Handmade Beauty Connection
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network 1. IBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing IBN Members!! Handmade
Beauty Recipe of the Week: Super-Hydrating Moisture Mask
July
10,
2006
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 7, Issue 29
To subscribe, click here
2. Handmade Beauty Business Magazine: IBN Member Handmade Soaps on Display!
3. Lifestyle CEO Report: Special Guest Pam Slim Joins Me!
4. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win something wonderful!
5. Feature Article: The Nova Effect
6. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Midsummer Night Cream
7. Here & There: Calendar of Upcoming Events
1. IBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing IBN Members!
Welcome
Renewing Members!
Cactus
& Ivy | Lisa Rodgers | South Carolina
* Cactus & Ivy is a wholesale/retail manufacturer of a wide array of spa
and body products. We also offer our wholesale clients private labeling
options in addition to custom blending. We work hard to create products that
benefit your skin!
Natural
Indulgences | Margaret Helm-Duell | Oregon
*
Handmade Soap and Skincare using
internationally sourced exquisite ingredients. New formulations and
products are in the works and due to be released Aug. 2006! Be sure to stay
tuned......
Welcome New Members!
Cheryl's
Products | Cheryl Talley Moss | Texas
* Healthy Hair & Skin Care Products by Cheryl Talley Moss,
author of Healthy Hair Care Tips for Today's Black Woman.
Tambela
| Elisa Pearlstine | Florida
* We make and sell natural aromatherapy skin care products including
lotions, handmade soap, room sprays, essential oils and custom natural
perfumes.
Artemesia
Botanicals | Teri Kalgren | Massachusetts
* Artemisia Botanicals is a haven for those who like to create their own
health and beauty products. We carry over 300 herbs and 50 essential oils as
well as bottles, carrier oils and beeswax and much more.
Former IBN member Terina McKinney is selling her Innerglo Home Spa business. $3,000 buys you retail mailing list, recipes, logo, motto, branding tools, resources for packaging, raw materials and other supplies, inventory on hand and free consulting from Terina for 30 days after closing to help with the transition. Visit the website here and email Terina at with questions. Serious inquiries only.
Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through IBN's Online Member Directory, now 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.
2. Handmade Beauty Business Magazine: 1Q 2006 Issue!
Just
look at those soaps! Each one a work of art, and made by a member of IBN!
I'm so pleased to be featuring IBN member soaps on the cover of our
forthcoming Soap Issue! Also included are members' hilarious "soap
stories," plus my interview with an FDA official about how they
regulate soap (or not!), an article on how maintaining your health can help
your business stay competitive into the future and a short history of the
handmade soap industry.. And much more!
You haven't subscribed yet? Click here to get a move on and get your handmade beauty business in the groove, or just join IBN and you get copies as part of your membership!
Please visit our magazine sponsors who make it possible for me to bring you this unique publication!
3. Lifestyle CEO Report: Special Guest Pam Slim Will Join Me!
\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.
Pam Slim is the owner of Ganas Consulting, where she helps people rekindle the fire in their professional lives. From making a "ho hum" job rewarding and exciting, to helping entrepreneurs chart a new course, Pam can help anyone find and do their best work. Could your professional life use a new jolt of excitement and fun? Join me and Pam LIVE at 1:00pm EST at Global Talk Radio.com. Just click on "Listen Live" at the home page to join us! Call in your own question or comment at (800) 773-0355.
Upcoming Shows ::
July 17: Debbie Weil, blogging guru and author of "The Corporate Blog" (to be released August 2006) tells us about the blogging phenomenon, and whether and how we can use one to build business and brand awareness.
And visit the Lifestyle CEO website book
page to get the scoop on my newly released book featuring several
members of the Indie Beauty Network who are the ultimate examples of
successful Lifestyle CEOs! Last Week's Answer:
4. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question:
last week's winner was Vidushi Anand of Wellington, New Zealand. Vidushi won a
bar of delicious handmade soap!
Last Week's Question: State the name of a US federal regulatory agency
that regulates soap that does not make any claim to be a cosmetic.
This Week's Question: Who are the speakers at Saturday's Business Growth Conference? There's still time to register, by the way!
Be the first to answer and win something delicious!
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!
5. Feature Article: The Nova Effect
by dM
A
nova is a star that shines brilliantly in the sky and then gradually returns
to its normal brightness. Perhaps it's no coincidence that it's also the
surname of an IBN member who seems to enjoy the same cyclical effect over
and over again.
Like most IBN members, Lori Nova, owner of The Nova Studio located in Point Richmond, CA, near my favorite city in the entire universe (San Francisco!), started her professional career about as far away from handmade beauty as you could imagine. In 2000, she graduated with a Master's in Speech Communication and was planning on teaching at the college level.
"The idea for my business was a result of looking for a hobby that would bring me personal satisfaction and at the same time, result in usable (earth-friendly) gifts that I could give my friends & family," says Lori. After attending a soapmaking class (cold process), she says that everything changed. "I began buying and reading books and collecting all the ingredients I could find, and pretty soon I needed a way to pay for (and use) all the materials."The
Nova Studio provides group classes, private lessons and consulting for
people interested in learning to make their own natural (or mostly natural)
beauty products. The studio currently offers 12 classes, each covering from 1-3
different products. Lori
is a natural teacher, so figuring out a way to teach others how to make
their own beauty products seemed like a natural extension for her. "I
originally thought it would be something more academic, but it's so much
more fun teaching something
that
helps people get in touch with their creative side and brings an immediate
sense of satisfaction and accomplishment."
I know all you IBN members can relate!
Naming
Her Star
Lori chose her company name, The Nova Studio, after much thought and deliberation. "I had a difficult time coming up with my business name because I knew the business would focus on my soap/bath/body product classes, but also involve other instructors from the community, teaching a variety of classes in several different interest areas." says Lori. Rather than a name that was specific to one area or type of product, Lori decided to stick with her own name because it suited any class she ever offered and prevented her studio from being identified with only a certain type of craft.
People are always telling Lori how creative they think she is, but Lori doesn't see it that way. While she says she gets a certain "craftsy-ness" as a result of parents who made sure she was always enrolled in lessons and activities, she says that making soap and bath and body products is similar to cooking and baking, and just about anybody can do that.
Launching Her Star -- In Her Own Words
"I started the business very slowly, with very little of my own money. I bought a bunch of supplies and ingredients and started making products, mainly to satisfy my desire for a hobby after grad school and to make gifts for family and friends. I bought so many supplies, and so many books. I just started going crazy. I felt like a mad scientist! Pretty soon, it became obvious that I would need a way to pay for my new habit, so I started teaching classes in my tiny kitchen, which consisted of 5 people crammed around my kitchen table. I advertised my classes with flyers posted at a soap and candle supply store in Berkeley, where I was purchasing most of my supplies. The owner of the store and I began talking, and I ended up moving my classes to her back patio, and eventually we shared a small space across the street from her store where I crammed 10 people around a larger table and taught part time classes for about a year. I eventually grew out of that space, and in September of 2003 I opened The Nova Studio in the town where my husband and I live in Point Richmond, CA. I can't believe this September will be my 3-year anniversary in the location!
"My family and friends have been a great source of encouragement and feedback since they have been receiving my products as gifts for years," says Lori. I've also made many new and wonderful friends as a result of the studio and when I do have some free time, we enjoy playing with new ingredients and creating new recipes, and brainstorming about how to make The Nova Studio even better."
Lori had help from a friend designing her website, but she does everything herself now out of necessity. "The website is very time consuming -- with 10 different teachers, a monthly calendar with nearly 30 different classes, about 15 of which run every month, there are a lot of changes that need to be made on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. It is really important to me that it's up to date and accurate, since most of my customers come to the studio as a result of finding me on-line. It's certainly not the most technologically advanced, but It's nice when people compliment me on the site, how easy is to navigate, how they can access all the information and sign up for classes," says Lori.
Lori says that the toughest part
about
running The Nova Studio is
that
she's
a sole proprietor with no employees, and classes are very labor
intensive.
"I have people help out with classes occasionally and
recently started getting help a little during the week from students who
were interested in working for class credit,"
she says. Lori has a really cute store front but Point Richmond is a sleepy town
that
doesn't get a lot of foot traffic.
While
she doesn't have posted
business hours,
she's
typically at the studio 40 hours a week
doing
everything associated with running a business -- administrative tasks, dealing with
instructors, answers student questions and signing them up for classes, updating
the website, creating the newsletters, taking pictures
of products, paying bills, etc.
All of
that doesn't even include the actual time spent preparing for, teaching and
cleaning up after classes!
"The toughest part is trying to figure out how to keep the same
quality and high standards, and not work 80 hours a week!"
says Lori.
Lori loves teaching, especially private lessons and consultations. The group classes (usually 12 people max) are fun and I meet a lot of new people and always learn something new when talking with my students. Private lessons and consulting really help to challenge me and expand my knowledge as I custom tailor these lessons to meet the clients needs.
Lighting Up Her Own Little Corner of the World
While some people taking classes are simply looking for something fun to do with a friend on a weekend, most of Lori's customers are people who already have their own business, or are interested in taking their hobby to the next level as a business. Lori says that the Nova Studio is different because most people teaching similar classes stop at the basics. Because they don't cover much beyond what a child needs to make products, they aren't helpful to budding entrepreneurs and avid hobbyists. " My classes are created for and attended by adults, with the goal of giving people as much information and experience as possible in the allotted amount of time, usually 3 hours. I believe the reason people travel from as far away as Florida, New York and Mexico is that it's difficult to find the variety of classes at the level at which I teach -- which is well beyond the basics.
Choosing Classes
Lori generally recommends easier classes for people just starting out -- melt and pour soap, bath salts and body scrubs, and natural perfumes. She says that those classes are more fun and a lot more like cooking in that you can add a pinch of this and a pinch of that without throwing off the recipe. For those who already make some type of product and are looking for more information or additional methods, Lori recommends her demonstration style classes like lotions and creams and cold/hot process soap making. In those classes, the recipes are more like baking where things are measured out in exact amounts and the products are generally created in batches (like a cake), which is why those classes are demonstration style. Lori says that regardless of which class someone chooses, they go home with the recipes used in class, thorough handouts that explain detail ingredients and equipment and a list of Lori's recommended online and local suppliers. Additionally, they get to take their professionally packaged goodies, ready to enjoy at home. Lori says that the most popular classes change regularly, but right now they are Cold Process Soap Making, 3 Types of Body Butters and Natural Perfumes.
Currently, Lori's classes and private lessons are conducted at my location in Northern California with occasional larger classes at nearby community colleges, and people travel from all over the US to take them. Lori plans to start offering more group class intensives to accommodate the out of town visitors. She also plans to launch her own high-end natural product line since that's something she's always wanted to do. Also on her long "to do" list is writing a book, offering more social activities and events to help bring product makers together and maybe even offering a California conference someday.
Lori finds instructors mainly because they find her! They'll come to The Nova Studio for a class or read about them online and contact Lori to let her know what they teach. Lori is currently seeking teachers for soap, candle and bath and body classes that she does not currently offer, as well as business instructors.
Lori's Advice
"Think before you act. It's wonderful to create a business from a passion, but don't forget that you need to have a plan. A simple business plan (something I did not do when I first started out) will help you figure out what you want, and start you out on the road to getting there. Take some business classes or talk to others who are doing what you want to do and get advice. Also, just because you are doing something you love, don't forget to factor in your time - it's worth more than you think. It's easy to get carried away and spend hours on something, and just because you are enjoying yourself, you justify charging less for your finished product. That might be okay for a while, but it probably won't bring you long term success."
Joining IBN
Lori learned about
IBN from Kaila Westerman, of TKB Trading. (If you missed Kaila's feature, you can enjoy it here.) Lori says that Kaila's book "Melt & Mold Soap Crafting" got her started with melt & pour, one of the first classes she taught to others. "I was thrilled to find someone in the business so close to me. Kaila was very generous, shared some advice and we became friends. Since she sells raw materials like pigments, micas and other colorants, she taught classes on Making Mineral Makeup at my studio for about a year," recalls Lori.As a new member of IBN (she joined in late May), Lori says that she hasn't gotten a chance to explore many of the benefits. "But I really enjoyed the Handmade Beauty Business Magazine and was thrilled to see your online Events Calendar where I can post my classes," she says. Lori also recently joined the Hand Crafted Soap Maker's Guild (IBN member since November 2002), and really enjoyed their conference in May. She even won "Best in Show" and "Best CP/HP Soap," which was was a real shock to her, given the level of talent and amazing soap made by people who attended the event. "I've been pretty much on my own since I started my business, and I am glad that I realized the benefits of joining IBN and the Soap Guild at this point in my development. It's natural to feel a little competitive and perhaps uneasy about opening up about what you know to others, but once you get past the irrational fears, it almost always ends up a win/win situation," advises Lori.
You can learn more about Lori Nova and the classes offered at The Nova Studio in the San Francisco Bay area at her website.
6. Handmade Beauty Product Review: A Midsummer Night Cream
A
Midsummer Night Cream
2 oz. | $28.00
A Midsummer Night Cream, made by Colleen Miller at Greenridge Herbals, is a smooth, rich experience just made for a cream lover like me. You know how I love those "peaks" on a handmade cream -- just enough volume to make it creamy, but not so much that it becomes stiff. This one hits the nail on the head. It's the middle of summer so I'm using it sparingly so I look forward to having it around when the weather turns. I'm keeping it in the fridge so I can keep it fresh as long as possible for that reason.
The beautiful orange color comes from one of my favorite skincare staples -- sea buckthorn. Sea buckthorn offers excellent skin conditioning and is high in beta carotene which contributes skin repairing characteristics to the cream. This product is high in organic ingredients including: hydrosols, shea butter, sunflower oil and evening primrose oil.
You can buy A Midsummer Night Cream and other products made lovingly by herbalist Colleen Miller using as many organic ingredients as she can get her hands on, at the Greenridge Herbals online store.
7. Here & There: Calendar of Upcoming Events
As
always, there's a lot going on at IBN, and our
members are very busy. I'll be including this chart in upcoming issues so
everyone can stay abreast of the happening here at IBN!
| Date | Event | Location & Registration |
| July 15, 2006 | IBN's Business Growth Conference | Secaucus New Jersey; Register |
| July 15, 2006 | Making Three Kinds of Body Butters at the Nova Studio -- check our Events Calendar for all of the Nova Studio's upcoming classes! | San Francisco, CA |
| July 28, 2006 | IBN Live! If you missed last month's IBN Live!, you missed a great time of discussion about many things -- but don't miss the next one, which will feature special guest founder of the Handcrafted Soap Maker's Guild Barbara Bobo joining me to help IBN members make a splash at a trade show!! | Monthly conference call; free for members |
| September 23, 2006 | Lifestyle CEO Workshop :: For Entrepreneurs in the Natural Aromatics Industry, with dM and Natural Aromatics Expert Rosanne Tartaro of SunRose Aromatics | SunRose Aromatics, New York; registration to be announced |
| October 13-14, 2006 | Two Days With dM and Lisa Price of IBN member Carol's Daughter | The Open Center, New York; registration to be announced |
| Spring 2007 | The Lifestyle CEO Conference (pictures from 2006 conference) | Washington, DC, registration to be announced |
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.
