Posted by Mel on October 21, 2009
One of the most earth shattering things that I learned early on in my entrepreneurial career is that I couldn’t do everything myself. It is one of those common pitfalls most business owners fall into – you want to be superman, when really you just can’t effectively run your business if you do that. It was a hard lesson, but a valuable one to learn.
So when it came to deciding what to ask the document management software vendors what I needed, it was really only going to come down to one thing: I didn’t want to have to do all the work myself. I was sure that someone would have a document imaging service that could handle converting all of our paper documents to a digital format without us using our time to do it.
After talking to a number of companies about my needs, I was able to find one that seemed to be able to meet my needs without costing an arm and a leg. Money wasn’t a big concern, but at the same time, I didn’t want to pay more than I needed for the service.
Over the course of a weekend, they were able to scan all of our business documents and port them to a digital format. Not only am I looking forward to being able to search on the information, but I also like the fact that we will be a little more environmentally friendly. Now, all we have to do is train the staff on the new system and we will be ready to go – that will take about a week or so.
Technorati Tags: document imaging service, document management software vendors
Posted by equiPrime on September 26, 2009
Many businesses find themselves in need of rental equipment. This may be equipment that is temporarily needed for a trade show or convention. Alternatively, it may be needed as a temporary replacement for a broken item in the office. Or sometimes a business may prefer to rent items before buying them to see if they really need the equipment.
Some of the most common equipment rentals are:
- Computer rentals. You can rent both Mac and PC computers. There are desktop computer rentals as well as laptop rentals.
- Projector rentals. Many businesses need to rent a projector for a presentation. They don’t need the projector all of the time but don’t want to be without it when they do need it so they rent.
- Plasma flat screen rentals. Some businesses present their presentations through DVDs. Those presentations are a lot more impressive if they’re shown off on a huge flat screen plasma television screen. That’s why you can rent these as well.
- Copier rentals. It is very common for businesses of many kinds to rent or lease their copy machines instead of buying them.
If you need to get equipment for only a temporary period of time then it often makes sense to rent that equipment instead of paying to purchase it.
Technorati Tags: computer rentals, laptop rentals
Posted by ePrim on August 28, 2009
I have always been able to sleep a lot. This morning I slept until 11 o’clock, and boy did that feel good! Even if it did shorten the amount of time I had available to get stuff done today.
Some of my friends, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. One of my best friends can hardly sleep a whole night through because she wakes up so easily. On top of it all, her neighbor parks in front of her house and idles his really loud Volkswagen bus.
My mom suffers from insomnia — she has a hard time falling asleep because she starts thinking and worrying, and she wakes up easily as well. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to miss out on that gene!
My dad, on the other hand, I rather suspect suffers from some sleep apnea. He snores a lot at night, and when the snoring stops at intervals, I wonder if it’s because he’s stopped breathing altogether for a moment. He would probably benefit quite a bit from a CPAP machine, also known as a sleep apnea machine, which keeps the person’s airway open so that they don’t stop breathing at night.
When I hear about all these people with sleep disorders, I am so glad that my biggest problem is sleeping TOO much. Hey, it make running my own business somewhat challenging when I sleep in, but I’ll take that any day over not getting enough sleep!
Technorati Tags: CPAP machine, insomnia, sleep apnea, sleep apnea machine, sleep disorders
Posted by Mel on July 17, 2009
One of the things that I find is that we can never seem to keep enough food in the house. I suppose that with a family of five with two teenage boys that I should expect that, but it never ceases to amaze me at how much food we go through.
One of the best examples that I can think of is milk. Lately, we have been going through two gallons of milk per day which is just crazy. Even when the kids were little, we used to be able to go through two jugs per week, but I guess those days are behind us.
I need to make sure that I get everything on the shopping list this time as last time I didn’t pick up Stacy’s hearing aids from the store and she had to miss a day of school (though she sure didn’t complain).
Though I find grocery shopping sometimes annoying, it’s a nice break from the house and the kids. As a stay at home mom, I need that a lot more than you would think. In fact, I think that these errands that I have to do on my own have helped me to stay sane all these years. Don’t get me wrong – I love my kids, but sometimes they drive me nuts!
Technorati Tags: hearing aids, shopping lists
Posted by Mel on July 16, 2009
After we won a new car, I decided that it was time to clean the garage. Sure, we have a two car garage, but for the last five years or so, my boat and my Mercury Outboard Parts that leaves little to no space for anything else. Truth be told, there have been times that we have had to park the minivan outside because my stuff was taking up all the space.
But after winning this new car, I decided that it was time for my boat to go. Besides the fact that it was taking up a lot of space, it hasn’t worked for three years now since I can’t find a replacement Stern Drive for it. I was thinking of selling it for parts, but I don’t think I am going to make a larger hassle for myself than I already have.
So, I have given myself until the end of the month to clean out everything and I have rented a disposal bin that I can put everything I don’t need in. It was the easiest way to do it since they delivered it and will take it away so that I don’t have to make a trip to the dump.
I guess I will have to get another hobby now that I won’t be tinkering on my boat – maybe I will take up target practice instead.
Technorati Tags: Mercury Outboard Parts, Stern Drive
Posted by equiPrime on July 15, 2009
Businesses of all kinds rely on teamwork. If you want your teams to be efficient then they need to have strong communication skills. Sometimes the best way to facilitate communication has nothing to do with talking. Instead it has to do with the technology that is available to us today.
One great example is within a business that uses hosted FTP services to store and share files. Most people think of FTP hosting as simply a way to store data. However it also allows you to transfer files between different groups of people. This can be used as a powerful tool for maintaining communication within a business as well as between a business and its customers.
FTP hosting allows you to share large files easily. You can share them with anyone on the team who needs to have the information that you’re storing. If you use a hosted FTP service that is easy for everyone to understand then this can be a very efficient way to exchange information within a group.
When everyone has access to the information that they need the team stays cohesive. In this way, the technology itself leads to improved teamwork. Ultimately, this leads to a stronger business.
Technorati Tags: hosted FTP
Posted by primEquip on July 12, 2009
If you are a professional web application developer or even just a straight HTML coder, you understand the value and pleasure of using pre-made PHP scripts.
You can purchase pre-built code that integrates into your Dreamweaver web coding application. These code sets will provide you with a variety of solutions that are easily integrated into whatever web application you might be building at the time.
The best PHP scripts are easy to use, and should come with clean, clear directives on how to best implement the code in a variety of potential application settings. As a developer, you can save time by using these modular bits and pieces of code.
Inevitably, as you make changes and refine the application, your scripts may vary and change. This is a great opportunity for you to capture and save those changes for your use in the future as well. By having the original script, you can always start back at square one, or you can pick right up where you left off with the last project.
And when you are billing by the hour, anything that is billable but doesn’t take the actual time to render will put more money in your pocket and time in your life.
Technorati Tags: PHP scripts, web application developer
Posted by primEquip on July 11, 2009
While recently looking for the best rated web hosting our business could afford, I came across some interesting knowledge that I wish I’d had before I started looking.
If you’ve ever had to deal with web servers, buying and setting them up, you’ll understand the process is laborious. It requires a lot of experience and knowledge. Plus you need to simply have done it a number of times to know when things are not going well.
Web site hosting that is provided by an outside vendor can eliminate so much of the worries that you’re almost being foolish now days if you don’t consider a quality affordable web hosting provider when looking for online services.
One very important consideration is the resources that the affordable web hosting company has behind it. Are they simply a front that is white labeling service from another company? This can be fine until you require customer services. Then what happens and how long does it take for you to get your issues resolved?
Is the web site hosting service running its own data center? If so, what sort of back up power generators exist? We are often hearing of entire web service businesses blacking out due to insufficient power.
In the end, you’ll want to check things like this out prior to moving your website into any business hosting scenario.
Technorati Tags: best rated web hosting, web site hosting
Posted by equiPrime on June 20, 2009
I decided that I was going to do something nice for my boyfriend. I was going to get him a gift he would really enjoy using. He’s super interested in boating and spends a lot of time at marine supply stores so I thought I’d get him some boat parts.
I did the smart thing and fished around for what he might like. (Um, pun not intended!) I casually tried to ask him what he was looking for the last time that we were in the marine parts store together. He mumbled something about Evinrude parts and I made a mental note of it.
I thought it would be easy to find what he wanted. Boy was I wrong! I went into the same store and asked the cashier there about Evinrude parts but he didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. I tried to look online but there were too many different marine parts coming up and I got confused.
Finally I ended up getting my boyfriend something else. Later I told him this story. He explained to me that one of the biggest boat part makers is Evinrude/Johnson but that most people know their parts as Johnson parts so that’s why I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Now I know for next time but boy was I confused!
Technorati Tags: Evinrude Parts, marine supply
Posted by Primer on June 17, 2009
One of the things that I am thankful for is that I have always had a knack with computers. Whether it was software or hardware, it has always seemed that I could figure it out. In fact, what set me apart from my friends was that I could explain how to use computers to anyone at any skill level.
I guess it comes as no surprise that I found myself working as a tech support person for a software company. I came across the job to be support for a company providing team management software and I thought that it would be a good opportunity to share my talents and maybe have the chance to talk some coaches around the world.
I did end up talking to a number of teams across the country, and for the most part, they were all friendly. You did get the odd one that complained about the stress involved with managing teams, but to me that is the fun part!
I think that I will work in this call center for awhile because I like this job. Though it isn’t as challenging as I would like, it is rewarding helping others with something I love - computers.
Technorati Tags: managing teams, share my talents, team management software
