Top 10 Small Business Tech Trends
that will make you money in 2013
In 2013, there is a much larger opportunity than in the last few years for non-technology oriented Small Businesses to implement the latest technology. All of them will help you increase your sales and/or reduce your costs. In addition, technology prices have dropped like a rock and they are so much easier to use (and learn) than ever before. This article was written for the non-technical owner or manager of a Home or Small Business.
Microsoft has significantly changed the Windows 8 and Office user interface. Your employees are going to have to re-learn how to use Office Applications after you upgrade your PCs and Laptops. Here are a few key tips to help evaluate this upgrade for your Small Business.
Small Business “Windows 8″ Planning Tips:
1. Read the Walt Mossberg article (see link below) on Windows 8 before you spend any money
2. Increase (or establish) a budget for employee Office Software training
3. Line-up extra help for your staff, including: phone and one-to-one coaching
4. Make sure your existing software will work with Windows 8
5. Identify and Implement any business process changes
6. Re-write any office manuals
7. Confirm who in IT Support actually knows anything about Windows 8. It’s new to everyone….
8. Check that all your existing PC & Laptop accessories will work
9. Budget lots of extra money to deal with the unknown
10. You may want to wait for the rest of the industry to come up to speed before you invest in this upgrade.
The bottom-line is that your Small Business Staff & Information Technology Resource “Productivity will likely go down” and your “PC Costs will go up” by implementing Windows 8 this year.
Hope these tips help….
Note: It’s important for a Small Business Owner to read the Mossberg review below before you upgrade or buy a new Windows PC.
“Microsoft is giving Windows its most radical overhaul since 1995 and even its most devoted users won’t recognize the venerable computer operating system in this new incarnation, called Windows 8, when it appears Oct. 26.” Walt Mossberg
When you run a Small Business you are always looking for ways to improve productivity by saving time and money. Our last article on “18 Tips for using an iPad in a Small Business” focused on finding the top iPad Apps.
After you use an iPad for a day or two, you quickly begin asking yourself… “How can I print from my iPad?” Here’s the good news. After much research, we found a very easy way to print from an iPad for under $20.
There are a three good options for printing from an iPad:
1. Buy a new Printer that works with Apple iPad AirPrint
2. Transfer your data to a PC or Mac and then print from there.
3. Buy “Printer Apps” that are compatible with Apple AirPrint technology and will let you print on most existing printers in the office
About 9 months ago, I needed to replace one of my older laptops. Instead, I bought an Apple iPad, an iPad case and a Bluetooth Keyboard. So far, I do NOT miss the laptop…and at this time, do NOT plan on buying another one again!
I’ve researched and tested over 100 iPad Apps so far. The following are my favorite Apps that help me get my job done in 18 key areas of our Small Business. Please don’t get overwhelmed by all the application (app) options. Start with a few apps that you need every day and then add the others over time. You’re in for a real treat. Using an ipad is like no other PC, Mac or Laptop you have ever used. The iPad is much easier to use and a lot more fun.
Are you starting to think about planning for next year? Do you have any feel for the top cost-effective new technology that will boost your company sales and productivity?
During the fourth quarter, we asked Small Business Executives, Managers or Owners to share the Top 3-4 NEW Technologies that they were thinking about implementing in 2012. Based on the survey, the following are the top 4 technologies for 2012:
Upgrading the Company Website with the Latest Technology
Implementing Smartphones and Tablets
Testing and Implementing Social Marketing
Adding Video Content for the Website including: Customer Demos, New Product Announcements, Success Stories and Best Practice Tips
Note: The votes were anonymous and we do NOT collecting any personal info. All poll results are available now.
Please share the poll results with other managers or owners… and add any comments or questions in the comment field below.
Your website is the most important technology needed today to grow your small business. Yes. It is more important than Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Smartphones, Tablets and everything else you read about.
We recently underwent a big project to move and update several of our company Websites and Blogs. We learned a lot from these projects and would like to share some of experiences.
The following are the top 10 tips that helped us minimize the time, cost and hassle of this project.
