Being Proactive

I preach quite a bit to our clients about being proactive when it comes to their technology. At Parkway Technology Solutions, we stress the importance of regular maintenance, monitoring, backup & disaster recovery solutions, and making wise IT investments. I know that small business tends to be an environment where only the most pressing concerns get our attention. After all, it sometimes seems like all we do is put out fires. but the truth is that not being proactive will cost your business over time. You’ll spend more and get less than you would have if you proactively managed your business – IT or otherwise. Spending time to protect your business now will pay off incredibly later. In fact, if you don’t spend this time right now, you may not have a business to come back to after a major incident.

Our store was lucky that we had nearly all of the protection we needed. There are a few improvements that we’ll be making now that this incident happened, but overall we had put the right security and protections into place to prevent this from being a major disruption to our business. Is your business taking the same precautions? No doubt, you have a security system in place. You probably also have some sort of fire protection. However, is your data protected? Do you have the ability to operate your business even if a major incident, like theft or a disaster happened? I’ll give you a moment to think….

Back With Me?

So, can you definitively answer yes to both questions? If you can’t, we’ve got a problem. Don’t fret though. The experienced team at Parkway Technology Solutions can make sure your business is protected and can operate, no matter what happens. The time to take action is not after something like this happens. It is right now, before these incidents potentially destroy your business. Give us a call or send me an email today. We’re here to give you peace of mind.

I have been recently reminded of this through some email exchanges with friends. Their unfortunate stories are very similar to ones I’ve heard quite a bit during my years in the IT industry. Let me first say that I know quite a few true professionals who take their jobs & reputations seriously. They want nothing but the best for their clients. Unfortunately, these professionals all too often seem like the minority. Maybe they are or maybe the unprofessionals just overshadow them.

You’ve no doubt experienced some of these people sometime during your career. They don’t return calls like they should, blow you off without warning, and generally do everything they can to make money while giving little regard for your needs. Can I beg you to do something for me? Stop doing business with them! Tell your friends and colleagues about their unprofessional actions! Your business is worth much more than the value these people place on it. I don’t care how “smart they are” or what excuses they make. You deserve so much better.

Arrogance & Unprofessionalism – Separated At Birth?

I am confident that a lack of professionalism is not just a problem in the IT industry, but it seems especially acute in information technology. Maybe it is the young kids with little business experience who seem to dominate many headlines. These “whiz kids” seem to go from nothing to being millionaires overnight. Maybe it is the ability to do something well that many others cannot. That can be a great breeding ground for hubris and arrogance. It is probably just because IT is my industry, and I notice it more.

Sometimes our success can get ahead of our personal growth. I have found it wise to sometimes just sit back and listen to those with more experience. I’ve got experience in small business, but I am only 25 years old. I’ve always got a lot to learn and personal development & growth is essential. Without the advice of colleagues, coaches, and countless authors, I’d be some loser struggling to make a buck.

Defined

Professionalism is more than some stuck up thing that involves wearing a suit. It really goes to the core of someone. I’ll give you the dictionary definition, before I give you mine:

 ”the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person.”

Merriam-Webster Online

Ok, so that really didn’t clear things up. Here is my definition:

A person who acts with integrity and according to the standards of their profession.

A professional person actually cares about their reputation & their actions – particularly how those actions reflect on their employees, colleagues, and friends. Being professional is not always easy, but it is the best course. I’m reminded of the Golden Rule – “do to others what you would like to be done to you.” It’s a great rule. Simple, but life changing.

You are representing more than yourself whether you are on Facebook, at a party, or in a meeting. Every action has a consequence, and too often we never take into account these consequences before we act. Be a professional, and enjoy the rewards!

Note

It would be truly unprofessional of me to put a plug in for myself here. So, I’m just going to link to what our clients say about our company – Parkway Technology Solutions. We would love to free you from those who don’t value your business.

Yesterday we extended an offer to Amy Walker, and she accepted! She will be our new sales manager, and she starts on January 4. She’ll be ensuring that we continue our rapid growth at Parkway Technology Solutions, and provide our existing clients with a friendly point of contact for sales & customer service issues. She has quite a few years experience in sales & customer service, and we know that she will be a fantastic addition to our team! Most importantly, she’ll be freeing up just a little more of my time for our long-term business strategy. Please welcome Amy by posting a comment below.

No better way to end the year than on a high note like this. I’ll give the floor to Amy within the next couple of weeks, and let her post a little more about herself. In the mean time, I need to get back to preparing her training plan…I mean reading.

All of you make it exciting to get up every day and go to work. I am already working on plans to make 2010 even better for our clients & our employees. Challenges aren’t always fun, but they are helpful in making sure you are running your business the best you can. We’ve had quite a few challenges this year, but we are the better for it. I sincerely hope that 2010 is better for everyone, and all of our clients & partners can enjoy it as a year of success.

I’d like to take just a minute to recognize a few partners who were critical to our success this year: Stuart Selbst Consulting, Kaseya, OwnWebNow, Karl Palachuk’s SMBbooks, Autotask, & the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to everyone at these organizations who work tirelessly for their partners’ success.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, or even if you do not celebrate at all, I wish you the best for the new year. Relax over the break, and make it a great 2010!

Our new office is right next to our retail store, so, if you know where that is, we’ll be easy to find. If you are in the area, we want you there!

When: December 18
Where: Our new office – 304 Patrick Ave. in Stuart, VA
Time: 11AM-7PM
What We’ll Have: Light refreshments, holiday music, tours of our new office, and good conversation.

Let me be totally honest with you – I do not do a whole lot of moving. Yes, I have moved quite a few times in my life. Only a handful have been done without the help of professional movers, however. Carrying computers is about the extent of my workout most weeks. And when something is not your expertise, it always seems to take 3 or 4 times as long as you expected. If you’ll indulge me for a minute, let me tell you what I have learned happens to small businesses that try to “cut corners” by doing it themselves or hire unqualified people to do a job for them. I knew this before I ever started getting the new office setup, but this little episode gave me a helpful reminder.

Is It Really Cheaper to “Do It Yourself?”

This is a perfect lesson for all small businesses out there. Once you get outside your area of expertise, you are usually at a large disadvantage and will consume a boatload of resources if you do it yourself. Moving is one thing, but accounting, computers, & other specialized areas are quite another. These things take a certain level of expertise. Sure, you can repair your own computer and do your own taxes, but you will probably take at least 3 times as long as a professional. And let’s just hope that you got everything right! What looks like an easy project or a task that you can do yourself to save a few bucks can quickly turn into a long process that robs you of time that could be better spent getting paid for your expertise.

As a small business owner myself, I know the financial constraints that we all face. Some of us would love to hire a professional to do jobs that we know we are not qualified to do. However, the funds just aren’t there! So, we muddle along, and do it ourselves. The problem becomes that, as our business grows, we keep doing these jobs ourselves instead of hiring a professional once we have the funds available. We keep wasting time doing jobs that we aren’t good at, don’t enjoy, and are actually robbing us of business income since they take up our time.

You have to think about the big picture whenever you evaluate whether it is easier or cheaper to do something that is not in your area of expertise. I recommend doing the following to evaluate whether you should do something yourself to save a few dollars:

1. Estimate how long it will take. Now triple that.
2. Does it require any special expertise?
3. How much money could you make if you spent the hours you estimated in step 1 doing a job for a client?
4. How much does a professional charge to do it?
5. Could you make more money or break even by paying a professional to do it and using your time to make money in your business?

Answering these questions will give you a very good idea of whether it is really a “money-saver” to do it yourself. Here’s a hint: it usually is not.

Hire the Right Professional

Contrary to what some “amateurs” who fancy themselves computer repair guys or “accountants” would like you to believe, these fields take quite a bit of study, continuing education, and time investment to be competent and skilled. CPAs are even required to take continuing education courses. The same is true for anyone in the computer industry who wants to have certifications. I am going to give you some examples from my field of expertise – information technology.

There are a ton of people out there who say they know how to “repair computers.” You know it, and I know it. If I had a nickel for every time I heard, “My ‘insert relative’, works on computers”, I would have enough nickels to buy a boat – or at least sink one. So, why do I think my company, Parkway Technology Solutions, is any different? I mean, computer repair isn’t that difficult, right? Well, no, computer repair just usually looks easy. Here is why Parkway Technology Solutions is different:

1. We are professionals running a business. We pay taxes, employ competent professionals, continually study, go to industry events that we pay a few thousand dollars to attend to learn better ways of doing things to serve our clients, have actual offices, stand behind our work with warranties, are insured, pay for & use legally licensed software, and have documented policies and procedures for our entire organization. I’m sorry, but nearly everyone who claims to “repair computers” would be lucky to check 2 things off of that list.
2. We are available during regular hours. Unlike your “best friend’s cousin”, who repairs computers after hours when he feels like it, we have set business hours when someone is always available. We even have a 24×7 emergency support line! We won’t suddenly stop returning your calls or leave you hanging when there is a problem.
3. We care about our service. Parkway Technology Solutions mission is: ”Parkway Technology Solutions exists to help small businesses achieve their dreams through efficient, affordable technology that improves their business. Parkway Technology Solutions puts our clients’ needs first and above any financial gain that we may realize. We treat our client’s business as if it were our own.” This isn’t just a nice little mission statement. It is who we are.
4. We know what we are doing. I don’t take on paid projects as a “learning experience.” All of our staff goes through rigorous training before they are allowed to perform the tasks we expect of them. Anyone you hire to do work for your business should be fully competent and qualified to do what you hire them to do!
5. We have a broad portfolio of products & services. Why should you care, right? Well, this broad portfolio allows us to match you to the perfect solution that meets your needs & budget. ”Part-timers” just do not have the knowledge, connections, or experience to know that these options are out there and match you up with the right one.

When you hire someone for your small business, make sure that they are qualified and a professional. You’ll only end up with delays, poor service, and unreachable numbers if you do not. I know this because we get a lot of our clients from these “computer repair guys” who know nothing more than how to install Windows. When they screw up, as they always do, we benefit. So please, hire a professional and save yourself time, money, and headaches.

Are You Really Saving?

Always take a hard look at the numbers to see whether you are really saving money by doing it yourself or hiring someone who isn’t a true professional. You need to take into account whether you are really saving ANYTHING by doing something yourself. If it requires any expertise at all, you would probably be better spending that time on doing what you do best and hiring a professional to do the job. And, if you are planning on hiring someone to do a job for your small business, please make sure they are qualified.

Back to our new office. I’m going to finish setting everything up this week, and I did have a little extra time to dedicate to this project, so it has not been a major drain on my time. However, next time I’m taking my own advice and hiring some professionals. It should take them about an hour!

I wanted to share some pictures of the work in progress with everyone. Take a look at our Facebook album for the photos. By the way, while you are there, become a fan of Parkway Technology Solutions!

For related thoughts, see this post from one of our best vendors.

Number one, I have to give thanks this year for all of our clients. We picked up several new ones, and our existing clients continued to show their loyalty. You can’t be happier with that. Most of all though, I am so thankful to see our clients growing their businesses and enjoying the increased productivity. It makes me so thankful to be working with dynamic, energized, and focused people. They inspire all of us at Parkway Technology Solutions to innovate and provide superior service.

Number two, I am extremely thankful for our team at Parkway Technology Solutions. Our team has gone through some changes this year, but we have gotten through making do with a smaller staff than everyone would like. With our team growing each month, it is so wonderful to get “fresh blood” in to give us all new perspectives and energize the group. Without everyone behind our mission, we would not be where we are today.

Number three, I am unbelievably thankful for my long-suffering wife who has put up with 16-18 hour days, unexpected absences, and the phone ringing at very odd hours. I am not sure she believed me at all when I said it would get better, but any startup requires great sacrifices that you have to wait for the pay off. That pay off is finally on the horizon, and I hope to reward her with a little more time off.

One final note of thanks. I need to thank all of the people who our clients don’t see who make us a success. My business coach, our vendors, partners who provide us with world-class solutions, & Wake.