. | Gregory Thomson | New York
* 100% natural, herbal and essential oil infused hair and body care products, sold in salons, spas, health food stores and specialty
pharmacies
va
campagna | Maryann Casini | New York
* Italian inspired
handmade bath, body and spa products made from the jojoba, sweet almond, olive, avocado, wheat germ and evening primrose
oils
~ HBN Members On The Move!
HBN member Millette Miller of Gambrill Mountain Soap Company is featured in today's (April 22) issue of the Frederick News Post! This lively spotlight on Millette's thriving Maryland soap business, mentions HBN and the Handcrafted Soapmaker's Guild, with quotes from yours truly and Guild office manager Susan Apito! Check it out quick at this link before the paper changes the article to tomorrow's feature!! Congratulations Millette!!
Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online
Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2)
by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical
listings! If you are the first to provide both the name of the physician and
the term he coined, you'll win a generous sample of shea butter courtesy of HBN
member BioChemica and a bar of PlayTime! soap, handmade by HBN
member Celebrate Life .... naturally! If you're the first to submit only the
correct name of the physician, you'll win the shea butter, and if you're the
first to submit only the correct term he coined, you'll win the soap! Good
luck!! Please read the contest rules here
before submitting your entry.
While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the
winner will be notified by email and their name posted at HBN's home page. My series of articles asking 7 questions that could "Save Your
Business Before It Starts" continues! If you missed the prior articles
in the series, you'll want to go back and make sure you get them:
Question
No. 1: Do I Have Enough Money?
2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: still
no winner from last week, but maybe that's because the newsletter was
published on the same day as our taxes were due to be filed!! Yuck!! So,
here we are again, a new week but the same question. Wanna try!!?? I've
added an additional prize to sweeten the pot!!
Last
Week's Question: A 19th century French physician coined the a term
referring to the benefits of the sea. He advised his patients to get plenty
of exposure to sea air and salt water to maintain good health.
3.
Create The Life You Love™: Saving
Your Business Before It Starts
Question
No. 6: Do I Have An
Open Mind?
Question
No. 2: Do I Have Enough Stamina?
Question
No. 3: Do I Have Enough Emotional Support?
Question No. 4: Do I Have A
Business Plan?
This Week's Question is Do I Have An Open Mind?
Having an open mind is all about being flexible about the possibilities associated with running a business and understanding that, what you have set your mind to do today may not be (and probably won't be) your ultimate business destination.
In his book "Who Moved My Cheese?" author Spencer Johnson tells the story of two mice and two "littlepeople" who were running around in the maze of life. In one part of the maze they found the ultimate mouse prize, cheese, and they returned there everyday to get some. But one day when they arrived at the cheese area, they found that a big change had taken place. The cheese was all gone! Suddenly, the mice and littlepeople had a choice. They could use the lack of cheese as an opportunity to find newer and better cheese or they could hunker down in their comfortable but "cheeseless" existences and wait for someone else to bring them more cheese. I won't give the story away, but suffice to say that the characters who made haste to find better cheese in the face of unexpected change saved themselves a lot of heartache. Sure, they were scared about the process involved in finding new cheese, but they enjoyed life more as they met the challenge. On the other hand, the characters who sat around complaining that their cheese was gone went no where and did nothing except moan and groan that the cheese was all gone.
What will you do if someone moves your cheese? Though you have a business plan together, you produce the best product around and you have your sales and marketing routines down to a science, don't be surprised if one day you awake to find that all your cheese is gone. In business terms, this could be the loss of a huge customer, the realization that you have strayed from your company purpose and need to get back on track, lack of personal or investor funds needed to continue your business at all or you could simply awake to the realization that you aren't having fun anymore. Whatever the case, in business as in life, someone will move your cheese. The question is: how will you respond when it happens to you?
Do you have an open mind? Are you prepared to turn your business around on a dime if some obstacle comes along to block your progress? Are you ready to take things in a different direction if you need to in order to grow? Have you networked yourself sufficiently so that, if you ever need help, you have someplace to turn? If the answer to any of these questions is no, yet you want to grow your business, now is the time to examine exactly what your mindset is.
I believe that when we begin to utilize our gifts and talents for the betterment of ourselves, our families, our communities and our world, God blesses our efforts, and when that happens, someone always comes along to move our cheese. So keep your mind open for when your cheese gets moved. It may come in the form of an obstacle such as lack of money or losing a good customer. On the other hand, it may come in the form of an opportunity that you are not set up to take advantage of. Do you let that chance pass you by or do you immediately scurry into action to see how you can make it work for you?
When the changes come your way, keep your mind open to the possibilities. And think about the mice and the littlepeople, and remember that when someone moves your cheese, it's best to move with it (and quickly), and not to sit around moping because someone moved your cheese.
Next Week's Last & Final Question: Am I Ready To Fly!!??
4. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com
Lemon Drop Facial Mask is a fantastically cooling treat, especially nice for oily skin. Last week, temperatures in the DC area reached record highs. It was 95° one day! I took my daughter for an afternoon walk and came back sweating like a pig because I dressed like it was springtime ... not the dog days of August! Anyway, when I returned, I whipped up this Lemon Drop Facial Mask. Perfect for cooling off!!
When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com,
it's easy to buy the ingredients you need to make your goodies by clicking
on our Partner links:
Essential
Wholesale: natural unscented cosmetic bases, pure
essential oils, absolutes, carrier oils such as avocado, virgin coconut,
sweet almond, jojoba, shea butter and specialty packaging supplies!
Bramble
Berry, Inc.: over 80 different, fully
tested fragrance oils (including the exclusive "Relaxing" and
"Energy" blends), over 250 soap molds, essential oils and
unscented bases.
SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their Perfumer's Emporium.
Coming soon!! A Canadian partner for our users north of the border!!
5. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Chamomile Soap by Outer Body Experience
Chamomile Soap by HBN Member Outer Body Experience
4 oz. | $4.00
It's no secret that there is no shortage of handmade soaps in my bath. It's also no secret that when I find a new bar that really excites me, I can hardly wait to tell you about it! Well, this Chamomile Soap by HBN member Outer Body Experience is one handmade bar of soap that you don't want to miss ... especially if you love the aromatherapy benefits and fragrance provided by pure chamomile (both Roman and German) essential oils.
Owner Sarah Porter developed Chamomile Soap after meeting
a charming British farmer who runs an herb growing co-op, and who grows and distills chamomile oils. She instantly fell in love and set out to create a gentle, calming soap that could be used by people with sensitive skin, expectant mothers, and infants. Sarah uses it on her hair and tells me of a friend who keeps a bar in her desk drawer to sniff when things get especially stressful at the office. Chamomile Soap, with lavender, Roman chamomile and German chamomile is a beautiful floral blend and the soap has a lovely soft blue color provided by the azulene that is naturally present in German chamomile essential oil.Outer Body Experience sports a fantastic line of soaps, bath milks and bath salts, and employs the creative "Choose Your Experience" brand to ensure that customers can easily select the type of experience that suits their mood. For example, the Chamomile Soap is a part of the "Tranquil Experience" line, while those preferring an "Exhilarating Experience" can choose Citrus, Mint or Lemon Verbena. Other Outer Body Experiences include "Soothing" and "Adventurous." These categorizations make it easy for customers to choose between products, and the concept makes these goodies the perfect addition to the shelf of any spa or natural products retail outlet. The uniform packaging, attractive logo, and the fact that the soaps are all the same size make them especially appealing for display purposes. In fact, if you do decide to stock them, you'll be in good company since you can find the Outer Body Experience brand at Whole Foods Markets throughout Texas and Colorado, as well as at Lithium Café & Gifts on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles!!
Visit the Outer Body Experience Web site to experience all of the outer body experiences. They are in the process of equipping their Web site to accept online orders. In the meantime, you can email them and place your order online using PayPal, or you can call (301) 587-4769.
Visit The Handmade Beauty Connection Archives.
Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries industry:
HandmadeBeauty.com: the leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com: 400+ suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com: ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com: sound advice for your small business, Create The Life You Love™
Handmade Skin Care.com: secure online shopping!
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Donna Maria, Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
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© Copyright 2002 Donna Maria and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Click here for important legal information.
