2. HBN Member Success Spotlight: Angelheart Enterprises

This week's HBN Member Success Spotlight shines on HBN member Angelheart Enterprises, an Ohio-based manufacturer of handmade goodies, specializing in African hair care products.

Member Success Spotlights are one of the many benefits of HBN membership. To learn more about Angelheart Enterprises and all of the other HBN members profiled in HBN's Success Spotlights, click here.

3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: The winner of last week's contest was Deborah Baker of Hazel Park, Michigan. Deborah won a copy of "Natural Beauty" by Rosemary Gladstar!

Last Week's Question: Before modern soapmaking methods were introduced, excess alkali (which is harmful to the skin) was likely to exist in cold process soap. As a result, manufacturers
began reducing the amount of alkali used in the soapmaking process in order counteract this result. This created a milder and more acceptable bar of soap, since an excess of unsaponified fat was left in the finished product. To win, state the name generally used to identify a finished bar of soap which is made with a reduced amount of alkali as described.

Last Week's Answer: superfatted 

This Week's Question: The Food, Drug & Cosmetics Act requires that the principal display panel of a package containing a certain type of cosmetic product contain this warning statement:

"Warning - Contains an ingredient that can penetrate your skin and has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."

To win this week, be the first to state the name of the type of cosmetic product referenced, and win a bar of The Bees Knees soap, handmade by HBN member Caerlon Gardens Luxury Soap.

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 will be notified by email and their name posted at HBN's home page.

Last week's tip focused on the types of questions you will want to ask before choosing a company to host your newsletter. If you missed that tip, you can read it here.

This week's tip provides 4 hosting companies you can check out, 2 free and 2 paid services, with insights about the pros and cons of each. Neither I nor HBN endorses any of these services in particular, but they are referenced here for your information. If you sign on with any list hosting company, it is your responsibility to read their contractual terms, which often change frequently.

BigList ~ BigList has a one-time setup up fee of up to $75 (depending on the number of subscribers.) Monthly fees start at $40 per month (up to 500 subscribers) to over $350 a month (for up to 100,000 subscribers). They have a contact number ((212) 686.2140), but it's obviously not toll free. Importantly, BigList's terms and conditions include specific provisions that all publisher content is the property of the publisher.

Sparklist  ~ Sparklist uses Lyris software and several servers to help publishers manage content. Lyris software is great once you learn to use it, but it takes a while to come up to speed. There is a one-time list set up fee of $25 to $100 (depending on the number of subscribers you have). (If you are bringing a substantial number of subscribers
to Sparklist, I suggest trying to get them to waive this fee.) Prices start at $1 per subscriber for up to 1,000 messages, with  a $50 minimum per month, so Sparklist may not make sense to you until you have reached a certain minimum subscriber base for your newsletter. On the other hand, unlike free services, Sparklist has a toll free number ((888- 772-7563) which allows you to call before, during and after your set up, and the customer service representatives are friendly and very helpful. As a Sparklist customer, you are generally assigned to a team of people to help you manage your account. Sparklist does not require you to run their ads, so you are free to brand your products and services in the way that maximizes your return.

Topica ~ Topica provides a variety of free list hosting services. But if your newsletter is used to generate revenue for your business, be aware that Topica's terms of service prohibit you from engaging in commercial activities unless they get a piece of the pie. Specifically, they require that you not solicit for sponsors or offer any products for sale unless you do so pursuant to one of their programs. They also require that you run their ads. The Topica agreement also contains this provision:

"By transmitting Content through Topica for distribution to your Topica List, you grant Topica a worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of providing Topica's hosting, archiving, subscription, and promotion services."

YahooGroups  ~ This is one of the most well known free hosting companies. Purchased in August 2000 from eGroups, Yahoogroups provides a wide range of free services. The biggest challenge with YahooGroups is that, if you have a problem, there's no one to call and they do not (in my experience) EVER return email messages. If you can't contact them, guess what? Neither can your subscribers, so you must make sure that you are readily available to help them if they have a problem subscribing or unsubscribing from your newsletter, for example. (If you ever need to contact YahooGroups, you might try calling (408) 349-5080, the number for their copyright agent. While this may not be the right person to call, it may at least get you to their corporate headquarters where you could actually speak to a real human being.) YahooGroups requires that you run their ads which can interfere with your product/service branding. Like Topica's, YahooGroups' service agreement also provides that you agree that YahooGroups owns certain "world-wide, royalty free and non-exclusive license(s)," to your content. Like Topica, this provision means that you are giving the hosting service permission to use your content (and the content of your discussion group members) around the world, forever, and they don't have to compensate you or even let you know!

Other list hosting companies you may wish to consider include MessageBot and IsMax. And of course, there are others! Whatever you choose, it's important to do your research and choose the company that provides those services that are most important to you. For example, if you think you will need considerable outside assistance managing your newsletter, do not choose a free hosting service ... they will not help you. A paid service is much more likely to assist as they are really a vendor with responsibilities to provide you with services for a fee. Also, if it is important to you to retain the rights to the content on your newsletter for future revenue generating use, be careful not to agree to any terms of service that appear to grant copyright rights to the hosting service. This could severely restrict your ability to use your intellectual property in the future to generate revenue. It also could adversely affect the value of your business if you ever decide to sell it because the subscribers and the newsletter content may not be "yours" to sell.

Send your comments and feedback about our articles to donnamaria@handmadebeauty.com. Would you like to be a guest writer? If so, send your contribution to Jenn@HandmadeBeauty.com.

Designed to inspire, encourage and coach you to create the life you love! Tapes Now Available:

1. Legal & Regulatory Challenges Facing The Handmade Toiletries Industry Today: Applying Yesterday's Laws To Today's Marketplace. Includes the latest on cosmetics, trademark and Internet law. Perfect for online toiletries and aromatherapy businesses! 2 90-minute tapes. To order, click here.

2. Planning NOT To Fail: How to Preapre A Business Plan That Positions You For Success!! Handmade toiletries/aromatherapy centered business planning tape with tips for making the most of your small business. Selected by the College of DuPage for use in their continuing education aromatherapy course!! 1 60-minute tape. To order, click here.

3. Audio Tapes Of Several HBN Beauty Calls™ are now available, including Aubrey Hampton (preservatives & the FDA inspection process), Melody Upham (transitioning from manufacturer to supplier, general business tips) and Kristen Leigh Bell (selecting a logo and graphics artist, helpful marketing tips). For details on these tapes and how to order them, click here.

6. Handmade Beauty Product Recipe: The Pink Pamper for Lips

This herb-infused pink lip balm will soothe and pamper your lips. Pure rose concrete adds an unmistakable feminine aroma, and coupled with the kaolin, creates a smooth texture that goes on without a hitch. The pink color does not transfer to the lips.

Ingredients

6 grams St. John's Wort infused extra virgin olive oil (if you don't have St. John's Wort, use plain extra virgin olive oil)
10 grams avocado butter
4 grams alkanet infused sweet almond oil (if you don't want the pink color or you don't have alkanet root, use plain almond oil)
6 grams fractionated coconut oil
10 grams beeswax
a pea-sized amount of rose concrete
a pea-sized amount of kaolin (China clay)

Blending Procedure

Step 1. Combine olive oil, avocado butter, fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil and beeswax in a heat proof measuring cup with a pour spout and place in a hot water bath. Once the beeswax has melted, remove from  heat. Stir well. I use disposable pop sickle sticks to stir.

Step 2. Add rose concrete and kaolin and stir again to ensure an even mix. Make sure the kaolin is completely broken up and dispersed.

Step 3. Pour into lip balm jars, tins or tubes and allow to cool before using. Enjoy!!

Visit The Handmade Beauty Connection Archives.