The story of Evernote for Small Business guide
Did I ever tell you how I came up with Evernote for Small Business guide idea? Actually, I was challenged to do that.
Once, in a conversation with Tara Gentile I made a comment in passing that Evernote is so powerful, you could run an entire business on it.
I just wanted to make a point that I don’t see the tools as a collection of features, but rather the ways you can put those features to use. But Tara, an Evernote fanatic, didn’t let me off the hook. Run a business on Evernote? She demanded that I create a resource to show how one could do that.
And so I did. I started with a blog post that to this day is the most popular blog post on my site. The blog post got turned into a guide. And the guide recently became a CreativeLive course: Evernote For Mac and Evernote For PC.
My guardian angel Tara Gentile 🙂
It was again Tara Gentile who whispered into the ears of the CreativeLive producers that it would be nice to do a course on Evernote.
When she mentioned to me that I might hear from the CreativeLive team, I almost had an anxiety attack. I have never felt comfortable in front of an audience—my voice trembles, I turn bright red, and my heart jumps into my throat.
So, although I was flattered, I secretly hoped that CreativeLive will never actually invite me. But then I got an e-mail from them. They were interested and ready to discuss logistics.
My desire to have a CreateiveLive badge of honor made me say yes to the challenge and so I started working on the course. But the fear of letting down Tara and the entire CreativeLive team stayed with me until I boarded the plane to San Francisco.
Naked was not an option
Little did I know that there was another challenge waiting for me in the States. When we landed, I learned that my suitcase had stayed behind in Brussels, so it would have to be sent with the same flight the next day.
The problem was that the airline couldn’t give any guarantees of when exactly I’d get my suitcase back. Which meant that there was a good chance I would not have my clothes, makeup, and toiletries before I had to head out to CreativeLive studios.
On a verge of tears, I texted my husband and told him about the missing suitcase. Two seconds later my phone beeped with my husband’s response. It read: “Oh!! You’ll be recording your course naked?? Where do I sign up??”
Plan B
I couldn’t help but smile. The panic subsided. I was ready to put into motion Plan B. Luckily, two of my friends kept me company as I went from store to store looking for the right dress and shoes.
I don’t particularly enjoy shopping, but finding the right outfit in under 2 hours, in a new country, and a city that I don’t know definitely takes disliking shopping to a whole new level.
What I didn’t realize at the time, though, was that the more I concentrated on hating shopping that afternoon, the less I worried about blowing the CreativeLive recording the next morning.
The miracle
My suitcase miraculously arrived in the middle of the night, so I was able to wear my first choice dresses after all. But what surprised me even more was that when I got to the CreativeLive stage I felt calm and collected.
I was able to really connect with the students and brainstorm with them ways they could use Evernote for business. Seeing first-hand how my approach to Evernote was adding value for them was the most rewarding experience ever!
I’d love you to check out the course too!
You can choose between Evernote for Mac and Evernote for PC versions.
And as you work on transforming Evernote into your business management hub, don’t hesitate to drop me a line to ask a question or share with me your wins.
Question for you
What process or business activity would you like to have a checklist for? I’m planning on creating a set of cheatsheets and checklists for different business processes.
Once they are ready, I’ll share them directly from my Evernote, so you’ll be able to use them right away. Let me know in the comments below!
