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Long ago I learned to compartmentalize some of my small business owner activities so that they don't overwhelm. I order new supplies once a week (Wednesdays) and I don't even think about it in between. When bills come in, I immediately tuck them into my "pink folder". I only sort through and pay bills on Friday. I come in at 9:00 and leave at 6:00 and weekends are not for working. It's like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs . In life, we need to meet the physiological basics first (food, water, sleep, etc) before we concern ourselves with the "higher" needs. Similarly, I find that if my inventory is well stocked, my bills are paid, and my mind and body are refreshed by family and friends, then all the other stresses of owning my business are manageable. Even if I do work extra hours (not really that uncommon), at least I have made an agreement with myself that I don't have to, so staying is more of a pleasure than a stress. Do I accomplish everyth...

Recently I was contacted regarding the company 100% Pure and its patent pending for use of fruit, vegetable, flower and seed pigments for use in cosmetics. The concern was that if 100% Pure succeeds in their patent then it will negatively affect all natural cosmetic companies. The author requested that we call the examining attorney Tania Ashby at 571-270-1348 and that we write a formal complaint to the commissioner for patents The Commissioner for Patents PO Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 OK, I have passed the word along, now here is what I have thought about this over the years. 1) The folks at 100% Pure are based here in the Bay Area and I have talked with them as well as sold product to them. In particular, the female founder has taken a mineral makeup class from me when I taught years ago at thenovastudio .com. This in itself doesn't mean anything but I wanted to let you know that the people behind 100% Pure are just people. In some ways they are small, independe...

In 2008, Clorox Corp (based here in Oakland, CA) came out with a line of green cleaning products. More than 99% of the ingredients in their new GreenWorks line come from natural, non-petrochemical sources. The ingredients include: Water Alkyl Polyglucoside. This is a detergent surfactant made from coconut oil Ethanol SDA-3C. This is a dirt-dissolving solvent made from corn oil Glycerine. A solvent from corn oil Lemon oil. From Lemons, obviously, there for the fragrance Kathon, a preservative which is part of the 1% of the formula derived from petrochemicals. But it is biodegradable Milliken Liquitint Blue HP and Bright Yellow dyes. Also part of the 1% of the formula derived from petrochemicals. As you probably know, most commercial cleaners do not provide a full ingreidents list such as Clorox has done. If you want more information about a commercial cleaner, you can visit The Green Guide , an online publication of National Geographic. Hope these sites lead you to new ideas!...

Press Release August 11, 2009 Changes to the Mixing Pot Pigment Lady's Simple Pleasures purchased by TKB Trading It was 1996. EBAY and Craigslist were uncertain startups right along with Lori Schenkelberg's “Pigment Lady” and Kaila Westerman's “TKB Trading”. “We met in an AOL chat room,” explains Kaila. “What started out as a hobby for us, quickly became micro businesses. Our other chat room buddies included ElaineWhite (who had just published a book on soapmaking), Melody Upham (founder of Rainbow Meadows soapmaking supplies) and Linda Jines (founder of Sweetcakes Soapmaking and Candle Supplies). None of us would have imagined our futures unfolding as they did. At the time, we were simply trying to make soap.” The Pigment Lady was the first to offer repacked pigments and dyes to soap makers at an affordable price. In 1996, her son was just entering first grade; he is now entering college. “It's been a long journey which has been comprised of a lot of hard work, ...

Last month we took a day off to have a company outing. We took the ferry to San Francisco, then rented bikes and biked across the Golden Gate Bridge. Here are some photos. They should play as a slideshow automatically, just be patient!

My business is a simple one. It boils down to buying large quantities of interesting stuff, packing said stuff into smaller quantities and then shipping it out to people who have the time and energy to play with it. While it is gratifying to be part of my customers' creative cycle, the work is work. It's routine. I try to be very Zen, to see the task in front of me as meditation. But, during a recent "meditation" I calculated that I had been meditating for about 30,000 hours. Time to be enlightened! In our neighborhood, there is a laundromat, Woody's Laundry and Drapes. I've known Woody for several years. He immigrated from China and started this laundry our rather rundown part of town. Later, he added a cafe. In addition to growing his business, Woody touches the people of this neighborhood. He began to host "outdoor movies" free for the neighborhood. He signed up to host the National Night Out parties. Does the neighborhood love Wood...