A David Creation

I’ve sampled, tried and even changed software and cloud computing programs often the past few years, but there is one cloud-based invoicing system I’ve not stopped using: Freshbooks. I can’t find anything quiet so good for simple online invoicing. It is so simple to use. In a nutshell, Freshbooks, allows a company to keep track of leads and customers, estimates, invoices, expenses, online payments, and even simple P&L and expense reports. A small business can use Freshbooks as a complete accounting system too. In my case, I only use Freshbooks and then submit my reports to my accountant to do my tax planning, prep & filing. For my consulting business, there is no need for anything more robust like Quickbooks.

What Should a Contractor Use?

I am a Freshbooks fan through and through and would love it if more contractors could use Freshbooks for their invoicing system. I know of a number of contractors who use it and like it. The only downside for most contractors using Freshbooks is that it is not a complete bookkeeping solution when you are doing things like Payroll,  Job Costing or creating a Budget. It also does not have an automatic sync with one’s bank and credit cards to manage expenses. It does manage expenses, but you have to manually import your expenses. It also does not provide a Balance Sheet, only a P&L. Sometimes that is all one needs. So, if you need Job Costing, a complete Balance Sheet, a General Ledger, Payroll Solutions and so on, Freshbooks may not be the best solution. Quickbooks Online might be a better choice in that case. Quickbooks also provides simple online invoicing, but it is not as simple as Freshbooks.

Only downside to Freshbooks is the cost. I’m spending about $25 a month. If I wanted a couple of my other staff members to use it, I’d quickly be in the $40+ range. That is pretty steep. I’ve looked at the cheaper invoicing programs, but I concluded that you still get what you pay for. At this point, I’m still a loyal customer of Freshbooks as nothing comes close.

My dad told me this story years ago: He drove to one of his job sites to check on his painters. They were doing a beautiful renovation project on an old craftsmen-style home. However, a competitor was doing a similar job next door. He smiled as he thought, “Boy! I’ve got some great employees. They are so clean, efficient and talented! They are nothing like my competitors doing the work next door.” The competition was not in any uniform, and the painters looked scary. My dad then took a really good look at his painters and the vehicles they were driving. He realized that they didn’t look much better. He knew something had to change and that image and appearance is vitally important. It was after this one job that he went back and began developing company lettering for his vehicles, better looking shirts, yard signs and so on. Did it pay off? Absolutely. He is considered one of the most recognized painting companies in the San Diego area and known for quality and his professional and clean staff!

What type of dress standard do you have for your staff? It’s the little things that matter most, especially in the information age we live in now. Your painters, carpenters, or field employees should definitely have a uniform, even down to company approved boots. Yes boots! My dad’s painters had a dress code for the company hats, pants, hair length and shirts, but they did not have a shoe policy. We even had a policy that said how the pants had to be worn! So as I drove around checking on his staff, I noticed the painter’s shoes (most of them) were sloppy looking. Many of them had the tennis shoes or boots without laces. It just looked unprofessional. I went back and told my dad we had to add boots to the dress code standards. We wrote up a list of approved boots and gave he employee $20 towards the purchase of better looking boots. A few bought the $20 boots from Walmart where others went out and bought Red Wings. I must say, the staff was excited to dress more professionally. I think it gave them a sense of pride that they were different and better.

One final thought. My dad often quotes this phrase, “You get what you inspect, not what you expect!” So now as he drives to job sites, he inspects his company standards and dress codes. He inspects to make sure the yard signs are up and clean. He checks to make sure the vehicles are in good shape, the job stations are organized and that his staff are dressed for success.

Your Turn

What are your thoughts on Company Dress Codes? How do you handle this with your staff? Do you follow up and inspect rather than expect your employees to always abide by your standards? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Guest Post: Not all the apps below I’ve had the opportunity to try myself. This was a post written by Jane Johnson. Thank you for taking the time to write this for my audience. I’ll begin to look into your recommendations and give you my feedback. Based on a quick look of each app, they all look promising. Enjoy.

Stock your business arsenal with the right tools for success

The business world is ever-evolving, and as business owners we must stay ahead of the curve to succeed. Technology can help businesses, large and small, stay competitive, grow, and survive during hard times thanks to thousands of smart phone apps specifically for business. Apps for business provide many of the tools and resources that small businesses might not otherwise have access to. However, with so many business apps to choose from, how do you know you’re downloading the best business arsenal for your particular needs?

To help take the stress out of business apps, I’ve put together the following list of the Top 5 Apps to Help Grow Your Small Business. These apps are available for download, many for absolutely free, to your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S, and numerous other wireless devices.

1. MetroFax (Free)

This fax app for the iPhone offers small businesses a fully-accessible fax service. Enjoy the big business perks with MetroFax, an app that allows you to send and receive faxes—right from your iPhone. You’ll never have to stress about missing an invoice, an important fax, or legal documents ever again.

2. LinkedIn (Free)

I like to think of LinkedIn as my personal marketing team—even though I have a small business consisting of one employee: me! The LinkedIn app is all I really need for network with prospective clients, business partners, freelance employees, business partners, and vendors. Simply, this app connects those who need a service with those who can provide that service. It’s professional networking at my fingertips. I can use my iPhone (or Android, BlackBerry, or any smart phone) to connect with potential customers anywhere, at any time of day.

3. Primadesk (Free)

This multi-functional app (for Web, iOS and Android) makes content management easy. The Primadesk app keeps all cloud-based business content organized and easily accessible via search hash tags. Plus, it’s great for remote groups who need to share, view, manage and backup all business content from a single interface—i.e., if collaborating on a project—regardless of their chosen computer or mobile device. To share or save a document simply drag and drop Word docs, multimedia, spreadsheets, and photos from your desktop to Primadesk.

4. Abukai (Free)

This financial business app was given the “Editor’s Choice”, a 2011 award given by PC Magazine for outstanding business expensing applications. Not a hard task when you’re compatible with almost any mobile device—including iPhone, Android and Blackberry. The Abukai app makes filing financial reports a synch in three easy steps:

I. Take a picture of any receipt or invoice with your mobile device s

II. Submit it

III. Receive a completed expense report at the end of a designated period (week’s end, month’s end)

5. OmniFocus ($19.99)

Pricy, but totally worth every penny—the OmniFocus app for iPhone puts you in control of task management when you have your smart phone within arm’s reach. That’s why it won the Apple Design Award for best Productivity App. OmniFocus tracks tasks by project name or number, place, person, or even the date. you’ll always have your important information at hand, whether it’s a shopping list, agenda items to discuss at work, things to do at home—whatever you need.

Bio: Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news, commentary, reviews on popular providers like T-Mobile.

Last weekend, I took three of my kids to Denny’s for breakfast. I have not been to Denny’s in over a year, but do remember one thing about my experience: the General Manager’s involvement. The GM serves coffee to his patrons. I watched as he walked around filling cups of coffee with a smile on his face. He was incredibly nice to my children when he served my table. It was amazing to see how other people responded to him. This is also not something he does from time to time. He makes it a regular point to spend time with his customers: at DENNY’S!

So how do you avoid customer complaints once and for all in your service business? As the CEO, President or General Manager of your business, make it a point to serve your customers. Spend time visiting your job sites, writing personal thank you notes, calling and thanking clients for working with you, and __________ (fill in the blank of what you can do). When the owner or senior management is more active in the company, customers are less prone to complain and be a pain.

One more thing, it isn’t just showing up and smiling either. It is making customers feel important. If they know you are there to serve, things almost always go well.*

*almost always go well…sometimes, you’ll get a bad apple

Want to drive more qualified business your way on the web? Sure you do! What is one easy way to begin this process online without spending a lot of money? Start your own quality blog with a group of your preferred and trusted network. Here are some pointers:

What To Do

• The blog should be geared to help the local community find answers to their household questions.
• It would include blogs about: painting, HVAC, plumbing, handyman, seasonal to-dos, roofing, electrical, interior design, real estate, remodeling, cabinetry, appliances, permits, fencing, decks, flooring, and much more.
• Each company would take turns submitting their expert blogs. If one is not a writer, he or she can either do videos or hire a writer to do all the editing and posting.
• Featuring of videos, blogs, specials and a submission form to “ask a question” answered by a professional. You’d also have a form to “request an estimate”
• Optional: Have live chat. This could be monitored by a third party company or by folks within the network.
• Have an official name for your site and make it well designed with easy navigation
• Use a professional WordPress site (marketers favorite platform) or Expression Engine, a CMS
• Create a company directory for those ready to buy. Optional to have a review system
• At a later date: After this takes off, you could offer a print version of some of your articles and helpful information for homeowners. People would subscribe to your post or printed newsletter. The print version would require more work and planning. Why is this important? Some folks still like print. As word spreads around town about what you are doing, you’ve got to be able to reach more people.
• Each company should be committed to actively referring and recommending each other.

How and Why It Would Work

• A consumer could type in a keyword or search from a list of categories to find answers to his or her questions.
• Search engines would pick up the articles, videos and information and overtime will push up your rankings. It is easier to write blogs about the entire home rather than 1 service. Therefore, good SEO results should be easier to obtain with quality and fresh content.
• Each service company can features his/her company each week or month: providing a better chance of more work. (this would be on a rotation schedule)
• Overtime, you will build a trusted brand that people will be talking about.

A Related Business Example

A few years ago, a company did something similar, minus the content marketing part (more about that in a minute). It was slightly before blogs were popular, so they used primarily the traditional approach. They were called ToFixIt. The company is still around and located in Phoenix, Arizona. It was started by a successful businessman who owned a large plumbing company. He wanted to get more quality referrals from his networks and though the best way was to build a trusted network. In short, all the companies apart of ToFixIt had to be referred into the program. If the company was approved as a trusted contractor (not everyone made it), they paid a monthly fee which went towards the marketing of ToFixIt. They used radio, TV, mailers, magnets and the web to promote their business. Their slogan was, “We Recommend The Best and Toss the Rest!” They partnered with trusted news anchors, talk shows and radio host to gain credibility. They also had monthly networking meetings to help each company get to know each other better and get more referrals.

The only thing that ToFixIt did not do till more recently was blog. My personal thoughts are, their blog is not too consumer friendly, but it is a start. Now all they have to do is add good content that is 100% consumer focused, and it will increase their trustworthiness even more. It will cut down their traditional marketing cost as the search engines begin to pick up their quality content, hopefully producing more leads with less advertising dollars. Consumers use the web to buy, but they also use it to educate themselves. If you are the source for their answers, you will begin to build a quality reputation.

Next Steps

Take a look at what ToFixIt started: www.tofixit.com Get inspired. Start your own community based blog for your group of trusted businesses. Also, if you are the one starting it, make sure YOU own the site or at least your company has a slightly stronger edge. Why not? You’re the one with the idea, right? Have the goal of helping consumers, not selling them., and the sales will come in time.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Base CRM (formally Pipejump) for over a year now. The thing that attracted me to Base CRM originally was the design and User Interface (UI). It was a very simple UI. It should be, as it was developed by a company called, Future Simple. So far they seem to make simple, easy to use web and mobile apps. So what makes Base CRM special or worth checking out? I won’t go over all the details, just the key features I liked:

• iPhone & Android Native Apps: This is where Base CRM Shines more than most other Customer Relationship Management programs on the web. They have not promoted their product much until the Native Apps were released (at the same time too). I think this was a very smart business idea. Many people, including myself, have worked with one CRM after the other, hoping and praying for a good mobile solution to be released. Small business people are on the move, not always in front of a desk. Most software companies will release a web app version before a native app, when their customers want a native app. (If you don’t know the difference, comment in this post or email me. I’ll explain.) The Base iPhone App works very well in my testing. Once again, it doesn’t have a lot of features, but it has just enough: Contact Information, Task and the ability to create and monitor deals on the go. The contact area works similar to the iPhone contacts too. What more do you need? I’d love to see the calendar feature, but that is not a must at this point. The design and UI of Base CRMs mobile apps are very slick. In fact, I like it better than Salesforce (the leader in Cloud CRMs). The reason why most other CRM developers do not have native Apps is because the expense and updates. First it is very expensive to create an App: as high as $50,000 sometimes. Then getting updates pushed can take awhile: Google or Apple has to approve them. That is the main reason most developers steer away from them. The consumers (you and me) have gotten addicted to the easy of native apps, so we like them better than going to a browser.
• Integrates well with Google Apps for Business. If you don’t really know what that means, read my post about Google Apps vs Gmail. You can forward the emails you want quickly and easily into Base. You can also create Notes, Task, View Existing Notes, Customer Details all within Gmail. See Screenshot.
• Export Task/Events to Google Calendar with One Click: Base keeps everything very simple, including naming things. For example, Task can mean either an event or to do. Instead of having two many buttons and options, Base makes it simple to create a task. When completed, you have an option to send to iCal or Google’s Calendar. See Screenshot.
• Custom Fields & Customer Information: Again, no information overload with the Contact Management area. It starts out with the very basic information, and you can then add custom fields, which in my test, worked great! You can easily look up customers and contacts using their easy to find search section and dig deeper using Tags. I actually like how simple the UI is for the Contact Management area. Many small business owners are overwhelmed with too much information. It is also one of the reasons I still evaluate CRMs…looking for simple solutions for that one audience and more advanced programs for those who want more! This CRM is easy to learn and do what most small businesses need (at least starting out).
• Deals and Reporting: This is where Base seems to spend a lot of time in developing a good user interface with the design and reporting. Once you start filling in your deals, Base begins creating a custom database for good reporting. (note for the old Act! users reading this: Deals are Opportunities). You can quickly look at where all your best leads are coming from, how many you’ve closed, lost and what still needs to be done to close out a deal.
• Support: Very quick response and help when I needed it. They listen to me too!
• Importing from Other CRMs: They make it easy. I tried it and had no issues. They’ve also offered to help import existing deals (and have them postdated)
• Price: The price is free for anyone to start using Base. So how do they make their money? Well, they give you a certain amount of free DEALS. Once you reach that amount, I think it is $150, then you go to a paid account, which starts at $29.99 a month. This could still be a very affordable option for many small businesses. Lets say you are a remodeler who does 50 bids a year. It would take you 3 years before you’d reach the paid version. If you are a paint company that does 20 bids a week, it would take you a couple months before you hit the paid version of $29.99 a month. Where it can get a little pricey for the small companies is when you hit 1000 deals. Base charges $99.99 for from 1,001 to 10,000 deals. If you have a larger sales staff 5 estimators, $99.99 a month is nothing.

The Bottom line about Base, so far in my early testings of it’s abilities: I like it. I’ve suggested a number of features to the company, and I hope they will implement them. For example, their Task Times only give you 1 hour options. I’d rather make task with 15 min increments. Seems like an easy update, and they’ve already said it is in the works. Integration with Google Documents, a File storage (Dropbox, Egnyte, Box.net) would also be nice. They are working on a Quote system (to send estimates and invoices similar to Freshbooks. It is already released, but improvements are underway). Base CRM is your simple and easy to use CRM. I think by not having too many features, it will make some of you very happy and have less frustrations. I’d like to see Google Apps have more plugins and keep the CRM simple.

Let me know if you’ve tried Base and what you think about it.

I get the “deer and the headlight” look every time I ask someone if they are using Google Apps for their business. They typically respond with, “I think so. I have a gmail account. Is that what you mean?” My answer is, “No. Google Apps is a business product and is so much more than Gmail.” I’ll attempt to explain what Google Apps is and if you need it.

Google Apps & How Did it Get Started 

Google has products both for personal and business uses, and while the products look almost identical, they are different.  Google created Google Apps (G Apps) for Business a number of years ago yet did not market it to businesses heavily until the past 2 years. Google is famous for beta testing their products, so they were slowly testing and introducing G Apps to companies all over the world and at the same time, creating marketshare. I saw G Apps really take off after the company opened up Google Marketplace, which allows other businesses to develop their products to link up nicely with the Google Apps’ platform. For example, when I login to my G Apps in the morning, I can click a dropdown menu labeled “MORE” with my other business tools, linked to my G Apps Account (i.e. My accounting software, CRM, Email Newsletter, Schedule Tool etc). This makes working in the Cloud a piece of cake (no more software to open and close on my desktop: all done within my browser). The third party programs that link up to my Google Apps account sometimes provide further integration with my Google products. For example, Pipeline Deals CRM has a Gmail plugin that allows users to link up notes, add deals, new contacts, task and much more, right from within their email. You can also schedule appointments from within Pipeline, which will automatically sync to the Google Calendar.

What Does Google Apps Do?

First, Google Apps consist of all the Google products under a business domain. These would include things like: Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, Google+, News and so on. In short, Google allows you to have a personal and business account. Just like Microsoft wants you to use all MS products, Google wants you to use only Google products! An example of the difference between personal and business, instead of having your email be [email protected] you’d use your business email [email protected] You’d use the popular Gmail application, Contacts, Google Docs and Calendar for your email, schedule, contacts and creating/collaborating on documents. The only major difference you will notice is that your company name can replace the Gmail/Google Logo, access to the Marketplace and you can manage your entire companies’ domain settings: add new users/emails, change passwords, give or restrict company access to certain documents and much more.

Mobile Capabilities

Google Apps for business works incredibly well on Android and Apple smartphones. I’ve tried it on both devices. My favorite is how it integrates with the iPhone. Most people don’t know this, but you can use the Microsoft Exchange Icon (use Google settings instead) to have an Exchange-like 2way sync with your Google Calendar, Email & Contacts. It works perfectly! I wrote a step by step guide to set Google up on an iPad, and the same settings apply for the iPhone. You can also turn on Google Sync to see other Calendars on your phones.

The Pricing Structure of Google Apps

Free Version: The price to use Google Apps can’t be beaten. It is free for up to 50 users of a company to get started. The free version gives you 1GB of Google Document storage and 7GB of email space. To give you an example of how much 7GB is for email. I’ve been using it for about 3 years and have not reached my 7GB space. I do have to empty my email trash to keep it below 7GB a couple times a year and that is about it. I also purchased more storage space for documents. For $5 a year, I got 20GB. I’ve only used around 2GB, so for $5 a year it is great. Oh, and the free version also has Google Adwords displayed. I somehow got around that too. I installed a free plugin to my browser that hides all the ads.

Paid Version

The paid version is around $5 a month per user. You get about 3 times the storage on your email (20+GB) and more files storage. All Google Adwords will be hidden too. The only other main difference with the paid version is the ability to continue to use Microsoft Outlook instead of the Gmail platform. Google creates a two way sync for emails, calendars and contacts. I know of a few companies that do not like Gmail’s look and feel and want to remain on Outlook. I have not heard too many complains regarding the syncing, but it is not fool proof. My suggestion is see if you can get used to Google and make the switch. I was on MS Outlook for 10 years or so and switched. It takes awhile, but I think you’ll find Gmail will work just fine. You can customize many many features in Google Apps.

Should You Be Using Google Apps for Your Business

If you are a small business that tends to be mobile often, I’d definitely recommend switching to Google Apps. You will not have to run expensive Exchange Servers in most cases, which will cut down on IT help. There will be a learning curve and some time to learning and switching to a new platform. So do not make this switch if you don’t have the time to commit to learning a new product. Also, if you ask your IT people, most will tell you not to switch. They don’t like many cloud products because it is putting them out of a job. Believe me, IT people don’t like me! Most of them complain that cloud programs lack security and that Google can’t be trusted. Yet, most of the IT guys are in love with Microsoft. Can Microsoft be trusted? Microsoft knows Google is a threat and has created a similar product: Office 365. As I told one client recently who asked me about Office 365, stay with Microsoft if you have the IT folks local to you to set you up and get you trained. If you don’t have anyone you can trust or set you up, move to Google. Google Apps for Business helps business be more productive and mobile. You can pick up any computer from around the world, login to your account and run most of your business in seconds!

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Side Notes about Google Docs and IT Professionals: By the way, if you have not tried Google Docs as an alternative to Microsoft Word and Excel, give it a try. If you are doing standard spreadsheets and document creations, it works great. Oh and one final thing regarding IT professionals. First, I respect what they do, and I am not really an IT guy. They can run circles around me. I’m more of a user interface (UI) guy. I know what works best for my clients. IT folks should really spend time learning more about what products work the best for their clients, not just how to fix or setup a computer system. I get asked all the time who can setup their Google Apps, customize signatures, find a good app for taking notes, install plugins, setup a smartphone and many many more user experience setups. If IT professionals spend time doing those types of things, they will always have a job!

This week’s blog is a guest post from Brian Nolan, owner of Summit Services. Summit is a professional business consulting firm working with small and medium size businesses.

This weekend I was reading a book called Leading Change, by John P. Kotter. A couple things jumped out at me as being very relevant for the Summit group.

There was a chapter dedicated to why companies fail at implementing change. Two of the main reasons were:

1. Under communicating the Vision by a factor of 10 (or even 100…. or even 1000)
2. Failing to create short term wins

Kotter spends a great deal of timing talking about the importance of continually communicating the vision to employees, both in words and deeds and in as many interactions as possible. Major change is usually impossible unless most employees are willing to help, often to the point of making short-term sacrifices. Without credible communication, and a lot of it, employees’ hearts and minds are never captured. It’s not enough to read it once at a company meeting (although that’s the start!). The Vision must be kept ” top of mind” and be constantly incorporated in your communications and decisions. I encourage you all to keep your company visions close by and incorporate pieces of it in your weekly meetings.

In Summit, we’ll talk about getting some small victories. This will create a feeling of accomplishment in your company and show them that you are committed to walking the talk. Focus on one, or maybe only two projects. Communicate the projects to the company. Explain how it ties into the Vision. Plan it, do it and celebrate it. Kotter talks about short term wins as more than luck. I have always known luck as an opportunity coming together with preparation. Short term wins come about through planning, organizing and implementing the plan to make things happen. The point is to make sure that visible results lend sufficient credibility to the change effort, which includes creating a focused organization.

Have you picked your one or two projects that will give you the early victories you need to sustain changed? Have you planned them before you started doing them? Have you communicated these to the organization?

“Discipline is remembering what you want.” Our organizations will thank us if we maintain the discipline to focus and accomplish one or two things at a time. You will reach your summit (your vision) in time, one base camp at a time.

Have a great week!

Brian Nolan
610 449-2135
Visit Summit Services Website

Most service companies would love to be well known all over their city, even a large metropolitan area. In order for that to really happen, one would need a substantial marketing budget. Instead of trying to market all over your city, it is best to target your market closer into your key area. Take a look at where you do most of your work. Ask questions like, “Where do most of my leads come from?” and “Where do my most profitable jobs take place?” Look into the sizes of those cities or towns and see if there is enough work for a company of your size to dominate the area.  Instead of writing down your top 10 cities, start with 2 to 3. How can my company be the #1 painter, roofer, plumber in this city? After you answer these questions, begin doing research on how you can begin to build your brand awareness. Your budget should include some branding items such as: community events, association newsletters, little league, Boy Scout troops, yearbooks, marathons, chambers and so on.

By narrowing down your service area, you will begin to build a stronger brand and grow your company. As you grow, you can have goals to expand into other towns, but not until you are #1 in your key service areas.

How do you build brand awareness in your area now? What is working for you? A penny for your thoughts?

If you are an iPhone user like me, I don’t see the big reason to buy the $299 or $399 iPhones with more space. Why? Because many companies offer cloud (online) storage. The only reason to upgrade to a 32GB or 64GB iPhone device is to store more photos, videos and songs. Now, thanks to Google Music, there is a simple way to store all your music on Google’s servers (for free) and clean up your iPhone device for other important things. The steps below will work for Google’s Android phones too. Once complete, you can remove all music from your device!

1. Visit Google Music
2. Sign into your Google Account
3. Click on Upload Music (top right corner of screen)
4. Download Music Manager (free) and follow the steps to upload all or some of your music to Google Music (very simple)
5. Once completed, download the Android App or 3rd Party App for iPhone (free or paid version)
6. Once you download the App to your device, you just sign in to your google account and enjoy streaming music!

Save your money and enjoy more free storage! For photo storage, try either Dropbox, Egnyte, or iCloud.