A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 7, Issue 5
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1. IBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing IBN Members!
2. Handmade Beauty Business Magazine: 1Q 2006 Issue!
3. Get Fit In 2006 With the IBN BIO Challenge!
4. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win something delicious!
5. Feature Article: Just The Stick You Need
6. The Nominations Are In! Cast Your Vote Today!
7. Products Liability Insurance Update: Read Our Letter To RLI

The 1Q 2006 issue of the Handmade Beauty Business Magazine is underway! There will be several exciting features, among them: (1) an update on the products liability insurance issue; (2) a feature on members with physical retail or spa locations (if you have one and wish to be included, email me right away!); (3) a feature on men's grooming products (if you have some, let me know!); (4) an interview with a member who is using handmade beauty to take "doing well by doing good to a whole new level" and more!

"We have received copy of the magazine and love it. What a classy publication -- it's the Bible for the handmade products industry." Remah and Omileye Joseph, ISLANDTHERAPY, United Kingdom"

If you are a member of IBN, your subscription is included in your annual dues! Join IBN and get your subscription included with your membership! Or subscribe today!

Please support our magazine sponsors! To learn how you can associate your brand with the first and only full color print magazine representing our growing industry, click here to request our Media Kit! And don't forget to tell me what you'd like to see in the magazine -- that way, I can put it in there!

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!

Terresa Swain and her mom Donna Maron are mother/daughter partners and the only employees of IBN member Herbs Make Scents. Their company, based in Hopedale, Massachusetts, offers all natural bath and body products infused with pure essential oils. They also offer a complete bath and body line for private label including custom blending, packaging and marketing. But what makes them special is their fairly newly introduced signature "Travel Stick," a product line with its own separate niche of loyal customers.

"Travel Stick sets us apart,” says Terri. “It's a complete line of bath and body care in a solid "stick" form for a no mess, easy application, which makes them perfect for business and personal travel. The packaging offers a contemporary feel and each product is infused with top grade organic essential oils to offer benefits beyond body care.”

A Stick For The Sticks

Terri says the Travel Sticks were born as a way of packaging their glycerin soap bar, one of their most popular and requested products. “Many of our customers asked if we could sell them a container that would also serve as storage of the soap so it would not become mushy and messy when they traveled,” she said. "We first thought about putting the soap in a plastic baggie, not a container, because the container might leak and they make soaps soft and mushy.” Noses were wrinkled and people made faces at our baggie suggestions,” she remembers. “So we went back to the soap room and eventually came to the conclusion that putting soaps, shampoos and lotions in a solid form that can be used like a deodorant type stick was the answer.”

“After some trials and errors, we developed a variety of bath and body essentials in portable handy sticks that we call Travel Sticks.” She added. “Travel Sticks do more than clean and pamper your body --- they give you peace of mind and are infused with therapeutic essential oils for true aromatherapy benefits.”

Tying Together Shoe Strings

Before Travel Stick, before Herbs Make Scents, Terri ran a home daycare business and she started using natural cleaning products and essentials oils because “I wanted to clean without chemicals around the children. “I caught the bug and soon after my mother, who’s now a certified aromatherapist, and I started to read everything we could get our hands on and ordered tons of ingredients and bottles to play,” she says.

Terri said one day they looked around and saw how big their hobby was and how much space it was taking up at home; they decided to start a small craft business and sold items at local craft fairs. “From there word of mouth started, our friends and family requested more products and small store owners asked for our products to sell,” she said. They also met up with a home party business owner who asked them to private label their bath and body line.

The mom/daughter partners began “on a shoestring. “ Before going full-time three years ago, they had been crafting for friends and family for over ten years. Terri says it’s been a struggle. “It has also taken us longer to get where we want to be. However, we are now in a position to acquire a business loan and grow. It’s been worth the hard work and years of struggle.”

The two women are still the only employees. Donna formulates the essential oil blends and Terri creates the base products. “I am involved in the marketing and mom takes care of the office and organization,” says Terri. “We work great together and have learned to value each other. This business has brought us closer than we would have ever been. We are so blessed!" Only if there’s a large order do they ask for help and when that happens, they outsource. “We use our friends in the industry when we need help. For example, like Lisa and Eric Lengstorf, owners of IBN member Between Friends Too," help us in manufacturing when we need it," says Terri.

Teri and Donna are seeing their hard work pay off with private label sales under the Herbs Make Scents and Travel Stick brands totaling around $25,000 annually.

Sticks, Stones and Rubs

Travel Stick soaps are made from natural glycerin and coconut oil and include essential oils. “Glycerin soap is also great for shaving,” says Terri, “So Travel Stick is a two in one bath soap and shaving soap that’s ideal for travelers who want to pack light.”

Terri and Donna don’t just make bath soaps, they also make Travel Stick lotion sticks and muscle rub sticks. “The muscle rub was formulated by my mom,” says Terri. “It is very soothing and works fast on achy painful muscles. Those who have tried it always buy it again. It really works and our customers love the fact that it can be rubbed on without having to get their hands “all goopy.”

The Travel Stick deodorant stone is another unique product. It’s a crystal stone, Terri says. “The stone which is all natural. There’s no aluminum or cancer-causing chemicals. It’s unscented and made of mineral salts that kill off bacteria.” She says all you do is wet the stone and run under your arm or on your feet. “It can also be used to rid your hands of cooking odors,” she says.

Green Hotels and More

Terri says their company sells Travel Sticks to Whole Food Markets, online stores and small retail shops like The Old North Church Gift Shop in Boston. They are also listed as a manufacturer of environmentally-friendly products with the Green Hotels Association, an association composed of hotel managers who are eager to institute programs that save water, save energy and reduce solid waste, while at the same time helping to protect our one and only earth. Says Terri, “I wanted to have an eco-friendly line and I think it is wonderful that large businesses like hotels are becoming more involved in preserving the environment.”

Terri and Donna are also very excited that the Travel Sticks line is being considered for a major account within the next six months. “We cannot tell you any details at this moment as it is in negotiations,” she says, “but watch for us soon as it is going to get exciting.”

“We hired dM a year ago to help develop the Travel Stick brand,” says Terri. “We are thrilled to consider her as our mentor and appreciate all her support.”

Terri’s Advice: Network, Network, Network!

Terri advises anyone just starting out: "Do not try this alone. We did and it was very difficult.” She says once they asked for help and started to network, “everything started to fall into place and more importantly, we made some great new friends!”

“Network with your competitors rather than competing,” says Terri. “Each of us has a unique quality and we should support one another. Most of us are in this for the love, not just the money!” "IBN is amazing and vital to anyone who wants to get into the handmade toiletries businesses because there is so much to learn and IBN is a one stop wealth of resources,” Terri says.

You can visit Travel Stick to get more information about Terri and Donna's unique brand of products. There you'll find the unique Travel Stick packs for women and men and some helpful travel related links.

Help IBN Celebrate 6 Years of Serving the Handmade Beauty Industry!! 

Judges are Alison Deyette of Style Bakery, Anissa Mook of Indie Shopping and Tanya Sharma of CiCySuds.

To find out more and nominate your choice for the 2006 winners, click here.

Thanks to everyone who is sending in signatures to be added to the letter to RLI, and to those who are referring your friends and colleagues in various Internet discussion groups and forums. I thought the letter would have been sent by now but I continue to get an average of 10 new signatories a day. Since the more people who sign the letter, the better, I decided to give everyone some extra time to see these announcements and spread the word. The letter will be sent once the signatures trickle off, but definitely no later than the first week of February.

There is power in our numbers! While our letter may not change RLI's mind, it will also be sent to the insurance commissioners' of all 50 states, including yours. It is therefore the first step in an advocacy strategy that I expect to extend throughout 2006 and beyond.

I will continue to add updates to our Task Force web page, where you can also read and follow instructions to be added as a signatory to our letter to RLI

Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Indie Beauty Network | www.handmadebeauty.com

Copyright (c) 2000 - 2006 by The Indie Beauty Network (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 The Handmade Beauty Connection (HBC) 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 the HBC 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, HBC 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.