Right Toys Wrong Time

I get this question all the time—“Should I buy the latest version of…?” you fill in the blank.

Whether it is the latest version of software or the latest gadget, it is tempting to keep ahead with the cool factor or wonder if it really will be the next best thing since sliced bread.

Buying the wrong amount of technology

Ads for new business tools, gadgets, and software can be tempting. You may want a faster computer with more memory, but do you need the latest and greatest? Can you get by for a few more months or even another year before investing in a new system? If your technology is working for you now, stick with it.

I usually say you can skip the first upgrade but probably shouldn’t skip two.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Prices are highest and manufacturers' glitches are common with brand-new products. Don't jump on a software upgrade or computer system the minute it's released.

• Holding onto a clunker because it still works is not smart business. If your technology is very slow or you have software and hardware breakdowns regularly, you're costing yourself time and money -- your two most valuable business resources. (I just had a client that just upgraded from a Windows 95 machine! He is in techno shock! Plus we couldn't get some of the data converted.)

• Find a balance. You need a computer system that functions well, programs that help you do business, and user-friendly gadgets that save you time. Do your homework, ask your business colleagues and friends, and comparison shop.

I fall into it too, but let someone else take the hit and do all the testing for the manufacturers. Knowing most of you don’t have your own full-time tech person you will save time, money and quite possibly your sanity!

Keep living the dream…

Share your comments on this topic so others can benefit from your experience as well.

Starting off not to fail

This is probably my most common call that I take on a weekly basis. "My computer is dead, (I have a virus, whatever..) can I retrieve my business files?"

Yikes! We've all had that sinking feeling. It will probably happen to you if you haven't experienced it yet. Months of work, years of pictures, and weeks of bookkeeping lost in a moment.

Call me paranoid but I experience it everyday so I make backups automatically every day. If you have been "meaning to get to it". DO it today!

Failure to protect sensitive and/or important business information.
The information on your computer can be more valuable than the equipment itself. Protect your important data from loss, theft, and exposure with the following tips.

• Make two back-up copies of all software and important files. Keep one set of back-up materials off-site. Try to get a copy off site at least once a month. Tornados, floods, fire or theft doesn't keep your on-site copy safe.
  
• Use password protection or a lock that prevents your system from being turned on by unapproved users.
  
• Install anti-virus software to automatically check for computer viruses that can corrupt or destroy your files.

I use two external backup drives. One that I keep plugged in to my server all the time and it backs up daily overnight. The other I bring back on-site make a backup and then take back off-site.

Back in the day a DVD would back up everything but today you need bigger media.

Pictures are another subject. I went totally digital about 7 years ago. My kids don't even know what a film cannister looks like. I do back them up similarly but those are "memories" I can't replace. I am extra paranoid about them. I do use DVD's to make permanent backups and store one copy off-site.

There are other resources that can backup your files online and would "kill two birds with one stone." These are monthly subscriptions and you would pay as you go for storage and for the amount of storage you use. Just search for online back up services and you will find a multitude of companies to explore.


It will happen to you, its just a matter of time. So get about the business of protecting your business with a good backup plan.

Share your thoughts and any tips you have that you use.

This blog will (after I get the rest of the redesign done) become a weekly newsletter on helping small business work smarter not harder. My business is dedicated to helping the small biz not recreate the wheel but actually use it. Many small businesses are so buried in work and are doing things the way the always have, they don't utilize the tools that are right at their fingertips. Some require no money to begin using, some may require a little training, but most require a little forethought and a small business can make huge strides in productivity with just a little direction.

I will be writing a articles every week on just those subjects so be looking for them.

Keep living the dream!