Quick W.I.T.S.

Hey all, Things have gotten pretty hectic around here the last couple weeks. I have a couple of big projects due soon that I need to focus on, and it's also nearly the end of the year. I was planning to take a week or two off to spend time with the family anyway, but since I have these deadlines that have to be met, I've decided to increase that time off from the blog and posting to get everything done. As such, I'm putting the blog on hiatus until the new year. Have a great winter break, and I'll see you all again with new posts in January. To be clear: I am still working! If you need help with something, if you need web services or you're an existing customer, feel free to reach out to me the same as always. I am just temporarily suspending my social media activities. In all other respects, I am open for business. Thanks for your understanding. Have a great holiday! -- James

Hello, readers. Just a quick note to say I have some personal stuff to take care of this week, so there will be no blog post today. Normal posts will resume next week, and part three of Tools of the Trade will come out on Thursday, November 16th. Nothing's wrong! I'm just busy. Have a great weekend.

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that my old work laptop is dying, and I've been in the process of ordering a new one over the last month or so (covered previously in my  worst customer service ever  article). Well, good news! The shipping tracker says my new laptop should finally be arriving today or tomorrow. After all the hassle with the last new computer and its defective parts, I'm a little surprised to realize that I'm still excited to have the new machine, even though a part of me is exhausted from it all and just wants it to be over. Getting a new computer is a pretty huge ordeal... for computer nerds, anyway! We don't generally settle for machines that you just open the box and turn on, and you're done. There is a lot of customization that has to be done, optimizing components, installing the software programs we're used to using, getting used to new software already on the machine and deciding whether or not to keep it, etc. I expe...

This week in Tools of the Trade, we will be discussing project stakeholders - the key people in your company that will help you implement changes or fixes to your processes, programs, or business practices. If you're not sure how to identify the problems that require changes or fixes, be sure to check out our previous Tools of the Trade article, Process Mapping . What is a stakeholder? A stakeholder is, simply put, anyone at your company who has a role or a stake in the process you are working on improving or adding. They can be the employees who perform the actual work, employees who are affected by the work once it's done, employees who depend on the results of the work to do their own work, managers who are responsible for the department the work gets done in, and so forth. The stakeholders of your project will be your key allies in figuring out what is causing your problems, deciding how to fix it, and helping you get the job done. Why are stakehol...

I didn't really have a proper article planned out for today, so it seemed like a good time to talk about time management. As a small business owner, you have to wear a lot of hats on a regular basis. In addition to whatever your actual company function is (IT consultant, plumber, electrician, artist, or whatever), you may also have to act as your company's accountant, bookkeeper, lawyer, tech support, receptionist, marketer, ad executive, web designer, research assistant, and so forth. That's just if you're a single employee company! If you have actual employees working for you, then you may also have to act as HR, trainer, manager, payroll, and conflict resolution as well, on top of your normal (paying) work. As a self employed family man with a working wife, the list gets even longer - I'm also a chef, personal shopper, house cleaner, and chauffeur. It's a daunting list of daily tasks all cutting into your work time, potentially preventing you from doing ...