Start Me Up + Two more
Just to piggy back on my last Post, Steve Acctivate.com added a few more things to think about, such as:
Thanks Steve
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Start me up!
Got a call from an old friend of mine today who wants to start their own business, but told me they are a bit scared to get started. I listened for a while and then suggested that they just jump in and launch their Pet Store in Ashville, NC. Here are some things I told them:
- make sure you have a local support group of small businesses to bounce ideas off of
- make sure you cultivate a relationship with the loan officer at the bank
- make sure you start simple -- and not take on too much inventory
- make sure you keep costs down at first -- with a few magazine subscriptions, low phone bills (maybe use skype), simple internet access, etc.
- make sure to hire college students cause they have great enthusiasm and are hungry to learn the business
- make sure you find a good accountant (maybe even check out QuickBooksGroup.com to find one : )
- make sure you ask a lot of questions (a little curiosity goes a long way)
- make sure you have a business plan -- or at least some revenue goals
so what did i leave out? i am sure i could have given my friends some more tips
Just do it -- yea, blog
Why Accountants should Blog
Recently, I was asked why I thought accountants should blog. Well, here it goes.
1. It is a great way to practice your creative writing
2. It is a great way to let potential clients know what you are thinking -- including your inner most thoughts
3. It is a lot cheaper than building a website; all it takes is a few bucks (or you can do it fro free)
4. It is very therapeutic and will make you forget our client's complaining (and their shoe boxes of receipts)
5. It is a great way to let your mom know what you are doing on a day-to-day basis
6. It is a great way to get away from (mostly) numbers for a while
7. It is a great way to stand out in the web crowd
8. It is a great way to let other blogs, web magazines, printed
magazines that you have something to say and therefore they should
consider publishing your work.
9. It is a great way of virtually tapping someone on the shoulder' and
telling them you have something to say without really bein intrusive
10. It provides an alternative finger exercise to working out on a calculator
11. It is a great way to connect with younger clients (they will know your cool (opps, I just showed my age with that word)
12. It is a good thing to do when you can't fall asleep at 2 am.
13. It is a good distraction from your real work.
SO, why do you do it?
Just say Thanks
Well, I just thought I would take this opportunity to wish you and your business partners, friends and family Happy Thanksgiving. It is hard to believe that the year is winding down. The online Community team really has enjoyed working with our customers, business partners and co-workers. So, we do have a lot to be thankful for.
Enjoy the weekend, drive safely and calculate those numbers correctly.
QuickBooksGuy
More on Joey
Follow up to my last post:
Joey Carstensen 'aka Joey' passed away today. As I mentioned earlier, she was responsible for over 2000 posts on the QuickBooks Online Community site. And this doesn't even include the number of posts she answered on other Intuit websites, such as the Accountants website, or even on other QuickBooks websites, such as QuickBooksUsers.com. And those are only the ones I know about. I am sure she touched many other people via other websites, email, the phone and snail mail.
I learned a lot from her -- from a distance by reading her posts and when I talked to her --- And not just about our products but also about the importance of community -- be it online or offline. I remember calling her up once on the phone and asking her for some additional feedback on the site. She eventually told me that she had some sort of illness that prevented her from going to an office or interacting with people in person on a frequent basis. I remember her telling me that she was grateful for the Internet because it enabled her to help others from a distance as well as be part of a community. It enabled her to just help others just because she liked to help them and because she liked the interaction with others. I learned a lot from that conversation because it made me realize that we (the Online Community team) is doing more than just building a website or answering users questions. We are helping users connect with each other. We are bringing people together from all over the country -- and all over the world (we have users from India, Canada, UK, Australia and some other places).
Joey has shown me that you can get to know someone quite well and learn from someone by interacting with them online. This is an important lesson as we all begin to use Online Communities more and more in our lives.
Joey, you are in our thoughts.
- The Intuit Online Community team
Imagine 2000 posts
The QuickBooks Online Community website has been online for just about 20 months. And over this time, the Intuit team has gotten to know some of its key answer people quite well. We not only interact with them online, but also offline (via the phone, in person meetings, etc.)
I have to admit that I do love talking to our users -- especially those that are really active on our boards and blogs, and willing to help others. So, I was caught off guard the other day that Joey, one of our top users, had become ill. To be honest, I do not know exactly what is wrong with her and I am not even sure I should be blogging about this. All I can tell you is that Joey is an amazing individual -- not only always challenging us to improve the site and user experience (we had certain search features because she told us we had to have them)-- but also willing to help her other users.
Check this out. During our first 20 months, she has posted over 2000 times. That is an amazing number. Sure she might get some leads from helpingusers, but I doubt that is really why she does it. She participates because she is likes to help Small Businesses like herself.
So it is Saturday evening.. and I just thought I would let Joey know that we (her fellow users, Intuit, small business owners, etc.) are thinking of her.
Broken (MS) Window theory
Do you know the Broken Window theory? The infamous Malcom Gladwell discusses this in his book the Tipping Point. But Malcom borried the idea from Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities by George Kelling and Catherine Coles.
The theory basically says that if you repair a a broken window within a short periiod of time there is less of a chance for vandals to break that window or other windows again. It states that neighborhoods problems do not escalate as quickly.
Well, I am here to tell you about my broken Window's theory. .. which basically states that you don't need Microsoft Office nor Microsoft Windows anymore. I just bought a MAC (yes, I am back with a MAC after being away from one for 10 years), but I could have used Linux. And with my new Mac, I didn't load MS Word or MS Excel. Instead, I can use Google's Docs and Spreadsheets tools. There are a few drawbacks to the product such as I have to be on the Web to use them. But boy oh boy do I feel free. And I am not just saying this because I am an Intuit employee and Microsoft is one of our biggest competitors. Google's product is great for collaborating. I can work on a word processing type of doc and then share it easily with my coworkers and -- when they are editing the doc, I can see when they are editing it so that I don't add something that will override their comments. In fact, our Community team does most of our collaborative work using the Docs and Spreadsheets product.
So, if you are on a really tight budget or you don't want to load a bunch of software on your laptop/desktop, check out Google Docs and Spreadsheets. It is probably too early for Google's product to have a big impact... but it will be increasingly difficult for Microsoft to justify the cost for their product.. and it's raison d'etre.
Their belief/theory that we all need Windows and MS Office has bugs in it.
Helping our the wounded
Well, I know I am supposed to really be the Small Biz Wiz and blog about some of the finances issues Small Businesses deal with. Well, I spent all night watching TV about the looming crisis with North Korea (I have a grad(ual) degree in Asian studies, so this stuff really interests me) and while I was watching I could not help but think about Iraq (OK -- here we go, I am supposed to keep politics out of my blogs postings, but I can't). The war is not nearly as close to home for me as it for some of the people I work with. Some of them served in the military and one person has a son who just returned from Iraq after getting wounded. Needless to say, this is impacted some members of our Community team (Not all because we have not told everyone about it. After all I need to respect this person privacy). Anyway, the good news is that this person's son survived and and has gotten out of the hospital and is now an outpatient. While listening to this soldier's story, his dad asked me to pass around the name of Operation First Response, which supports wounded heroes and their families. I am told that Peggy was nothing short of a superhero in helping out. It is always amazing to me to hear about how much some people are willing to give to help another person out. Peggy and team, thank you for taking care of our soldiers and their families
Elder statesman's tips for negotiating
James Baker III, former Sectretary of State just came out with a new books:
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Known as a skilled negotiator (probably his greatest skill), he provides some tips on how to be successful at the table -- something everyone -- small business' or just your average joe (or jane).
1. Be clear about your strengths
2. Be clear about the other person's strengths
3. Understand the other person's political or institutional constraints
4. Build trust with the other person
5. Give the other person an out -- or an easy way to compromise.
Definately a good read.
don't be afraid to fail
As some of you know, I am a New York Yankee fan. Yesterday, Derek Jeter went 5 for 5 in a playoff game. Almost unheard of. 5 times he stepped up to the plate and 5 times he got a hit. After the game, he was asked the secret to his success (he will also probably be this years MVP) and he said: 'you just can't be afraid to fail.' Just a morning reminder…… for all of us. Note: It isn't necessary to get a hit everytime you come are at bat! .. and that success can be 'just getting on base' I think some of us who start companies dream of being the next Steve Jobs (yes, I am sharing all my heroes with you today). Instead, just do what you enjoy and know that incremental improvements (just getting on base) can go a long way. Wilder
1) A good working knowledge of that particular industry/market. You don't have to know the most, but you have to know more than the basics. You can even learn an industry quickly if you have good business skills.
2) Realistic goal setting. This is probably part of the business plan, but it's important. Very few companies make tens of millions in their second year (some do, I've seen it), but a lot get buy with a good profit level that allow owners/workers to be comfortable while going to work ... without getting rich.
Above all, have fun!....
Good reminder about the fun.... it is amazing how often we forget about that.