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Behind the Scenes at Jewels Branch: 25 Tech Tools

Behind the Music and How It’s Made

When my babies were babies I had a real addiction to Behind the Music on VH1. Give me a day of Gwen Stefani talking about heartbreak, song writing, and wanting to become a mom, and that’s where you’d find me. I loved to see all the work and effort and drama that goes into making music.

My babies themselves had an addiction to How It’s Made, a show that details the manufacturing process of things like motor boats, Fig Newmans, ice skates, and all kinds of other cool stuff. The technical details fascinated them and they would watch episode after episode and then recount all the details to their dad when he got home from work.

Turns out it’s not just my kids and I who like to know how things are made. You do, too! One of the questions I get asked most frequently is: “What tools are you using to run Jewels Branch?”

So, here’s a look behind the scenes at all the different tech pieces used to put together The PDF Workshop and the Jewels Branch Creative Community.

25 Tech Tools

Website: WordPress.org, WooThemes Canvas custom child theme designed and programmed by Jewels Branch

Hosting: Linode, VPS (virtual private server) administered by Jewels Branch

Media file storage and delivery:
Amazon S3 and Cloudfront

Video player: JW Player

Screen Cast Recorder/Editor: Screenflow

Membership Plugin: WooCommerce Groups and Wishlist

Store: WooCommerce/PayPal and WP eStore/PayPal

Course Management: WooThemes Sensei

Affiliate Program: WP Affiliate

Autoresponders and newsletter: MailChimp

Conference line: Instant Teleseminar

Content Creation: Adobe (affiliate link): InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat; Apple: Keynote, Pages

Microphone: Rode Podcaster

Data Transfer (FTP): Forklift

Computers: Apple MacBook Pro

Community: Facebook groups

There are many, many more tech tools you can use to put together online courses and membership sites:
from free to more expensive, and from more streamlined all-in-one services to piece-by-piece approaches. What you choose will depend on your budget, tech skill level, audience, Mac/PC preference, and much more.

Have more questions about the course creation process? Comment below.

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Women Branching Out: Hanna Ashbaugh

Hanna AshbaughHappy to have personal shopper and wardrobe stylist Hanna Ashbaugh of Hanna Lee Style here on the blog today.

Hanna helps professional women discover what styles of clothing work best on their body types. Then, she transforms their wardrobes and closets so that they can look polished in 20 minutes or less.

You can purchase Hanna’s custom body type guide, Sexier You, on her site. Hanna will use your personal measurements to create a custom Sexier You guide so that you know which style of clothing will work best for your specific body type.

Along with helping her clients look their best, Hanna also works as a print and commercial stylist helping magazines and companies like Tostino’s Pizza Rolls, Pepsi-Co, and OfficeMax show up in style.


Here’s Hanna

Tell us about your business, Hanna Lee Style. What do you do, who do you love to serve and why?

I am a personal shopper and wardrobe stylist.  I help busy, professional women have the wardrobe and tools to look polished in 20 minutes or less. I help buy mix and match pieces, so their wardrobes make sense and they can get dressed easily. 


What are busy professional’s closets suffering from?

Lack of cohesiveness! Most women I work with are buying a piece here or there when they’re out – it’s not planned, so then, when it gets back to their closets, it doesn’t make sense and therefore, never ends up worn. Comes full circle- what do I wear with this or that.  It’s why dressing can be difficult for people without the time to shop.  Shopping for a cohesive wardrobe takes time and a plan.


Hanna Lee Style

When someone hires you to be their personal shopper what can they expect to happen?

They can expect to have fun and it be an easy process. I’ll teach them what colors help them glow. Which styles most flatter their figure. And they can expect a lot of compliments! When women wear the best colors & styles for themselves, a new woman can appear. It’s why I love what I do!


What changes have you seen in the lives of your clients after working with you to refine their wardrobes?

Love lives have excelled, endless compliments about weight loss (when none has occurred but their clothing actually fits correctly), improved confidence in their work life. Ease. Getting dressed in the morning effortlessly without worry.


What are the biggest surprises your clients have when you take them out shopping?

When women try on something they would never try on and see themselves looking great- they’re always surprised. The “I would have never chosen that and it looks great..” I love those quotes. It happens often- and it should, it’s why they hire me. 


When did you decide you wanted to be a personal stylist?

During college my brother asked me what I really wanted to do. No hesitation for me – I wanted to be a personal shopper.  


How would you describe your own style? What do you love to wear?

I’m a mix of classic, simple and romantic. I feel my best in wardrobe that accentuates my body. I love wide leg pants or maxi skirts with a tucked in tank. Simplicity is great. The classic style comes in with my love for chunky gold jewelry; I got that love from my grandma.  


How has the experience of styling others impacted your life?

I love my life, that’s the greatest impact! I love being with people helping them with a task they truly dislike. It’s a great feat to really love what you do every day and ask yourself often “is this really my job?” To me, that’s amazing.

Wardrobe (and how you look) can be such an intimate experience. I don’t take that for granted. I feel grateful that men and women have invited me into their lives and their closets.

I never quite understood how people didn’t like to shop, it was hard for me to grasp. And, when clients told me they were nervous, I couldn’t quite get in their shoes about it and recently when I began shopping for my wedding dress – I finally got it. A total “aha!” moment for me. It was a chore for me to go shopping for my wedding dress; I had so much other stuff I would have rather been doing. And, going to these boutiques, I felt the nerves.

For my clients, shopping is a chore and it’s time consuming. And, these are people that know how they look makes a difference in their lives. Whether that difference is in a board room or a dating scenario, they know wardrobe makes a difference. They need to look put together for their jobs. People listen to you differently when you’re dressed confidently.


How has having your own business empowered you?  

I love living a life of passion. Having my own business hasn’t been easy. Sometimes, it’s difficult to take a day off, you’re almost always working. But when you really love what you do- that’s empowering. 


Hanna Ashbaugh is a Chicago-based personal shopper and wardrobe stylist. You can find Hanna at her website Hanna Lee Style and on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.


Comment below: What’s your style? What do you love to wear?

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How to Make Quick Pinnable Quotes

Be Quotable!

Here are three sites that you can use to quickly create pinnable quotes…for days like today when you want to put some goodness out in the world, but time is slipping away and before you know it, it will be tomorrow!

Pick out the quote you want to share, type/paste it in, choose from the available templates, and then Pin It to your Pinterest board and beyond.


Pinwords

Pinwords

You can upload an image or use one of their backgrounds (as I’ve done here). Select one of their templates, type in your quote, and adjust the fonts and colors. Then Pin It, give it a Facebook like, Tweet it, or send via email.


Quozio

quozio

Enter your quote and choose from one of their templates. Then Pin It, give it a Facebook like or post to FB, Tweet it, Google+ it, or send via email.


Pinstamatic

Pinstamatic

Enter your quote and choose from one of their templates. Then Pin It!


See the Results

You can see the live results from each site here on my Pinterest.


Give these sites a try and comment below to share a link your Pinnable!

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