The Indie Experience
January 22, 2007
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 8, Issue 3
To subscribe, click here
1. New and Renewing Members and Other Exciting
Stuff
2. Final Lifestyle CEO Radio Show Today!
3. Indie Candy: Nicole Perkins of Nidasii: There's No Rush ... Or Is There?
4. Indie Calendar: Indies, Indies Everywhere!
Pamper Yourself This Week: Shea Butter Foot Balm
1. New and Renewing Members and Other Exciting Stuff
Welcome Renewing Members!
Sunshine Garden Soapworks | Stephani Halderman |
Wisconsin
* Member Since September 2000; Sunshine
Garden Soapworks sells high quality handmade soaps and glycerin soaps,
lotions, lip balms, & bath salts. We also create custom gift baskets.
Wholesale inquiries welcome!
Welcome New Members!
Woodland Soapworks | Melissa DePasquale | New York
* Woodland Soapworks products are all handmade in small, controlled batches
to ensure you are only getting the best quality. We start with food grade
vegetable and nut oils along with natural plant extracts and finish with
just the right doses of essential oils carefully selected for their
homeopathic qualities.
Just two months ago, IBN member Jamila White of j.blossom wasn't even planning to open a retail location. As the queen of online commerce in her other life as the E-Commerce Diva, why would she? Well, you know how that Indie Entrepreneur thing works. You start with Plan A, and just by virtue of pursuing your dream, opportunities you never thought possible start coming your way.
"Everything happened so
quickly," says Jamila. "After converting an empty room into a fully-equipped manufacturing plant and showroom, complete with plumbing, a
stove, a 15-gallon oil/wax heater, and display area, I recruited all my family and friends (and even my next door neighbor!) to help me bottle and
label product. At the last minute, I decided to have a Grand Opening and Holiday Open House on December 23 for last-minute gift shoppers and so I
emailed all my friends. Despite only a few days notice, the turnout was incredible! I sold way more product than I hoped, and the feedback has been
incredibly encouraging. One mom who bought a gift set for her 5-year-old daughter told me her daughter just lit up when she saw the bottles and said
"Mommy, she looks like me!" It was the greatest feeling!! Another woman came in and bought 10 gift sets -- one for every girl on her Christmas list.
After three years of hoping, wishing, planning, and re-planning, j.blossom is finally here!"
Jamila
was so excited that she forgot to bring a camera to her own grand opening.
Lucky for her, there was a disposable one available to snap this shot -- one
of the few of Jamila at her launch. Congratulations Jamila!!
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. Final Lifestyle CEO Radio Show Today!
No! Don't panic! I'm not signing off the cyber-airwaves! I'm just making a change to more closely align the radio show with members of the Indie Beauty Network members. Effective next week, the show will become Indie Business Radio, and there will be lots of fun opportunities to showcase the ingenuity, creativity and success of IBN members around the globe.
Bill
Collier of Collier
Business Advisors knows what it's like to wear all the hats. Today, he
provides services to help other entrepreneurs avoid some of the mistakes he
made -- most notably doing everything and not having a life! On today's
show, he'll offer his tips and insights on enjoying life and business
simultaneously!
Join
me and Bill LIVE at 1:00pm EST for the show 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 and be
entered into a drawing to win your own copy of Bill's book, "How To
Succeed as a Small Business Owner and Still Have a Life." Click on the
cover at left to purchase your copy of this down to earth and insightful
book.
3. Indie Candy: Nicole Perkins of Nidassi: There's No Rush ... Or Is There?
Just
Trying To Brighten Someone's Day
One of the best things about life is that when you help someone else, you always get a blessing. When we reach out to others to offer comfort and joy, what we have given always comes back to us several-fold. Nicole Perkins is a case in point. A few years ago, she was helping to plan her sister's bridal shower at a day spa in Harlem. "I wanted to give a really nice gift to all of the women who attended," Nicole recalls. "I decided to give them gift baskets containing some of the products I had been playing around with at home so I could reflect our day of pampering, relaxation and bonding with close friends and family." Nicole's gift baskets with soaps, body butter and lotions were such a big hit that the women who has businesses began placing orders for their clients.
What's In A Name?
In Nicole's case, it's her name, and those of her two sisters who are the inspiration for her business, and she loves telling the story behind her business name. "Since my sisters are part of my inspiration for starting this business, I decided to combine the first two letters in each of our names -- Nicole, Danya and Siica -- to form the company name Nidasii, pronounced Nee-da-see," says Nicole. The name is not only exotic and tropical, but Nicole says it also proudly reflects her Caribbean and Latin heritage.
There's No Rush ... Or Is There?
Nicole makes all of her products by hand from scratch. Her most popular offering is Sugar Rush, a bath scrub that cleanses, exfoliates and moisturizes. "I developed Sugar Rush because I was tired of the slippery mess left in the shower after I used an oil-based scrub. After enjoying my weekly ritual of cleansing and exfoliating, I decided to combine the exfoliator and the cleanser and Sugar Rush was born," she recalls. Nicole says that the name describes the product's main ingredient, and also takes into account modern women with families, careers and businesses who don't always have the luxury of time. "Sometimes we are in a 'rush' yet we still need to pamper ourselves," she says. Next month, Nicole plans to release 3 new Sugar Rush and whipped body butter fragrances.
Slowly Creating The Life Of Her Dreams
Nicole
runs Nidasii alone at this point but she plans to include her sisters as
business partners as the venture grows. "Actually, even though they are
not formal partners now, they help me every step of the way," she says.
Nicole's younger sister, still in high school, is a fantastic marketer who
brings in orders from the teens at her school. Her older sister helps with
product mixing, pouring and labeling. Nicole's sister's daughter, just two
years old, is also being introduced to entrepreneurship by putting jars into
boxes for shipping. Nicole's brother rounds out the sibling
"contractor" pool by doing heavy lifting around the manufacturing
space. Nicole also works with an accountant to help with the finances.
"My product photos were taken by Rebecca Picard, recommended by dM, and she did a fabulous job making my products look like works of art," says Nicole. "I love all things tropical so many of my products are scented with fragrances of tropical fruits and florals." Nicole chose props to reflect her loves, like tropical flowers and fresh coconut. The labels help give the products a finished a professional look. "I feel that investing in professional quality labels lets customers know that although I am a small company, I take what I do seriously and our product are manufactured to the highest standards," she says.
Nicole Recommends ...
"For anyone thinking about starting a business, I recommend that they research the product or service they want to offer in advance. It is important to know what is currently out there and think about how you can offer something unique. In addition, before starting a business ask yourself if it's something that you are passionate about. Would you do it for free? If your answer is yes. You will most likely overcome any obstacles to be successful.
Not Sugar Rushing ...
Nicole works 8 hours a day as a clinical research associate at a pharmaceutical company, then returns home to spend up to 4 hours working on Nidassi. "At night, I do everything from prepare product, to answering emails to getting orders reach for shipping," she says. Doing all of this with a "real" gig is Nicole's biggest challenge. Nicole has plans to exit her job, but she's in no rush. "First I want to meet a specific financial goal, and I’m happy to say I’m a few months away from meeting it," she says happily.
[Editor's excited exclamation: "And another full-time employee bites the dust! Wa-hoo!!"]
Love Being Indie
"The best thing about what I do is that no matter how tired I am after work I still love pulling out my purple kitchen aid and mixing up product. I love working on my terms, creating a legacy and possibly building a “lifestyle” empire. I also really like the new Indie Beauty Network website. It’s easy to navigate and the addition of the new “featured indie” and “success stories” give those who are thinking about starting a business insight on how being a member of IBN and using its many resources can help you grow your business"
Downtime
As you might imagine, Nicole does not have much downtime, but when she does, she loves a good meal and spending time with family and friends. "One great thing about living in New York City is that there are so many great restaurants, and my friends and I try to get together from time to time for dinner. I also love reading and I mentor high school students," she says. Nicole would one day like to establish an after school program for teenagers that shows them how to start businesses that will allow them to supplement their income during college and inspire them to own and control their destiny."
Now, You Can Rush!
If you're keen on trying some of Nidasii's no slip exfoliator, then rush on over to her website to get some, and while you're there, try the complementary body butter too!
4. 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 |
| January 27, 2007 | Blending Perfume 101 | San Diego, California |
| February 3, 2007 | Create Your Very Own Spa Treats | Washington, DC |
| March 17, 2007 | Start Writing Your Business Plan Today | San Francisco, California |
| April 12-15, 2007 | Bath and Body Product Making Boot Camp | San Francisco, California |
| May 3-5, 2007 | Annual Conference of Handcrafted Soapmakers | St. Louis, MO |
| Summer 2007 | The Indie Business Conference (pictures from the 2006 conference) | Charlotte, North Carolina, registration to be announced |
Best & Success!!
dM (Donna Maria), Chief Executive Indie
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, donnamaria@IndieBeauty.com
The Indie Experience Newsletter is published weekly, usually on Mondays
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.
