I am so excited about this new year and a new opportunity to listen more carefully to what people are saying through their words and actions. Listen What lessons do I need to learn from my children that I may be missing because I am so wrapped up in parenting? What do I need to…

New entrepreneurs sometimes ask me how I’ve managed to be in business over at the Indie Business Network for nearly 20 years. Here are some of the specific questions I receive regularly: • In lean times, how do you resist the urge to try something different? • Don’t you have to change with the times?…

Entrepreneurial success is not a result of what you have or acquire or achieve in in your business. Instead, it's a result of who you are and how you manage yourself in these 10 key areas. Watch the video to learn more. • Time management • Goal setting and tracking • Personal discipline • The thickness of your…

Flexibility is an increasingly valuable benefit of any work or entrepreneurial environment. One of the things the people I work with at the Indie Business Network, tell me they enjoy most about working with me is the flexibility. My team is composed of independent contractors, which means they can do their work on a schedule…

Last week, a woman who read one of my Indie Business Network blog posts from  (this one, in case you're interested) reached out to ask about hiring me to help her grow her business. This is a great example of how I am an entrepreneurial multiplier. I am strategic about how I invest my energy,…

One of the best things about Facebook groups is that they help you sharpen your leadership skills. Facebook groups require you to be front and center, stepping up to the plate as the leader of your tribe every single day. As your overall leadership skills improve, so does your ability to confidently assert yourself and…

I participate in two mastermind groups. One is virtual and one is physical, in the town where I live. The virtual mastermind meets bi-monthly using a virtual meeting tool. We also get together physical a few times a year. The physical mastermind meets monthly, rotating at each other's homes. Based on my experiences, I thought…

No matter what you sell, you will sell more of it if you work diligently and consistently to build a solid and engaged community around your brand. I recognized the power of community from an entrepreneurial perspective long before I launched the Indie Business Network. In fact, the very first thing I did on the…

You may be awesome, but these days, awesome is ordinary. To illustrate this point, let’s take a quick look at the current state of the career of actress-comedienne, Mo’Nique.

In 2010, Mo’Nique won an Oscar for her performance in Precious. After the movie, the producers wanted her to travel to participate, for free, in a promotional tour that included travel to the Cannes Film Festival. She refused. That didn’t go over well in Hollywood, especially amid reports that she is difficult to work with…

I did not leave my “real” job to start the Indie Business Network because I was miserable and unhappy. I left because I did not want to become miserable and unhappy. Sadly, I saw the handwriting on the wall. I wanted to work, but a traditional work environment was too rigid for me. I looked…

With great enthusiasm, I welcome you to Donna Maria, my personal digital digs and the new home of the Lifestyle CEO™ Show on video and as a podcast. I want you to consider this website as a sort of salon, where you can join me every day for a bit of relaxed conversation about one…