Blogs

Most of us think of celebs in terms of entertainers.  But the category is far more vast.  A celeb is anyone who has notoriety with the general public or a select group of people.  So the range of celebrity talent goes from famous actors, dancers and writers to hair stylists, inventors or maybe even an industry expert. What determines brandability can be summed up with two questions. WHO would be interested? WHY would they care?

My determination process may seem a bit crass, but it cuts to the chase and saves loads of time.  Once we determine theWHO, the WHY is almost as important.  Its the WHY that dictates longevity and level of success.  A fly-by-night sensation will lose its shine once the 15 minutes of fame or over, that is unless we keep giving them more WHYs.

EXAMPLE: Last year we were all singing the "Pants On the Ground" song courtesy of General Larry Platt.  The General appeared on the season 9 auditions of American Idol.  Platt then embarked on a whirlwind media tour that included appearances on The View and Ellen and even spawned his own You Tube Channel (click here to visit).  There were posters and t-shirts and even an attempt at a iTunes single.  Let's face it, General Platt became an epidemic.

Now fast forward one year.  We could care less about the "Pants" (on the ground or otherwise).  So what made the excitement fizzle?  No rocket science required here, the reason WHY the General WAS famous, but ceased to be current or interesting.  Of course there are other factors that contribute to brandability, I made a quick list below.

Here are the key factors to be BRANDABLE:

1. Be Clear -  clearly determine your fan base
2. Be Interesting -  can you keep the fans interested long term
3. Be Personable -  can you connect to your audience on a personal and emotional level
4. Be Authentic -  fans don't care if you are an angel or an ass, they just want it real

Remember Branding is all about 'promise of value'.  Determine your value, and you determine your brand.

Introducing Four Fabulous Indie Beauties!

I love my Indie Beauty Network members. I call them my Indie Beauties, and they are doing fantastic things. I'd like to introduce you to four of them.

Katie Nguyen of The Conservatorie
Funlayo Alabi of Shea Radiance
Princetta Jones of Princetta's Beauty Secrets
Ellen Lange of Ellen Lange Medi-Spa

Continue reading to find out how these inspirational women pursued their passions to launch businesses that enhance people's lives every day!

Katie Nguyen and her fiance, Thomas, have been members of IBN since June 2007. They purchased their business, The Conservatorie, from a prior owner. The Conservatorie, headquartered in Aguora Hills, California, formulates bulk mineral makeup and wholesales it to spas and other companies that sell it directly to consumers. She and Thomas said that they joined IBN in part because they love Indie Business Radio: "Even though the show is free," they said, "We joined IBN because we are, well, greedy! We thought to ourselves, if the free radio show is this informative, just imagine how great other materials and services are!" Enjoy Katie's Indie Candy feature here.

Funlayo Alabi is a wife and mother of two who hails from Nigeria. She and her husband own Shea Radiance, a supplier of finished products and bulk natural shea butter which they import directly from Africa. They have been IBN members since June 2006. Funlayo and her husband are working on their exit plan from traditional jobs to running Shea Radiance full-time. Their hard work and tenacity are paying off, as you can see from the beautifully packaged shea butter creams and other products at their website. Enjoy Funlayo's Indie Candy feature here. You can follow her Tweets at @shearadiance.

Princetta Jones owns Princetta's Beauty Secrets in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, she is a musical performer who travels the world entertaining audiences with her spicy sounds. Check out her Myspace page and enjoy her Indie Candy feature here. Princetta joined IBN in March of this year. Her schedule keeps her so busy that she is not accepting online orders at this time, but if you' in Las Vegas, you can get her goodies at selected Whole Foods Markets there and in Philadelphia at Spa Bavu.

Ellen Lange is a wife, mother and the owner of Ellen Lange Medi-Spa in Highland Park, New Jersey. Ellen also a Retexturizing Peel Kit and a Clear Complexion Kit. Ellen's father is a renowned plastic surgeon, so it's no surprise that she has a wide ranging interest in facial and skin care that includes plastic surgery options. She blogs about her ideas at her recently launched blog. She enjoys helping women look and feel their best. Ellen has been a member of IBN since December 2006. You can follow her Tweets at @ellenlange.

What do you think?

Aren't they amazing?! I could make this a regular blog feature. Should I? Do you enjoy learning about how other women combine their Indie Beauty businesses with their passion for helping women and also managing their homes? Let me know what you think in the comments section below. I'd like to hear if this feature is something you enjoy.

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