The Indie Experience
March 26, 2007
A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 8, Issue 11
To subscribe, click here
1. Meet IBN's New and Renewing Members
2. Today On Indie Business Radio:
Increase Your Bottom Line With Radio Appearances
3. Pages Are Turning: People Are Enjoying the Magazine
4. Indie Live!: Network, Have Fun, Learn Something New
5. Indie Candy: Sally Leachko of Meadowlake Farm Products: Live From the
Hive
6. Indie Calendar: Indies, Indies Everywhere!
Pamper Yourself This Week: Refreshing Citrus Mist
1. Meet IBN's New and Renewing Members
Welcome Renewing Members!
sugar coat it | Laura Confoy | North Carolina
* Member since June 2003; Natural bath and body products,
featuring our must -have sweet sugar body scrub, body butters and lotion.
Scent Sanctuary | Susan Jenkins | Canada
* Member since April 2006; Your source for quality soap
making ingredients. The one stop shopping site for exotic butters, base
oils, fragrance oils, packaging and so much more. From the hobby soap maker
to professional soap maker, we have high quality ingredients to make your
products stand out.
Oberon Cosmetics | Lora Leavenworth | Texas
* Member since June 2006; Oberon's skin care has a wide range
of cleaners, toners, treatments, and moisturizers for every sensitive skin's
type to promote a healthy, radiant complexion. Mineral, marine, and
phytonutrient based, Oberon uses only the purest, most potent, natural
ingredients in high concentrations to deliver the utmost purity in our
formulations. We do not use synthetic colorants or fragrances, volatile
alcohols, sulphates, strong emulsifiers, glycols, petrolatum, lanolin,
mineral oil, talc or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
Welcome New Members!
Gwendolyn's Gate | Wendy Goudie | Illinois
* Welcome to Gwendolyn's Gate where you
will experience the unique benefits of our all natural product line for the
body and mind. Our product line includes, bath salts, facial mask,
exfoliating scrubs, soaps, and exotic moisturizers. Each product is handmade
using the highest quality ingredients from around the world.
Brighter Morn | Alice McGrath | Iowa
*
“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.
Scented Pleasures Herbs & Gifts | Dolores
Lepler | Texas
*
Handcrafted herbal gifts for home & body made from simple &
natural ingredients such as olive oil & beeswax. Luxurious bath salts
and soothing skin balms created with herbs, flowers and local honey. Gentle
glycerin soaps to cleanse & fragrance. Soy candles to light & scent
your rooms. Discover a world of handcrafted scented pleasures for home and
body.
Aleish Aromatics | Sheila Kern | Virginia
* Don't be fooled by fancy labels. Many offer false promises with
fake ingredients. With Aleish you get ultimate skin products that are
hand-blended with love. Our products are formulated on demand,in the
foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains offering you the freshest products
possible. We use organic whenever possible and absolutely no chemicals,
preservatives, or mineral oil.
Naked Cosmetics | Kristen Tenhagen | New York
* Naked Cosmetix is a Pure Mineral Makeup Line using only natural
ingredients while keeping fashion our top priority through education and
current trends. All our products are formulated from the voices of our
thousands of clients we've serviced as makeup artists and hairstylists. We
are here to keep your skin looking fashionably and fabulously naked with a
full line of mineral makeup products for you. We specialize in Custom
formulations just for you.
CleverGirl Industries | Rebecca Caruso | Florida
*
CleverGirl Industries is the Purveyor and Creator of the
extraordinary. CleverGirl is a one woman show featuring handcrafted and
effective natural skin care and jewelry, all created and produced by Bek
Caruso.
Ellie-Maegen Scents, LLC | Lorraine and Theodore
Lee | Ohio
*
Candles, tart burners and aromatherapy makeup and skincare.
Personal Alchemy | Tiffany McCauley | California
* At Personal Alchemy, we believe that health results from
harmony and balance within oneself. Harmony and balance are created by
aligning purpose for being with ones thoughts, feelings and physical
actions. Personal Alchemy products are all natural, 100% cruelty free and
hand made in the USA. We take great pride in our work, and in serving our
clients. We love our products, and we know you will to. They truly are, the
essence of bliss.
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: Increase Your Bottom Line With Radio Appearances
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.
Today's
Show: Increase Your Bottom Line With Radio Appearances
Guest:
Publicist Shannon Cherry will be on hand to share tips and answer question
on how to get booked on radio shows to share your personal and company
story, promote your products and expand your bottom line.
How to Enjoy the Show: Log onto Global Talk Radio.com at 1:00pm EST
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.
3. Pages Are Turning: People are Enjoying the Magazine!
In
case you've missed it, the latest issue of the magazine is here and ready
for shipping to new subscribers today! Subscribe to get all four 2007 issues
before April 2007 and get the Soap Issue FREE!
Here's what one reader has to say. "I finished the magazine and found it very informative and helpful. I really liked the article called "Good Health Is Good Business". I have found that I too have been struggling with my weight and health. Because of stress to try and get things on order, fill orders, prepare for shows, and wear all the hats that business owners need to wear, I have been gaining weight, getting heartburn, and mild anxiety attacks. I try to remind myself to relax, and sometimes I squeeze in some meditative moments, but overall, trying to find the time to really take care of me is far and few. So thanks for that article, a reminder of we are just as important as our business, and without us, there is no business.!" Indie Tieast Smith, The Essence of You
Click here to subscribe today!
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.
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. Each Monday
afternoon from 3:00pm EST to 4:00pm EST, we gather for an hour to discuss
such things as product liability insurance issues, new legislative or legal
issues of interest, upcoming trade shows, your ideas for new member benefits
and opportunities, news about your company that you'd like posted in this
newsletter, media opportunities, marketing tips, and more. Members email
any suggestions for future topics.
| Today's Indie Live! | Topic | Presenter |
| 3/26/07, 3:00pm -4:00pm EST Dial In Number and conference code provided at this link. (Member login required.) |
Navigating the FDA's Cosmetics Regulations: What's Required? What's Not? During this informative discussion, seasoned attorneys will share their take on the challenges of home manufacturing, updates on new FDA regulations, sunscreen issues and issues associated with the International Fragrance Association's (IFRA's) 40th Amendment. | Nikki Reeves, Esq., Washington, DC attorney |
5. Indie Candy: Sally Leachko: Meadowlake Farm Products: Live From the Hive
Sally
Leachko, age 48, lives in Ohio with her husband of 25 years, their two dogs a
cat and their family business, Meadowlake
Farm Honeybee Natural Skin Care. They family shares a passion for the environment and healthy
living. Sally is a registered nurse with a specialty in newborn intensive
care. When she's not caring for Ohio's newest citizens, you might find her
drawing up plans for a new commercial construction project since she's also
a commercial architect. As if there was any time leftover in a week, you can
also find Sally delving wholeheartedly into another passion of hers: bees,
beekeeping and making beauty products from the natural byproducts of her
beehive colonies. Located on Meadowlake Farm, a 100 acre farm founded in the
1870's as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, Sally's bees live on one
of the nation's shrinking number of wild honeybee colonies.
Healthy Living With Bees
"My husband started an apiary as an alternative agricultural business. He became interested in beekeeping after being introduced to it by a neighbor. We share a love for the natural world and a respect for all its creatures, and a healthy lifestyle has always been the foundation of our lives. We also believe strongly in alternative healing in lieu of, or in addition to traditional Western medicine models. We've grown our own organic vegetables and fruits for years and consequently know a lot about healthy foods, including raw honey.
From the start, we wanted to produce raw honeybee products in as natural a
way as possible, chemical free, without heat and processing to protect their
known health benefits. I first learned of the benefits of topically applied
raw
honey when I started to learn about the history of beekeeping after we
purchased our first
three hives. I had become a nurse because I wanted to help people and wanted to
give something more back. I decided to pursue beekeeping for the same
reason."
The Importance of Bees
"Our apiary is registered with the federal government, a beekeeping is a
regulated agricultural industry. as a a regulated agricultural industry.
There are very few wild honeybee colonies left in North America because of
unsound environmental practices. Most are kept in colonies by hobbyists and
commercial beekeepers like us. Because bees pollinate fruit and vegetable
bearing plants, without them, all seeded fruits and
vegetables would disappear.
As a nation, we have lost more than 50% of our commercial honeybee population in recent years and 90% of wild bees. It is a time consuming, an often costly agricultural industry. We do sell our raw honey and raw beeswax in limited quantities. There is a high demand for it because of it's quality and our natural production practices. The bulk of our apiary end product is kept for making our skin care therapies."
Popular
Products
One of Meadowlake's popular products (and one of Sally's personal favorites) is the Honeybee Wound Healing Salve. According to the website, it's designed for the treatment of infected wounds, burns, fungal infections of the skin and nails, inflammatory skin condition (eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, dermatitis), hemorrhoidal tissue, herpes lesions, diaper rash and much more. Along with extra virgin olive oil, Vitamin E and borage oil, the salve contains 50% raw hive products, including honey, beeswax cappings and propolis. A 2-ounce jar is $13.
When asked what the most popular product is, Sally doesn't have an
answer. "I haven't found one to be more popular than the other. It is a matter of
personal preference and the condition that needs attention. They are all
basically the same because their focus is the healing properties the hive
products they contain will provide which is substantial in all of the
formulas. After that is understood by the consumer, they sell based on
texture (cream vs. balm), scent preference, and desired application."
Sally says that she sells her products by utilizing a variety of sales techniques.
"We sell wholesale to practitioners,
we have several distributors we are now working with who sell wholesale and
retail. We just started a web site this month to promote more direct sales.
Many of our sales
come to us by word of mouth and we have a reward system for referring
customers."
A Family Adventure
Sally and her husband are in business by and for themselves. "We make the hive products and skin therapy products in a production area we designed and built in our home. Everything is made by hand in small batches based on demand so that we are providing the freshest products possible. We have strong business backgrounds, with experiences owning a large scale retail business in the past. I spent two years creating and testing our unique formulas because it was a challenge to me, as is handling all aspects of the business, from accounting, to designing our web site, labels brochures, marketing plan etc."
If You Want To Be Successful In Business ...
"Do your homework. Know your goals and your product. Then, when you think
you've got it right, do it again. Expect a lot of hard work and commitment
to your goal. Don't quit your day job unless you are certain you can
support yourself in the long run in your venture, and even then, sharpen
your pencil and be creative and honest with yourself. Lots of people, most
of us, dream of being self employed. We've had the advantage of already
having done both. Self employment isn't always the pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow. It has issues of it's own. It's unlikely you will be able to
provide yourself with the same level of health benefits, retirement
benefits, let alone vacation and sick pay that you may have by working under
the umbrella of a large company any time soon."
Sally and her husband say they have not used any books to help their grow. Instead, they have simply learned by doing. "My husband and I started this business at a time in our lives when we were both ready for such an undertaking. Either way, anyone who wants to do the same must be prepared to sacrifice time, and lots of it. What keeps me going is I know that the products that I created truly help people. That is something that is very important to me in life."
And I Love It
"Ask any creative person why they create and they will tell you that they
have to. I've been able to combine my two passions in this undertaking: creativity and my desire to help people. I can do it on my terms and in my
own way. I find that very satisfying."
Live From The Hive
"All of our products are composed of up to 1/2 pure raw hive products from
our
apiary. This is a combination of raw honey, raw beeswax cappings, and
propolis. I do not know of any other American company that produces products
like ours. There is a wealth of international research that supports the
use of topically applied raw unprocessed honey in treating serious wounds,
burns, skin conditions and infections. It has been used for thousands of
years for this purpose and is used in clinical settings today in several
European countries, Australia and New Zealand. It was used in this country
until the introduction of synthetic antibiotics. Medical research in the United States as to
the efficacy of raw hive products to treat various maladies is limited, but has begun."
Sally's seems to take on even more importance in light of the fact that natural bee colonies do appear to be in danger in this country. National Public Radio spotlighted this issue in a show from earlier this month. The story covers the strange disappearance of entire colonies of bees, without explanation, from hives across the country, and discusses the potential threat to the nation's vegetation if bees continue to disappear. Sally says it's a sign of the times.
"There are lots of theories, but many feel that the shrinking bee
population is likely due to a combination of influencing factors that have one thing in common:
stress. We are asking to much of bees, exposing them to too many toxins.
They are growing weak genetically because of careless beekeeping practices and the use of chemicals in the hives. Also, because there is such a shortage of bees, more and more beekeepers rent their hives out to
farmers to pollinate crops and moving them around really puts a strain on the colonies.
"What's happening to the honeybee is just another sign of what we are collectively doing to this magnificently balanced earth. It's up to all of us to make changes to undo it. we simply must. We checked out hives a few weeks ago and they were all there. We have a good relationship with our bees. They have never been aggressive toward us. I believe they know how much we respect them. They have 100's and 100's of acres of undisturbed nature around them and we provide them with a chemical free existence. I hope, they are happy enough to stay. I would feel just awful if they left, mostly because I know they wouldn't make it on their own."
If There's Any Time Left Over ...
I can't imagine that Sally has time to do anything after keeping bees,
making products, nursing babies and designing commercial buildings. Yes,
true to form, she actually finds time for some hobbies.
"First is I take care of myself. I exercise, and
take long walks as much as possible. I designed and we built our home. We
are always improving on that. Last year it was featured in an add for
Prudential Insurance. Before I was an architect I started out in interior
design. I am always tinkering with the interior of our home. We collect
antiques. We, of course, tend to the farm. I love animals and look after
those that live inside and those that roam outside. I feed them all!! We
have a lake full of feathered critters. We have a huge organic garden. I
can and freeze most of our winter vegetables. We don't eat processed food
so a lot of time is spent preparing fresh, wholesome meals. I disciplined
myself to spend
a lot of time learning through reading long ago about, well, just about
everything.
On days when I don't have to be at the hospital at 7 a.m., I'm up at 6 a.m.
and I'll spend several hours
doing just that before I start my day."
Sally is excited that her sister will retire from a career as a hospital administrator next year and will join Meadowlake to help grow the company into the future.
This is Indie Candy, so if you were a candy bar, what would you be?
Oh that's easy. I don't eat candy...so I'd be a Wholegrain Nutrition Bar. The label on the one I prefer says, "Just the Right Balance of Health with Taste." I'd like to think that describes me pretty well. I am concerned about eating healthy, but not to the point of being obnoxious and arrogant about it.
Meadowlake Farm is open to the public by appointment. I'm tempted to book a tour right now! To learn more about Meadowlake, visit 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 |
| March 26, 2007, 3:00pm EST | Navigating the FDA's Cosmetics Regulations: What's Required? What's Not? During this informative discussion, seasoned attorneys will share their take on the challenges of home manufacturing, updates on new FDA regulations, sunscreen issues and issues associated with the International Fragrance Association's (IFRA's) 40th Amendment. | 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 | 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 2007 | The Indie Business Conference (pictures from the 2006 conference) | Charlotte, North Carolina, registration to be announced |
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.
