Archive for January 2013
Women Branching Out Interviews – A Review
I’ve featured 24 awesome online business ladies in the Women Branching Out interview series since September 2011. I’ve interviewed coaches, artists, photographers, product creators, video and social media experts, and more.
I love doing these interviews because they remind me of all the different ways we can create businesses that we love and each story is so inspiring.
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Here’s a sampling of their voices:
“Be you. It’s delicious, it’s easy and it will help weed out the peeps that are NOT for you.”
Genna McWhinnie – video expert
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“Stop thinking that your meals need to look like they belong on the cover of Bon Appetit!”
Aimee Prezzano – simple living consultant
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“My advice? My advice is that you don’t need my advice. To find your voice you have to ignore everybody. Take ‘What will they think?’ out of your vocabulary.”
Mayi Carles – artist and business coach
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“Take a leadership role to run your business. It all becomes so much easier and richer when you do.”
Amber McCue – business coach
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“I believe that businesses first have to be irresistible to the business owner. We have to love what we do with such a deep passion because there are days when it’s hard and you don’t want to do any of it and you wish you’d never thought of it.”
Sarah Robinson – business coach, author
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“Shoot photos first and foremost from your emotions and the technical stuff can follow.”
Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick – photography coach for parents
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“Be the giver, don’t wait until you are making millions. Start today. Find a need and give.”
Erin Giles – business philanthropy coach
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“THE BEST THING YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO FOR YOURSELF IS TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN HAVE THE LIFE YOU WANT. IMAGINE IT, IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE. THINK ABOUT IT AS THOUGH YOU ALREADY HAVE IT. THEN…TAKE RISKS. DO THE SCARY THING. DO THE EXCITING THING. START OUT SMALL, TAKING ONE STEP AT A TIME, AND THEN RAMP IT UP.”
Sally Hope – life coach
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“If you are a mom and an entrepreneur, you have already stepped outside of the rat race that so many people are still stuck in. You are reclaiming the value of your vision for the world and for your children and that really matters.”
Christyna Lewis – financial coach
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Chances are you’ve missed out on quite a few of these interviews. Here’s a guide to them all:
Sarah Robinson – business coach
Melissa Dinwiddie – artist and inspirationalist
Barbara Coon – CranioSacral therapist
Sarah Wagner Yost – life and business coach
Irene Gutteridge Lyon – body scientist
Andrea Lewicki – mindfulness expert
Christyna Lewis – financial coach
Michelle Nickolaisen – business systems expert
Hannah Marcotti – life and business coach
Miki DeVivo – photographer
Nanci Panuccio – writer and writing coach
Sally Hope – life coach
Cathy Anderson – organizational products
Jennifer Peek – business coach
Kimberly Riggins – body image expert
Genna McWhinnie – video expert
Mayi Carles – artist and business coach
Erin Giles – philanthropy coach
Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick – photography coach for parents
Sammi Johnson – social media expert
Amber McCue – business coach
Alana Sheeren – grief and loss coach
Aimee Prezzano – simple living consultant
Angela Privin – digestive health coach
More interviews coming soon…
Watch for a new interview with financial therapist, coach, and mompreneur, Bari Tessler to kick off the 2013 Women Branching Out interview series, next week!
I’m always looking for great business stories. If you know someone who’s doing great things in their online business, leave a comment below to let me know!
How Can I Make Interactive and Fillable PDFs?
I get asked this question all the time!
What’s an interactive PDF?
An interactive PDF includes fields, like check boxes, and forms, spaces for readers to type in answers to questions. Many solopreneurs use these interactive features in worksheets for their digital products, and in intake forms for their clients. Interactive PDFs can also include advanced forms that link back to databases.
How to create fillable PDFS
To create PDFs with interactive fields, you first design and output your PDF (using Pages, InDesign, Word, etc.). Then, you use PDF software or apps to created the interactive and fillable bits.
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Software options for making interactive PDFs
Mac options
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro – $449
or via Creative Cloud subscription ($49.99/month)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro.html
PDFpen Pro – $99.95
http://www.smilesoftware.com/PDFpenPro/index.html
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PC options
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro – $449
or via Creative Cloud subscription ($49.99/month)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro.html
Adobe Acrobat XI Standard – $299
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatstandard.html
Nitro Pro 8 – $119.99
http://www.nitropdf.com/
CutePDF Professional – $49.95
http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/Pro.asp
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A web app option for making interactive PDFs
Web App (Mac & PC friendly)
PDFescape – Free
http://www.pdfescape.com/
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Hire it out option
Fiverr – $5
http://fiverr.com/
Search for fillable PDF and you’ll find lots of folks who will create interactive PDFs for you.
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Choosing the best option for you
With all software purchases, it’s best to test before buying. Download a trial version of the software you’re interested in and test it out on a one page example of whatever kind of interactive PDF you’re creating. See how it works for you.
What do I use?
As a professional designer I use InDesign or Pages for layout and design and Adobe Acrobat for creation of interactive elements and fillable forms for all my client projects.
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Ready to learn more?
Join The PDF Workshop and learn more about creating beautiful, interactive PDFs for your business.
Win a spot in The PDF Workshop
It’s Contest Time!
Thanks everyone for playing along
The Winners Are:
Comment #25: Joanna Byrne – wins a spot in The PDF Workshop
Comment #15: Angela Privin – wins a spot in The PDF Workshop – Self-Study
Comment #6 – Angela Sullivan – wins a spot in The PDF Workshop – Self-Study
There were so many great entries that I decided to choose three! Winners were chosen at random.
I’m gifting 1 (one) spot in The PDF Workshop ($380 value, starts February 6th) to a super lucky person who answers the following questions in the comments below.
To enter:
Answer the following questions in the comments below by midnight (central) Friday, January 11th.
1. What kind of awesome PDF-style products do you want to create (freebies, e-books, workbooks, cookbooks, digital courses, etc.) for your ideal clients in 2013?
2. What will happen in your business during 2013 as a result of learning these skills and putting your PDF(s) out in the world now instead of later?
Dream BIG and share in the comments!
Winner will picked at random from the comments and be announced on Tuesday, January 15th.