Donna Maria

Design your perfect lifestyle business!

Latest on the Blog

The Community Economy

Recently, I delivered the opening keynote address to the 2019 United States Lavender Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. My topic was The Community Economy, and it was all about how to build community around your brand. Here is the graphic I used to illustrate my three-pronged approach to building community around your brand.The Community EconomyI was thrilled to share the secrets of how I have built a solid community over the past 20 years around my brand, the Indie Business Network, and ... Read the Post

2019 Lavender Conference Recap

Last weekend, I delivered the opening keynote address to the 370 attendees of the 2019 United States Lavender Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. My keynote topic was The Community Economy, which I chose because of its importance to the success of your business. If there is no strong and engaged Community Economy around your brand, it's not going to last very long. Here I am doing my thing.Not only did I get the chance to empower hundreds of small business owners to be more effective ... Read the Post

I’m Speaking at the US Lavender Conference

I'm coming to Charleston. Squee! In a few short days, I will deliver the opening keynote address at the United States Lavender Conference in that beautiful and historic city. I recently read that there are more than 300 independently owned lavender farms in the United States today. How great that we no longer have to travel internationally to enjoy the many benefits of this beautiful herb. If your business includes working in any way with lavender (growing it, distilling it, cooking with it, ... Read the Post

FUN: Laughter Is Medicine

Laughter is the best medicine, don't you think? My daughter and I got a good dose of it on Christmas day. With unseasonably warm weather in Washington, DC, we went outside and had some great laughs as she took pictures of me with the camera Santa bought for her. Here's one of them.I Laugh. A lot.I'm not a model, but I love pretending to be one, and this cracks my daughter up.When I strike a new pose like I mean it, I hear her snickering behind the lens, and she comments on how cute she thinks I ... Read the Post

FREEDOM: Retreat

Each year since 2011, I've hosted the Indie Cruise Mastermind Retreat where I and other entrepreneurs rejuvenate our souls and re-connect with the energy that allows us to be successful in business and in life.We've been to some amazing places on Indie CruiseIndie Cruise has taken us to Belize, Cozumel, Haiti, Punta Cana, the Florida Keys, Ixtapa, Cancun, Grand Cayman and more.Next week, I'll depart to host Indie Cruise in Turks and Caicos.Have you ever been on an entrepreneurial retreat? I urge ... Read the Post

Evolving Friendship

When I launched the Indie Business Network in 2000, I thought I was just starting a business. Little did I know that what I was really doing was leveraging a business to build a lifetime of incredible long-lasting relationships. One of them is with this lady, Jamila White, an intuitive consultant and psychic medium. But it didn’t start out that way.Evolving: Business + FriendshipAs our businesses have evolved, so has our friendship.Two decades ago, when we first met, Jamila was working with ... Read the Post

2018 Best Nine

For the past few years, I've enjoyed seeing people post their "best nine" Instagram photos from the previous year. I was always so engaged with other things at the start of a new year that I never did it myself, but this year, I'm on it! Here are my "best nine" from 2018!From left to right, top row to bottom row ...• Sipping fresh coconut water in South Beach with my husband• Enjoying being chauffeured by my newly driving 17-year old daughter• With my ... Read the Post

Flexibility: Make It Yourself

Before I launched the Indie Business Network in 2000, I held multiple jobs, each of which I enjoyed. But when I decided I wanted to get married and have a family, suddenly, the opportunities that suited me dried up.Nothing appealed to me.I looked into job sharing, but I could not figure out how I could "share" a job and fully own the results.I looked into part-time work, but every woman I talked to told me that "part-time" always turned into "full-time," and I didn't want that either.I ... Read the Post

Family: Legacy

I often refer to my children as my WHY. This is my excellent 91-year old Mommy. She is my HOW.FamilyWhenever I feel incapable or like I will fail, I hear her voice cheering me on.She is so far superior to anything I could ever hope to be, and I can only pray that, through my stubbornness, some of her wisdom slips through.For me, entrepreneurship has never been so much about business as it is about legacy. If, through my work at @indiebusiness, I can leave a strong and positive legacy, I ... Read the Post