Authors: Karen Mills
Today, President Obama signed a law that removes the expanded “1099” reporting requirement from the Affordable Care Act. This is a big win for small businesses.
Ask The Community: What Do You Think Of Registry Cleaners?
Authors: Bryce Whitty
If you read any tech blogs, chances are you have seen an ad for a Registry Cleaner at some point.
Registry Cleaners are an interesting issue because some Computer Technicians do a ‘registry clean’ as part of every system cleanup they do while others avoid them like the plague.
What do you think of registry cleaners?
Do you make use of one? If you do, which one? Do you see any noticeable improvements?
Do you believe the Windows registry never needs a ‘cleanup’ and you are more likely cause more problems than you will fix?
Tell us your opinion in the comment box below. If you are reading this via the newsletter, hit the Comments link to visit the site. You do not need to signup for anything to leave a comment and you can even comment anonymously.
Be sure to check back in a few days when I post the results.
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. Ask The Community: What Do You Think Of Registry Cleaners?
Ask The Community: What Do You Think Of Registry Cleaners?
Authors: Bryce Whitty
If you read any tech blogs, chances are you have seen an ad for a Registry Cleaner at some point.
Registry Cleaners are an interesting issue because some Computer Technicians do a ‘registry clean’ as part of every system cleanup they do while others avoid them like the plague.
What do you think of registry cleaners?
Do you make use of one? If you do, which one? Do you see any noticeable improvements?
Do you believe the Windows registry never needs a ‘cleanup’ and you are more likely cause more problems than you will fix?
Tell us your opinion in the comment box below. If you are reading this via the newsletter, hit the Comments link to visit the site. You do not need to signup for anything to leave a comment and you can even comment anonymously.
Be sure to check back in a few days when I post the results.
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their computer business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. Ask The Community: What Do You Think Of Registry Cleaners?
New Tech, Old Style: The Commodore 64 Returns
My very first computer was a Commodore. A Commodore PET, to be exact. It had a chicklet keyboard, a small monchrome CRT monitor, a cassette tape drive and a whopping 8k of memory.
It propelled me into the world – and the business – of computer technology.
That was early 1982. A few months later I was the proud owner of a Commodore VIC-20 and after its launch in autumn of that year, A Commodore 64.
The Commodore 64 opened a whole new world for me. I published newletters, owned and SYSOP’d local bulletin board systems (BBS), and started two businesses with it. And, of course, I played a few games. The Commodore 64 also introduced me to CompuServe and Quantumlink, the latter being the online service that would later become AOL.
I opened the first online shopping mall in Florida – Zeta Software – on a Commodore 64. It was a dial-up BBS based virtual shopping mall and it existed between 1985 and 1986, before the Internet was public. I also used my C-64 computer to publish a newsletter for the Association of Cinematic and Video Arts, an organization for film and video production based in Orlando, Florida, for nearly seven years.
I was a big Commodore fan. I joined the Central Florida Commodore User Group (CFCUG), served as an officer and librarian of its huge software archive and wrote applications for the C-64 and C128 using Commodore Basic.
I used my Commodore 64 computer to listen to and create musical compositions – SIDS, as they were called. I created low-res graphics and animation using the Commodore Graphics keys on the keyboard.
My Commodore 64 computer was relied on for both personal and business use. It opened doors for me that previously were not within reach and considering that, in some ways it even changed my life.
But as I made the most of it, the company that made it didn’t. It went away. And I moved on.
But now- it’s back!
Yes, the Commodore 64 is back, and, according to Commodore, (which is, amazingly, still around) better than ever. This nostalgic classic even sports its original shell in its original color. But it isn’t the same computer. It’s better. It’s been brought up to speed with today’s PC technology.
Inside the new C64 is a Dual Core 525 Atom processor on a mini-ITX PC motherboard with an Nvidia Ion2 graphics chipset, 2GB DDR RAM (expandable to 4 GB) and your choice of a Blu-Ray or DVD-RW drive. It also runs a version of Linux – Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.
The keyboard? It uses Cherry brand key switches for a classic IBM touch and click sound. The keys are the same color and shape as the original.
In spite of its modern upgrades, however, Commodore did not leave its history behind. The new Commodore 64 will also run 8-bit programs – including ALL of its library of 1980’s era programs written for the original C-64.
The basic version is now available for pre-order and sells for $595.
But that’s only the beginning.
The Amiga will also return. If that’s not enough, check out these concept images for future models on the slate for 2011. For a closer look at the new Commodore 64, visit commodoreusa.net.
Welcome back, Commodore. What took you so long?
Contractors Networking Teaming Opportunities Forum
Authors: Mitalis
Save the date!
May 9, 2011
Location:
EPCC Admin Services Center
9050 Viscount Blvd., Bldg. A
El Paso, TX 79925
Attention: ALL INTERESTED SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTORS
New Videos to Help Small Businesses Export
Authors: Marie Johns
President Obama set an ambitious, yet attainable goal of doubling US exports by 2015, and small businesses are leading the way. Often, the only tools a business needs to
My Top Lessons Learned as a Computer Technician
Authors: Bryce Whitty
In this post I will share with you some information that I have learned that makes me the business man I am today. These lessons include automation and delegation, the usefulness of operation manuals, being effective, specializing and how to deal with competitors. These are not lessons learned the hard way which I have posted about before, but rather things I have learned while trying to be better at what I do.
Eliminate, Automate or Delegate
When you first start out you will probably not have enough work to fill the day. As time rolls on your business will begin to consume more and more of your day until eventually there will come a point where you will struggle to find the time. Your time is finite and you can only work on so many computers a day. In order for you to grow you need to either automate or delegate.
You should think about your most common tasks in your business. Do you even need to be doing it? Can it be eliminated? If you need to do it, can it be automated? Software related work is ideal for automation. For example, Windows reinstalls take a fair bit of time and require someone to be there to press Next, Next, Next. You can automate this process by creating an unattended install CD using something like vLite to install Windows, use Offline Update for the Windows patches, Fabs Autobackup 4 Tech to migrate the data and Ninite Pro to reinstall the applications . All of these support command line so you could create a batch file or an AutoIT script to do it all for you. If you don’t know how to script, Technibble has a fantastic scripting community on the forums that is only visible to members who have been on the forums for a while. You can look at some existing scripts there or perhaps pay someone to create something for you.
Of course, not every task can be eliminated or automated so you have to delegate. You can take on in-house staff or outsource the work. In either case, creating operations manuals is key. It allows others to work and make decisions in the same way you would. Essentially replacing yourself. This leads me onto my next topic.
Operations Manuals
I am a technician. I like to do things myself, my way. It’s in the technician nature. However, as I got more busy I had to take myself out of the technician mindset and more into the business owner mindset. I had to start outsourcing. The problem was I had very specific ways to deal with things and I needed to make sure that it was always done that way. Even here on the Technibble forums, the place grew much faster than I could deal with myself. I still moderate on the forums but now I have a fantastic group of volunteers helping me out. I couldn’t do it without them. Two of the mods had been around long enough that we developed the rules for both users and mods as time went on, but with the most recent take up of mods I realized I even needed an operations manual for that. It covers many of the situations that a moderator can expect but it is always expanding as various situations arise. The operations manual for your business will also expand so it should be in an editable format. Wiki software like Dokuwiki works nice if you have a few employees and you need to manage permissions. However, if you dont mind employees seeing all parts of the manual, a word document is fine.
Being Effective
I touched on this a little bit when I was on a Podnutz show a few weeks ago. Basically, you can spend your whole day “working” and turning the wheels but dont actually get much done. I personally used to get in these bad loops where I would check emails, read sites, do some computer work, come back, check emails etc..
I honestly didnt need to check my emails every half hour. Even worse was every time I did it and there was something to respond to, I had to deal with it then. I was constantly responding to things rather than doing some productive. You also need to keep in mind that there are lead up times in every task you do as well. You really see this when someone keeps distracting you at work and it takes you a few minutes to get back into what you were doing.
I managed to break my “being busy for the sake of being busy” habit and got my email checking down to about once or twice a day. I would deal with them all at once and I would be done for the day. My mind was clear to work on something else productive.
When I have a lot of things on my to-do list, I ask myself which of them is the most important, which will make the most difference. In most cases if I have a clients computer on the bench, that is the most important thing to do since my customers are my source of income.
I might have had cleaning up my workshop on the to-do list which would allow me to be more efficient while working. However, if I also had “change my advertising” on my to-do list this week, it becomes my second priority over cleaning up my workshop. Its so easy to “be busy for the sake of being busy” but in the end you need to focus on what makes you money. Sure, cleaning up my workshop will make me more efficient and being more efficient will eventually help me make more money, but fixing my clients computer right now and fixing up my advertising will make me more money quicker. Be effective.
Consider Specializing
If your area has a lot of businesses doing similar to what you are doing, consider specializing. I was speaking to a technician (@SMDSteve) on Podnutz a few weeks ago who focuses on doing Laptop DC Jack repairs. Instead of battling it out with his local competitors, he now has his competitors sending HIM work. This leads me to my next point.
Competitors
Traditional thinking makes you think that your competitors are the enemy and you hope they go out of business. However, it is far more powerful to ally with your competitors rather than to do battle with them. Do they do something you dont do (like laptop repairs) and vice versa? Can you refer to work to eachother? If you cant find a mutually beneficial situation or your competitors are hell bent on destroying you, the best way to compete is by simply being better.
I know this sounds obvious but what I mean is dont negative advertise against them (“Our prices are half that of competitor X’s”) or do any dirty tricks to steal customers. Just be better and the customers will eventually come to you. I often get asked by technicians about how to compete with the big box stores or the guy down the street with really low prices. The answer is dont. Just be better. Have better service, be quicker, keep the customer in the loop, focus on refining your advertising and your internal systems. In the end it wont matter about your prices. The quality of your work will defeat the big box stores and the cheap guy down the street.
Last but not least in regards to competitors, once you become the best in your area, dont stop. Keep improving and your competitors will have a hard time catching up.
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. My Top Lessons Learned as a Computer Technician
My Top Lessons Learned as a Computer Technician
Authors: Bryce Whitty
In this post I will share with you some information that I have learned that makes me the business man I am today. These lessons include automation and delegation, the usefulness of operation manuals, being effective, specializing and how to deal with competitors. These are not lessons learned the hard way which I have posted about before, but rather things I have learned while trying to be better at what I do.
Eliminate, Automate or Delegate
When you first start out you will probably not have enough work to fill the day. As time rolls on your business will begin to consume more and more of your day until eventually there will come a point where you will struggle to find the time. Your time is finite and you can only work on so many computers a day. In order for you to grow you need to either automate or delegate.
You should think about your most common tasks in your business. Do you even need to be doing it? Can it be eliminated? If you need to do it, can it be automated? Software related work is ideal for automation. For example, Windows reinstalls take a fair bit of time and require someone to be there to press Next, Next, Next. You can automate this process by creating an unattended install CD using something like vLite to install Windows, use Offline Update for the Windows patches, Fabs Autobackup 4 Tech to migrate the data and Ninite Pro to reinstall the applications . All of these support command line so you could create a batch file or an AutoIT script to do it all for you. If you don’t know how to script, Technibble has a fantastic scripting community on the forums that is only visible to members who have been on the forums for a while. You can look at some existing scripts there or perhaps pay someone to create something for you.
Of course, not every task can be eliminated or automated so you have to delegate. You can take on in-house staff or outsource the work. In either case, creating operations manuals is key. It allows others to work and make decisions in the same way you would. Essentially replacing yourself. This leads me onto my next topic.
Operations Manuals
I am a technician. I like to do things myself, my way. It’s in the technician nature. However, as I got more busy I had to take myself out of the technician mindset and more into the business owner mindset. I had to start outsourcing. The problem was I had very specific ways to deal with things and I needed to make sure that it was always done that way. Even here on the Technibble forums, the place grew much faster than I could deal with myself. I still moderate on the forums but now I have a fantastic group of volunteers helping me out. I couldn’t do it without them. Two of the mods had been around long enough that we developed the rules for both users and mods as time went on, but with the most recent take up of mods I realized I even needed an operations manual for that. It covers many of the situations that a moderator can expect but it is always expanding as various situations arise. The operations manual for your business will also expand so it should be in an editable format. Wiki software like Dokuwiki works nice if you have a few employees and you need to manage permissions. However, if you dont mind employees seeing all parts of the manual, a word document is fine.
Being Effective
I touched on this a little bit when I was on a Podnutz show a few weeks ago. Basically, you can spend your whole day “working” and turning the wheels but dont actually get much done. I personally used to get in these bad loops where I would check emails, read sites, do some computer work, come back, check emails etc..
I honestly didnt need to check my emails every half hour. Even worse was every time I did it and there was something to respond to, I had to deal with it then. I was constantly responding to things rather than doing some productive. You also need to keep in mind that there are lead up times in every task you do as well. You really see this when someone keeps distracting you at work and it takes you a few minutes to get back into what you were doing.
I managed to break my “being busy for the sake of being busy” habit and got my email checking down to about once or twice a day. I would deal with them all at once and I would be done for the day. My mind was clear to work on something else productive.
When I have a lot of things on my to-do list, I ask myself which of them is the most important, which will make the most difference. In most cases if I have a clients computer on the bench, that is the most important thing to do since my customers are my source of income.
I might have had cleaning up my workshop on the to-do list which would allow me to be more efficient while working. However, if I also had “change my advertising” on my to-do list this week, it becomes my second priority over cleaning up my workshop. Its so easy to “be busy for the sake of being busy” but in the end you need to focus on what makes you money. Sure, cleaning up my workshop will make me more efficient and being more efficient will eventually help me make more money, but fixing my clients computer right now and fixing up my advertising will make me more money quicker. Be effective.
Consider Specializing
If your area has a lot of businesses doing similar to what you are doing, consider specializing. I was speaking to a technician (@SMDSteve) on Podnutz a few weeks ago who focuses on doing Laptop DC Jack repairs. Instead of battling it out with his local competitors, he now has his competitors sending HIM work. This leads me to my next point.
Competitors
Traditional thinking makes you think that your competitors are the enemy and you hope they go out of business. However, it is far more powerful to ally with your competitors rather than to do battle with them. Do they do something you dont do (like laptop repairs) and vice versa? Can you refer to work to eachother? If you cant find a mutually beneficial situation or your competitors are hell bent on destroying you, the best way to compete is by simply being better.
I know this sounds obvious but what I mean is dont negative advertise against them (“Our prices are half that of competitor X’s”) or do any dirty tricks to steal customers. Just be better and the customers will eventually come to you. I often get asked by technicians about how to compete with the big box stores or the guy down the street with really low prices. The answer is dont. Just be better. Have better service, be quicker, keep the customer in the loop, focus on refining your advertising and your internal systems. In the end it wont matter about your prices. The quality of your work will defeat the big box stores and the cheap guy down the street.
Last but not least in regards to competitors, once you become the best in your area, dont stop. Keep improving and your competitors will have a hard time catching up.
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their computer business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. My Top Lessons Learned as a Computer Technician
New OnForce Contract and Insurance Requirements Go Into Effect Today – Pros are PO’d
Beginning today, OnForce, a web based IT service platform. will now require service technicians (or “Pros” as they are now called) to carry liablity insurance, Errors and Omissions insurance, and Worker’s Compensation to accept and complete work orders on their platform.
Pros who have their own insurance will be required to submit a Certificate of Insurance to the company in order to perform work. Those who do not have insurance will be charged a percentage based fee for each type of insurance needed, totaling up to 4.7% of the total amount of the work order, including parts and taxes. This 4.7% increase is added to the 10% fee the company already takes off the top of the total work order payment due to the Pros for services performed for an Onforce client or “Buyer”.
OnForce initially claimed the new insurance policy was necessary to please its Buyers, and was instituted at the Buyers’ request. However, after further clarification the company admitted no Buyers specifically pressed the company for such a requirement and the new policy was enacted to entice more Buyers to join OnForce and use the service.
The new policy was not received well by OnForce techs and many voiced their objections online in the OnForce forums and Facebook group, questioning both the integrity and the legality of the new policy and fees. Some techs who were outraged by the new fees are refusing to accept the new terms and said they planned to stop accepting work orders altogether. A few Pros threatened to close their OnForce accounts permanently and move to other platforms, such as Work Market.
Discussions and objections about the new policy have sinced moved off the OnForce platform altogether and spilled into other venues, such as The Force Field Forums, publicly viewable tech blogs and at least one web site for consumer complaints. There are currently more than a half dozen very active discussions taking place now in the private member areas of The Force Field Forums discussing the new policy fees from both Pro and Buyer sides of the issue.
The dissention in the forums, blog comments and Facebook posts reflect an increased level of frustration among service technicians with the OnForce service platform. A growing number of Pros are beginning to feel disenfranchised and believe OnForce is treating them more like employees than independent contractors. Indeed, OnForce management has since clarified its relationship with Pros by no longer referring to them as Independent Contractors, but as sub-contractors, which changes the entire game for many techs.
Although it is still too early to tell whether or not the company’s new strategy will work in their favor and bring them new business, it is clear that more than a few Pros do not consider the new contract, fees and relationship with OnForce as beneficial or profitable for them or their businesses in the short and the long term.
If you’re an OnForce Pro, will you accept the new contract? How do you think the new policy and sub-contractor relationship will affect the way you do business through OnForce?
Episode 49 – Opening a Computer Store Part 3
Today we will continue our discussion with an IT service provider who opened his own computer store and find out what it can cost to set up an real brick and mortar store of your own.
TechPodcasts Promo Tag :10
Intro 1:17
Billboard :30
News and Comment segment 9:19
A new online web based service platform called Work Market has just been launched in beta and is now actively recruiting techs.Join Work Market.
Linux From Scratch is offering a FREE 318 page ebook called – Linux From Scratch. To receive your FREE eBook go to http://theforcefield.tradepub.com/free/w_linu01/?p=w_linu01.
Mozilla reported 7.1 million downloads of its new Firefox 4 browser within the first 24 hours after launch. Firefox 4 can be downloaded FREE at www.mozilla.com.
OnForce announced that it will now require techs on their platform to carry Liability insurance, Errors and Omissions insurance and Worker’s Comp by April 3 – and charge them for it if they don’t.
Commercial Break 2:36
The Force Field Web Portal TheForceField.Net 1:00
Intro to Topic 1:53
Today we’ll continue our discussion with Pat Palmer of The Computer Guy and learn more about how he opened his store. We’ll learn how he utilized floor space in more than one way to maximize his investment, some of the costs involved in setting up the store and how inventory management can make or break your bottom line. Part three of a six part series.
Interview with Pat Palmer 17:56
Part 4 Teaser :27
Wrap up and Close :46
Comments, questions or suggestions? Send them in to comments@theforcefield.net. Feedback on this topic will be read by the host and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at http://www.theforcefield.net!
©2011 Savoia Computer. All rights reserved.