Indie Business Podcast

Welcome to Episode 75 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Indie Story is about Lisa Kennally of Wild Air Skincare, in Centerbrook, Connecticut. Lisa makes spa products with ingredients inspired by the beauty and seasons of New England. Her brand is partially inspired by the time as a child she spent with her mom making spa products using ingredients in their kitchen. Lisa discovered Indie Busin...

Welcome to Episode 74 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Kirsten Conner of Flourish Beauty Lab in White River Junction, Vermont. Kirsten is a retail store owner and product formulator who makes artisan products designed for people who are super sensitive to ingredients and fragrances. Her main focus is on hair care. She sells her products at her Vermont retail sto...

Welcome to Episode 73 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Melissa Troupe of MochaWhip in West Palm Beach, Florida. Melissa makes whipped vegan body butter with ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, and aloe juice. Mocha Whip products can be found online and at dozens of Whole Foods Market locations throughout Florida. As you'll enjoy learning in this episode,...

Welcome to Episode 72 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story features Alana Rivera of Etta + Billie in San Francisco, California. As you'll learn in this episode, this is not Alana's first appearance on Indie Business Podcast. After you enjoy this episode, I encourage you to listen to the first episode we did with Alana over five years ago (link below) because it will provide a super f...

Welcome to Episode 71 of the Indie Business Podcast, all about how to make your business support your life! If you’ve listened to even just a few of our interviews with amazing Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs, you’ve surely noticed that most of them have one powerful personal entrepreneurial purpose in common. Here it is: they are all determined to grow a business that allows them to maintain a...

Welcome to Episode 70 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Marissa Bethoney of Precious Skin Elixirs in Boxford, Massachusetts. Marissa left a decade-long career as a jeweler to create a business that allowed her to feel better about simultaneously leading a business and being a mother. As you'll enjoy learning in this episode, Marissa's business is more about how s...

Welcome to Episode 69 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Pam Rodgers of Stella Chroma, a nail polish brand in Richmond, Indiana. Pam started her business in 2012, and today, she manages the business while holding down a full-time job as a nurse practitioner. Since starting Stella Chroma, Pam has taught her husband, her son and her son's fiancé how to make nail pol...

Welcome to Episode 68 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Amber Malcom of Shabby Chick Cleaners in Duncan, Oklahoma. After being in business for just over three years, Amber has already appeared on several episodes of a popular home shopping show, entirely dismantled and re-built her business model, and is now completely debt free. Oh, and she owns the only busines...

Welcome to Episode 67 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Sandy Engels of The Purple Sage in Ethel, Louisiana. Sandy purchased her brand from another entrepreneur eight years ago, shortly after she discovered that her friends and family members were interested in buying the soap she had been making for fun. As you'll enjoy learning in this episode, Sandy is natural...

Welcome to Episode 66 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Zondra Wilson of Blu Skin Care in Los Angeles, California. Zondra started her business after a career as a television news anchor. When she began to feel like something was missing, she left the broadcast world and then, as she says, Blu Skin Care came along — as a result of a message from God himself....

W elcome to Episode 65 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Joanne Voelcker of Mt. Airy Lavender in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Joanne started her lavender business after a long career in the financial services industry during which time she worked in Belgium. It was then that she fell in love with lavender so much that she decided she had to grow some herself. Joann...

W elcome to Episode 64 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Michael McPolin of Birch & Main in Port Jefferson, New York. Michael has tons of professional experience in the retail world. When you combine that with his passion for shopping (he can't stop), it will be clear why his retail store is a huge success. Michael started his business in 2012. He quit worki...

W elcome to Episode 63 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Kayla Fioravanti of Ology Essentials and Work+Shop Create outside Nashville, Tennessee. For many of you, this may be a re-introduction, since Kayla has been a guest on Indie Business Podcast a few years back when her business was going in a different direction. If you missed it, you can listen to that episo...

W elcome to Episode 62 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Valerie Reed of Valana Minerals in Pahoa, Hawaii and San Diego, California. Valerie is the founder, CEO, and lead formulator at Valana Minerals where she creates vegan mineral makeup specifically for women of color. In addition to leading her business, Valerie is also a sociology professor at a California c...

W elcome to Episode 61 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to D'Shawn Russell of Southern Elegance Candle Company in Raeford, North Carolina. D'Shawn, a teacher by trade, started making candles as appreciation gifts for her co-workers. Everyone raved about them, so she started selling them at the local farmer's market and craft shows. After teaching for 20 years, D'Sh...

W elcome to Episode 60 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Sierra Zamarripa of Lovewild Design in New York, New York. Sierra grew up in the East Village outside her parents' antique shop. Her entrepreneurial instincts were first honed by keeping herself busy doing things like offering shoe shine services in front of the store, or selling 1980's costume jewelry and...

W elcome to Episode 59 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Dawn Fitch of Pooka Pure and Simple in Newark, New Jersey. While employed as a professional graphics artist nearly 20 years ago, Dawn received a health diagnosis that caused her to change her life. Along with her diet, she decided to alter the types of bath and body products she used. With the encouragement...

W elcome to Episode 58 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Lisa Wynne Salvatore of Purely Lisa in Greenwich, Connecticut. Lisa has 9 certifications in the natural arts arena, and her Connecticut-based offices provide in-person services to help women achieve and maintain health from the inside out. Lisa's product business is a natural deodorant, which as you'll hear...

W elcome to Episode 57 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I'll introduce you to Danielle Vincent of Outlaw Soaps in Colfax, California. Danielle started her business five years ago when she became restless at her job at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Restless though she was, she's the first to acknowledged that the digital marketing and business planning experiences she enjoyed at O...

W elcome to Episode 56 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I'll introduce you to Hassan Sayyed of Haus Urban and Creative Hustle Podcast . As you listen to Hassan share his story, it's easy to see how he is a natural fit for a career in the performing arts. You'll also get the sense that, for Hassan, one single career path is not enough. Hassan has fully embraced his natural gift of ga...

W elcome to Episode 55 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I'll introduce you to Paul Chambers of The Gentleman's Box and The Subscription Summit . A few years back, through his web design company, Paul was asked to design a website for a subscription box company. Seeing more than just a website design gig, Paul offered to design the site in exchange for part ownership in the box. Toda...

W elcome to Episode 54 of the Indie Business Podcast! This time, it's just me. No guest, and I have something fun and exciting to share with you today. Indie Business Podcast has helped so many people gain the skills and confidence, and enjoy the mentoring, they need to be successful as Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs. My listeners tell me they love the format, and they look forward to each epis...

W elcome to Episode 53 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Briar Winters of Marble & Milkweed in New York City. Briar launched her business in 2010 after a career as a pastry chef in a Manhattan hotel. The tagline for Briar's business is “analog beauty,” a mindset that very much represents the simplicity and elegance of her handmade products. On Indie Bus...

W elcome to Episode 52 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Nieves Rathbun of By Nieves in Petrolia, California. Nieves's business started out of an unexplainable passion for skincare products and perfume. She describes her brand as a kind vintage, but also modern, and she's done an exquisite job of creating a special niche for herself at shows and in Indie boutiques...

W elcome to Episode 51 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Mike Neustrom of Prairie Lavender Farm in Bennington, Kansas, and of the United States Lavender Growers Association. Mike's lavender business is an outgrowth of a promise to his wife to settle wherever she wanted, after he ended a distinguished 20-year career in the United States Navy. Their destination was n...