A David Creation

I am one of those business guys who is embracing Cloud Computing. I like it and see a lot of benefits to how it can make a small business more productive away from a physical office. I like how I can run out to meet a client, take my laptop, fire up my browser and have an identical appearance as my large desktop computer in seconds. I like how saving and sharing files is made easy, and I spend less time waiting for things to load and save. Although the Cloud is still in its infantile state, is is here to stay. I believe every business should begin taking babysteps to embrace the Cloud and yet still be cautious at the same time. Let me tell you how I use the Cloud for my business and how I remain cautious.

What I use for my business:

• Macbook Air, iPhone, iPad & iMac
• Tablet PC (when I need a PC)
• Google Chrome and Firefox Browsers with their auto sync functions (Cloud)
• Google Apps for Business (email, contacts, calendar & docs) (Cloud)
• A copy of Microsoft Word and Excel on my harddrive although documents are saved online)
• Photoshop (again, copies saved online & backed up)
• Dropbox for files sharing and online storage. (Cloud)
• Freshbooks (Cloud)
• Google Voice
• Highrise and Basecamp for CRM & Project Management from 37 signals (Cloud)
• External Harddrive*

The last item I mentioned is the key: *an external harddrive. It is pretty safe to say that Cloud storage and usage is safe, especially if it is a well known and trusted company like Dropbox. However, Cloud Computing still requires a physical location somewhere. This means that although our data is being backup “in the clouds” it is being backed up somewhere offsite, to a large server somewhere in the world. The reason this is a good thing is that your physical computers are not being data hogs and will generally run and operate at a higher performance. Also computers that run off a physical server tend to be a little slower. But, to be extra cautious with your data, financial documents, passwords and even pictures, I would recommend still backing up these items to an external harddrive. These harddrives are dirt cheap now. You can buy a 350 GB harddrive for probably $60-70. Do a backup everyday, week or month and you can then rest assured that if there ever was a problem with the Cloud, God forbid, you’d have a backup copy. Also, if you use an online CRM program, I’d recommend doing an export of your data every so often. This is good not only if something ever happens but even if there is a human error. For example, if someone in your office accidentally deletes a contact or a group of contacts, you can then import them back in if you are regularly doing your own backups.

So the bottom line, be a little cautious with Cloud Computing in these early stages and backup your data regularly. How has your business embraced Cloud Computing and what steps have you taken to protect your data?

My primary service is being a marketing manager and keeping service companies accountable with their marketing and customer service. My secondary service, which ends up being more of a hobby, is testing out cloud computing programs and mobile applications for contractors. Small business contractors tend to be on the road a lot these days trying to stir up work. Many of them use their time wisely by listening to books on tap and podcast, which I highly recommend. However, if you are like me, I sometimes like to use those short trips to do nothing productive but listen to good music. So what are the three top music mobile apps that I’ve used? I will list them in order of my top choice to third choice.

#1 Grooveshark 

Grooveshark works primarily on a Blackberry or Android platform. It can work on an iPhone, but the iPhone must be “jailbroken.” What does that mean? It is easy to do but complicated to explain in this blog post. If you really want it on your iPhone, shoot me an email and I’ll tell you how to get it on there: it is free and easy to do. Grooveshark lets you choose what songs you want to listen to. Once you select the song, you can create your own playlist. It takes a bit more work using Grooveshark because you have to manual put all the songs you’d like together. I tend to go through phases where I listen to 20 or so songs a hundred times. So for me, Grooveshark is perfect. I have a couple of favorite playlist that I play often. Once I get tired of those songs, I create another playlist. The only downside to Grooveshark is the monthly cost. It is free if you use it on your desktop computer, but if you want it on your phone, it is about $9 a month. Good app, definitely cheaper than just buying individual songs from iTunes, if you really like music!

#2 Jango 

Jango has recently introduced their own mobile apps to the Android and iPhone communities. I have been waiting for this App for about a year. I have not tested this App on the Android but use it on my iPhone. Although I like Grooveshark when selecting individual songs, Jango does an excellent job helping me select a good playlist. How it works: I choose an artist. Jango then gives me a list of similar artist. I then tell it whether I want to play more or less of those artist. Once I’ve built my desired artist, it will begin playing them. I then begin to rate whether I like the song and/or artist (like Pandora). If I don’t like a song, it will tell me it won’t ever play it again and will then ask if I want to continue playing music from that artist. It is pretty intelligent, because sometimes, I don’t like all the artist on a certain “station” that I created. Jango is still new to me, but so far, I really like it. The songs it is playing are pretty much right to my liking. The good part: it is still free!

#3 Pandora

I was a huge fan of Pandora when it was released. I wondered who the heck could ever compete with this company. I would play Pandora at my house, computer and car whenever I could. Grooveshark and Jango have truly done an awesome job in my book moving ahead of Pandora because of the customization features. Pandora is still a great App, simple and easy to use.

The only downside I’ve experienced with it is it is not so customizable. It also tends to play the same songs several times in a short timespan. Do I still use Pandora? Yes but not as much as the other two apps. My wife still is use to Pandora and plays it primarily. That is only because I have not introduced her to Jango!

What do you guys use on the road? Anything I’m missing that should be on the list? I’ve yet to try Rhapsody, though it sounds very similar to Grooveshark and is $9.99 a month.

Since this blog is about contractor videos, I thought I better practice what I preach! So take a few minutes and watch my informal video blog on the importance of contractors having a video.

Contractor Video Blog

Also, in the video I mention the awesome example of River Pools & Spas latest video, “Can A FIberglass Pool Be Completely Installed in One Day Video“. Watch this video next.

I get asked weekly from contractors if their companies should move to the clouds and ditch their physical servers. I have a medium size painting client in Wisconsin who is spending $700 a month keeping his server and computers active. If you only have 5 people in your office and are spending $700 a month for online backups, remote access, file storage on a server, what would you do? Probably the same as this client. He is moving his business to the clouds. I thought I’d create a simple checklist for other contractors to look over as they ponder whether it would be a good move to have an office in the clouds.

What is Cloud Computing?

Just for clarification, the words “Cloud-based,” “Cloud computing,” or “Office in the clouds” simply means a virtual office or programs running without software but hosted online. Google Calendar and Gmail are cloud-based as you need to access the Internet to use them. If you have a stable Internet connection, cloud programs are stable, easy to use, and do not slow down your computer. You can also access them from any computer in the world.

The Office in a Cloud Check List

If you have a small service business with 1 to 10 employees working remotely or at an office, this is the checklist I’d use to get started:

1. Access and Store Your Office Files: Egynte or Dropbox (My comments: These programs offer: Online Backup, File Sharing, Editing: basically an online MS Exchange Server for files. I personally use Dropbox and love it. )
2. Mobile Device: iPhone (don’t settle for a Droid or Blackberry. The iPhone works great with Google Apps)
3. Calendar, Email & Document Editing: Sign up for Google Apps Premier: $50 a year per user / Works with Outlook if you don’t want to move away from using MS Outlook
4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM):Pipeline Deals CRM (My comments: Pipeline Deals works very well with Google Calendar and Contacts. I personally use 37 Signals Highrise. There are pros and cons to each. So email me if you have a specific question about your CRM needs.)
5. A Copy of MS Office or Openoffice: Although Google Documents is good, MS Word and Excel are better. So I’d still keep a non-cloud MS Office installed on your computers. Open Office, by Sun Microsystems, is an alternative to MS Office. It is free and works just like Word, Excel and Powerpoint. It just doesn’t have the cool graphics and look.
6. Finance: Quickbooks Online
7. Printer Sharing: There are a number of cloud based printer hosting options, but I have not used them. The easiest solution I’ve found is to create a printing network at your office, probably like you currently have setup. If you have a Mac at your office, creating a printer-shared environment takes just minutes: even if you have PCs mixed into the bunch. The PC machines just need to install a program called Bonjour Print Services.

Optional Items

1. Schedule Program (accept online appointments): YouCanBook.me works the best with Google Calendar.
2. Mac Computer: Macs run faster and require less fixing/maintenance. You can install a program called Fusion3 that allows you to operate Windows applications on a Mac. When switching to the clouds, you’ll have less reasons to run Windows programs. However, MS Excel, is still much better on a PC. So if you are creating complicated spreadsheets or use Excel for estimating, Windows is still a good thing to have on hand! The Macs are just an easier machine to operate and are fun too! My favorites are the iMac and Macbook Air.
3. Project Management Software: 37 Signals Basecamp (inexpensive and easy to use for managing projects. A more advanced option that works very well but cost more is called BlueFolder. Bluefolder is more of a full service management software. You can schedule appointments, service calls, follow ups, assign technicians etc. For most painting and remodeling businesses, this program might be too advanced.)

Cost for Cloud Computing

The cost for cloud computing is very inexpensive. For example, Google Apps for Business is Free. The paid version gives you a little more features at $50 per user/per year. I have used the free version for over 2 years and will be switching to the Premier version this year. The cost to setup Google Apps varies depending on who you hire and the training you receive. Sometimes the setup can be as little as $200-300 (without training and file transferring). Pipeline Deals CRM runs $15 per user/per month. Egynte starts at around $25 a month for online storage, sharing and backups. Dropbox for Teams starts at around $65 a month. This is just a sampling of the cost. As you can see, it really is a smart choice. You can spend more time being productive and less time fixing computer problems.

Your Comments and Thoughts?

Is your office in the clouds? If not, are you planning to move soon? What programs have you looked into and are you happy with your decisions? Please feel free to share your experience with Cloud computing and email me if you have a question.

I’ve been using Twitter quite a bit more the past year. I preferred Facebook because it was not so fast pace as Twitter, but Facebook just was not very business friendly. For example, if I commented on a business page, it would always leave my comment as my name, not my business. On Twitter, I could post as my business! This was a nice feature as I could have employees do the same thing. Well, my frustrations with Facebook lacking good business tools may have changed starting today! Why? Facebook just released a brand new business page profile view and features. Everything that frustrated me seems to have been addressed and changed for the good. I can now switch between business and personal just by clicking a button on the navigation bar. I can now “like” and “comment” as my company, A David Creation, not ME. At times, I’ll still want to comment and share as ME, so I can click a button and comment as ME!

Why is this a good thing? It makes growing your fan base a lot easier. When you comment as YOU, not a business, people can click on your profile and become a friend. Maybe you don’t want to be friends with them on a personal level. Maybe you only want to be a “business acquaintance.” That is why commenting as your business name is so much better (keep business and personal separate). Now a company will see your comment as a business, click on your “profile” and be taking to your Facebook Business Page, not your personal friend page. I am friends with most of my clients on a “personal” level already and will continue to be! BUT these new Facebook features basically makes it a piece of cake to get your name out there to more prospects.

Assuming the new changes are bug free and are here to stay, I’ll be spending less time on Twitter and more on Facebook, because it is so much less intense for me. It is clean and organized. Twitter can make your head spin!

I am in the beginning stages of testing all the features out, but so far, I’m very happy with this update! What do you think? Are you happy with the new look and features?  Do you think Twitter will suffer because of these new updates?

It’s like the classic debate over Chevys and Fords: which phone is the best? Almost every business owner I’ve had contact with in the last year now carries a smartphone everywhere, and everyone is watching the market and comparing phones. The three biggest competitors are the iPhone, the Android, and the Blackberry. I can’t review the new Windows Phone, since I haven’t yet had my hands on one, but I have spent time “behind the wheel” of each of the big three, and here is what I’ve found:

Blackberry

For many years Blackberry was the smartphone of choice for corporate America because of their easy integration with Microsoft Exchange and other custom servers. Although Palm and Microsoft have introduced solid non-corporate competitors to the market, Blackberry has continued to dominate. Blackberry has always been a great device for its ability to check and send email, consult and update calendars, and, of course, make and receive calls at any time from nearly any place. Blackberry received many negative reviews from users, however, for the poor internet browser and other awkward programs.

In an effort to keep ahead in the competition, Blackberry has tried out a series of new phones, including Verizon’s Storm 1 and 2, which were flops. The Blackberry Curve and Bold were more popular options because of the easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard and their well-known trackball. And now as AT&T may be losing its grip on the Apple iPhone, Blackberry has introduced a promising new horse to the race: the Blackberry Torch is their best touchscreen yet, and its internet browser is much improved. I would not be surprised to see the Torch racing neck-and-neck with its two closest rivals.

iPhone

Apple hit a grand slam three years ago when they first released the iPhone: reviewers were speechless and everyone was craning their necks (and fingers) to get a glimpse (or touch) of one. Ever since the iPhone’s arrival they have been rapidly taking over the market share, even in corporate offices. Now that many companies are changing over to cloud computing (storage and access of business files and programs online instead of on-site), the iPhone is the phone of choice. They have designed the phone so that connecting to an exchange server or Google Apps is as easy as (Apple) pie! What’s more, Apple was the maverick in creating the App Store: with more than 250,000 apps available for business and personal use, they are in a class of their own. In addition, the Apple iPhone is well organized and easily adapted for business purposes.

The iPhone’s touch screen can take a little getting used-to, but it can be mastered in a very short time, and it is a truly unique and pleasant experience. My parents, for example, who are die-hard Verizon users, love Apple products but won’t switch to AT&T. They decided to try their fingers on Apple’s iPod Touch to see if they could get used to the full touchscreen. Even my baby-boomer parents, after a couple short weeks, love their Touch and can’t wait for Verizon to get the iPhone.

Android

Google’s Android is the final smartphone that can be effectively used for business, and it is truly a remarkable device. Most Android phones provide an experience very similar to the iPhone, and Google has actually developed its own cult following of those who feel the Android is better than Apple’s champion. I would disagree—I think the iPhone is better—but for those who have never tried other smartphones, it is easy to understand why they would love the fun, smooth, easy-to-use Android. Google is also making quick progress in their own App creations, second only to Apple.

The Verdict:

For the small-business types who want the best phone to connect and organize their work and home life, I have to say that the iPhone takes first place for the ease of use and the number of quality apps, and the many programs that sync to it. In fact, the iPhone is even superior in its ability to use social media! For example, iPhone’s Facebook app allows a user to update a business page, while on the Android this isn’t currently possible. Also, as new programs are developed in the cloud-based CRM world, Apps are developed for Apple first, before Android and Blackberry. Finally, the iPhone is less busy with the new method of organizing apps.

Although I like the look and feel of the Android, I would still give Blackberry the number two spot. Its setup for email and calendar are simple and have very few bugs. In the end, however, all three are excellent phones, and many businesspeople will continue to make great use of the first phone they started out with. But if you are willing to try and learn something new, you might be surprised by how much more you like something else.

A few weeks ago, Pipeline Deals released a new featured called “Goals” which is just outstanding. It is one of the few CRM programs that has this feature. Goal setting for a salesman is key to his or her success. It is also crucial for a sales manager or the business owner so he too can keep track of his estimators and sales team. By using the new “Goals” tab, an owner can set weekly, monthly or annual sales goals along with prospecting goals. I like the prospecting goal idea too. You can create a goal for your sales person to get 10 new business contacts a week or write 20 thank you notes per month or knock on 5 doors a day! Then you can keep track of his or her progress. How cool is that?

About Pipeline Deals

I’ve been using Pipeline Deals for a number of months now. I like some of the bigger companies, Salesforce and Zoho but found Pipeline to be simple, easy to use and affordable. Another reason I selected Pipeline is the two-way sync with Google Calendar and Contacts, which I use all the time. Their support team is also incredible. Pipeline CRM is a scaled down Customer Relationship Management program built for small to medium size businesses.

Future Request

What I’d love to see in future updates are the following:

• A native App for Smartphones. I really don’t like using the Mobile Web App. It is very buggy.
• Make Contacts easier to look up on every page of Pipeline. Right now, I have to do a couple clicks. I’d like to be able to do a quick find of clients
• Quick view of documents. I upload my notes and documents to Dropbox and have begun keeping a copy in each customer’s “folder.” However, when I click to view a document, it wants me to download it. I don’t want to do that. I’d rather just see a snapshot of the document to review notes: similar to Google Docs or Mac’s Preview
• Integrate with Google Voice, not just Skype
• More integration with forwarding emails automatically
• Better Integration with Google Contacts (Right now each new email I get creates a new contact)
• Update the Calendar functions and Task to make it more user-friendly like (Google Calendar) Right now too many clicks and typing. The task need to have reminders too (Mobile version)

The HP Slate will be released to consumers the first week of November, and I’m anxious to see how this new tool can help service companies be more productive and sell more work. The released price for the HP Slate starts at $799. Expect to spend a minimum of $900 with shipping and a few extras and possibly as much as $1200 after you install MS Office.

The HP Slate is nothing like the Apple iPad. I purchased an iPad shortly after it was released thinking that it would be the next small business Tablet. It was not! Although I loved the iPad, I sold it, because it was just a big toy, and I have enough gadgets. The iPad operated off of Apps (Applications) not standard desktop software. The HP Slate, on the other hand, will operate similar to a standard desktop computer. In my opinion, that alone will blow the Apple iPad away by making it a priceless tool for a service company. My only concern about the new HP Slate is this: It is a PC running Windows! I’m really concerned that after 6 months, your once fast HP Tablet will be booting up and running at the speed of a turtle who ate a bottle of sleeping pills. I hope I’m wrong on this one!

So, give the HP Slate a try and let me know what you think. So far, it sounds like a good investment.

A Quick Background on my Tablet PC experience

Tablet computers have been out for close to 10 years, but have had 2 major problems: 1) They are very expensive and 2) Not very reliable. Despite these drawbacks, Tablet PCs have made service companies a lot of money by saving them time! I purchased my first Tablet PC in 2004 to help streamline my estimating process while working for my father’s painting business. Pre-Tablet days, I’d do a takeoff with pen and paper, drive back to the office, type in my numbers into Excel, print out the estimate and mail it or hand-deliver it to the prospect. Phew, just typing that sentence makes me tired! Anyways, when I got my Toshiba Tablet, I was able to do my takeoff, show a consumer the price and even get them to sign the proposal right on the screen, saving me 1 possibly 2 hours per estimate. A few years later, I upgraded to the smallest Tablet at the time, a Motion Computing 800. To this day, I still like that device. It was about the same size of the new HP Slate but very heavy and unreliable. My machine cost almost $3000 and broke on 2-3 occasions.

Accepting credit cards using your iPhone, Blackberry or Android phones have been available for a number of years using specific apps. However, not to 2010 did a nifty program and product become available to small businesses: Square. Square is a tiny device that plugs into your phone’s auxiliary port and enables a user to swipe a consumer’s credit card, have them sign their signature and even sends an emailed receipt. The neat thing about Square is there are no monthly fees. So if you are not doing a lot of credit card swipes, Square is definitely worth considering. The software and Square device are completely free. You only pay a $.15 transaction fee plus around 2.7% to your friends at VISA, MasterCard, and so on.

One draw back is the transaction percentage. I use Authorize.net for my credit card transactions and my local bank: PNC. I pay around 2.3% for my fees and have a monthly fee of around $40. I’ve shopped around a bit but am comfortable at this rate for now. By using Square, I’d pay a little more, but again…you don’t want to have to wait for your money too long. If you have something that takes credit cards, chances are you’ll get paid on the spot. So, if you are a small business and need to get paid, use the Square.  This can be a great tool for estimators who need to get a deposit right away to secure a contract. Learn more about Square (started by the guy who created Twitter)

I’ve been keeping an eye on some full scale CRM programs in the cloud and a number of simple and less complicated CRMs for small business for many months now and have some exciting news to report. Pipeline Deals, a simple and easy to use CRM for small business, finally made a big change to their cloud-based CRM. They integrated a two-way sync with Google Contacts and Calendar. They are also on the Google Marketplace, making signing in a cinch. A two-way sync makes Pipeline Deals miles ahead of most other online Customer Relationship Management systems. I am surprised that Zoho, Tactile, Highrise, Batchbooks and most other companies have not integrated a two way sync.

So why is this such exciting news for small business? If you are like me, I’ve completed switched from Microsoft products to a Cloud-based business. My business is run using the following: a Mac, an iPhone, Google Apps, Dropbox and 37Signals’ Basecamp. I did not use a CRM, because nothing synced well with my “Office in the Clouds.” I’ve been testing out Pipeline Deals CRM and so far…so good! I can make an appointment with Google Calendar, and it shows up in my Pipeline CRM account. Also, if I create a new contact on my iPhone, that syncs to Google Calendar, which then syncs to Pipeline Deals.

I must add 4 items for my Pipeline wish list to make it an almost perfect program:

1. I’d love to see a Native iPhone and Android App, and not web-based. The current mobile version does work well but has its limits. The scheduling of an appointments do not work well on Pipeline’s mobile version, for example. But now I can just continue to use Google Calendar!
2. Make the flow of creating a new lead to customer easier (currently a bit confusing where to start and enter data).
3. Creating and managing deals (opportunities) are a bit confusing as well. I’d stick to what people are familiar with: Opportunities. I’m still figuring out how to use “deals”
4. Make the Mobile Version’s activities (events) with more details: location, time, reminder, (like Google/Outlook details). It is currently more setup for “Task” that activities

All in all, Pipeline Deals is excellent for tracking your sales on the go! Now that it is one of the first to truly sync with Google Apps, it makes it my favorite! Pipeline will get my business, and I’ll stay with them…especially if they make my wishlist come true.

Get a copy for your estimator/salesperson today. It is only $15 a month!