Using Technology To Solve Problems and Create Solutions
At first glance, choosing a small business laptop can look like an impossible task; do you get the netbook, the Chromebook, PC, Mac, and on and on. With so many choices, how do you choose?
It’s not perfect, but here is my method for choosing the right small business laptop for the task at hand:
How much do you know about computer terminology? What does the amount of RAM in your computer do for your business? If you are not sure, don’t worry, you are not alone. People buy computers all the time but many don’t fully understand how each part works together to make a suitable computer.
Having a minimum understanding computer terminology is important to your business. It helps you decide when you need a new computer, guides your decisions when you add pieces to your overall information technology strategy, and helps when working with your own IT department or consulting company. So, without further ado, let’s consider go through an example:
This laptop costs $399.99 (at least, it did on 2/28/13…) and has the following specifications:
Unemployment sucks. Unless it is planned and very short, not having a job can have a tremendous impact on you life in ways you can’t imagine. So, it stands to reason, that having a job is better, right? Well, that’s the curse of a new job…
There are tons of people who are building a business on the side. We devote a large part of our lives to growing a business that we hope will one day provide support for our families and allow us to pursue our passions and calling. Until it does, we have to make money some how and often, that means a job. So, what happens when the job evaporates? If you hated the job, you are ecstatic. If you loved that job, well, let’s say you are less than ecstatic. Either way, you now have more time to devote to your side business which is a good (dare I say great) thing. [Read more…]
for your business? Have the long nights, hard work, and lost hours taken their toll? They have for me.
About 4 months ago, I started my business, Book Worm Laser & Design. I was excited. It was the culmination of over 9 months worth of work, planning, blood, sweat, and tears. I had been posting consistently twice a week (and sometimes, 3+ times per week) on my personal blog, BlueCapra.com, since the end of August 2011. I woke up early, stayed up late, all in the name of business, marketing, content, and consistently. Then… poof.
It didn’t happen all at once, just a day or so here or there. The consistent 5 hours of sleep I was getting was getting to me. I was tired often, did not want to wake up an hour early to create before my day job. My creativity had began to falter. I had lost that lovin’ feeling toward my business. I had burned out. I wondered to myself, was this the end my business and of all my progress, of all my hard work?
I doubt there has ever been an entrepreneur that did not get burnt out on the work they do. We put our lives into the businesses we build and sometimes, we push too far. We have lost sight of what we love about the business. A break is needed, a time to step back and reevaluate things. We need to reboot. [Read more…]
Do you listen to podcasts? I am making my way through the archives the podcast that Justin Lukasavige puts out on CoachRadio.tv. I have been listening for months (and months and months it seems…) . There is just so much content and all of it is great. I have listened to over 104 hours (yes, HOURS) of podcasts from CoachRadio.tv and I am about 2/3 or so through the archive. The most recent one I finished was episode 136, a Your Story about Hotdog Mike.
There are many jobs and businesses I don’t feel I am cut out for. I’m sure you feel the same way. Some jobs and businesses are more profitable and prestigious than others. Mike Juiliano decided to build a business around a hotdog cart. His story is really amazing but the most impressive take away the I learned was the importance and benefit of being creative.
Hotdog Mike, as he is called, is not your typical hotdog cart operator. He creates hotdogs for special occasions, from customer suggestions and requests, and even has his own website, HotdogMike.com. He is on Facebook and Twitter and has been seen on the Today Show among others. He has built a business around a hotdog cart where people seek him out instead of using him as a convenient source of a quick meal. What other hotdog cart operator can say any of that?
What are you doing in your business to stand out and be remarkable? If Hotdog Mike can be remarkable with a hotdog cart, what’s holding you back?