The Indie Experience
April 2, 2007
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 8, Issue 12
To subscribe, click here
1. Meet IBN's New and Renewing Members
2. Today On Indie Business Radio: Planting Life Seeds That Bear Fruit
3. Indie Gift of the Month: Positively Pampered Lavender
Collection
4. Indie Live!: Network, Have Fun, Learn Something New
5. Indie Candy: Susan Mann of Manor Hall Soap Company: Slap Yourself!
6. Indie Calendar: Indies, Indies Everywhere!
Pamper
Yourself This Week: Spring Fling Flower Blossoms Body Butter
This week's recipe was submitted by IBN member (since January '06)
Christine Ziegler of A
Little Ol'Factory
1. Meet IBN's New and Renewing Members
Welcome Renewing Members!
Honey Bee Soaps | Stephanie Craig | Vermont
* Member since March 2006; Honey Bee Soaps is a family owned
and operated business located in Northern Vermont. We use natural
ingredients to produce our personal care products, which are handmade from
scratch in small batches. We offer a variety of natural soaps, lotions, lip
balms and bath salts all of which will nourish your skin. Our soaps and
lotions are made with pure filtered Vermont rain water. Custom made gift
baskets are also available. We strive to offer superb customer service and
satisfaction as well as quality products.
Berkshire Butter Co. | Erica Shrader | Virginia
* Member since March 2004; Named after a county rich in
nature’s bounty, Berkshire Butter is a fine line between simplicity and
splendor. A Handcraft Bath and Body Company that provides a rich yet
simplistic body care experience that will leave your skin looking and
feeling its best. We’ve combined timeless traditions with soothing
botanicals to moisturize your skin while simplifying your skincare routine.
Cougar Creek Naturals | Kathy Morse | Washington
* Member since May 2006; Cougar Creek Naturals provides
quality hand made cremes and soaps made in small batches. Some herbal crafts
are also included.
Provincetown SoapWorks | Lynne Davies |
Massachusetts
* Member since March 2002; Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean,
and bathed in the light prized by artists for centuries, two artisans of
Provincetown, handcraft each bar of soap, bath, and toiletry product. All
products are made from the finest ingredients, pure essential oils &
botanical extracts. Our bath and body products are blended & packaged by
hand. The soaps are hand-cut & individually stamped with a view of the
harbor. We are committed to making the highest quality products.
Handmade Beauty UK | June Woods | United Kingdom
*
“Brighter Morn” products are made in small batches in my kitchen.
My products are handcrafted from items found in nature and are without
petroleum and synthetic ingredients. I manufacture balms and whipped
butters, soy candles, cleaning supplies, bath salts, body powder, mists, and
bug repellant.
Welcome New Members!
Ellie-Maegen Scents | Theodore Lee | Ohio
* Candles, tart burners and aromatherapy makeup and skincare.
Butter by Keba | Makeba Lloyd | New York
* Butter by Keba is a manufacturer of tastefully fragranced body care
products. Our body lotions, body butters, oils, bath salts, and hair pomades
are available in a variety of fresh and clean fragrances including citrus,
spicy, fruity, floral and musk.
Oraje Holistics | Eddie Simpson | New York
* We are a company solely dedicated to your absolute beauty and total
healing.
BATHGAL | Erin Alford | Oregon
* BATHGAL specializes in fun, hip, all natural bath and beauty
products for the gal on the go. Handcrafted lotions, soaps, bath milks,
facial products, lip balms and many other high quality products to pamper
and soothe the body and soul. BATHGAL is dedicated to the use of organic and
natural ingredients avoiding chemical preservatives and fragrances. BATHGAL
- Hip Beauty -- Naturally!
Meida's Gourmet Face & Body | Meida Ollivierra
| Michigan
*
We manufacture mineral makeup, soaps, lotions, creams, scrubs and
massage oils. Products are 90%+ natural. We also carry some packaging
supplies.
Tag Makeup | Deborah Bachman | New Jersey
* Mineral Makeup: All Tag Makeup products are made with ingredients that are
either beneficial or harmless that make your skin look softer and more
beautiful, your eyes brighter, and your lips more smooth.
Water Magic | Patricia Gelini | Connecticut
* Water Magic Aroma Therapies offers bath and massage oils, body
cremes, lotions, bath and showet gels, aromatherapeutic Dead Sea Salts, Dead
Sea Muds, Facial Mists, Inhalers and more. We custom blend and will supply
specialized products to spas.
LaurEss Cosmetics | Lauren Sheahan | Minnesota
* LaurEss offers an extensive line of premium mineral
cosmetics, answering consumers’ need for natural, non-irritating makeup
products that look beautiful, have a lightweight feel, exceptional coverage
and sophisticated colors.
Freudian Slips | Susan Benjaminsen | California
* Freudian Slips is an independently owned and operated
business, created by a Psychotherapist turned Designer: Maker of both
TC Laboratories | Karen Anastasia | New York
* Natural & Organic Skincare product bases. Private Label
Skincare. Bulk and Prepackaged Supplies. Low Minimums. Superior Quality.
Indies In The News!
Check out these members featured recently in the media. Renee Deal of Deal Farm Soap (IBN member since April 2002) is in Home Office Weekly. Ellie Trinowski of Moonshine Soap (IBN member since July 2001) is in Happi Magazine. Enjoy the article entitled "Soaps With a Conscience" here. Ellie is also featured in the April 2007 issue of Vis.A.Vis! Ellie is a regular contributor to IBN's quarterly publication, Indie Business Magazine. Congratulations to Ellie and Renee! If you are a member interested in finding out how you can enjoy positive media attention for your business, check out our new Media Leads Program.
Learn more about Indie members and their exciting products, services and activities by visiting their websites through our Online Member Directory. You can search for your favorite Indie by state/country, business name, keyword or alphabetical listings.
2. This Week on Indie Business Radio: Planting Life Seeds That Bear Fruit
Indie Business Radio offers practical advice and workable strategies to achievement-oriented, independent entrepreneurs who are trading in the traditional corporate ladder to enjoy life and business on their own terms. Enjoy downloads and audio streams of recent shows at this link.
Today's
Show: Planting Life Seeds That Bear Fruit
Guest:
Gardening and "life story"
expert Rebecca Lamperski tells dM how to design, cultivate, and maintain the
life we choose as we would a garden, so that we can achieve our goals and
enjoy the rewards.
How to Enjoy the Show: Log onto Global Talk Radio.com at 1:00pm EST
Check out Rebecca's book, "Full Bloom: Planting the Seeds For Your Future"
I Love Indie Business Radio! "I've been listening to your show and each time is like a mini-class in itself. I love it! I've been soaking up all the information and just can't get enough. Keep up the good work! I am learning so much from you and your business" Indie Suzanne Gosh, The Washtub, Collins, MS.
Upcoming Indie Business Radio Guests
April 9: Last Minute Tax Tips
Guest: CPA Tom O'Connor
Topic: Last minute tips to minimize your tax burden this year
April 23: Capitalizing on Being Woman Owned
Guest: Author Janet Christy
Topic: Make being a girl work for your bottom line
April 30: Be the Best Spokesperson For Your Business
Guest: Author and publicist Christine Hohlbaum
Topic: How to deliver your message to the public clearly, precisely and
effectively
3. Indie Gift of the Month: Positive Pampered Lavender Collection
Welcome to the first Indie Gift of the Month, where where you can enter
to win a gift set made by a member of the Indie Beauty Network. Each month,
I will purchase for a dear friend or colleague a delicious gift set made by
a member of the Indie Beauty Network. I will publish the feedback I receive
in the newsletter and when I do, you can enter to win the featured gift set!
Last month, I gave the Positively Pampered Lavender Collection to my college friend Terri Bynoe. Terri lives in South Carolina with her husband and 3 sons. She's a "stay at home" mom who is never at home, and when she's not shuffling her boys to and from sporting events, she's cooking up fancy meals for everyone or volunteering at the local hospital where her husband is an emergency room trauma surgeon. I thought my pal of 25 years could use some relaxing pampering, and she loved it. She said the packaging was beautiful, the products are decadent and the lavender brought back sweet memories of her grandmother.
To enter to win a Positively Pampered Lavender Collection of your own, all you have to do is join today's Indie Business Radio Show (log onto Global Talk Radio.com at 1:00pm EST) and call in your question or comment for today's guest. You will automatically be entered into a drawing to win the Indie Gift of the Month. Your entry gives us your permission to share your name and home state, and tell everyone what you won.
Get Featured! If you're an IBN member with a fantastic product that you'd like to be featured as the Indie Gift of the Month, email me a link to a photo of your gift set and I'll get back to you!
4. Indie Live! Today: Network, Have Fun, Learn Something New
Indie Live!
is the place where IBN members gather to discuss the hot indie
business topics of the day and enjoy a presentation by an expert guest (see
below for today's guest)! One-on-one coaching from dM, IBN's founder and
president, is available, but in our weekly calls, we enjoy a fantastic group
dynamic where your questions are answered in an encouraging and
inspirational setting. Last week, two FDA attorneys in private practice
shared a great overview of the FDA's and other agency regulation of
cosmetics. This week, there's another great session with our very own
Packaging Diva! Members may feel free to email
any suggestions for future meetings and topic they wish to discuss
| Today's Indie Live! | Topic | Presenter |
| April 2, 2007, 3:00pm EST | Package Your Products to Sell! JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva, will join us to share trends in packaging and why having a great product may not be enough to support your bottom line. | Teleconference; Dial In Number and conference code provided at this link. (Member login required.) |
5. Indie Candy: Susan Mann: Manor Hall Soap Company: Slap Yourself!
Susan Mann,
age 49, is originally from England. Today, she makes her home in Springfield, Massachusetts with
her husband Jason and their business, Manor
Hall Soap Company. Susan has 4 grown children, between 23 and 29 years
of age.
Thanks, But No Thanks!
Susan first fell in love with handmade soap in 2000 when she found some black and white handmade "Moo Soap" at a store while on vacation in Vermont. "I was so taken with it that I had a look around the Internet to see how handmade soap was made. When I read that you had to boil animal fat on the stove to make it, I said, 'no thanks'" and moved onto the next thing in life."
Little did Susan know ...
She became certified in hypnotherapy in 2002, specializing in working with phobias,
and soon realized that many people were seeking hypnosis to help themselves relax.
"I've always had a love for natural stuff and homeopathy. There's just something about walking the woods and hearing
the sounds around you. I love the wildlife, the wildflowers, and generally anything that's
untamed" she explains..
Since Susan had always held essential oils in high esteem, it struck her
that people looking for natural ways to relax might benefit from using a little essential oil
therapy. One morning, Susan had one eye on HGTV and the other on household
chores when she saw a segment with a woman make "snow globe" soap. "Just break a transparent slab of
pre-made soap into ice cube sized chunks, zap it in the microwave and they
had soap." Susan began buying up soapmaking books and soon saw that
while the microwave soaps were fast, she was really drawn to the looks of
the cold processed soaps. After accepting the fact that "melt and
go" was not for her, she resigned herself to begin playing with the
stuff the chemistry teachers had warned her about -- lye. And she's glad she
did.
Here's the rest of her story, in her own words.
The
Business
I stumbled into Manor Hall Soap Company. The company name is a play on my name - Susan Mann.
"Manor" is also the name many English stately homes are known
by and it signals something that is privileged and established with a rich
ancestry. It conjures fields and the woodlands of nature. What I've
done is take the symbolically established word "manor" and splattered it with attitude.
While I love the countryside, I never was a gingham girl and always hated frocks and frilly stuff.
The company was started by me and it's still just me. But like many small
business owners discover, I found out that I can't do everything myself all
the time. My husband is my right hand man. He's a computer genius, which
helps a lot with an online business. We're still learning to leave "work" at
"work," but we work surprisingly well together.
While we have to leave work alone obviously, the problem is that word
doesn't readily leave us along. It shouts after me. I can relaxing, when one of the saponified chappies in the curing room starts shouting
about how he'd like to be paired with the ylang ylang soap bar. Sometimes I wonder if I've created a
monster, but my sense of humor
gets me through. It also helps that my husband has a good sense of the
"funnies". We learned to laugh early on, and to take time out when things began to get a little wacky. We set ground
rules for our work together, and it's worked for us.
I have very supportive friends and family members who are there to call on if things get a bit wild. I think it's good to have the troops lined up before they are needed. My mother-in-law has been known to drive
3 hours from
New Jersey to help when packaging and soapmaking need extra hands. When I sponsored 300 soaps to the
2006 NAHA conference, she
helped me wrap the little 1" by 2" bars.
How to Start a Business
Slap yourself -- then Go For It!" There's no other way to do it. Just
prepare yourself for what you're getting into and know that at times, you're going to want to give up. You're going to want your life back. You're going to want to run away and hide from stupid mistakes you believe you should have
seen in advance. But know that in the end, you will be the star
of many absolutely stunningly wonderful and brilliant Oscar winning moments.
That's when you jump into the air as high as you can, shouting "YES!". It might be a scent you've just blended. It might be a bit of publicity. It might be some novel way of packaging which has eluded you for months. It might even be a quiet telephone for once. But, that's when you know. That's when you know you couldn't really be anything else.
Being in business is hard. If you can't cry and keep on going, then give up
now because there'll be plenty of tears along your way to success. I doubt anyone has ever gotten there without a cry, or without making mistakes. While
crying is easy, making mistakes are hard. And if you're just starting out,
remember that everyone has hard knocks so when yours come, don't feel alone.
No one wants to talk about the hard time, but they do come and they make you
wonder if it's all worth it.
Oh, and then there's those three little words. Focus. Focus. And focus. Without
focus, your vision be forever blurred. No matter how small you are, take the time to sit and write a business plan. My workshop is full of bottles, jars,
pots and papers representing many good ideas that were never realized.
Of course they seemed like good ideas at the time. But when I added up the
cost of ingredients, packaging, labels and time -- well, you get the
picture. I still have trouble grasping the concept of time yet. For example, just how long does it take to stand at the ironing board
and seal 250 botanical tea bags? I should have asked that question before I
started ironing. Yes, focus. Focus. And focus.
Flying Solo
The biggest challenge of business has got to be that you're on your own. There's no one holding your hand. In the end, you are the one who has to double check that every i is dotted and every t is crossed. You have to be
everything from the CEO right on through to the garbage guy.
What keeps me going is the will to succeed. Looking at my stock. Looking at the creativity all around me. Looking at my soapy business, and the people who buy from me and come back for more of my soapy stuff. The dream that I have been building for the last three years. All of that keeps me going. I'm still learning. I'm still growing. But most important of all, I'm still me.
What I Like Best
I love the artistic creativity, combined with the freedom
to be who I am. From the scent blends, through the crazy product names, right on
down into the website, life is one long art attack for me. I love when my
soaps " talk" to me. I love it when the olive
oil starts shouting to be poured out of the pail. And I love it when I walk
into the curing room and get hit by something I made the day before, with
an absolutely to die for smell.
The
Nitty Gritty
I make all my bar soap from olive oil with other cold pressed oils and butters. I have soaps for the body, for the face, for sensitive skin, for dry skin, for vegans, for the
kitchen sink, the shower and the bath. I use a base for my liquid soap. I don't have the time to make it on the stove. Manor Hall is an all natural soap company, providing soapy stuff that is kind to the skin for everyone, but especially for those who have skin
sensitivities to synthetic foaming agents. When I made the decision to
bring liquid soap into the Manor I spent a while looking for something that
I felt was good enough for me to put my essential oil blends in.
My tried and true favorites and best selling bars are Ooh La Lavender and Oatmeal, and Honey Me
Smooth, my personal favorite. Of course, there are seasonal scents that people always want a slice of, but no matter how popular a bar may be at any one time, overall it's the good old favorites that win
out. My own personal favorite is the Honey Me Smooth bar.
Manor
Soaps Around the World
One of the fun things about my business is featuring my soaps in the
exciting places my customers visit. 'Around the World in 4 ounces started as a personal
photo gallery of pictures my husband and I took of the soaps when we
traveled. It wasn't long before family and friends started sending
their photographs so we started putting them up at the website. One enthusiastic customer went on a road trip of New York State with her mother, taking a bar of Almost Sunset with them.
They must have stopped at
every town and city signpost along the way, holding up a what looked like a long wooden broom handle, with my little Sunset
soap speared on the end. They didn't have a digital camera and forgot
that they needed to be close to the soap in order for people to see what it
was. In each photo, the Sunset bar was a microscopic dot, but they are making the trip again later this year,
armed with new photographer know how and a basket of Manor soaps, and we
can't wait to put up their pictures.
One of the Best Things I've Done For My Business ...
IBN's newsletter inspired me to launch my own and today, it is steadily
growing. Starting an online newsletter is one of the best things I have ever done for Manor Hall in my
3 years in business. We planned for a while, and
eventually sent out the first one last October. We haven't looked back since.
I Love Being Indie
I've just enjoyed my first full year of IBN membership and I love being
Indie. I love being who I am.
I think being who you are is the essence of the world of Indie. I wait for the
Indie Experience newsletter each week, and use it as a green light to push me to do three positive things for my business. It's a pact I have with myself, and I have done it
every week now for too many months to count. Sometimes, there are suggestions I will put to good use immediately. Other times, it serves as an idea generator. One thing's for sure though, on the day the IBN newsletter
is published, my soapy stuff get three pushes of positivity. It works for me.
I think a lot of working for yourself, and by yourself, requires regular monitoring in the motivation department. Sometimes it's best to let someone, or something else, dictate what you do for an hour or two. For me, it's
this weekly newsletter, and a little entrepreneur paperback book (below). Both keep the ideas flowing, and both have served me well so far.
I refer to this book often. I like to pick it up, and thumb a page at random. Whatever is on that page, I read, and then act on it in one way or another. There are only 101 tips, but after reading it a few years back, I still can't get enough of the "get-up-and-go" motivation that thumbing a random page provides.
When I'm Not Soaping
It's strange, but soapy stuff never really leaves my head. It's always there in the background. But,
ever since I was a teen, I have played guitar and written my own music. I can't see myself ever not doing
that. I also make time for being outdoors. When you work from home, I think you have to give yourself space to switch off. When you work with your spouse, it's all the more important to make sure you do that.
We tour the New England states in the car almost weekly, stopping to
appreciate the small hidden villages, and unspoiled areas of beauty and wild. Sometimes
we use it as an opportunity to take photos for the website. "Stock photos", we call them.
Work is always there in the background, but photography is a hobby for me
and my husband so we find ways to combine it with the business. Then there's baseball, and the New York
Mets -- we love to enjoy a game and let our hair down. But even baseball gets the soap treatment when we make the drive to Shea Stadium. Check out the pic on the
Around the
World page. I mean, what other bar of soap could possibly be any more at home there?
Looking Ahead
I recently introduced more organic oils into my products, organic unrefined shea butter. I've been working on a hair care line, including natural shampoo and conditioning oils and butters. That's been very satisfying for me because it's something I have had in my heart from the very beginning. It's growth. And it feels good. I'm very excited about the future.
This is Indie Candy, so if you were a piece of candy, what would you be?
A strawberry Starburst fruit chew.
Susan's Business Works Because ...
1. Susan has focus. Note her honesty in sharing that she once
decided to make bath tea bags and didn't think about how standing at the
ironing board for hours would adversely affect her ability to focus on her
core business. Susan realizes that playing on your strengths is the way to
grow a business efficiently and in a way that maximizes profits.
2. Susan takes breaks. Walking outside in the wild, exploring New England with her right hand man, husband and business partner, going to baseballs games. Taking a break from work is important. But ...
3. Susan works even during her breaks. Knowing that the reality of being an Indie business owner is that you can never really leave your business behind, Susan combines her photography hobby with her business. Never leaving home without camera and soap, she is always ready to add interest to her website, including an online newsletter. She also draws customers into the fun by asking them to send in their own pictures for display as well. Having fun while increasing the bottom line. How smart is that?!
You can learn more about the Manor's products at their website.
6. Indie Calendar: Indies, Indies Everywhere!
As always, IBN members are everywhere doing their share to support and encourage other Indies to maximize success. Check out the chart below for an overview of upcoming events and if you think one in your area is for you, click on our Calendar for more details.
Members, listen up! This weekly feature is just one of the
ways IBN spreads the word about your business. Do you have an event coming
up that you'd like us to publicize? An open house? A special class? A sale
at your physical retail location? Add your event here
and I'll cue it up for the next newsletter!
| Date | Event | Location |
| April 2, 2007, 3:00pm EST | Package Your Products to Sell! JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva, will join us to share trends in packaging and why having a great product may not be enough to support your bottom line. | Teleconference; Dial In Number and conference code provided at this link. (Member login required.) |
| April 12-15, 2007 | Bath and Body Product Making Boot Camp, a special intensive workshop to immerse yourself in the world o making bath and body products. | San Francisco, CA |
| May 12, 2007 | Intermediate Level/Big Batch Cold Process Soap Making to help you take your soapmaking to the next level. | San Francisco, CA |
| June 7, 2007 | Packaging Your Invention to Sell! IBN member Jo Ann Hines, the Packaging Diva, will share why it's so important to make packaging your first thought, not your last! | INPEX at the Pittsburgh Expo Mart |
| August 16, 17, 18 2007 | The Indie Business Conference (pictures from the 2006 conference) | Click here to register |
Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Indie Experience
The Indie Beauty Network | www.indiebeauty.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2007 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.
