In 2013, Microsoft significantly changed the Windows 8 and Office user interface. Your employees are going to have to re-learn how to use Office Applications after you upgrade your PCs and Laptops. Here are a few key tips to help evaluate this upgrade for your Small Business.
Small Business "Windows 8" Upgrade Tips:
1. Read the Walt Mossberg article (see link below) on Windows 8 before you spend any money
2. Increase (or establish) a budget for employee Office Software training
3. Line-up extra help for your staff, including: phone and one-to-one coaching
4. Make sure your existing software will work with Windows 8
5. Identify and Implement any business process changes
6. Re-write any office manuals
7. Confirm who in IT Support actually knows anything about Windows 8. It's new to everyone....
8. Check that all your existing PC & Laptop accessories will work
9. Budget lots of extra money to deal with the unknown
10. You may want to wait for the rest of the industry to come up to speed before you invest in this upgrade.
The bottom-line is that your Small Business Staff & Information Technology Resource "Productivity will likely go down" and your "PC Costs will go up" by implementing Windows 8 in 2013.
Hope these tips help....
Note: It's important for a Small Business Owner to read the Mossberg review below before you upgrade or buy a new Windows PC. Microsoft will have a Windows 8 upgrade by 2014 to fix many of the problems created by the new design.
"Microsoft is giving Windows its most radical overhaul since 1995 and even its most devoted users won’t recognize the venerable computer operating system in this new incarnation, called Windows 8, when it appears Oct. 26." Walt Mossberg
Do you have a Home Office? Please complete the short Home Office Poll.
Be sure to click on the results button below if you would like to see how others use their offices.
Recently, my wife and I went to the Los Altos Art & Wine Festival. I had a great time shooting photos and videos with my iPhone 4 while Alana checked-out the booths.
On our way back to the car, I tried putting my iPhone away in my backpack while walking, talking and not paying attention to what I was doing.... bad idea! Unfortunately, the iPhone slipped out of my hand and dropped on the edge of a concrete sidewalk. I picked it up, turned it over, and saw that the back of my iPhone glass was smashed to bits.
What to do if you Break the Back Glass on your iPhone 4 (Continued)
I was in shock. I read about how other people have had this happen to them... but I never thought it would happen to me! The good news was that when I turned the iPhone on... it worked fine. The bad news was that small bits of broken glass were starting to fall out of the phone.
We stopped at a few stores on the way home to find an iPhone case that would cover the broken back. They ran $15 to $25. I decided to just wait until I got home and buy an inexpensive case from Amazon.
Once I got home, I searched on "iPhone 4 back panel broken" and found several videos and articles featuring how easy it is to replace the back panel of an iPhone 4 or 4S. I then found a few comments about how Apple will just fix the iPhone for under $30.
So....I went on to my iPhone Apple App and scheduled an appointment with the Genius Desk for the next morning at 9am. It took 60 seconds to make the appointment.
Monday morning, I went into the Apple store and showed the Apple Genius my phone. He confirmed everything worked ...I just had to replace the broken back panel. He also confirmed that it would cost $29 and he could do it NOW. He went into the back of the store and five minutes later he was back with my iPhone fixed and cleaned. I gave him my credit card and sent the receipt to my email address on file. I was all done in 10 minutes.
People always talk about why Apple is so wonderful and why the company is growing so quickly. Well, this is a great example of why......
$29 and 10 minutes to fix an out-of-warranty mobile smartphone
...and NO Hassles ...just smiles!
Now What? ...Look for Shock Proof Cases
After breaking my phone screen, I did a lot of research on Shockproof iPhone Cases. Here are three of the best iPhone 4 / 4S cases I found to protect your Smartphone. Note: these are also available for the iPhone 5.
Top iPhone 4/4S Cases - Water Proof, Dirt Proof, Snow Proof and Shock Proof
When you run a Small Business you are always looking for ways to improve productivity by saving time and money. Our last article on "18 Tips for using an iPad in a Small Business" focused on finding the top iPad Apps.
After you use an iPad for a day or two, you quickly begin asking yourself... "How can I print from my iPad?" Here's the good news. After much research, we found a very easy way to print from an iPad for under $20.
There are a three good options for printing from an iPad:
1. Buy a new Printer that works with Apple iPad AirPrint
2. Transfer your data to a PC or Mac and then print from there.
3. Buy "Printer Apps" that are compatible with Apple AirPrint technology and will let you print on most existing printers in the office
Here are the Details.........
Option 1. Buy a New Printer
You can print from an iPad on almost all the new Hewlett-Packard (HP) Printers and a few Epson Printers support Apple Airprint. Prices run from $100 to $300, plus the cost of any extended maintenance contract. Tip: Plan on extra time to evaluate, select, purchase, install, test, check printer drivers for the new printer and recycle the old printer. Click to see a list of the top printers that work with iPad Apple AirPrint technology.
Option 2. Transfer your data to your PC or Mac and then print from there.
Here are two good options for transferring the files from the iPad to a PC or Mac.
Use iTunes App (Free): You can sync an iPad with your PC or Mac using iTunes. After the sync is completed you can find the file on your PC or Mac and print it like any other file.
Use the DropBox App (there is a Free version): If you use the DropBox App on your iPad, PC and Mac, you can just save a file in the iPad Dropbox Folder and then go to your PC or Mac and print the file. The iPad App that created the page or file you want to print must be compatible with Dropbox. You can look this up on dropbox.com
Option 3. Buy a Printer App (NOT a new Printer) for your PC or Mac (Our Favorite - We Did This)
After doing a lot of research, we found a printer App for our PCs and one for our Apple Macs. Here's what you need to do.
First install the appropriate printer app on any relatively new PC or Mac that is connected to an inkjet or laser printer. Then make sure you have a WiFi Wireless Network turned on in the office (or home). Get the network Password... You'll need to enter the password in the printer software settings. That's it... you're done! Now anyone in the office (or home) that has an iPhone, iPad, iPod or Touch can print. It is amazing to watch... and it just works. Here are the two Apps we use and recomend:
Printopia - by ecamm Network: Works on the Mac only and costs $20
FingerPrint - by Collobos: Works on a PC or Mac and costs $10
Hope this helps. We have not had any problems with both of these Apps since they've been installed.
Please add your comments for any other Wireless iPad Printing Options that work for you (and you would recommend to a family member) :)
Give us a call @ 650-866-5517 or feel free to contact us to discuss how you can use the latest mobile technology to boost sales in your Small Business.
Are you starting to think about planning for next year? Do you have any feel for the top cost-effective new technology that will boost your company sales and productivity?
During the fourth quarter, we asked Small Business Executives, Managers or Owners to share the Top 3-4 NEW Technologies that they were thinking about implementing in 2012. Based on the survey, the following are the top 4 technologies for 2012:
Upgrading the Company Website with the Latest Technology
Implementing Smartphones and Tablets
Testing and Implementing Social Marketing
Adding Video Content for the Website including: Customer Demos, New Product Announcements, Success Stories and Best Practice Tips
[polldaddy poll=5485445]
Note: The votes were anonymous and we do NOT collecting any personal info. All poll results are available now.
Please share the poll results with other managers or owners... and add any comments or questions in the comment field below.
Your website is the most important technology needed today to grow your small business. Yes. It is more important than Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Smartphones, Tablets and everything else you read about.
We recently underwent a big project to move and update several of our company Websites and Blogs. We learned a lot from these projects and would like to share some of experiences.
The following are the top 10 tips that helped us minimize the time, cost and hassle of this project.
1. Move to a Popular Content Management System (CMS)
If you are spending the time and money to update an existing or create a new website or blog, you want to move to using a modern "Content Management System" or CMS. Some of the more popular Content Management Systems include: Wordpress, Google Blogs (Blogger), Drupal or Squarespace.
We suggest Wordpress for most Small Businesses. It may not the best solution for everyone. However, it is very popular, with 50+ million worldwide websites (that is not a typo). Wordpress is also very cheap and there are lots of resources for help everywhere. There is even a Free version available for companies that have virtual no budget or staff. More on this later.
2. Design Your Site for Mobile Visitors
According to Mary Meeker of Morgan Stanley, by 2015, the majority of users will be accessing your website from a Smartphone, Tablet or even a TV.... NOT a laptop or desktop computer of today. If you are creating a new website or updating an existing site, you want to do this project once now and have it work for the short-term future.
You should only use a Content Management System (CMS) that will support mobile devices now... or will in the future.
3. Remember HTML 5.... NOT Flash
As I just mentioned in the last tip, mobile is important now and will be extremely important in the near future. Unfortunately, there is a website technology battle going on today in the industry. The older technology is Adobe Flash. The new technology is called HTML 5. HTML 5 is the worldwide standard. We recommend that you make sure your website is designed with HTML 5 support... not Flash.
Many website and marketing vendors like to push Adobe Flash technology because that's what they have been using for the last 5 to 10 years. Please DO NOT let someone talk you into creating an Adobe FLASH Website or Blog. The whole worldwide industry is quickly moving to the HTML 5 standard. Even Adobe, the developer of Flash recently announced that it will be selling a product to create HTML 5 websites in direct competition to their Flash technology.
By 2011, there were 200 million Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch & Apple TVs) that use HTML 5... but DO NOT read FLASH technology. If you use Flash Technology on your new website or blog, you will exclude millions of potential customers. Many fancy restaurant and resort websites were designed using Flash... and for the last two years, million of potential customers haven't been able to see their websites. Now, many restaurants are rebuilding their sites using HTML 5 technology for mobile and desktop users.
Wordpress supports HTML 5.
4. Six Must-Have Websites Pages
If you are creating your 1st website, there are a six key pages that you need to publish on a website. Below are some thoughts about the type of information you would write for each page.
Home Page - You 1st page summarizes a few key points:
Company Name
Contact Info
Poduct and Services List
One Paragraph describing your business
About Us - Tells everyone about who you are
Company Name
Background
Company Founder and Management Summary
Partnerships
Services/Products/Solutions
List of each Product or Service with a description of key info
Blog - Blog Articles that are published on a regular basis and provides your readers and customers tips, key info and advice
Contact Us - The Page that gives your readers info on how to contact you
Address, Phone and eMail
Social Networking Info
Map and Directions to Your Office
Landing Page - A special page designed to capture Sales Leads
Key Sales Lead or Order Form
Info on a product or service
Tip: The best thing to do is to read other websites and blogs that you like and see what they have written on their key pages.
5. "Share Widgets"
It is very important to add a way to share your website and Blog content to help grow website visitors, marketing leads and provide customer service. There are two top FREE widgets you can use for your website: Addthis.com or Sharethis.com.
You publish a share widget on each page of content to help increase readership. These widgets should be placed in the website design templates or plug-ins. Here are a few of the top share links:
How do you attract the most visitors to your updated website? One of the ways is to to have great Search Engine Optimization or SEO. The following video explains SEO in 3-minute video.
7. Key Accounts You Need to Open
In addition to publishing a website / blog, you need to also open important internet accounts to help you market your company and website. Most of these services are Free or are very inexpensive.
Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn
gMail and YouTube
Flickr
Hotsuite or Tweetdeck
CRM
eNewsletter
Skype
8. Metrics & Reporting
Use Google Analytics for website reporting, management tools and metrics. Almost all small businesses use Google Analytics service. It's Free.
9. Videos and Photos
Almost all new Small Business websites should use video as well as photos. Adding videos is one of the top trends. The top three video publishing services include: YouTube, Vimeo and Brightcove.
10. Update Weekly - Website-Blog + Social
Once you have your Website / Blog up and running, you need to update them with fresh new content and let the world know about your wonderful information.
I was looking to store some company files (powerpoint presentations, excel workbooks, etc) in the cloud securely and inexpensively. That way my other managers and partners can access them and upload updates. Sort of like a Microsoft Share-point without the overhead. Any suggestions? ....keep reading for the answer!
Answer
One of our favorite Small and Midsize Business (SMB) File Sharing, Storing & Backup Solutions is Dropbox.com. They have a single user and a business version of their product. "Dropbox.com for Business" is ideal for a Small and Midsize Businesses. The service is secure, very easy to setup and use. You download a small app to your Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android Smartphone or Tablet and you're ready to start sharing files. You can share a folder or a file with your team members.
Dropbox.com works in 175+ countries and is available in English, French, Japanese, German and Spanish.
Dropbox for Business is affordable, and at a discount compared to buying personal Dropbox accounts individually.
List of Top 8 File Sharing and Storing Files on the Web
Here is a list of the top solutions for sharing & storing files on the web for a Small Business:
Dropbox - Our favorite easy-to-use way of sharing & Storing files these days. 2GB free/user. Also a team version (see above).
Question: Should I buy iPad Tablets for my Small Business? ...or another manufacturer's Tablets?
Answer: This is an easy answer - YES!. For now, you should buy an iPad Tablet! In 2011, 85-90% of all Tablets sold are Apple iPads. They own the market.
However, there are a few exceptions that you should check out:
If you just hate Apple and Apple products, buy the Samsung Android 10" Tablet. Do not buy the Motorola Tablets...yet.
If you love RIM (Blackberry Smartphones), you should look at the RIM Tablet... and wait until next year for the new model.
If you love HP (or the old Palm), sorry... as of 8/18/2011 HP cancelled the product line. Look at the Samsung Android Tablets.
If you love Google (Android), you should buy the Samsung 10" Tablet. It is the best product next to the Apple iPad.
If you are Tech Nerd or Geek, you should buy the Samsung 10" Tablet.... but first look at the Apple iPad. You maybe very surprised.
If you love the Amazon (Kindle eBook Reader), you could buy the new Amazon Kindle 7" Fire Tablet...or you may want to wait until Q2 2012 to see if Amazon comes out with a new 10" Tablet. The 10" Tablet is expected to be a much better product than the 1st 7" Tablet announced in September 2011.
That's about it!
Top 5 reasons for buying the iPad (over other Tablets) for your Small Business:
The Easy of Use & User Interface is so much better than all the other Tablets - Greatly Reduces Your Training and Support Costs
There are significantly more applications that can make your people much more productive when working.
Boost Employee Morale (and Productivity) - This is one of the few products that greatly improves productivity and employee morale at the same time.
Better Security - The iPad App Store is a closed system that greatly reduces the potential for applications with viruses.
In our experience, the Apple Store is a great place for FREE help. The AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Best Buy Stores are not much help.
We purchased the Apple iPad to test in May 2011. The bottom line is that it's one of the most useful business products we have ever used.
In 2012, there will be another round of new Tablet products that should dramatically expand the alternatives for Small Business tablets. However, for now, the new iPad is the superior product according to almost all top analysts.
Please contact us if you have any questions, need more info... or just reply with a comment below.
In 2013, Microsoft significantly changed the Windows 8 and Office user interface. Your employees are going to have to re-learn how to use Office Applications after you upgrade your PCs and Laptops. Here are a few key tips to help evaluate this upgrade for your Small Business.
- Links to Amazon Reviews
- Links to Amazon Reviews
