FREE GUIDE!
Setting up your
Handbag Office
YOUR DIGITAL FOUNDATION
Before we open the door to the 1 trillion dollar knowledge industry
- let's build the office.
Free to set up
Templates included
No credit card needed
Your Handbag Office needs a foundation. Seven steps, three free gifts, a honeytrap to avoid, and one live page waiting at the end. Let's begin ๐
Your Handbag Office Foundation.
What to do, and what not to do.
Your Handbag Office Foundation.
What to do, and what not to do.
Most people start by searching for the perfect website name, the perfect colours, the perfect logo.
That is the Honeytrap - the loop of endless branding preparation that feels productive but never quite launches. It is where most brilliant ideas quietly go to rest.
The Handbag Office approach is different. Before we claim your corner of the internet, we build the office itself. A clean, dedicated digital workspace that separates your business life from everything else. A front door, a mailbox, a filing system. And then - when everything is in order - your first live page on the internet, ready to share with the world.
The answer, in this initial phase, is to keep it deliberately simple - your own name, a calm neutral palette, nothing more.
Not because you lack vision. But because right now, we are building the very heart of the nest, not decorating it for Christmas. The baubles will have their moment. Just not today ๐
And here is what most people cannot yet see from where they are standing: you can build as many brands as you want.
As many as you once had Barbies.
This is simply the first one - your clean, working foundation. Creative expression will have its turn, and when it comes, the infrastructure will be ready for it. That chapter is coming ๐
This guide takes you through all of it. Everything is free to set up.
You may not yet know exactly what your Handbag Office will be for. That is not a problem - it is simply where you are right now. Building before the vision is fully clear is not recklessness. It is a different kind of courage.
You are not walking blind. You are building in the dark and the lights will come on once the room exists. There is a seat at the one trillion dollar table for you. But you need a foundation to claim it. Once yours is in place, doors will open. And when they do, you will be ready. Systems in place. Address on the internet. Office open. Not scrambling. Ready.
๐ป This guide is designed to be followed on your laptop or desktop - not your phone. Open your laptop, start at Step 1 and work through at your own pace ๐
01
STEP 1: Your Handbag Office
Chrome Profile
This is one of the best "headspace hacks" you will ever discover.
A dedicated Google Chrome Profile is the digital equivalent of closing the door to your room to focus.
It physically separates your everyday life - the family photos, the old bookmarks, the seventeen open tabs - from the clean, calm space where you are building something new.
When you open this window, your brain knows: this is my time.
๐ป Laptop first - always.
The Handbag Office lives in your laptop - the one small enough to carry in a good size handbag ๐ Once your foundation is in place, all your daily tasks - checking emails, glancing at your dashboard, staying connected on social - can be handled from your phone๐ฑ But for setting up? Make a coffee, open your laptop, and let's go โ๏ธ
How to create your Handbag Office Chrome Profile:
1: Open Google Chrome Browser on laptop or desktop computer. If you do not have it installed yet, download it here ๐ Chrome download link โบโบ
2: Look at the top right corner for your Profile Icon - a small round photo or letter.
3: Click it and scroll to the bottom of the menu. Click "Add profile."
4: Click "Continue without an account" or "Set up your new Chrome profile."
5: Name your space. Call it "The Handbag Office" or "My Next Chapter" - whatever feels like yours. ๐
6: Pick a theme colour. Something that feels calm and professional. A warm sage, a soft taupe, a quiet cream.
7: Click Done.
โจ And just like thatโฆ A brand new, clean browser window opens. This is your office. Pin it to your taskbar so the door is always there when you are ready to walk through it.
๐ก The Magic Switch: You can jump between your personal life and your Handbag Office profile instantly - no logging out, no closing tabs.
Click the profile icon in the top right corner, select your other profile, and a new window opens in a second.
Two lives. One computer.
You are in control of when to switch ๐
02
STEP 2: Your CEO Inbox
Now let's give your office a proper address.
A dedicated Gmail account keeps your business life beautifully separate from personal emails, family threads, and shopping receipts.
It is also the key that unlocks your entire Google toolkit - everything you need to run a Handbag Office from anywhere in the world, all in one place, all for free.
How to create your CEO Gmail:
1: In your new Handbag Office Chrome window, go to gmail.com.
2: Click "Create new account" and select "For businessโ. Choose the free version. (Google Workspace is paid, but for now, the free version is perfect to start).
3: Choose a name that feels professional and simple. Something like:
โข yourname.digital@gmail.com
4: Create a strong password and write it down immediately. Your Digital Asset Organizer in Step 3 is waiting for it. ๐
5: Follow the steps to verify your phone number and add a recovery email - use your personal one, so you are never locked out.
6: Turn on Google 2-Step Verification when prompted. This is your security lock. Worth two minutes of your time.
7: Click "Turn on Sync" when Chrome asks. This saves your bookmarks, passwords, and history to this specific profile.
๐ You now have a dedicated CEO Inbox. Bookmark it to your bookmarks bar right now - click the star icon โญ in the browser address field - so your office mail is always one click away. Need help synchronizing your Gmail profile photo? Here is a quick guide ๐ YouTube tutorial โบโบ
03
STEP 3: Your Free Google Toolkit
Here is something most people do not realise until much later: by creating this one free Google account in a separate Chrome profile, you just unlocked a complete business toolkit and it will save you hours of unnecessary sign-up frustration. It really is like buying a new paper notebook that you dedicate to only this part of your life and nothing else ๐
No subscription.
No credit card.
No catch.
Everything in one dedicated space that grows with you.
๐ก One Google account. One key. Every door.
You do not need to create separate accounts for Google Drive, Google Docs, YouTube, Google Meet, or any other Google product. They are all already yours. The moment you created your CEO Gmail, you were handed a single master key to the entire Google ecosystem. You will log in to all these accounts with the same password you created for your Google account.
Example: When you visit YouTube for the first time with your Handbag Office Chrome Profile, you will not be asked to create an account. You will simply be invited to name your channel - because it is already there, waiting for you. The same is true for Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Meet, and every other Google product in your Starter Pack.
No separate registrations. No extra passwords. No new accounts. Just one key, opening every door ๐๏ธ
The Free Google Starter Pack:
โข Google Drive: 15GB cloud storage. Store your files, photos, documents safely.
โข Google Docs: Word processor. Write content, emails, ideas.
โข Google Sheets: Spreadsheets. Track accounts, passwords, income.
โข Google Meet: Free video calls - joined as your Handbag Office self. Your brand name, your brand photo. Like showing up in a new dress ๐
โข Google Calendar: Your dedicated Handbag Office schedule - shareable in any other calendar app you already use. One schedule, every device ๐
โข Google Keep: Quick-capture notes. Grab ideas and thoughts on the go - synced across all your devices instantly.
โข YouTube: Video platform. Watch tutorials, build your own channel later.
When you grow (also free):
โข Google Analytics: Website insights. See how visitors find your page, where they come from, and what they read. The listening ear behind your growth.
โข Google Search Console: Search performance. Google's direct message to you - which searches bring people to your site and how to be found more easily.
โข Google Tag Manager: Tracking control room. Manage all your tracking codes - Facebook pixel, Analytics and more - from one place.
โข Google Business Profile: Business listing. Your free presence on Google Maps and Google Search - makes your Handbag Office discoverable in your local area and beyond.
๐ก Bookmark Drive, Calendar, Gmail etc to your bookmarks bar now. Your desk is ready โ
A word about growing into this - from my experience ๐
When the time comes to have your own domain name yourbrand.com and professional email address you@yourbrand.com, the most natural next step is upgrading your free Gmail to Google Workspace. Everything you have already built comes with you. Your Drive, your Docs, your contacts, your history - all intact. No migration. No starting over. Just a simple upgrade that opens a professional front door while keeping everything exactly where it is in your Chrome Profile.
Google will offer you this upgrade as a 14-day free trial. Their Business Starter plan is the lowest tier and gives you everything you need: your own professional email address at your own domain (to be purchased separately), the full Google toolkit, and all the infrastructure to build an empire. One small monthly fee, when the time is right ๐
I spent years running business email through web hosting platforms. The switch to Google Workspace was one of the best decisions I made. The ecosystem - the way Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Chrome, and YouTube all work together seamlessly - makes running a Handbag Office from anywhere in the world genuinely simple. It is worth every penny when you are ready.
But for now, your free Google account gives you everything you need to begin ๐
๐ก A note on domain names:
When you upgrade to Google Workspace, you will also need your own domain name - yourname.com or yourbrand.com - registered with a domain registrar.
GoDaddy is widely recommended and many online programs point you there. But every time I open my own GoDaddy dashboard I am reminded why I struggle to recommend it. The moment you log in, the interface pushes website builders and email packages at you from every direction. It is genuinely confusing - and confusion is the last thing you need when you are building something new.
My recommendation is Cloudflare Registrar. They charge you the actual cost of the domain - no added fees, no profit margin on top. No first-year "amazing" discount that quietly jumps to much higher on renewal. No upsells, no noise - just a clean DNS (Domain Name System) dashboard that makes connecting your domain to Google Workspace and your email automations to Systeme IO straightforward when the time comes. If you choose any other registrar, please remember to check that DNS is included in the price, it is an essential part that many low-priced registrars add on top of their amazing deals ๐
One final word: keep it simple. Your own name is always the best starting point - janesmith.com - it travels with you wherever your business goes. If it is already taken, try adding a word before or after: janesmith-digital.com, janesmith-online.com, janesmith-media.com, or janesmith-studio.com all work beautifully. Resist the rabbit hole of searching for the perfect domain at this stage - that will come later when you build new brands. Register something clean, something yours, and move forward ๐
Free Gift 1: Your Digital Asset Organizer ๐
Stop writing passwords on sticky notes ๐โ
Your Handbag Office needs a secure, organised home for all your new logins, links, and account details. I have created a free Google Sheet template for you - pre-filled with all the categories you will need from day one and as you grow further along this path.
1: Make sure you are logged into your new Google account and new Chrome Profile before clicking download on this page.
2: Google will ask if you want to make a copy - click the copy button and a fresh, private copy lands in your Google Drive instantly. No one else can see it.
Three things to do right now:
1: Rename it - click the title at the top left and call it "Handbag Office Assets." ๐
2: Star it - click the star icon โญ next to the title so it is always easy to find.
3: Fill in your first entry - your new CEO Gmail and password. Right now, while it is fresh.
4: Please note - the template is for your personal business use only and is not for resale.
โ Your desk is ready. Your office has a door, an address, and a filing system. Let's move on to the next step ๐
YOUR HANDBAG OFFICE PAGE
Your foundation is ready.
Now let's claim your corner of the internet๐
YOUR HANDBAG OFFICE PAGE
Your foundation is ready.
Now let's claim your corner of the internet๐
04
STEP 4: Claim Your Free Handbag Office Page
Your first Systeme IO page - a free gift for you. This is the step that makes it all real.
But first - something worth knowing. Behind every successful online entrepreneur, from the complete beginner to the billionaire, is the exact same invisible system:
- A landing page. Your shop window.
- A payment gateway. Your cash register.
- Automated email sequences. Your 24/7 sales assistant - working while you sleep, walk, or sit in a Florence cafรฉ.
This is SaaS - Software as a Service. The Invisible Engine of the knowledge economy. And for the first time in history, it is available to everyone in a simple, plug-and-play format. No tech degree required.
Systeme IO is your engine, an all-in-one platform. It powers your landing pages, your sales funnels, your payment processing, and your automated email sequences - everything that runs your Handbag Office quietly in the background, from one clean dashboard.
Free Gift 2: Your Systeme IO Link in Bio page ๐
A clean, elegant digital business card - your Link in Bio page. Your name. Your photo. Your first presence in a one trillion dollar knowledge industry. Free to set up, free to run, and ready to grow into anything you choose ๐ See it live here ๐ View demo page โบโบ
How to claim your free Systeme IO account and Link-in-Bio-template:
1: Log in to your new Chrome profile. Click the button below and claim your free Systeme IO account + Link in Bio template.
2: If you do not yet have a Systeme IO account, you will be invited to create one right there - use your new CEO Gmail ๐ No credit card needed! Add the password in your Digital Asset Organizer.
3: Click "Import this funnel" when prompted. Your Link in Bio template will be automatically copied into your new account.
4: Go to Sites > Sales Funnels to find your new page waiting.
5: Come back here for Step 5 - it is time to make it yours.
6: Please note - the template is for your personal business use only and is not for resale.
One link. One click. Your first corner of the internet is yours ๐
This link is called an affiliate link. It means that at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you ever choose to upgrade. And you can do the same - your free Systeme IO account is yours to keep and inside it you will find your own affiliate link. Learn more about how you can earn 60% recurring lifetime commission with Systeme IO โบโบ
05
STEP 5: Make it Yours + Free Branding Gift
Now it is time to make your page yours. Think of the Systeme IO editor as modern scrapbooking - drag, click, adjust, save. Creative, fast, and entirely in your hands ๐จ
But wait. Before you start editing - read this ๐ There is a trap that catches almost all of us. You open your new page, ready to make it yours, and then - suddenly - you cannot move. There are so many amazing fonts to choose from. And what colours are yours? Before you know it, two hours have disappeared and you are down a Pinterest rabbit hole comparing shades of sage with no website to show for it.
I know this trap well. It is the same Honeytrap that sends most brilliant ideas straight to the graveyard - not because the idea was wrong, but because the tech and the setup were never ready to support it.
Branding, when it arrives at the wrong moment, is the most creative and most expensive procrastination there is. So here is what I want you to know: You can build as many brands as you want. Yes, really! Just like we had many different Barbies - or Sindys, depending on which team you were on ๐ - each one with her own look, her own world, her own story. I call this the Barbie Method. Your first brand does not have to be perfect. It just has to exist. Many more will follow.
For now: use your name - your full name, your initials, whatever feels natural. Do not search for a business name yet. Choose something calm and neutral for your fonts and colours - you get 2 free branding gifts here! This method will get your page live without burnout. Everything else can come later, when the foundation is already built.
Let's dive in ๐จ
Make your page yours:
Everything on your page is clickable and editable. And if you ever want a completely fresh start, simply import the template again and you will have a clean copy.
1: To edit your page - log in to your Systeme IO account. In your dashboard top menu go to Sites > Sales Funnels and click "Edit" on your imported page.
2: Edit your name - Click directly on "Your Name" and type your own. That is your first mark on the internet ๐
3: Your tagline - Below your name you will find "SaaS Strategist. Digital Creator." - keep it or swap it for whatever feels right for now. "My Next Chapter. Coming Soon." is perfectly beautiful. There are no wrong answers here.
4: Your about text - Click the short paragraph below the tagline and write two or three warm sentences about yourself. Keep it simple. You do not need to have it all figured out yet. Pro tip: Write the text in your Google Keep notes and save it before you paste it in this section.
5: Your social media icons and buttons - These can all wait until your path is clearer. No pressure here at all, they are placeholders for what to come. When ready click them and update the link to your new social profiles etc.
โ Happy with your words? Save your page and move to next step - the photo. ๐
Personalise Your Photo:
Your template comes with a beautiful ready-made "faceless" profile image - a sea view, a pink cap, and the words "Keep believing in you." It is yours to keep exactly as it is.
If you want to make the photo completely your own in Canva, here is how: ๐ Open your Canva photo template โบโบ
You will need a free Canva account to edit this. If you do not have one yet, Canva will invite you to create one when you click the link - free, and quick. Bookmark also the Canva page in your browser in your new Chrome profile for easy access.
Once you are inside Canva:
1: Click "Customize this template" - this creates your own private copy.
2: Replace the photo - click the background image and select "Replace." Upload a photo of yourself, a favourite landscape, a flower - anything that feels like you.
3: Edit the quote - click the words "Keep believing in you" and type your own. Or leave it exactly as it is ๐
4: Download your image - click File > Download > PNG.
5: Upload to Systeme IO - go back to your page editor, click the profile image, and upload your new PNG.
โ Your page now has your face, your words, your energy. One step left ๐
YOUR BUILT-IN EMAIL LIST ๐
Now here is something most people do not discover until much later - and it is one of the best surprises in this entire guide.
Your Link in Bio page already has an email opt-in form built into it. Right there. Waiting. You did not have to build it, connect it, or pay for it. It came with your template.
When someone visits your page and enters their email address, it goes directly into your Systeme IO Contacts - your very own CRM (Customer Relationship Management). No Mailchimp. No ConvertKit. No third-party subscription. Everything lives in one place, quietly working in the background from the moment your page is live.
Your email list is your most valuable business asset. Not your Instagram followers. Not your TikTok views. Your list - because it is the one thing no algorithm, no platform, and no policy change can ever take away from you. Every subscriber is someone who raised their hand and said "I am interested." That is worth ten thousand passive scrollers.
Even ten subscribers is a list.
Even one is a beginning ๐
How to personalise your form (or leave it as it is):
1: In the Systeme IO page editor, click on the email input field.
2: Edit the placeholder text - the light grey words inside the input box. Something like "Your best email address ๐" if you want a warmer feel than the default.
3: Click on the button beside it and personalise the button text. "Keep me in the loop" or "Yes, I want in" or simply "Subscribe" - whatever feels like you.
4: Save your page. The form is live ๐
Where to find your subscribers:
In your Systeme IO dashboard, go to CRM in the top menu and then Contacts. Every email address collected through your form appears here. Your email list lives here, grows here, and when you are ready, this is where your automated email sequences will find their audience.
For now - simply know it is working. Every visitor to your page is a potential subscriber ๐ When you are ready to take this further, Systeme IO lets you attach automated welcome emails, tags, and full nurture sequences to this same form - triggered the moment someone signs up.
That is another story in another chapter.
And it is a good one.
Free Gift 3: Your Brand Board ๐
To make it easy - here is your first brand kit. Two free brand board templates in the Pietra palette - a warm, editorial suite of tones that work beautifully as a first brand identity. Neutral, elegant, timeless. Yours to keep and adjust ๐
Brand Board Option 1 - Minimal Layout ๐ Open in Canva + make your free copy โบโบ
Brand Board Option 2 - Elegant Layout ๐ Open in Canva + make your free copy
Click "Customize this template" to make your own private copy. Change your name and whatever feels right. But remember - do not get stuck here, you will probably eventually build many brands and go full creative, but for now you just need to do the basics ๐ Your brand board holds your colours, your fonts, and your visual identity in one place - so every time you create something new, you open this file first. It is your brand's home base.
Please note - the templates are for your personal business use only and are not for resale.
GO LIVE
Your page is built. Your brand kit is yours.
One click and you are officially live ๐
GO LIVE
Your page is built. Your brand kit is yours.
One click and you are officially live ๐
06
STEP 6: Go Live!
Congratulations on your Handbag Office ๐ฅ You have set up your digital business card, you have planted the first small flag in the digital world. It has its own link you can start sharing while you learn and build everything else.
This was not just a template. This is your first presence in a one trillion dollar knowledge industry. Small, clean, entirely yours. A spot at the table that can grow into anything you choose.
PUBLISH ๐
In your Systeme IO dashboard, go to Sites > Sales Funnels. In the funnel list click on the 3 dots to the right on your funnel's name and click on Activate!
Systeme IO will give you a free web address for your page. Take a moment to adjust it in the account settings to something that feels like you - your name, your words, your next chapter.
Then copy your link. Save it in your Digital Asset Organizer. And share it - put it in your current Instagram bio, send it to a friend, write it somewhere you can see it every day.
FILL THE SHELVES
Your office is open, let's put it to work!
FILL THE SHELVES
Your office is open, let's put it to work!
07
STEP 7: Put your systems to work
YOUR FOUNDATION IS COMPLETE ๐ฅ
Look at what you have built.
In the time it takes most people to choose a font for a logo they will never use - you have created the entire infrastructure of a Handbag Office ๐
โ A dedicated Chrome Profile - your digital office door
โ A CEO Gmail - your professional business address
โ A complete Google toolkit - your free office suite
โ A Digital Asset Organizer - your business filing cabinet
โ A free Systeme IO account - your business engine
โ A live Link in Bio page - your first window on the world
โ A brand kit - your first visual identity
This is the infrastructure that took most online entrepreneurs months - or years - to piece together. You built it in an afternoon. And it is entirely yours ๐
So - what now?
Your office is open. But a beautiful office with empty shelves is still just a very beautiful room. The question now is: what do you put in it? This is where most people pause again - not with the tech, but with the idea. What do you actually build inside a Handbag Office? How do the income streams work, and how do customers find you?
That is exactly what the Digital Renaissance Blueprint answers.
It is your map - from where you are standing right now, with your foundation freshly built, to a functioning online business that works while you do the laundry, sleep, or sit in a Florence cafรฉ. Written for women who are new to this. Honest about what it takes. Built on the same infrastructure you just created. It is free. And it is the natural next step from here ๐
๐ Download your free Digital Renaissance Blueprint (The blueprint opens in a new page and your Handbag Office tab stays open).
Did you arrive here from my program's welcome email? Then you already have the Blueprint PDF and your foundation is now fully ready after following the setup on this page. Head back to your program dashboard to continue your journey ๐ You are right on track and I will see you in the community ๐
One more thing - 12 letters are on their way to your inbox ๐
When you download the Blueprint, you will also begin receiving 12 Letters from Florence - written from my attic in Santo Spirito, across seasons of espresso, Renaissance masterpieces, ancient cobblestones and olive groves, while building something quietly extraordinary.
The letters are for the midlife woman who has dreams but carries a quiet whisper inside: but how? How does a new chapter actually begin - one that is entirely her own, built for her own independence? What does a solo season in Italy really look like - the practical reality of managing life back home, and the unexpected joy that arrives when you stop waiting for the right moment and simply start?
One letter at a time, from Florence to your inbox. Read them like a novel. My life feels like that ๐
A note from me
From the Florentine attic, with love ๐
You are now officially on the web.
Your name.
Your page.
Your first flag planted in a one trillion dollar industry.
I want you to sit with that for a moment. The infrastructure you just built - your Chrome Profile, your CEO Gmail, your Google toolkit, your Systeme IO account, your live page - is the exact same framework that powers every successful online business in the world. From the woman who launched her first digital product last month, to the online entrepreneurs generating eight figures a year.
The same landing page technology. The same email automation system. The same digital presence. Theirs is simply bigger, older, and has had more time to grow.
Yours is small right now. Small and clean and entirely yours. But small does not mean insignificant. Every empire started as a single room. Every online business that exists today - no matter how large it has become - started exactly where you are standing right now.
The foundation is in place. The doors are ready to open. What you build next - the content you create, the people you reach, the products you share (your own or what someone else built) - that is where your story truly begins. And I genuinely cannot wait to see where it takes you.
The next best step to go from here is to download your free Digital Renaissance Blueprint. Go gently. Go at your own pace. Trust the process, and trust yourself ๐
Pernilla
Midlife in Italy ๐
ยฉ Midlife in Italy | All rights reserved
Midlife in Italy is a brand of LakeHouse Media
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