BinaryBusiness.net

Hidden Costs

brent — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:30:06 -0400

The offers have been piling up on your desk for months. Cheaper Internet, cheaper phone service, and dirt cheap new computers all only a phone call away. Every time you see them you get suspicious remembering what Grandpa used to always say, "If something looks to good to be true, it probably is." Then the inevitable happens your sales have hit a low cycle and profitability is down. You instinctively go searching for ways to reduce your overhead. Suddenly the ads sound convincing and the next thing you know you have called them up and placed an order.

Death of the Phonebook

brent — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:08:45 -0400

The Nintendo generation is pushing 30. We grew up with Nintendo, personal computers and we witnessed the growth of the Internet. As we grew up we grew accustomed to the technology around us. The pager and the landline were replaced by the cellphone. The VCR was replaced by the DVD player. The Walkman was replaced by the MP3 player. And the old reliable phone book has been replaced by the Internet.

Instant Messenger: A Kids Toy No Longer

brent — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:40:42 -0400

You have been pushed to the edge. Between the never-ending phone calls, the stream of walk-ins and the pile of lengthy emails you can't seem to get any real work done. So you decide to turn down the volume a bit. The phone is set to go straight to voicemail, you shut the door, and you ignore the email all day. The next day you find out that your most profitable customer tried to get a hold of you all day. Needless to say the customer was less than pleased. So how do you manage to reduce the noise and still get the most urgent messages quickly and quietly?

Synchronizing your Email

brent — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:07:57 -0400

Your flight to the conference leaves in a couple hours. If you don't hustle you're going to miss your flight. You grab your laptop bag and make a mad dash for the door. You dart through traffic making it to the airport just in time. Jumping out of the car you perform your best speed walker impersonation through the parking lot, continuing just short of a run. Miracuously you make it through security and arrive at the gate just as boarding begins. A sigh of relief exits your lips and you relax knowing all is well. A couple hours later you pull out the laptop as you flop onto the hotel bed.

Secure Remote Access to the Office

brent — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:00:23 -0400

Over the past couple of years you have proudly watched as your business has grown. In the beginning you were a sole practitioner braving the business world alone. Now your business consists of offices in four cities, sales people who work from the road, and several more who work from home. Saturday morning you settle into the couch with the book you have been meaning to read for months. After a few pages you are fully immersed. The stress of running the business melts away as you are consumed by the tale being unraveled. Suddenly the cellphone rings and you are snapped back to reality.

The Document That Could Save Your Business

brent — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400

After several disappointments you finally found an IT Specialist you could trust. He answers your calls, shows up on time and best of all your computer problems are a thing of the past. You can finally relax knowing your information systems are in good hands. The months go by without incident until a timid knock on the door interrupts the your morning coffee. The first words out of your IT Specialists mouth knot your stomach. It is a conversation you have heard before, "Uh, we need to talk....". Another IT Specialist lost to promise of greener pastures in a far away city.

The Looming Disaster of a Full Hard Drive

brent — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:52:14 -0400

The sales person assured you. Your IT person swore it wouldn't be a problem. And yet, one year later your server is telling you that it is out of space. I have seen it far too many times. Rather that spend an extra couple hundred dollars when the server is purchased, the smaller hard drive is choosen. Both the sales person and your IT specialist repeat the mantra "You will never fill that hard drive!" Any time someone uses the words "never" or "always" you should immediately be suspicious, particularly when used in the context of Information Systems.

Recovering from Disaster

brent — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:52:14 -0400

A weekend of relaxing with the family recharged your batteries. Refreshed and ready to go you sit down at your desk and fire up the computer. Minutes pass and all that appears on screen is a blinking cursor. Your great mood turns sour and suddenly your replenished energy dissipates into panic. With shaky fingers you dial your trusty computer specialist. The technician hears the panic in your voice and quickly assuages your fears by calmly stating, "Don't worry we can just run a data recovery and get your data back."

Preventing Disaster with Layered Backups

brent — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:08:51 -0400

The first time your computer crashed you learned your lesson. You lost all of your data including your Quickbooks files and you almost lost your business. One year later you spent countless hours of overtime this week preparing for the biggest sales pitch of your career Monday afternoon. This time you were careful you saved your files to the server and the server has a backup tape so you must be protected. A phone call wakes you at 4 AM Monday morning."Mr Smith" the officer says, "are you the owner of the business located at 1337 Front Street?." Your stomach hits the floor.

Fire the Post Office

brent — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:11:17 -0400

According to the Small Business Administration 44% of small businesses fail within two years. Binary Business will be turning five this year. One of the first lessons I learned was to survive you had to run the business as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Every year I take a look at the books and look for ways to cut costs. This year I cut $360 directly, reclaimed another $9,375 in billable hours and 30 days off the average age of my receivables. I did all this by firing someone. That someone was the United States Post Office.