Handmade Beauty Connection A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
March
8, 2004
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 5, Issue 10
To subscribe, click here.
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: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!
2. Unleash The Power Of Your Beauty Business at dM's Beauty Business Boot Camp!
3. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Bergamot Neroli Sugar Scrub
4. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: win some delicious essential oil!
5. The Lifestyle CEO™: Are You Or Aren't You? That Is The Question! Part 2
1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!
Inner Sanctum
Salon & Day Spa | Ricey Clapp | Maryland
* renewing member; a range of body treatments and
spa services as part of an overall approach to wellness
RENEW
body & spirit | Marueen Piziali | Massachusetts
* renewing member; natural body care products made with
ingredients that are good for you and the environment
Women's
Wellness | Johnetta Miner | New York
* renewing member; home spa products are packaged under
the name of Lady Ja
Alabu Soap | Maryclaire
Mayes | New York
* renewing member; quality handmade soap made from pure
goats milk and rich natural moisturizers
Angelique Skin Care, LLC |
Connie Patti | Michigan
* renewing member; products made from only natural
ingredients, including food grade preservatives
Country Meadow Creations |
Colleen Johnston | South Carolina
* renewing member; high quality ingredients, high quality
products, and reasonable prices
Canterbury
Cabin Handcrafted Soaps | Lorrie Beach | New York
* renewing member; Spa Essentials Collection, Canterbury Bath & Body Collection and Natural Toiletries Collection
Na
Praia | Michelle Gorman | Texas
* renewing member; handmade,
all natural bath and body products, distributed primarily through direct
distribution
Pooka | Dawn Fitch | New
Jersey
* handmade body products including bath and body oils in fragrances from Guava Juice to Vanilla Sand
HBN Members On The Move
HBN member Tvål! is excited that their Cinnamon, Hazelnut & Cappuccino Rustic Soap is featured in the March 2004 e-zine Cybelesays.com, and they are also featured in a recent issue of The Sunday Independent!!
HBN member the Cowgirl Company is featured in the January/February 2004 issue of Cosmetic Packaging & Design (page 24) for its newly designed sleek labels. Cowgirl, which was launched in 1994 in the kitchen of founded Donna Baase, makes its signature Cowgirl Cream and other products for serious outdoor-type consumers.
HBN member Kim Lutz-Isenhour of Lutzy's Lather is excited to be featured in The Patriot News! Lutzy's Lather is the feature story in this March 4, 2003 issue! Congrats Kim!
HBN member Pat Diamond of Aromatic Oasis reports that she is participating in the Kisses From Home project and is in the process producing 2,000 tubes of lip balm for distribution to US service persons and their families around the globe. Some of the tubes going to service persons overseas will be imprinted with photographs of the service person's family members! How cool Pat!! Thanks for supporting those who risk their lives for us everyday!
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.
2. Unleash The Power Of Your Beauty Business at dM's Beauty Business Boot Camp!
I'm delivering a high energy, informative series of workshops
designed to help you Unleash The Power Of Your Beauty Business!!
1. Branding Your Business: How To
Maximize A Key Competitive Advantage
2. Using An Email Newsletter To Promote, Market & Grow Your
Business
3. How To Get Inexpensive Media Attention For Your Business
Only $1
80 for all 4 information packed workshops, held March 27, 2004. Includes valuable networking opportunities! Don't miss this chance to benefit from business growth tips and camaraderie with fellow entrepreneurs!Early Bird Registration closes Friday,
February 20 and will not be available at the door!
HBN Members Enjoy Discount!!
Spaces are limited so sign up early to reserve your spot! Sponsored by Kim Lutz Isenhour of Lutzy's Lather! To register, click here or email Kim at LutzysLather@msn.com or (717) 226-1530.
Register online, by phone or by email!3. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Bergamot Neroli Sugar Scrub
Bergamot
Neroli Sugar Scrub is a treat that you won't want to be without
as we approach the warmer days of spring and summer. Not only will
it smooth and exfoliate your skin, but it will also uplift your mood
with a sophisticated smile-brining aroma lent by a simple yet
wonderful combination of essential oils.
When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com,
it's easy to buy the ingredients you need by clicking on our Selected
Supplier links:
Essential
Wholesale: pure essential oils, over 200 cosmetic bases, hundreds
of carrier/fixed oils such as meadowfoam, cranberry, jojoba and shea
butter plus a new Short Run Private Labeling Program!
Bramble
Berry, Inc.: over 105 different fragrance
and essential oils (including their exclusive "Energy" and
"Relaxing"), all soap tested, soap molds and unscented soap
bases!
SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their new Perfumer's Emporium.
The Scent Shack: fragrance oils and soap supplies. Fragrance oils are pre-tested in cold process, melt & pour soap, and candles, and test results are listed at the Web site. Scents tested by soapers for soapers!
From Nature With Love: over 1,600 ingredients and supplies, including cosmetic ingredients, spa supplies, bath accessories and packaging supplies!
4. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: last week's winner was Lise Rousseau of Lafayette Colorado! Lise won a Lifestyle CEO consultation with me!
Last Week's Question: A great book on personal financial planning is written by an author who coined an interesting phrase to describe how the repeated purchase of inexpensive items like latte, bagels and cappuccino can slowly chip away at our finances and eventually rob us of our freedom since, if we invested those small amounts of money instead, we'd be rich. To win this week, state the phrase, the name of the book and its author.
Last Week's Answer: The Latte Factor; Smart Women Finish Rich; David Bach
This Week's Question: I founded the California Perfume Company in the late 1800's, and sold the Little Dot Perfume set including these fragrances: violet, white rose, heliotrope, lily of the valley and hyacinth. I could never have imagined that my small New York company would, after generations of transition, become one of the largest and most successful cosmetics companies in the world with $6.8 billion in net sales in 2003.
Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win some delicious essential oil from my private stock!
Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.
While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants,
the winner's name will be announced in the next newsletter!
5. The Lifestyle
CEO*™: Are You Or Aren't You? That Is The Question!
\Life.Style
CEO\n. A person who owns and manages a business, not
solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards of
entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun.
Last week, we examined the importance of
flexibility for the Lifestyle CEO. If you missed that article, you can enjoy
it here.
This week, we take a look at the important role played by family and
friends.
A Lifestyle CEO Surrounds Herself With Supportive Family Members & Friends
I have worked with several small business owners who sadly report that it is their friends and family members who are the most likely saboteurs of their business goals. Sometimes the motive is jealousy. Other times, it's heartfelt concern that business owners will get in "over their heads" and be stuck with barely enough resources to support themselves, not to mention the business. Whatever the case, if you are to thrive as a Lifestyle CEO, you'll want to be sure to surround yourself with positive people who can uplift you when you're down and celebrate with you when you're up. Here are some tips.
1. Make Sure Your Spouse Or Significant Other Is On Board. In my life, I have observed business people who started their ventures with the support of their spouse or significant other and I have observed people who started their ventures in the face of great opposition from their spouses. Of course, those closest to us should have our best interests at heart so unless your spouse is a known saboteur or a negative "nay sayer" (see Point #3 below), you should pay close attention to what they think and do some serious soul searching before launching anything they are not in favor of. The reason for this simple: you will need their help at 3:00am. If they are not on board with your business venture, they are not likely to help you package products before dawn or keep the kids quiet so you can complete a professional call with a potential new wholesale customer. The best thing to do is to put your business venture down on paper in outline form for your partner so s/he can see exactly what is involved. Often times even the most skeptical person will buy into an idea if they see that you have thought it through in a thorough fashion. Provide your spouse with a periodic update of how things are going so they can remain abreast of developments and are not broad-sided with unexpected financial needs and the like. The attitude and assistance of a supportive partner can make or break a small business ... or it can make or break a relationship. So do everything you can to make sure that your partner is excited about your business. You'll find that their enthusiasm will go a long way toward providing you with the emotional support you need to make things work.
2. Select A Few Trusted "Sounding Boards" To Be Your Advisors. Make sure you have trusted counselors. And not just trusted counselors, but wise and objective ones. As pointed out above, you will need the support of your partner, but that person will not always be objective when you need it most. Your emotional sanity will take a nose dive if you don't make sure there are wise people in your life who can advise you in an objective fashion. My most trusted advisors have saved by mental life on numerous occasions. One is a professional soapmaker who has made a profitable business out of selling her soaps at retail while holding down a full time job. While she could support herself making and selling her soap, she is also a rabid planner who has not yet seen the financial wisdom of giving up her day job. This woman is a "voice of financial reason." Another advisor is the woman who introduced me to the art of soapmaking 10 years ago. I have seen her in person only once in my life but she is one of the wisest women I know and she plans everything, I mean everything. This woman is my "voice of look before you leap."
My favorite sounding board is my younger brother. Every time I have an idea for a new venture, or a notion to change an existing one, he's there to ask me all the right questions. He's an incredibly cautious person (taking far too long in my opinion to do ANYthing!), but he can cut to the heart of an idea in no time flat. A few weeks ago, I sat down at his kitchen table to share a fantastic new business idea about which I was really excited. In about 30 seconds, he had calculated in his head that the chance that my new business would be a financial flop was about 100%. He explained his reasoning to me, after which time I pouted, frowned, told him he was right, and left the table. Having my brother and people like him to give me good advice does not excuse me from analyzing things myself, but it sure does help to have their input ... and they have saved my rear end more times than I like to admit.
3. Get Rid Of The Negative "Nay Sayers" In Your Life. We all know people who seem to thrive on negatively criticizing the positive things that other people do. A friend of mine and I like to call this "giving us a bunch of 'doo dah' (where 'doo dah' is short for ... well ... you know). I'm not talking about caring people who provide constructive criticism and caring advice. Those are people worth listening to whether they are encouraging you or discouraging you. But you know who I'm talking about ... those people who, every time you have a new idea or become excited about something, are there to give you doo dah. They've either done it before and it didn't work, or they know someone else who did it and it didn't work, or whatever. Don't listen to those toxic types who are always negative. At a minimum, you must mentally ignore them and put their negativity out of your mind. If you can get away with it, put them out of your life while you're at it! Choose Instead to surround yourself with people who give you positive reinforcement, who will stand by you whether your idea works or not, and who will never doo dah your efforts just for the sake of doing so.*The Lifestyle CEO column was formerly known as "Create The Life You Love."
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:
450+ 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™
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Donna Maria, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
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