Handmade Beauty Connection A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
September
6,
2004
For those of you celebrating Labor Day today, I hope
you have a safe and enjoyable one! For anyone who has been in the path of
Hurricane Frances, I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!!
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 5, Issue 37
To subscribe, click here.
-->This Week's Sponsor <--
We offer: Wholesale/Bulk/Retail/Professional Discounts
Be sure to visit our 'Specials Pages' and stock up for your
winter projects.
1. HBN Update: Welcome New
& Renewing HBN
Members!
2. Handmade
Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Honey
& Lemon Sugar Scrub
3. Beauty & The Business Trivia
Question: win a bar of soap handmade by an HBN member!
4. The Handmade Beauty
Cookbook:
Join the Handmade Beauty Revolution!
5. Lifestyle CEO™:
Lifestyle CEO™: The Rules Of
(Business) Engagement, Part II: Select
Your Battle Tools
1. HBN
Update: Welcome New &
Renewing HBN Members!
Tvål!
| Anna
Hellqvist | Canada
* renewing
member; rustic Swedish
handmade soaps made from a wonderful blend of vegetable oils like olive,
canola, coconut, shea, castor and almond
Savonerie
| Deborah
Wendell | Oregon
* renewing
member; cold-process
soaps made with fine vegetable oils and butters, scented with essential
and/or fragrance oils, and colored with mineral pigments
Clare
Le'Dor | Teresa Dorsey | Oregon
* renewing
member; handmade skin care and aromatherapy products using
exotic oils, pure essential oils and herbal infusions
Sungate
Elementals, LLC | Christopher Frazer | New Jersey
* renewing member; handmade,
all natural soaps, salves bath salts and fizzies made from the most natural
ingredients under the sun
Swanrose
Essentials | Viola Joyner | Nevada
* renewing
member; handmade
vegetable-based glycerin soaps and bath salts blended with natural
botanicals, essential oils and fine fragrance oils
Naked Herbs |
Teresa Dorsey | Oregon
* therapeutic herbs and
aromatherapy products made by an Master Herbalist and Integrative
Aromatherapist
Institute
For Synergy Arts | Jennifer Tan | California
* hand-crafted
aromatherapy products to benefit mind, boy and spirit. Infant massage, birthing hypnosis and feng
shui workshops. Custom-blending | private label available
Blue Monkey Herbal
Company | Monica Naples | Texas
* natural
products perfect for those seeking a natural alternative -- herbal mineral bath
salts, aromatherapy massage oils, herbal body lotions, lip balm, etc.
Learn more about these and other members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, 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.
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! 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!
2. Handmade
Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Honey & Lemon Sugar Scrub
Honey
& Lemon Sugar Scrub offers the sweet smell of honey and lemon to
leave your hands, tootsies and entire body skin soft and smooth.
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!
3.
Beauty & The Business Trivia
Question: last week's
winner was Nicole Salim of Temple City, California. Nicole won a
personal 1/2 hour Lifestyle CEO consultation with me!
Last Week's Question: I am a living museum where trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. I'm the home of the National Herb Garden and photographers come from all over the world to take pictures at my world famous Columns. In the spring and summer, I am alive with daffodils, flowering cherry trees and magnolias. As fall approaches, the focus turns to bird watching, bonsai and my koi pond, plus an upcoming seminar on Native American herbs. What am I?
Last Week's Answer: I am the US National Arboretum. For more information about USNA events this month, including the Japanese Koi Festival and the seminars on Native American herbs, flavors and fragrances, visit their website.
This Week's Question: For those of you expecting a business trivia question, due to circumstances beyond our control, you'll have to wait until next week for that! This week, it's not business, but smiles we discuss!
Whenever I ever get a chance to share my love of essential oils in a group setting, I never leave this one out as one of my all-time favorites. It can be used on anyone -- young or old -- to relieve stress and enhance mood. One HBN member likes to call it a "smile bringer," and I can't think of a better phrase to describe it. It's a citrus, and a delicious one at that -- not a small fruit. It comes in white and pink and the essential oil is expressed from its skin. Its known phototoxicity is a potential drawback, but when used properly, a sniff or two can make almost anyone feel better! To win this week, state the common and botanical name of the fruit described.
Be the first to answer this week's question and win
a bar of soap made by HBN member Moonshine 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's name will be announced in the next newsletter!
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! Last
week, I started a series of articles on the Rules Of (Business) Engagement,
and we explored the importance of stating your mission. If you missed that
article, you can enjoy it here. This
week, we look at the significant issue of choosing the proper tools of war.
A soldier never enters battle without first selecting the proper props. Will
he use rocket propelled grenades or will bows and arrows do the trick? The
answer depends in part on the mission, which is why we started there. Once
the mission is established, it becomes easier to select the tools needed to
accomplish it in the most efficient and least costly method possible. In
business, there are a variety of tools available -- in fact so many that all
of them are beyond the scope of this article. But I have found that most
business who have at least 3 tools at their disposal throughout the life of
their business maximize their chances of success. Those tools are: (1) a
fluid business plan that chances as necessary to accommodate new goals and
circumstances; (2) technological expertise to help maximize the advanced
tools of the 21st century; and (3) good judgment regarding what
opportunities should be pursued to result in the greatest benefit with the
least amount of resource expenditure. 1.
A Fluid Business Plan. OK so you have a great business idea. Join the
club! Don't we all ... but where are you going with it??!
4.
The Handmade Beauty Cookbook: Join the Handmade Beauty Revolution!
"Delicious"
... "Scrumptious" ... "ideal reference guide"
\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.
o
Do I
Have A Business Plan?
o Do
I Really Need A Business Plan?
2. Technological Expertise. Today's battlefield is driven by more than just manpower and artillery. It is also driven by technology. The soldiers of the 21st century can do so much more than those of past generations, not because they are stronger or because there are more of them, but because advances in technology provide them with incredible capabilities. Like most military operations, Lifestyle CEOs operate their businesses on a budget, and they do so as much out of love for what they do as for the desire to be successful. Those are both great motivators, and each is necessary in order to achieve excellence. Today's Lifestyle CEO is the "chief cook and bottle washer" (CCBW)," of pretty much everything and there's nothing wrong with that. But I find that far too many people think that being the CCBW means that they actually have to DO everything. But that's not true. The commander of the operation delegates many of the day to day activities to others, and one of the things they delegate most readily is the job of taking fullest advantage of today's technological advances.
Lifestyle
CEOs should can take a tip from this. Many
spend considerable resources (both time and money) learning how to
design their website, take decent product photos, programming shopping carts, designing
logos, swatting spam and googling search engines. In so doing, they become jacks of all trades, but
masters of none -- most especially their own businesses. In other words,
they spend so many resources learning how to do everything, refusing to
delegate anything to experts, thinking that they are saving time and money.
While there are exceptions, all to often, they end up saving neither, and
thus they do not experience many of the benefits of the new technologies
which have nearly single-handedly paved the way for Lifestyle CEOs around
the world to pursue their business and lifestyle goals. A better
alternative, and one which I recommend regularly, is to decide what
technological tools are needed to accomplish goals and engage the services of people
to help you maximize them. My first website was designed by a part-time web
designer. In hindsight, I know that she knew very little about what she was
doing. I had to spend so much time monitoring her activities that I had
little stamina or time left to manage my own business. While it was hard at
first, I eventually bit the bullet and hired a professional who can design a
website based on my specific instructions and help me manage and maintain
it. Her fees are respectable yet reasonable and while I spend some time
working on web and technological issues, she does the bulk of the work
freeing me to run my business. A local computer professional performs
quarterly maintenance on my hardware, checking for viruses, loading
software, removing outdated programs, archiving old
data and helping me make the most of my computers. he is also available to
me by phone and email when there are minor problems I can resolve on my own with
his help. I need computers to run
my business, but I don't need to know everything about them, nor do I want
to. I highly recommend that all Lifestyle CEOs, even the most staunch
"do-it-yourselfers" hire people to help them make the most of
today's technology for the benefit of their businesses ... and personal
lives too.
3. Good Judgment Regarding Opportunities. This can't be bought. It must be learned, sometimes through great stress and adversity. Under intense stress and pressure, a soldier must decide on a moment's notice whether to go left or right, whether to accept one option to accomplish a goal or whether to accept another one. They sense the danger in one direction and they go in another. It simply boils down to knowing when to say "no" and then saying it. Likewise, Lifestyle CEOs must also learn when to say no, and practice doing so with definitiveness and grace. As small business owners, we are usually strapped for cash. We have lots of ideas yet little finances to make them reality. It is therefore crucial that we judge every opportunity with a keen business eye to discern whether we should spend our precious time and money on it. For example, if your business plan calls for taking portrait photographs of speakers and you have invested thousands of dollars in equipment such as backdrops, make-up and lighting specifically for headshots and the like, if a bride calls you to do a wedding, that opportunity should be quickly scanned not only for whether it would bring money in in the short term, but also for whether it fits into your business plan. Simply stated, train yourself not to waste time chasing down short term winners if doing so might hinder long term progress. Most of us are programmed to want to please people, especially potential paying customers. But scrutinizing each opportunity for all of its pros and cons means that many times, it's best to simply say "thanks but no thanks." Not only will this help you stay true to mission and reach goals faster, it will also help you stay on task, freeing you up to enjoy more of your business and your life.
Invest in a fluid business plan, and track progress and update it regularly. Use technology wisely and to your advantage, using the services of professionals wherever possible to ma
ximize its potential to your benefit. And learn to say "no," and then practice doing so regularly. There's more to business, but armed with at least these 3 battle tools, you've got a good start to your arsenal!Next Week: Rule Of (Business) Engagement No. 3: Train Your Troops.
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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