A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 5, Issue 35
To subscribe, click here.

Fizzling Shea Powdery Bath Oil is a nourishing bath oil that doesn't have the oily feeling!

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, LLC: pure essential oils (many organic & wild crafted), carrier oils, solvent free shea butter rare & exotic perfume materials (visit the Perfumers Emporium), supplies, accessories and more. GC/MS tested to ensure quality.

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!

These are just some of the praises for the Handmade Beauty Cookbook!! Don't miss this sneak preview of our book, which will be made available for purchase exclusively from Handmade Beauty Network members soon!!

Enjoy recipes like Citrus Spa Salt Glow by DK Mind & Body, Eczema & Dry Patch Balm by Essential Wholesale, Cocoa-Castile Soap The Scent Shack and Island Blossom Cream by Fallen Muse WebWorks and so many more!

\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.

There's no doubt that owning a small business can be tough on everything from the pocketbook to the family. Sometimes it seems so overwhelming that we are tempted to focus too much on where we want to be and not enough on where we are. This week's article provides insight on why when those challenging business moments come, it's helpful to experience them fully -- living in the business moment -- rather than wishing we were someplace else. Living in the moments allows them to become instruments of positive change rather than dream stealers. All Lifestyle CEOs experience challenging business moments when we feel like the only option is to "chuck" it all. The next time you experience such times, remember these tips to help you get through as you continue toward the fulfillment of your dreams.

1. Let The Moment Teach You Something About Yourself.
I have found that life's richest rewards are the result of trying times during which I have learned valuable things about myself. For example, since I am a natural risk-taker, I started my first business by simply making up my mind to start a business, landing my first client, picking a name and printing some business cards. I didn't think about how I was going to grow my business with a full-time job. I didn't think about how I was going to get my second client. I didn't think about how I was going to do anything other than start a business and serve the needs of my first client. So what happened? The client's needs were met, her fee was used to fulfill some short term personal need and I was sitting there with a bunch of business cards and no plan. I had a full-time job so it really didn't matter that much, right? I wasn't concerned at all, right? Right!! I wasn't concerned. But I should have been, because when I eventually quit my job to start a "real" business, I just did the same thing over again -- got some cards printed, got my first customers and so forth. I had no plan. I had no plan to have a plan. I lived through the first several months of my business on a wing and a prayer. So eventually, I was flat broke, crying and miserable in my little store, which was filled to the brim with fabulous handmade goodies and not a customer in sight. I was miserable yet through the moments of misery, I learned things about myself that prevented me from making the same mistake again. I learned first that I am a natural risk-taker and that it doesn't scare me to "try it and worry about what happens later." That's a good quality in an entrepreneur but it can also lead to trouble (including missed meals!) as I learned from my experience. Second, I must force my natural "risk-taking self" to plan for the future so that the risks I take don't put me in the poor house! This means taking wise risks, and not risks for the sake of the thrill and fun of it.

2. Try To Name Three Positive Things About The Moment.
When I'm really discouraged about something (whether business or personal), nothing works like reminding myself of the positive to uplift my spirits and help me maintain forward momentum. This is so easy to do, and the rewards are fantastic. In the midst of actually moving through a painful or trying time, I say out loud (and write it down if there's paper nearby) 3 things that are positive about the moment. At the Beauty Brunch in June, Lisa Price of HBN member Carol's Daughter shared such an experience with us. She told of how after her appearance on The Oprah Show, she was overwhelmed with orders. Of course this is what she'd always hoped for, but the reality was that if she couldn't fill the orders, she would eventually go out of business. In the midst of the struggle, she looked around her home-based business and articulated all of the positive things around her. Her children were home with her. She had trusted workers to help her make her products. She had the ingredients she needed to fill the orders. Her husband and an industry colleague provided much needed moral support. Her dreams were coming true, and the fact that it was not an easy time did not change that! What great blessings there were all around her! This helped put things in the proper perspective and Lisa was able to continue to see past the hard time and propel her business forward.

3. See That The Moment's Not Lived In Vain.

Sadly, there is far too much brutality and violence in society today, and the result is the loss of too many lives to violent crimes, ranging from premeditated murder to vehicular manslaughter. Sadly, I have experienced such things a few times in life, and through it all, I have noticed that the family members and loved ones who manage to live the most spirited lives after losing a loved one are those who proactively do things to make sure that their loved one did not lose his life in vain. This means turning a fantastic loss for them into a fantastic gain for someone else. The next time you find yourself dealing with a "moment" that makes you question whether to continue in business, try figuring out a way to help someone else benefit from your experience. Share your experience with friend or business colleague as a way of reminding yourself of how far you've come. 

If you are in the midst of a trying business moment -- even one which you think there's no way out of other than closing up shop -- stop for a moment and ask yourself what you can learn from the experience. If you can write even just one thing down, you have already taken the first step toward making something positive out of the situation. Then once you get through the moment. search for ways to make sure that it was not lived in vain by seeking out opportunities to help other people. By sharing your experience, you'll likely find that in addition to lifting you up, it will also be just the thing someone else needs to help them through a moment of crisis.

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™