FM Walsh & Associates Inc.

New Technology Adoption

I wrote this morning in the Out-Smarts blog about an interview I had just listened to regarding the Skype crash last week, the effect it had on one local individual and how his lesson can be applied to new technology adoption in business.

The guy, a consummate Skype user had been dismayed last week when Skype crashed on the very day of his Grandmother’s birthday. He talked about his frustration in trying to get through to her using the Skype VoIP technology (phone over the web in layman’s terms!) and finished by mentioning that it was days after her birthday when he finally managed to reach her. It appeared to me that he was too consumed in new technology to remember the ubiquity of older technology like the land line. Could he not have picked up an actual phone and called Granny? There’s lots of them around.

This got me thinking about how companies should approach new technology adoption. New technology brings with it a whole slew of new, more effective ways of doing things and its vital to make the most of these opportunities but NOT at the complete of sacrifice of traditional methods. A mix of old and new is often best, at least for now.

I would have loved to hear his explanation to Granny!

Always Have a Plan B

My hard drive crashed last week – in the blink of an eye all my files and email were gone. This could have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. Why? Because I had a Plan B. Everything was fully backed up to an external hard drive so all I suffered was some inconvenience.

I see businesses every day that have no Plan B. Now I’m not saying that you should plan for failure. But do you have only 1 target market? Do you keep chasing prospects for too long? Is a chunk of your revenue coming from 1 large customer? All of these things make your business vulnerable and cost you revenue. Keep your options open and make sure when you’re doing your strategic plan that you include a Plan B.

Greening Your Bottom Line

My latest column in Make It Business, Greening Your Bottom Line, focuses on how going green can translate into a healthier bottom line for your business. Read the article to find out how going green can help you tap into the buying power of the largest consumer market out there.

Using Time Wisely

I came across a new favourite quote recently: “Time is a created thing. To say, ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’” – Lao Tzu

The reason it resonated so strongly with me is that a lot of my clients recently are procrastinating on doing stuff that is important to their business growth. We all procrastinate at times and the reasons we do so are endless. But what happens when you keep procrastinating on important stuff? You stop your own success, you waste time moving the item to a new to-do list, you drag yourself down feeling guilty about not getting around to it.

What I like about this quote is that it is says: Face it. We all have the same amount of time. If you consistently don’t have time to do something, then you probably don’t want to do it. So why keep dragging this stuff around with you? Ask yourself these 3 questions:

• Do I really need to do it? If the answer is no, scratch it off your list and forget about it!
• Am I not doing it because I don’t know how to do it? Then figure out what you need to know to get moving and find a resource – an expert in the field, a seminar, a book – to give you the skills you need to get it done.
• Am I not doing it because it is stuff I hate doing? Then source it out. Sure, you are a small business and can’t afford to hire someone…..can you better afford to keep wasting time and energy beating yourself up for not doing it? Can you afford to keep missing opportunities?

Get clear on how you want to spend your time and then take actions that benefit you.