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These are the keys to being successful without having it be stressful from my 11 years of experience as a small business owner. Please feel free to use these tips to help you find more success with your work.

1. Patience – Don’t give up just because you can’t see past the dark clouds on the horizon. Having the strength to see things through and make sure you do a good job is more important than immediate results.

2. Ambition – Always be ready to tackle a big challenge and find creative ways to do so. Don’t be afraid of success or failure, simply have a vision and do your best to make it happen.

3. Plan – Don’t go to work without a plan. Always have an idea of what you are trying to accomplish before you step foot in to the office. Use your time wisely and carefully. This makes for more free time and less wasted time.

4. Breaks – Working for 10-12 hours straight is not good for anyone. You must take breaks and find positive ways to relieve stress. Don’t worry about productivity during your breaks, instead focus on relaxation for that time period.

5. Care – Care about the quality of your work. Perform in a manner that you can be proud of. This builds confidence and lends to your good reputation, which creates positive word of mouth.

6. Communication – Always express yourself clearly. Listen to the people around you. Make sure that everyone you work with or for understands what you are doing and why you are doing it.

7. Help – Don’t be afraid to ask for it! Sometimes you may find yourself stuck and need a quick nudge in the right direction. Family, friends and colleagues can be there when you need that extra support.

8. Fun – The most important part of all. You can’t be successful without having a little fun with your work. Make your workplace an enjoyable environment. Do what you enjoy and make it your profitable niche. When you work doing something you enjoy it’s hardly like working at all most of the time.

health and wellness, small business have fun, self-employed, small business, stress, success, work hard

Gaining the trust of your clients is important to any business, but is it an asset?  Some would speculate that trust is only part of a much larger equation that involves customer service, pricing and quality.  But is it only a fraction of the whole or does it actually all begin with trust?

In the computer services industry I’ve witnessed many clients rightfully concerned about their privacy and security.  That concern may feed in to notions that their computer or data may not be safe outside of their hands or that they may have their equipment broken.  Weary of the possibility  that something could go wrong, many may let problems go unchecked.

This is a course of action that may have hazards of its own.  For example, a virus infection left unchecked could result in sensitive information being leaked out to third parties with malicious intentions.  Others may leave hardware problems, like an overheating computer or a perisistent error message, without resolution, potentially causing harm to both their computer and their data.

This paradigm of trust and mistrust delivers one clear message.  Trust is now an asset and it is indeed where the relationship with clients begins, especially for computer service providers.  The more the client has at risk (data, hardware, etc) the more trust they need to feel comfortable.  This trust must be handled carefully and honestly, or else the risk is that we see more problems left unchecked to the detriment of the user and the industry.

computers, small business computer repair, computer services, data recovery, hardware, small business, trust

economy, small business economy, education, small business, stimulus, tax cuts

Many corporate networks have failed to apply important Microsoft Windows Security patches as over 10 million PCs are now infected with the DownandUp worm and the number is growing rapidly. The resulting botnet is a potential threat to Internet stability and security.

It is always less expensive and time consuming to prepare for security threats than to address them after a breach.  There are several practices I recommend for small businesses to remain vigilant against any virus or spyware security threat:

#1 Remember that anti-virus software is not going to prevent, but only perhaps mitigate infection and act accordingly. Assess your business’ risk of data exposure (or loss) from a virus or worm. Make sure you have a security plan in place or being developed.

More info: http://www.uschamber.com/sb/security/default

#2 Be careful which websites you visit (especially in IE). Even with the latest security patches, hackers may have intelligence about non-publicly disclosed or unpatched vulnerabilities. Using this information allows crafting of custom web pages that can hijack computers, read specific (sensitive) information or plant destructive software that can erase or crash a machine.

More info: http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/securing_browser/

#3 Exercise caution with e-mails, especially if they have attachments or weblinks. These e-mails, even if from a seemingly trusted source, must be verified. Examine the header information and make sure it looks legitimate.

More info: http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/newsletter/adn29/headers.html

#4 Don’t use flash drives if you can’t verify they are virus-free. Many virus writers are aware of the ubiquitous nature of portable media and have developed viruses that exploit Windows’ autorun function to execute their malicious code.

More info: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/03/16/virus-infections-via-usb-drive/

#5 Keep your anti-virus software up to date. Use the latest version with the latest engine and definitions to ensure that the best algorithms and signatures are being used to mitigate threats against your machine. If your anti-virus software fails repeatedly, don’t be afraid to replace it.

More info: http://www.zdnet.com.au/blogs/securifythis/print.htm?TYPE=story&AT=139264249-139033343t-110000152c

#6 Consider using secondary and tertiary security software such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/) and SpyBot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html) to scan your system for threats weekly.

#7 If Windows can be avoided, then use other operating systems such as FreeBSD, Linux or Mac OS X on workstations and servers to mitigate security risks.

More info: http://www.kernelthread.com/publications/security/uw.html

#8 Use a firewall to secure your network and your PC.  Without a firewall you may expose your network and PCs to Internet security threats that could be otherwise mitigated or prevented.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_(networking)

#9 Keep your system patched and up to date.  Actively maintained operating systems are treated as living software to the extent that when there is a critical bug or vulnerability, programmers will address the problem and release a patch.

More info: http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/#2

If you’re in doubt or just need an expert, then consider hiring my company, Envescent, to help secure your small business.

small business anti-spyware, anti-virus, corporate network, firewall, malware, security, small business

I have seen many small business owners panic as their primary storage devices fail them and they don’t have a backup or any crisis continuity plan in place.  It is very important for every small business to make regular backups of important data to keep on site and to store remotely either online or at another location on CDs, DVDs or external drives.

Advice for failures

When hard drives fail (and they will) don’t panic.  If you don’t have a back up of your data make sure you shut down the system and call a qualified data recovery professional.  Remember that there is little you can do if your drive is failing because most of the time you will cause more damage to your valuable data.

Don’t take your hard drive somewhere that doesn’t specialize in data recovery.  When in doubt ask your prospective repair shop or data recovery firm about the symptoms you experienced, make sure to note any error messages you saw and relay them.  Try to get an estimate if you can.

Backing up

I recommend starting off with an external hard drive and an online backup service for your backups.  Don’t use the external drive or the online backup as your only copy.  Have three copies at all time.  One on your computer, one on the external drive and one online.  How often you back up is up to you.  Just remember that if you lose your data you won’t have but the most recent copy you last backed up so frequency is important.

Next level

You may also consider RAID configurations, network attached storage and multiple online backup locations if redundancy and continuity of business operations are mission critical.

small business backup, data recovery, small business

Small businesses account for 50% of private non-farm GDP.  The contribution is enormous by any measure.  Small businesses can make a tremendous impact on the environment, improve their image and become more profitable all by going green.

Saving money

Favoring green strategies may allow your company to save money.  Many companies that used to use inefficient lighting, computers, appliances can plan to replace these items with more eco-friendly energy saving improved products.  For example, replacing incandescent lighting with CFL or better yet, LED bulbs can create significant energy cost savings.  Using Energy Star compliant PCs and laptops helps and so does replacing old appliances with more energy efficient models.

Green initiatives

A green initiative that can help to improve image and create good will from customers is to recycle.  There are many ways to get involved.  Most people think of recycled paper in its various forms, but the world of recycling for businesses is growing and now offers recycled office supplies.  There are also green office products such as cleaners, toners and furniture.

Small businesses should also recycle their TVs, computers, cell phones and other equipment to make sure toxic waste is properly reclaimed.  Advertising that your business is green and recycles may help attract more customers.

Encouraging telecommuting, moving to a more digital office and other strategies are a good way to reduce costs and waste while promoting a more modern work environment.

Summary

Going green can be accomplished in small or big steps.  Every business should consider taking some steps to improve or create eco-friendly initiatives.  Small businesses are best poised to make the biggest impact on their profit margins, efficiency and how much waste they generate.

small business eco-friendly, green, image, small business

In these days of global economic crisis, small businesses and the self-employed may be poised to benefit if they can properly position themselves.  The advantage of being a small business in this environment is flexibility, low overhead and less reliance on credit for capital.  Large businesses tend to be rigid, have massive amounts of overhead compressing their margins and rely heavily on commercial paper and equity to raise capital.

Big opportunities for small businesses

Small businesses that utilize the above advantages while focusing on their customer relationships and working to quickly pick up the slack of other failing businesses may weather the storm and even may find the crisis has brought opportunities that otherwise would not have existed.  Sometimes this may require repositioning your strategy or adapting your business plan to suit the economic environment.

My opportunity

For example, I moved my company, Envescent more in to computer repair, data recovery and other consumer and small business services while moving away from web hosting and e-commerce during the start of this recession.

My reason for moving in to computer repair and data recovery is the strong local need for expertise from a small business that can offer good customer service.  Moving away from web hosting and e-commerce was logical as these sectors have been compressed to razor thin margins in very heavily saturated markets with a lot of room for demand reduction.

Surviving cycles

Knowing when to get in and out of sectors is very important to the survival of a business.  My opportunity was found knowing that this crisis would probably hurt the areas that rely off consumer spending on new items (web hosting because it’s mostly marketing and e-commerce because it is direct consumption) and instead I focused on what are necessary services for every consumer and small business.

I started Arlington Virginia Computer Repair in May of 2006 to put a brand name on Envescent’s computer computer repair and data recovery services.  This has been a very rewarding opportunity because I’ve been able to raise awareness with a new name that is easy to brand and built on the solid reputation of nearly 10 years of service.

Find your opportunity

You can use this crisis to find an opportunity as well.  Use what you understand about your area of expertise to see which sectors may be better or worse for your business to get in or out of.  Don’t panic just because others are.  Keep yourself composed and remember that there’s always a better day ahead.

small business crisis, economy, opportunity, small business

To be the best in one field is always a competitive advantage. If the field is specialized with growing numbers of potential customers who require your expertise, that makes the competitive advantage durable and creates tremendous opportunity for growth. The area of your specialty that coincides with a growing need in a strong selective market is called a “niche”.

You can use this niche to leverage your business from just an idea in to a reality. It can mean the difference between mediocrity and standing out from the crowd. Specialization may limit the scope of your business’ market diversity, but you can strengthen its fundamentals by creating more prospects for revenue in the field that you lead. It also enables precise marketing, efficient customer relationship management and it makes the search for additional talent potentially easier to manage.

Is the secret to success using a laser-like focus to drive your talents to a strong selective market? I’ve been told by many and learned through my own personal experience that sometimes the greatest risk is not taking any risk at all. I started Arlington Virginia Computer Repair to address a niche here with much success. What have you got to lose? Find your niche and sell it!

small business entrepreneur, niche, small business

Customer satisfaction is an important cornerstone of a small business’ success. In many fields of business customer satisfaction requires the expertise to provide high quality, affordable, convenient and expedient services. These days most customers are tired of waiting in lines, dealing with complex phone systems, receiving poor customer service and often strive for a refreshing change by seeking out the help of a small business.

While large corporations have seemingly limitless advertising budgets and resources, small businesses are uniquely poised to level the playing field by offering their customers an unforgettable customer service experience with a personal touch. Satisfied customers are likely to recommend a small business that they feel performed a good service for them. Word of mouth advertising is priceless in a world where many companies spend a third of their budget marketing themselves.

For most small business owners success is an important part of their lives. They started their business with the idea of creating prosperity that they can share with their family, employees and investors. Those that hold customer service among their highest priorities understand that the true path to happiness is making others happy.

small business customer service, happiness, small business