Macpreneur

Is Your Free AI Habit Holding Your Solopreneur Business Back? with Karla Pámanes

• Damien Schreurs • Season 7 • Episode 154

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🆓 Discover your AI Stage: https://macpreneur.com/aistage

In this episode, you'll learn how award-winning designer, branding expert and mentor Karla Pámanes uses her Mac to streamline her business. 

Discover how leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT Plus as virtual "co-executives," utilizing Apple's universal clipboard feature, and choosing cost-effective design software like Affinity can dramatically improve workflow efficiency for solopreneurs.

Video and show notes at: https://macpreneur.com/episode154

Connect with Karla Pámanes:

Highlights

  • [00:00] Welcome  
  • [01:06] Introduction to Karla Pamanes  
  • [01:58] Karla's Mac Setup and Design Tools  
  • [04:35] Affinity vs. Adobe: Karla's Perspective  
  • [10:12] AI in Karla's Workflow  
  • [13:21] Exploring ChatGPT and Gemini  
  • [21:16] Leveraging AI as Co-CEO, Co-CFO and Co-CMO  
  • [30:42] Mac Tips and Tricks  
  • [34:45] Karla's Wishlist for Apple  
  • [43:27] Connecting with Karla  
  • [44:25] Applying to be a guest too  
  • [44:49] Outro  

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MP154 - Is Your Free AI Habit Holding Your Solopreneur Business Back? with Karla Pamanes


Welcome

Damien Schreurs: Hello. This episode was recorded on May 16th, 2025, which means that some of the tech discussed—in particular, the AI stuff—may have evolved since then. Please keep that in mind when listening to the episode.

Talking about AI. If you would like to know whether you are an AI dabbler, an AI integrator, or an AI automator, then you will love my quiz, available at Macpreneur.com/aistage. In less than two minutes, you will discover your AI stage archetype and get three practical steps to further your AI journey. Once again, it's macpreneur.com/aistage.

And now, let's dive into today's interview with Karla Pamanes right after the intro.

Nova AI: Welcome to Macpreneur, the show for seasoned solopreneurs looking to streamline their business on a Mac. Unlock the secrets to saving time and money with your host and technology mentor, Damien Schreurs.


Introduction to Karla Pamanes

Damien Schreurs: Hello, hello, today I have the pleasure of introducing Karla Pamanes. Karla is an award-winning designer, branding expert, and mentor based out of San Antonio, Texas. She has designed for brands such as HGTV, Food Network, Brit & Co, in addition to several other amazing companies. Her focus is on building branding that tells a story and reflects the core values of a company.

Her motto is “be the person you needed when you were younger.” She created the Brand Design Academy to share the knowledge and experience she has gained over her 15 years working with corporate brands and small businesses. Karla, welcome to the show.

Karla Pamanes: Hi Damien. Thank you so much for having me.

Damien Schreurs: My pleasure. Thank you for coming on the show.


Karla's Mac Setup and Design Tools

Damien Schreurs: We've known each other a little bit through the Youpreneur community, and I noticed that you were using Apple devices and Macs for your business. So, what is your current Mac setup?

Karla Pamanes: I have a MacBook Pro and, you know, I just recently bought a MacBook Air, and I feel like I'm still afraid of doing the complete shift.

Even though the migration was incredible—like I could just migrate everything from one Mac to the other—I was blown away.

Right now, I'm struggling a little bit just with Dropbox, but I'll get there.

As far as my setup goes, I'm a graphic designer, so I have a bunch of graphic design apps. I use Adobe design apps—not the whole suite, just Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

Then, when I was laid off from my first corporate job, I learned about Affinity and got their software. I fell in love with it, and that's what I teach to my students because it's way more affordable and comes from a great company. So I run both the Affinity apps (Affinity Designer, Affinity Publisher, Affinity Photo) as well as the basic Mac apps. If I were to choose a favorite Mac app, it would be the Notes app—I love it. Every thought goes there, my shopping list goes there, anything that comes to mind is stored in this digital notebook.

What else do I have? Well, the browsers: of course, I run both Safari and Chrome—I don’t know why, but I use both. I also use Acrobat, Zoom, and Asana for business project management. And I love having both Messages and WhatsApp; it's like having my phone on steroids. And that's pretty much it.


Affinity vs. Adobe: Karla's Perspective

Damien Schreurs: To come back to Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo—I’m not very familiar with those, and I suspect some of our audience might be using the Adobe suite. So why Affinity? What do you like about Affinity compared to the other tools out there?

Karla Pamanes: Oh my God, I love it. I love it so much.

When I was laid off from my big 10-year job—my very first graphic design job in Knoxville, Tennessee—I thought, “Oh my God, what are we going to do with software?” Adobe is expensive, especially when they started with memberships. One of my co-workers told me about Affinity around 2018. At that time, they only had Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, which are kind of like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. They might not have every capability—especially in photo editing—but I only need the basics.

They were also offering the beta version of Affinity Publisher, the equivalent of InDesign for layouts. I learned about the software and fell in love with it.

The main thing I love, besides the price, is that it’s a one-time purchase that comes with updates. At the time, it was about $30—maybe now it’s around $60, which is still incredibly cheap. They also offer a pack that gives you a Mac license, a Windows license, and an iPad license—a no-brainer for all three platforms.

My favorite thing about Affinity Designer, which I use the most, is its ability to batch export files in different formats—EPS, PDF, PNG, JPEG, and many more. I know Illustrator doesn’t include that functionality without plugins, but Affinity includes it. That feature was worth the extra cost for me because I love designing, but the technical side of creating and exporting files can be tedious, and Affinity makes it so easy.

Also, its precision: I once made a video about being frustrated in Illustrator when trying to create a precise basic shape—I felt constrained. When I compared it with Affinity, I thought, “Oh my God, why can’t it be this smooth?” Even the little details are perfect. I love it so much that I could go on forever. I even have a free course on the basics of Affinity Designer, including its approach to shapes. Whereas Illustrator only offers basic shapes like circles, squares, and stars, Affinity has plug tools for hearts, flowers, and many other fun shapes.

I still use both programs—Adobe for corporate jobs, where it’s the standard, and Affinity for my personal work.

Damien Schreurs: I’m not a designer, so I’m really going lo-fi here, but the only tool I truly appreciate as a non-designer is Pixelmator Pro. With Pixelmator, I can open Photoshop files and a variety of other formats, and it even handles layers. My designer (I don’t remember which tool he used—probably an Adobe product) had a three-color palette with the signature colors of Macpreneur, and Pixelmator Pro allowed me to tweak them. It was amazing.

Karla Pamanes: I love that. I love it when, every now and then, I try to open files in different software—and they just work. It’s like, “Oh my God, that’s pretty cool!”

Damien Schreurs: Very good.


AI in Karla's Workflow

Damien Schreurs: For this new season, I have a new segment called the AI segment. What AI systems or apps have you integrated into your workflow—on your Mac or on the web?

Karla Pamanes: I use ChatGPT a lot on my Mac, my phone—everywhere. I use it pretty much every day for simple tasks, like helping me write. For instance, when I have a slightly complex email, I feed it pointers along with the email chain, and it helps me organize the flow. When I’m creating content or need ideas while walking, I jot my thoughts down in the Notes app and then use ChatGPT to turn those ramblings into a proper post.

I also use it lightly in design work—mostly with Photoshop, which now has some AI capabilities. My favorite feature, though not perfect yet, is using it to expand a photo’s width; it generates a representation of what could exist in that extended area. It’s not flawless, but for simple tasks it works. And, of course, I also use it just for fun—like those new prompts for creating your own action figure or even asking ChatGPT to roast you.

Damien Schreurs: You mentioned that when you were working, you would record a voice note in Apple Notes. Have you tried the voice mode or conversation mode of ChatGPT?

Karla Pamanes: I haven’t—I have the free version, and I’m not sure if voice mode is included in it. Do you know if it is?

Damien Schreurs: Good question. I don’t know for sure. I’m paying for ChatGPT Plus, and I need to ask my daughter—she’s still on the free plan with the app on her phone. It’s a good question; maybe the free version doesn’t have the voice mode capability. Maybe.

Karla Pamanes: I still take a while to shift things to new technologies. I’m so used to having everything in my Notes app and then moving it into a rough draft—even though ChatGPT is super easy to search.


Exploring ChatGPT and Gemini

Karla Pamanes: But I’m curious, how much do you use it, Damien, now that you have the pro plan?

Damien Schreurs: I will answer your question, but first, why are you still on the free plan?

Karla Pamanes: I’m still on the free plan because it does what I need it to. I pay for so many subscriptions already, so unless I truly need an upgrade, I stick with what works. I mainly use it to help me write a little better—I don’t consider myself a bad writer; I just need help stringing my ideas together. That’s the beauty of ChatGPT. I also have a copywriter who does a beautiful job of crafting my ideas into coherent messages, a magic I don’t possess. For me, it’s predominantly text-based tasks, so I haven’t felt compelled to get the paid version. It’s funny—I mentioned it to my sister, and she quickly upgraded for her kids’ homework because they needed more advanced features, like processing photos to help with their assignments. But for me, words are sufficient. I’m just curious: what does the paid version offer that I might be missing?

Damien Schreurs: First of all, on the paid version (ChatGPT Plus) we have lower usage limits on the more complex, “thinking” models. They offer different models, and while free users get only the default one, Plus users can toggle between more powerful reasoning models that might take a bit longer to answer but reveal their chain of thought—even occasionally catching themselves hallucinating, which is incredible. There are also enhanced search capabilities. For example, you can ask your GPT to perform a search. Do you have deep research capabilities as well?

Karla Pamanes: I have no idea.

Damien Schreurs: That may mean either it’s very limited for free users or entirely reserved for paid plans. What Deep Research does is, for instance, when I was interested in expanding EasyTECH into the US, Canada, and the UK, I wasn’t sure—tax-wise—if it was feasible or too complicated. I had two or three options: I could hire one tax specialist per country (which would have cost thousands), or I could search on Google and try to cobble together information from various blog posts. I don’t know how many hours that would have taken. Instead, I used Deep Research. I explained in detail what my business was and what I was investigating, and it devised a research plan. It started by analyzing around 27 websites, then discovered even more, eventually visiting over 60 websites in total, and prepared a 12- to 17-page report. I was like, “Wow.”

Karla Pamanes: Wow. Imagine how long it would have taken to do even half of that work manually!

Damien Schreurs: It saved me hours and hours of time—and thousands of dollars in potential legal fees. Now I know I won’t expand to Canada because it isn’t favorable tax-wise. I can easily expand to the UK for B2B services. For the US, it provided a tabular format ranking the states from most attractive to least attractive. The US tax system is so complicated that now I know if I want to attack the US market, I’ll start in Delaware and New Hampshire, the two states where B2B services aren’t taxed. They’re also relatively close in time zones—New Hampshire is only six hours behind me, which works perfectly with my training schedule. Deep Research alone would make the $20 fee worthwhile.

Karla Pamanes: Oh my God, definitely. It’s incredible—I wouldn’t have thought that New Hampshire would be so tax-friendly in New England, where everything is usually so expensive. I used to live in Connecticut, and they taxed me just for breathing. Now that I’m in Texas, I can stretch a dollar so much further, especially as a business owner.

Damien Schreurs: Another reason I stick with the $20 per month is the ability to use Projects and GPTs. A project or GPT is essentially a customized version of ChatGPT with a specific role and behavior that you set, along with a knowledge base you provide.

Karla Pamanes: Yeah.


Leveraging AI as Co-CEO, Co-CFO, and Co-CMO

Damien Schreurs: I’ve very recently created my co-CEO for my business—a GPT that knows me, my bio, my dreams, my goals, my family, everything about me. It also understands everything about my company, EasyTECH—our goals, mission, vision, and everything else—and we brainstorm together. In just over a month and a half, it has already helped me generate 1500 euros.

Karla Pamanes: Amazing.

Damien Schreurs: Can this thing help me generate 5K of revenue in the short to medium term? So far, I’ve generated 1500 euros, with another 700 potentially in the pipeline. It has also helped me resolve other issues—like one legal question specific to Luxembourg—allowing me to get an answer without consulting a lawyer.

Karla Pamanes: That just makes it so worth it.

Damien Schreurs: And what’s nice is that when set up as a GPT, you can give it additional capabilities. It can search the web, generate images, and even generate code. It can actually create Excel files, Word documents, and PowerPoint files—its capabilities are built in. I’ve named it my co-CEO “Eve” (the “E” comes after “C” in the C-suite). But I didn’t stop there. I also created a co-CMO—my marketing officer—which I call Mark, and a co-CFO. I initially called him Frank, but then I refined it to “Finn” (short for financial officer). So I now have Eve, Mark, and Finn.

Karla Pamanes: Oh my God. You’re telling me you know how to get it—because as a solopreneur, it can be lonely. It’s amazing to have something to help you brainstorm and share ideas. I usually rely on my sister—I’d send her thoughts like, “Hey, what do you think about this?” but now ChatGPT is faster than she is. It’s incredible to have so much support in your business.

Damien Schreurs: I went one step further and created a GPT whose sole purpose is to help other solopreneurs create their own co-CEO, co-CMO, and co-CFO. I’m not listing it in the GPT store—I’ve made it public. If you’re interested, I can give you the link. Even if you’re a free ChatGPT user (who cannot create GPTs but can use ones others have created), you can still use this tool.

Karla Pamanes: That’s so fun.

Damien Schreurs: You could use mine.

Karla Pamanes: Yes, I would love to play with it.

Damien Schreurs: I’ve called it the Co-C-Suite Creator or something like that. It’s capable of generating up to 15 C-suite roles—for example, besides a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, it can create roles like a technical officer, CTO, CIO (Chief Information Officer), CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), and even HR positions. It can help you personalize your board of directors for your business.

Karla Pamanes: That’s incredible. I think I’m getting sold on paying the $20 a month.

Damien Schreurs: The thing is, you need a paid plan to implement these features. If you want to create your co-CEO as a GPT, you need a paid account. For our listeners—if you have a Google Workspace account, for example—you have extra capabilities.

Karla Pamanes: I do.

Damien Schreurs: Do you have a Google Workspace account—a Business Starter or Business plan?

Karla Pamanes: Yes.

Damien Schreurs: Then you have the Gemini capability. Because you’re already paying for it, if you visit Gemini.google.com, you’ll get the equivalent of ChatGPT—but from Google. With a paid Google Workspace for Business account, you get Gemini Advanced. In Google’s ecosystem, the equivalent of a GPT is called a “Gem.” You can use MyGPT to create your co-CEO, and it will provide instructions—including which documents to use as its knowledge base. You can copy-paste that output from ChatGPT into a new Gem, attach files directly from Google Drive (for instance, your mission statement or financial goals), and then your Gem becomes your co-CEO, ready to help with various tasks. It’s essentially a GPT—you just open a new conversation with it.

Karla Pamanes: That is so impressive. I need to check it out because I do use Google Workspace for my business. The only tool I've been playing with so far is Claude for content, but if I’m already paying for it, I might as well make the best out of everything. I don’t have to pay extra.

Damien Schreurs: The good news is that Gemini also has deep research capabilities built in. I compared both—using deep research to generate a report about the different US states. While the ChatGPT report was good, I much prefer the Gemini one. Gemini’s report has a handy button at the top that says “Copy to Google Docs.” With one click, that 20-something page report was transferred to my Google Drive as a new doc. With ChatGPT, I had to select all, copy, open a new doc in Google Drive, and paste.

Karla Pamanes: That’s what I do all the time—I always have ChatGPT and my Google Docs together. Wow, oh my God, Damien, I know what I’m doing this weekend: I’m going to be playing with Gemini.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah. It makes me wonder how many solopreneurs on Google Workspace realize just how much AI power they have by visiting gemini.google.com. It’s really good.

Karla Pamanes: I'm excited. I cannot wait to play with it.

Damien Schreurs: Very good. So, let's move to the next segment of the show.


Mac Tips and Tricks

Damien Schreurs: Here's a fun moment: What tip or trick did you recently discover on your Mac that you wish you had known sooner? [laughs]

Karla Pamanes: I’m not sure if it was recent—it happened a long time ago—but I eventually learned that my Mac can do something really neat. I use my iPhone all the time, and one of my favorite features is that if I copy something on my phone, I can paste it on my computer, or vice versa. I think that's mind-blowing—it just makes everything so easy.

Before, I would write something in my Notes app and wait for it to sync to my computer. Now, I can literally copy from one device and paste it into another. It may seem simple, but it’s very useful. I also love the autofill features—for example, if you save your name, email, or other details, you don’t have to retype them on forums or when making online purchases. Autofill for credit cards and passwords is a lifesaver; even if it only saves you a minute, every minute counts.

Damien Schreurs: For our listeners, the tip is to have the same Apple account on all your devices. It’s through your iCloud account that you get the shared clipboard (or iCloud Synchronized Keyboard Clipboard). So if you notice that copying on your iPhone doesn’t work on your iMac or iPad, double-check that all devices are using the same Apple account. There’s no toggle—you automatically get this capability when signed in consistently.

Karla Pamanes: I’m so glad you mentioned that because I just got a new computer and it wasn’t working. I kept getting messages that it wasn’t linked to iCloud and kept dismissing them. Now I know I need to make sure I’m properly connected. I was frustrated, wondering why it wasn’t working—now I know.

Damien Schreurs: That can be a little annoying. Every time Apple updates the iCloud Terms of Service during a phone update or upgrade, a little badge shows up in Settings, and you have to accept the new terms before iCloud synchronization is restored.

Karla Pamanes: Right. I used to be really bad about updating things. I still have an old iMac that I rarely update, and eventually, it caused problems. I would dismiss the update notifications and expect everything to work. Lesson learned!

Damien Schreurs: Exactly. So we’re almost at the end of the show.


Karla's Wishlist for Apple

Damien Schreurs: If you were in charge of the Mac division at Apple, what would be your first priority?

Karla Pamanes: Oh my God, I don't know—should I create something new or improve what already exists?

Damien Schreurs: Yeah. It could be hardware—the MacBook itself—or software, like macOS. Are there things you wish worked better, or features you wish existed that currently don’t?

Karla Pamanes: Easy. I really wish Macs were indestructible. I’ve always had both an iMac and a MacBook Pro. When COVID hit, I went to quarantine with my parents in Mexico and needed a portable computer, so I got a MacBook Pro. I eventually learned to work on a smaller screen—I even came to love working in bed or anywhere I can put my MacBook.

It has lived a rough life because I can be clumsy, but it’s still running. Still, I just wish they lasted longer. I got mine in 2018 (it was a used one, about two years old), and although I never had major issues, over time it started to show wear—battery life deteriorated, for example. I love it as it is, but I just wish for more battery life—something that doesn’t die so quickly, or even better, never dies. It works perfectly for my needs. I’m really excited about the new model, especially because the camera is much sharper for video chats.

For what I use it for, it’s really great—I really can’t complain. Now I’m curious, Damien: if you had a magic wand, what would you ask for?

Damien Schreurs: If I had a magic wand, one thing on the laptop side would be replaceable batteries. We used to have them on all the MacBooks—it was so easy to replace a battery. That would be my wish.

Karla Pamanes: You know, something I loved about my old iMac—though I know current iMacs don't allow this—is that you could add more memory. It was really cool to be able to open it up and plug in extra memory, even if it was an old dinosaur. I don’t know much about computers, but being able to upgrade the memory would be awesome.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, and now that I think about it, on the software side I wish they would pause introducing new features for at least 12 months—if not 24—and focus on fixing bugs and making the system more stable. I’m on an iMac—the last model where I can still upgrade memory myself. I’m also still on macOS Sonoma rather than the latest version because I don’t trust the newest operating system. Even with Sonoma, a year later I find that I need to reboot my Mac at least once a week. Since my iMac is always on, after six or seven days something in the background makes the system unstable, so I reboot in the morning before training sessions.

Karla Pamanes: That’s interesting. I’m curious to check which operating system I have. One thing’s for sure—I can’t update my old iMac anymore because it’s too outdated. I mostly use it as a second monitor—to open my inbox or to have extra screen space during workshops or classes. I never thought I could manage on a smaller screen, but I figured it out.

Damien Schreurs: That’s a great tip for listeners with an old iMac lying around. Even if its operating system isn’t the latest, if it’s recent enough, it can be used as a secondary monitor. I even use mine for my VoIP system to catch calls from students having trouble connecting to training sessions. Reusing an old Mac as a secondary monitor is a fantastic idea.

Karla Pamanes: Yeah, mine is probably from around 2000—what about yours? Mine might be from 2014, and yours from 2012 or ‘11, something like that. One time at work, I even won a fancy iPad with cellular capabilities—I can’t remember exactly, but it was one of the most expensive models. I’d never been interested in an iPad, so I went to the MacBook store in Knoxville and asked if I could get store credit for it. They said only if it was bought there, and it was, so I used that money to buy my big iMac. I loved it and probably would still use it—until COVID hit, and then I realized I could run everything more smoothly with a newer computer. But I truly love all Mac products and how seamlessly they work together. Now, when I use my parents’ Windows computer, I’m like, “Oh my God, how do you even check your email?” It’s so frustrating.

Damien Schreurs: Very good.


Connecting with Karla

Damien Schreurs: So, thank you, Karla. Where can people find you online?

Karla Pamanes: Everywhere—as Karla Pamanes, with a K. My Instagram is my happy place—@karla.pamanes—and my website is Karlapamanes.com. There aren’t many Karla Pamanes in the world, so it’s easy to find me.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, that's good. As long as they can spell my name, it’s fine—but for you, it should be easier.

Karla Pamanes: Well, yeah. Yes.

Damien Schreurs: A little bit more tricky, perhaps.

Karla Pamanes: Not that hard. Yes.

Damien Schreurs: Very good. I’ll put a link in the show notes to all the things you mentioned. Thanks again for being on the show.

Karla Pamanes: Of course, Damien, it's a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me!


Applying to be a Guest Too

Damien Schreurs: And so, if like Karla, you’d like to share how you use your Mac to run your solopreneur business, it’s simple. Just visit macpreneur.com/apply. If you’re already on Podmatch, click the button to land on the show profile. Otherwise, fill out the application form, and I’ll get back to you within a few days. Once again, that’s macpreneur.com/apply.


Outro

Damien Schreurs: If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your fellow solopreneurs and tag both Karla and me on Instagram. Until next time, I'm Damien Schreurs, wishing you a great day.

Nova AI: Thank you for listening to the Macpreneur Podcast. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with a friend right now.