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As you know, HR 2359: The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 is now pending in Congress. What you may not know if that some states are quite active in the cosmetics regulatory arena, namely California and Florida. Last year, we worked together with industry to defeat a Colorado bill that would have unnecessarily put thousands of small companies out of business. In order to better coordinate our efforts at the state level, to crowd source best practices, and inform the public and industry, I launched State Cosmetics Laws on FaceBook.

I am pleased to have the support and rolled up sleeves of two of the industrys most influential leaders in this effort. Kayla Fioravanti, co-owner of Essential Wholesale and Lela Barker of Bella Lucce in South Carolina. These women have been an integral part of our advocacy efforts since the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 was first circulated, and they continue to do an extraordinary job of running their companies as they work tireless to help me preserve a playing field on which small cosmetics companies can compete fairly.

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Youve heard me talk about consumer-business owners, that is, people who are at once consumers and business owners. They are consumers because they consume in a traditional sense. They have a traditional job, they buy things, they provide for their families. They are business owners because, in addition to a job, they also sell a product or service that provides for their families and supports the local, national and/or international economy. There was a time when consumers could be neatly categorized. They were not direct producers of anything, except for what they produced on behalf of an employer. That was then. This now.

Felicia Joy knows what Im talking about. Shes the author of Hybrid Entrepreneurship: How the Middle Class Can Beat the Slow Economy, Earn Extra Income and Reclaim the American Dream, and in this podcast, she offers tips and insights to help you successfully pursue hybrid entrepreneurship.

For a high level overview of what Felicia shared, read this post.

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Eight years ago, we made a mistake that weve only recently stopped paying for. As mistakes go, this one was hardly disastrous, and in some ways it even helped me clarify my understanding of why mistakes happen and what we can do to avoid them. I have found that most mistakes fall into one of three categories: planning, procedures, or performance. Its important to understand what kind of mistake has been made before you try to deal with it.

The mistake Im referring to involved the custom shopping bags I have printed for my picture-framing business. I order them in pretty big quantities a three years supply at a time to get a good price, and the savings are substantial. Once we worked out the design, pricing, and quantities we wanted, it became a pretty routine task to reorder the bags when we needed them. So far so good.

At the time of the mistake, my framing facility was operating out of a four-floor loft building.

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This lovely turmoil is no joke. Amusing perhaps at a local tavern or sushi bar, it will bring a fine dining establishment to its knees. With different silver for each dish, with a tight kitchen, 70 seats in the dining room and 18 stools at the bar, not to mention the communal table, polite chaos and gustatory anarchy can result. And did result several Thursdays ago when our bar turned over twice and the communal table was at full tilt. Walk-ins can share the 10-seat communal table or sit at the bar; the rest of the restaurant is reserved (on busy nights).

Half the 100 guests that night walked in willy nilly. And ordered with a goofy gusto. And everyone suffered.

On the other side of the fence, in the dining area, everyone ordered the prix fixe, by design, and their courses arrived in unison. There were exceptions (an additional dish), but they were the exceptions.

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In 10 Things That Make a Blog Stink, I shared my strong opinion that every blog post should have an accompanying graphic that illustrates the main points of the post. I also told you about Fotolia, one of the best resources for reasonably priced stock images.

One of the reasons people tell me they dont blog much is because its hard to find quality images for their posts without spending a fortune. Of course, I think the best images are pictures you take yourself, but since even they are not always available, a good stock image site can be a bloggers best friend. INDIE Business Blog to the rescue, right?! Thanks to my friends over at Fotolia, I have 20 coupon codes for 42 free Fotolia images to give away.

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Im continuing to roll out an exciting new opportunity for my IBN members to connect with other INDIEs in their local area, and to help them take advantage of my extensive online media presence. So far, Ive announced Local Directors in Louisville, Baltimore, Los Angeles and also in Northern New Jersey, Portland, Or, and Boston. Today, Im thrilled to introduce you to Melissa Rivera, IBNs Local Director in New York City!

Melissa, who lives in Astoria, has been a member of IBN since December 2010. I remember the day she joined, and how she jumped in with both feet announcing her excitement at joining IBN and getting to know as many people as possible. Melissa is a mom and a very talented soapmaker.

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The Agenda

How small-business issues are shaping politics and policy.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the date the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform act became law, and it is also the day many of the law’s provisions take effect. Some of those measures are controversial, like new enforcement powers for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and new limits on the fees banks can charge merchants for debit card transactions. Others have almost entirely escaped noticed. Among the little-discussed changes: a Depression-era ban on paying interest on business checking accounts has finally been retired. And big banks are quickly — and for the most part quietly — adapting.

Large companies with big deposits have long been able to get around the prohibition by using so-called sweep accounts, which invest deposits in money market accounts each night and then return the funds the next day. Sweep accounts, however, are an inefficient and expensive way to earn interest. Effec

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One of my members, Dawn Shaffer of French Hill Country in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, designs and creates non-stick candle and soap silicone molds that candle and soap making. Among other shapes, Dawn makes molds in the shape of fruit, hearts, tin cans, pretzels, jelly beans, sunflowers, alphabets and even hot dogs! Today, she shared this short video about why she loves her business.

Chief among the reasons Dawn loves her business is that she has a lifestyle that allows her to be available to her family. (Sound familiar?) And look at (and listen to) the nature Dawn is surrounded by! Its wonderful to be able to raise your children around such beauty, and also train them in the ways of entrepreneurship.

This video is short, but it speaks volumes about todays small and independent business owners, who are defining success on their own terms.

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