Planting Seeds of Support, Collaboration During Intense Times

Are you being proactive during this time and reaching out to business colleagues via phone, text or email to just check in? 

I'm working on planting seeds with current and potential business colleagues. I'm also reaching out to businesses that I made a connection within the past year or so to see if we might be a good fit for new concepts. I've scored some opportunities that are a win-win for both businesses.

I'm also sending out emails to my retailers, not to ask for an order, but to check in and say hello hope you and your family are healthy and okay. People appreciate it.

Either way, your customers and other businesses will remember how you chose to communicate and navigate this challenging time, even if it was just a phone call to check in.

If you are not, tune into the whys. It is understandable that not every entrepreneur is ready to "move forward." There is a lot of sadness and grief being released. There is also a huge energetic "pause" being experienced by many that could be a "freeze fear." This is not a judgement, instead a checking in of where you are energetically.

It would be helpful for others to hear what you are doing in your business. I look forward to reading your comments.

October 2016 Workshops: Learn to Make Indie Beauty Products in New York City

Fall is a beautiful time to visit New York City. Learn how to formulate natural and organic skincare products on the Upper West Side of Manhattan next month. Our event takes place October 24-28, 2016. Choose individual workshops or the entire week of Bath and Body University. Students from more than 100 countries have completed our courses to learn how to create products for personal use and business. Most of our students have no formal training in skincare formulation. 

Join cosmetic formulator Marla Bosworth for classes ranging from cold process soap making to an indie beauty business growth seminar. Our courses range from intermediate to advanced, but Marla's teaching style and comprehensive materials makes it easy for the novice to feel comfortable in class as well.

The full schedule is as follows:

October 24 - Cold Process Soapmaking
October 25 - Creating Colorful Designs in Cold Process Soap
October 26 - Formulating Moisturizing Body Creams
October 27 - How to Make Safe Soy Candles with Essential Oils
October 28 - Launch and Grow Your Indie Beauty Business

These workshops fill up quickly. We post number of spots left in each workshop on our website. Workshops are held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with easy access from all parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Can't make this series of workshops? Join our Facebook page for upcoming announcements and be sure to sign up for our email newsletter.

Marla Bosworth is an award-winning entrepreneur, author of many ebooks and articles for the indie beauty industry. She is a world-renowned teacher of natural skincare formulation. Marla has been using social media and the internet to grow her online presence for 20 years (yes, back in the days of America Online). She teaches workshops throughout the U.S. and has had the pleasure of consulting and working with students from all over the world.
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Embracing Change and Growth - An Excerpt From My Heart to Yours

I’m sitting in a life coach’s office in 2000. I never imagined my world would have hit such rock bottom. By choice I was in the beginning of what would be a grueling, 12-month process of a non-amicable divorce. I found myself a single mom of our six-year-old daughter. I was working hard to keep her my number one priority and also keeping my business afloat, family bills paid, selling our house and trying so hard to be a strong mother and keeping our little family safe. Truth was, I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I was lost in so many ways. 

Wrapping up our first hour-long discussion she said, “I want you to start thinking about what you are grateful for in your life.” 

Say what? Did I hear her correctly? “Did you say you want me to think about what I’m grateful for?” I asked. 

“Yes,” she replied. 

 “Start with even the smallest thing,” she offered. 

I reflected on my day and told her that I saw a beautiful sunrise, and love holding a hot mug of coffee on a cold morning and enjoying those first sips. 
Still reluctant, I continued. “I love to hear my daughter giggle and read these little love notes she brings to me,” I confessed. 

Surely this life coach would have incredibly wise advice for me. She will certainly help me turn my world around. 

I couldn’t think of much.

“That’s it, go on,” she encouraged. 

I felt better when I thought about these things and for a moment I forgot about my divorce, the overwhelming feeling of being stuck and the intense depression that I felt circling around me. Instead I felt the joy of being in the moment – like the way my heart felt warm when I thought about those little tiny notes my daughter delivered to me, handwritten and folded into special gifts for me. 

Gratitude Paves the Way for Allowing 

Practicing the art of gratitude will gave me a powerful turning point to my life. When we tap into gratitude we create a positive mindset and come from a place of abundance, rather from a place of what’s wrong and lacking in our lives. If you’ve never done this before, I admit it may feel odd at first. What you’ll notice, however, is the more you practice the more you are allowing this rhythm to begin to flow in your life. You’ll be able to recognize the good, the "light" - even if it is in the smallest kind gestures by others or a glimpse of beauty in nature. And when you begin to approach your life in gratitude, you’ll find blessings showing up at your door unexpectedly. 

Gratitude and faith helped me through the most difficult time of my life. Gratitude was like tiny baby steps, helping me see a glimmer of hope and light in my life. Faith was my rock, as I believe we are guided to our do our greatest good through trials and tribulations. Abundance began to flow freely for me in many ways. I now have empathy for others who go through similar painful situations. I can relate. I’ve been there and made it through. So can you. 

So if you’ve been through a time like this, I tip my hat to you. If you’re in the midst of something similar, know that it is a time of personal growth. It will become clearer in time. I encourage you to find faith – whatever that may be for you – and begin to take these baby steps of gratitude. Those steps will help ground you, keep you living in the moment (away from the what if’s, as well as past and future worries), and ultimately begin to create the space for abundance in your life. 

Here are five tips to start your personal walk with gratitude: 

1. Begin – Make the commitment and tell yourself that you’re going to start. 
   
   

2. Get Quiet – Early morning or late evenings are the perfect time to slow down, reflect and create awareness. 
   
   

3. Start Small – What’ s the one thing you’re grateful for today? Keep it simple. Your list will grow from here. Notice how you feel when you think about these things that make you grateful. See how long you can keep that feeling – 15 seconds, a minute, an hour, longer? 
   
   

4. Journal – This is a powerful tool. I found it challenging to get started, but now I journal 4-5 times a week. Most days I can now stay in a state of gratitude for hours. When I fall out of alignment, I simply readjust my thinking.  
   
   

5. Notice & Take Note – When you tap into gratitude it allows for expansion and creating space for newness in your life. Journal regularly and then to read back over weeks and months to see your progression. 
   
   

Stepping into gratitude can change your life in three ways. First, it will bring you into the present moment – into the Now – and ground you. Second, it will set the stage for expansion in your life as you lay the groundwork for allowing. Lastly, it will bring gifts of abundance and life purpose in ways that you never imagined. Just begin with that one tiny step.

Question: Have you gone through a time in your life where just putting one step in front of the other was all you could handle? If so, what did you find helpful that you can share with others? Are any of you going through these life changes right now? 

Post your comments and I'll be sure to respond.
~Marla

Written by Marla Bosworth. Reprinted from The Saponifier Magazine with permission.

Hey, Entrepreneur - It's a Year for Bigger Risks, Bigger Goals and Blazing a Trail!

If you're a small business owner or an entrepreneur sitting on a brilliant idea, this message is for you. With the start of the new year, you're probably setting goals for the next 12 months and wondering if you should take a few risks or play it safe this year. Perhaps your brain is telling you to play only your "conservative cards" in 2012. Or maybe you watch the news and the words "troubled economy" resonate in your head.

My guess is that there is a tug at your heartstrings begging you to take risks this year - to put yourself out on a limb. I'm hearing it from friends, colleagues, and my clients on a daily basis:

"...should I?"

"Am I crazy to want to start this idea...right now?"

"I have this new project, but is this the year to implement it?"

If you know that this is a feasible opportunity, that there is a demand for what you're offering, and your vision is well thought out then my answer is "Hell yes!"  The opportunities for consumer retail products (crafts, beauty, cosmetics, bath and body consumables) are phenomenal. But before you bring your product to market, I must again emphasize the importance of conducting research, product demand, viable sales channels and of course determine your profitability.

We've all heard of words which reference how to set yourself or your business apart from the competition. But this year, more than ever, I urge you to:

Make A Difference

Nail That Innovative Niche

Then Trailblaze Like Nobody's Business

Now is the time to take risks. If you are a woman-owned company or startup, this is especially the year to be aggressive. Got an idea to move forward with? A bit scared? Good! 

When you hang out at the end of the branch it gets your heart racing. But over time a successful entrepreneur will find that it's more comfortable there. I like the new, the unexpected. I like to push myself into uncharted territory. Do you?

Ten Things I Love About Being Indie... Soapmaking, Of Course!

Ooooh...so many choices!

This post is part of Indie Beauty Blog Tag Party. Lisa at Cactus & Ivy tagged me to write a post on the topic "Ten Things I Love About Being Indie." Once I've written mine, I tag five other indies.

I'm in my 12th year of being an Indie. Here is my list of why I love being an an entrepreneur:

1. My 14 year-old daughter.
She is the number one reason I love working for myself. I'm home when she gets on the bus, and when she gets off the bus. As she gets older, she chooses to spend more time with her friends. But that's okay. I'm here to keep an eye on her and available for when she needs me. I wouldn't want it any other way.

2. I tried the "Corporate Gig."
Grateful for the opportunities and people I met along the way. But it didn't work so well for me. Gave it a good shot for seven years. My head hurt from hitting that glass ceiling. I don't like red tape very much, either. I understand why large companies need to have policies in place, sometimes it gets in the way of good ideas that need to be implemented immediately. That's the beauty of being indie - grab ahold of the wheel and steer!

3. Flexibility.
As a single parent, I find working for myself affords me a tremendous amount of flexibility with my time. I can work nights, turn my schedule upside down if I need to for family or health-related reasons.

4. It's in my blood.
I have my dad, a general contractor, to thank for it. Growing up in Illinois and Wyoming, I watched my dad work from his home office and on-site at various construction sites. I remember as a little kid, playing on his adding machine (remember those?) and thinking that there was no one cooler than my dad. To this day I admire his dedication, work, and work ethics. My grandfather (his dad) was an Illinois farmer, and hard work and perserverence came from him as well. (Besides, we're half-Irish and stubborn as hell!)

5. It's good for my brain.
Are you right brained? Left brained? I'm a little of both. Running my own business let's me be creative AND analytical. It's all about being balanced.

6. Empowering others.
I've been teaching entrepreneurial and soap making classes for the past 11 years. It is wonderful to see the sparkle in another person's eye when they realize that they can really be their own boss.

7. Meeting other great entrepreneurs
I enjoy networking with entrepreneurs, both in person and online. Are you following me on Twitter? How about LinkedIn? Facebook? Please say hello and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you!

8. Building value in my brand and company.
Simply said, at the end of the day it is mine.

9. Sharing my talents and gifts.
This is my calling. It feels right. Some days I feel like I'm a Jack (or Jill) of all Trades and Master of None. But the truth is that that when you have the ability to combine several talents and are good at multi-tasking, you have a great foundation for what it takes to be a great entrepreneur.

10. Because there are so many different hats to wear.
This is figuratively speaking, of course, because I don't look good in hats. Most days I love juggling the different aspects of the biz. It's nice to be the CEO, Marketing Manager, CFO and VP of Sales...all wrapped up into one.

Thanks for tagging me, Lisa! It was nice to stop and smell the roses for a bit.

A little drum roll action, please...here's who I'm tagging:

Jennifer Hardaway at http://www.kleanbathandbody.com/
Jill Jones at http://www.bidwellbotanicals.com
Michele Keiper at http://www.flower-peddler.com/
Kelly Bloom at http://www.southernsoapers.com/
Funlayo Alabi at http://www.shearadiancesupplies.com/

Are you an Indie? Post a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

Visit Back Porch Soap This Weekend at Boston's South End Open Market

If you love Boston - and shopping in an open-air market for wonderful, indie-made products - then stop by and say hello this weekend at the South End Open Market Studios.
I'll be there 10-5 on Saturday and Sunday, selling fantastic handmade soaps, shea butters, creams, kids toy soaps, gift sets and much more. You can also stop by and pick up information on soapmaking and small business classes as well. You can find more class information here on my website: http://www.backporchsoap.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15
The weather forecast is for a cool and dry weekend, perfect for strolling the market and grabbing a bite to eat in the South End.
With an ever-changing group of artisans, a hip location and the chance to feel the sun on your face while you browse, it's a trip worth making. The Market offers the opportunity to meet the artists and vendors behind the work, and is fast becoming part of the South End's well-known artist's community. Every week offers shoppers something different and unique - you won't want to miss it!
The Market hosts a wide variety of vendors, whether you're looking for hand-crafted accessories, original art, antiques or just a fresh loaf of bread, you'll find painters, sculptors, photographers, clothing and jewelry designers, milliners, handbag designers, house wares, antique dealers, florists, bakers, local farmer's produce, and much more every week!
For directions and more info on this weekend check out: http://www.southendopenmarket.com/index.htm