By: Eden Hensley Photos by: Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit
I like to think of my daytime tote as my mobile office. With the right essentials, I can work from almost anywhere as long as I have a WiFi connection.
Stocking Your Mobile Office
Whether you are headed to your local coffee shop or to a conference, there are some essentials that should be always with you:
- Smart Phone and charger
- Business cards
- Writing utensils (at least two in case one runs out of ink or the lead breaks)
- Paper or notebook
- Layers (lightweight sweater or wrap) to fight the chill of air conditioning
- Snacks
- Water
- Lip balm
- Mints
- (For conferences and networking mixers) system for organizing collected business cards
What do you carry with you? Lesley of LWG uses her bag to hold all of her gear for photo taking, for Instagraming, for note taking, for connecting, and for touch ups. PJ of Bunny and Dolly tucks a zippered pouch into her tote to keep smaller items from getting lost. I have a couple of totes that I switch between depending on my outfit; I use a collection of smaller zippered pouches to make transferring essentials from one bag to the other easy.
Making a Statement with Your Bag
Because you are going to be taking your bag with you almost everywhere, why not make it an extension of your brand?
- Transform blank canvas totes: Chelsea of Lovely Indeed added a heart and Heather Joy of Joy of all Crafts added her logo.
- Add a touch of gold: Haeley of Design Improvised stenciled gold scissors on her tote.
- Make something old new: Kathy of Krafty Kath transformed a vintage blanket into her tote.