The world is too much with us, late and soon; Getting and spending we lay waste to our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away . . . William Wordsworth, published 1807 This sonnet was written in the early 1800s as a lament by William Wordsworth for […]
I Am Saying Things Out Loud And On Purpose
What a week. The stock markets tanked on Monday. The Chinese real estate giant Evergrande may default on some of its $300 billion (with a “b”) dollars of debt. This collapse would ripple across the globe. Here I am in northeastern Indiana, but I don’t for a moment think that this won’t affect me. After […]
Aren’t We All In This For Positive Results?
From the minute you open your doors as a small business, you as the owner have your expectations. You also know that there are certain basics that are necessary for you to succeed. The right space in the right location? Check. Like-minded people with skill sets to support your vision? Check. Business plan? Check. The […]
Get Back To Why It All Started
I’ve come to appreciate that everyone’s individual story is so interesting. Especially in business, I like to know why and how someone got into the business they are in. I always heard growing up, “it takes all kinds to make a world.” With the increase of news sources and social media, we now have perhaps […]
If The Core Is Solid, The Service Is Too
Ahem … a moment while I position my soapbox. I want to address a topic that I believe in, that I was raised with, and that I believe I practice. Now that America is getting back to work, I think it is important to look at the companies that survived. Sure, cash reserves were important, […]
We Should Wake Up Smiling These Days
This time last year, right? Confusion, doubt, suspicion, fear, horror. We were getting our heads around a new concept: pandemic. Ugh. It is hard to remember those several weeks of WTH?! This year, spring is so different. We have survived, although there have been so many sad losses along the way. We are wiser, even […]
Oops! They Did It Again . . .
Confidence is that feeling you have right before you know all the facts, yes? I know you know that you should regularly and religiously teach your staff, your employees, about dangerous emails and to never click on an unknown sender’s attachment. And yet—2020 was a windfall year for cybercriminals. There was an 85% increase in […]
Truth, Consequences, Fear, And Courage
Truth, consequences, fear, and courage. It is a cocktail that all business owners get served every day when they open their doors and boot their computers. I highlight business owners, but doesn’t everyone deal with these concepts and emotions in some way daily? Whether you are the CEO of Apple or a stay-at-home mom in […]
From My Common Sense Notebook—See What You Think
Grin if you have heard this one before. A friend’s husband declared that he could fix the faucet drip in their older home. He watched a video on YouTube and went to the hardware store. Several hours later, another couple of trips to the hardware store plus some curse words, and the do-it-yourselfer declared victory. […]
Defend Your Company Assets—Use This Tool
The massive Russian hack that was recently revealed has faded from the headlines today, but the threat remains a very real concern to Information Technology professionals. It is Aptica’s job to robustly defend against cybercriminals and we have quite the arsenal to do that. But—one of the most essential tools that can help prevent hacking […]