Latest Articles
- How to Get the Most Out of a Business Health Review with Your Accountant
While working with my clients and as Program Manager of the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program I have a common theme presents itself. How do I figure out how my business is doing? As a business owner I need to know the answer to this myself. So when I meet with my accountant, I want to give him the most up to date and accurate information. Thus providing the data he needs to help me make sound financial decisions. Your accountant can do this for you but they will need “information”.
- Planning For Success
So why is planning important? Without it you will waist a considerable amount of money, time, and resources. You can’t get where you want to go if you don’t know where you want to end up. Working with clients I usually find businesses that have grown ad hoc and call me when their inefficient back office operations are hampering growth. By developing a business plan you can prepare for growth and potential risk or problems. Therefore you are responding to your environment not reacting. Also, having a solid plan gives you a tool for making decisions.
- 10 Key Factors in Choosing Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)
One of my favorite topics we teach in class is how to compile information that can be used to make smart business decisions. What usually comes up during class is many start-ups and existing companies know they need a tool to help them with collecting and using information but do not know where to start. This article’s focus is the ten key factors to help you choose the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for your company.
- 10 Tips for Creating a Data Goldmine
I have been working with many clients who have their information in a database but are unable to get the information they want or know where to find it. Usually the culprit is a series of issues that come together to create the perfect storm of inefficiency. The tips below will help you to prevent this storm and maximize the information in your database to increase productivity and profits.
- How to Make More Money in 2012 with Data Driven Decisions
I have mentioned in many of my articles about metrics. Things we use to measure success and how far you are from reaching your goals. Data is much more than that – it is a valuable tool to make solid business decisions. It also helps you to save as well as make money. Below are some of the metrics you can use to help grow your bottom line in 2012.
Back Up Your Computer Files!
How many of you have spent hours and money trying to retrieve lost information on your computer? It is very frustrating and expensive to get that data back - if you can.
I recently retooled how and what I backup. Understanding that I needed the help of an IT professional I hired Edward Shanker of Meeting Tree Computer Corp. Ed was able to restore data files that were deleted by a remote device. Had I not backed up my files I would have lost irreproducible data. How can you make a potential disaster turn into a minor inconvenience?
1. Back up your data such as bookkeeping files, contracts, contact information, appointment notes, etc. It is not necessary to back up the program files. Those should be reinstalled if something happens to your programs or hard drive. If you back up the programs too, any problems you had with those programs would be installed on the fixed or new computer. If you downloaded some of your software keep a list of the program names and serial codes. That way you can reinstall the software if a problem or failure occurs.
2. Create a backup schedule. If you are using your computer daily then do daily back ups. It is a good idea to set up an automated nightly backup rather than trying to remember to do it. Also do multiple back ups. My system is set up to keep several days. That way if something happens I can pick which day I go back to. This was helpful with retrieving my lost data. I did not discover the problem immediately and had the older backup to retrieve the data from.
3. You have a few choices to pick where you want to store the data. When deciding on how to store your data reliability, accessibility and longevity should be considered. I started with CD’s, a flash drive then external hard drive. I ultimately went with the online offsite backup. If you keep the data onsite then you have to put it in a fire and waterproof box. Offsite storage would be in a safety deposit box. I like the online backup because no matter where I am or what happens to my equipment the data is safe. I also do not physically backup my system. The online service does it for me.
4. Talk to an IT professional to determine what system would work best for your business and data usage. Ed was a very valuable resource for determining what I needed to do to help protect my records.
The more digital you go the more vital backing up becomes. No matter what system or method you use make sure you backup your files before it costs you thousands of dollars in time, money, equipment and opportunities.