Scout for Success

Thank You, Studs

Studs Terkel

Social Historian
 May 16, 1912 - October 31, 2008

• WFMT Radio - Best of Studs Terkel
• Official Studs Terkel Website sponsored by The Chicago Historical Society

Techtrepreneurs - Step Awaaaay From the Machine!

I recently added up the number of business-related hours that I have spent in front of my computer over the last couple of months.  I was surprised at the total. Like many small business owners who provide technology and Internet-related services I expected the number to be high, but not that high.  It occurred to me that I had not participated in any elective, non-computer related, purely personal interest activities for quite a while, so I decided it was time to break out of my rut and enjoy some real world, low-tech, meet-new-people time.

To accomplish that, last weekend I attended The Cozy Library Extravaganza at the Warren Newport Library in Gurnee, Illinois. The Cozy Library is a website I designed several years ago for my good friend and mentor, Diana Vickery. Immensely popular with readers, the site is devoted to her reviews, recommendations, author interviews and a wealth of other information related to the genre of cozy mysteries. (You can learn the definition of a cozy mystery by visiting the Cozy Library website.) The extravaganza was sponsored by the library and included an informal panel discussion of books, writing and writing techniques, along with anecdotes from eight visiting authors from around the country. It was fascinating to hear the personal stories of these authors, and learn more about what inspired their creativity and how they went about turning their ideas, plots, and characters into the written word.  I was surprised at how much the outlining, organizing and character development techniques varied from person to person.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three hours I spent at this event. I’ve been writing myself since I was a child, and continue to grow my business on a foundation of services related to writing.  I actually relished being away from my computer for an entire afternoon, and engaging with friends and acquaintances old and new to discuss books, authors, personal interests and writing in general.  I went home that day feeling refreshed, inspired, and fired up to continue pursuing my writing goals.  Though I know that most technical entrepreneurs, or techtrepreneurs, also have lives away from their workstations, I suspect that many of us have to make a concerted effort to fit these entertaining and purely social forays into our busy schedules.

I also believe that many entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially those who delve regularly into the blogosphere, enjoy and utilize the written word in their work.  Two books that I always keep close at hand are Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones - Freeing the Writer Within (1976) and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird - Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1994).  Many of you are likely already familiar with both works; for those aspiring writers who are not, I highly recommend them.  They each speak to the heart of writing, rather than dwelling on theory or technique.  Writing is about telling stories and communicating with others; as business owners we are constantly telling the story of what we have to offer, how we serve, what our products are, the why and how of what we do, and the benefits we offer our customers.  In an age of email and online written exchange of ideas, books like these can help to make you feel more confident about writing freely, and less self-conscious about expressing yourself and your ideas.

Copyright © Kimberly Washetas - 2008

Secret Service Systems for Successful Businesses

John R. DiJulius has written a book that I not only bought for myself, but have also gifted to a number of my own customers.  Secret Service is remarkable for both its common sense clarity and its numerous examples of real, household-name companies putting the principles defined in the book to work.  Sub-titled “Hidden Systems That Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service,” this is a book that delivers on its own promise, by providing ideas for ratcheting up the level of customer service that can be implemented by virtually every type of business.  DiJulius manages to be both informative and entertaining while he offers clear, concise descriptions of the actions successful businesses take to keep them number one with their customers.  You’ll be amazed at the simplicity of some of the policies and initiatives he describes. 

DiJulius is the president of a consulting firm specializing in customer service and marketing, and a longtime successful business owner himself.  In addition to addressing the needs of customers, he also goes the extra mile in recognizing the value of dedicated, engaged employees, providing sensible advice on training geared to encouraging teamwork and reducing turnover.  Highly recommended!

Revisiting The E-Myth Revisited

About four years ago, my friend Billy Cochrane and I were sharing driving duties on a 10-hour roadtrip from Jackson, Mississippi to a trade show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In addition to being a great friend, Billy is also one of my first ecommerce website customers (VintageKnives.com) and the van was loaded with his wares along with my marketing materials.  Having started our businesses around the same time, we spent a while talking about some of the entrepreneurial challenges we were both experiencing, before I suggested we take a listen to a CD audio-book I had purchased for the drive.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber turned out to be a revelation for both of us.  The sub-title might be a little daunting (Why Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It), but the advice turned out to be relevant and business-altering for both Billy and myself.  From growing pains to muddled systems to fear of leaving your comfort zone, the author dealt with these and other common small business issues in a straightforward way.  His examples and ideas about establishing systems and processes were insightful and helpful.  The chapter about working on your business, not in it, was especially thought provoking.

This is not high-falutin’ stuff.  Gerber uses a fictitious small business model to illustrate his points, but while the dialogue may seem simplistic to some, I found it easy to follow his concepts and thought processes.  Highly recommended for entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially those just starting up or in a quandry about what their “next steps” should be.  Also available in book form, but with time at a premium for most of us, the CDs were much easier to absorb.

Great Service Providers Online

Like many small business owners and entrepreneurs, I have a tendency to keep odd hours and workdays. That’s one of the reasons it’s very important to me to be able to rely on the service providers I utilize for my web-based applications, hosting services, and domain registration, no matter what the day or time.  Yes, it’s a 24-hour world and a majority of providers have some level of support around the clock - but the quality of service and wait time can vary greatly from company to company.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate in locating and working with some excellent online service providers. The list below represents just a few of them, and I’ll add others as the list grows:

DomainDiscover
DomainDiscover has been my registrar of choice for more than eight years.  Not only are their account management features user-friendly and intuitive, they have always been accessible whenever I needed them. That includes the middle of the night, weekends, the wee hours of the morning and even once on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Help staff is always reachable by phone within a very reasonable time frame, ever courteous and friendly.  I also appreciate the phone calls or voice messages (in addition to multiple email alerts) when one of my many domains is near to expiring.  AAA rating from Scout!

InMotion Hosting
New service provider for Scout, with the advent of this Scout for Success blog, and very impressed so far.  I like the walk-through video tutorials and the comprehensive knowledge base for self-help and delving into  new (for me) areas of of programming and file management.  Ever striving to be the ”good customer,” I nearly always fully explore the available online support before resorting to a phone call; when I did need to make a call, wait time was minimal and assistance was fast and friendly.  Another Scout AAA.

PayPal Merchant Account Services
My first experience with PayPal had been way back in the early days they were first starting, when (to the best of my recollection) you had to fax or snail mail an authorization in order to establish an account to pay PayPal-only online retailers through their accounts.  What a difference a few years and many leaps of technology make.  Now a boon to both neophyte and seasoned online merchants, PayPal brings a full menu of ecommerce transaction options to the masses, and provides solid customer support while they’re at it.  The PayPal merchant website generally does a good job of steering you through the basics of account set up and maintenance; the couple of occasions when I have needed to call them directly, support staff have been friendly and were able to answer all my questions without jumping up to the next help desk tier.  A solid AA rating from Scout.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking - Thumbs Up for Great Speech Recognition Software!

While I knew that the speech recognition program Dragon NaturallySpeaking had been around for a while, I was surprised to learn that it had originally been developed in the early 1980s. I’ve been considering buying the software for some time and finally ordered it last week.

The intuitive interface and the accuracy of the program are amazing. I foresee using this software tool more and more frequently in my work, primarily because it is so accurate. I actually created most of this post using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and I am getting more proficient every time I use it.

After installation, within about two hours I had mastered most of the dictation commands, corrections, editing and formatting functions. It’s best to do the set-up and training when you have some quiet time for yourself, as it does require concentration and you will want to practice. However, I can already tell that with each use it will become simpler and more natural to speak into the noise-canceling headset (comes with the software) and I’m looking forward to the increased productivity and the time savings that this product offers.

On a separate note, I wanted to learn more about Dragon NaturallySpeaking and other similar software because of the trend toward speech recognition in electronic records management, especially in the medical field. EMR, or Electronic Medical Records, will hopefully become the norm for the healthcare industry in the United States. I also foresee a need for qualified trainers who are familiar with these programs to provide specialized and accelerated instruction to physicians, nurses and other healthcare staffing personnel.  Definitely a Scout-recommended product!

The Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color

When I first started my own business, in addition to website design for my customers I was also producing all my own marketing collateral and promotional materials. This book was a lifesaver! Though I had always been artistic, I had no formal color training and knew very little about the psychology of color, its combinations and connotations. The book served as a fantastic resource for identifying color schemes for website designs, stationery, flyers and brochures. Author Leatrice Eiseman uses actual ad campaigns and full color photos to illustrate diverse concepts and combos, and there are pages and pages of sample palettes classified by theme: Serene, Earthy, Classic, Powerful, Elegant, Robust, Energetic, Playful, Traditional and more.

Not all small business owners have the need, inclination or time of their own to invest in development of marketing materials, and will outsource as needed. But if you’re a creative entrepreneur who relishes the challenge, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the visual elements and impact of the marketing pieces you are producing. Highly recommended.