Everything that is happening today reminds me of war movies I saw as a kid. When the big scene hits, everything is happening at once. Bombs going off. Machine gun fire. Men yelling. The drone of warplanes getting ever closer. This sets up the opportunity for the hero to step up and take command of […]
CLEAN YOUR CELL PHONE (But Be Careful)
I’ll bet there is not one parent of a teenager who has not at least once looked down at their child’s phone and thought “Wow. That’s gross!” But honestly, if you think about it, if you didn’t teach that teenager how to clean a cell phone, why would they even think of it themselves? The […]
The Comfort Of The March Business Rut
By this time in early March, all the “I-told-you-so” articles of lapsed gym memberships and forgotten New Year resolutions are already over. We enter every year with fresh hope that those aspects of our daily lives that are not our favorites can and will be changed this year. I like that about humanity. I like […]
RISK: Pain and Glory For Small Business Owners
Being your own boss. Owning your own business. Such initiative is part of the American Dream, but you must be daring and be able to take risks. And risk is both pain and glory for small business owners. The reality is that business ownership is not necessarily for everyone. Every town in America has seen […]
Your Cybersecurity Risk In A New Perspective
How, as a layperson, can you assess your cybersecurity risk so you know how to budget for IT protection? I am often challenged to put this into perspective. This time, I’ll start with recent news ripped from the headlines. Jeff Bezos’ net worth in real-time today is $117 billion. Billion, with a “B”. His personal […]
Face To Face Phishing: It’s Happening—Be Aware
The scenario happens this way. You answer the door and a guy (or a woman) is standing at your door, holding a laptop. They tell you that they have lost their cell phone, but that it has been traced to inside your residence. They ask if they can log on to your secured home network […]
New Year + New Decade = Great Time To Regroup
Wouldn’t it be great if all small business owners had a big red button that would re-set at the touch of a finger, everything that needed our attention? It’s a nice fantasy, but I’ve never found restructuring my work strategy to be that easy. Ever. But with a new year and a new decade, it […]
Charles Dickens Still Relevant At Christmas 2019
This time every year I re-read the classic Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We all know the story: miserly and unlikeable Ebenezer Scrooge treats his employee, Bob Cratchit, like a slave, pays him very little, and only lets him have Christmas Day off after chastising him for his selfishness. Cratchit has a wife and kids, […]
Is Your Business Winning Or Losing With Technology?
As business owners, what can we do better in 2020? One of my own personal steps for review is a careful (often painful) review of my budget. I try to be brutally honest with myself about what worked and what didn’t and be honest about how well I understand everything I spend operating money on. […]
4 Tips To Help You Plan For 2020 Business Goals
I’m already planning goals for my business in 2020 and I suspect almost all small business owners are doing the same. Before I think about product improvement or personnel upgrades, though, I think about whether my infrastructure can or cannot support those initiatives. Maybe the best plan for growth starts with an assessment of what […]