We are in the process of removing our “land line” telephone from our telecommunications package. We are keeping the number but moving it to a cell phone for the time being. Two reasons for making this move is as follows;

• Saving Money - We discovered we could save at least 60 dollars a month by moving the phone number from a “land line” to a cell phone
• The only call we have received on the landline are from telemarketers or family members and as time as gone on family members have been calling us on a separate cell accounts anyway.
• We have transitioned to an online fax service - better deal. We receive a pdf like file and we don’t have to waste paper or ink rolls or deal with a bulky fax machine

All that being said, their is still a habit of coming home to see if they are any messages on the land line and now we have both wall units and portable phones in the house that will not be used but I still have a desire to still have a “base unit” to come home to. What would I like? Perhaps I shouldn’t even be posting this but are phone companies loosing out with the mass exodus from land line accounts to cell phones? Is their still a use for having a communications line that is more likely to stay on when other things get knocked off? I could care less about using a “land line” to make calls with. For the most part I have used it for listening to messages or as a backup number. Instead of a clunky wall receiver I would love to have something that looks like an iPhone except wall mounted where I could check “visual voice mail” and also control things like home security and have access to cameras outside. I feel like I’m compromising to a degree in getting rid of the land line but I would love to see more innovative ideas for good replacement. Yes, I realize they are home control devices for media and security but none quite are a solid replacement.

In the meantime I will be searching for the “next generation” of “land line” - no, it’s not the cell phone although for a lot of people it’s good enough. What are your thoughts? Could we develop solutions for such a niche? Maybe I’m not aware of such a product, if that is the case I lot of other people are not as well. Share what you know in the comments.

Recently we announced that Harmonious New Media was our official slogan or company mantra. I’m excited to say that we have also registered the domain, harmoniousnewmedia.com and looking forward to doing great things with it. Initially we are using it as a redirect to this web site. We are exploring other ideas as well.

This may seem like a crazy question to ask in what many perceive to be tough economic times but seriously is your business smaller than it should be? Are you afraid to let it grow because you’re not sure you can afford employees? Are you doing a lot of the work yourself or between you and one or two other business partners - i.e. the stereotypical “mom and pop?”

Every business starts off somewhere. Most of the time it’s the vision of a one person or a few partners and while not everyone can be a large “enterprise” all too often small businesses stay “too small” and are tied too closely to the owner. This may be fine for the owner as he or she is comfortable with the work load and income stream but I have learned from watching some situations with other companies keeping a business too small or all the tasks tied to one person can be a disservice to both family and customers.

If you are a small business owner and have a family along with a loyal customer base would everyone be taken care of if something happened to you? Even if you had a business partner be it a spouse, other family member or a business associate or friend would they know how to take care of things and keep the business running?

I know it can be hard for a business to grow for financial reasons but all to often it’s more a matter of comfort and resistance to change or dare I say fear of added responsibility. I urge you to think about going to the “next level” but instead of being overwhelmed by large steps like;

• Larger office space
• More computers
• Full-time employees
• Other large equipment investments

Instead of thinking about the large hurdles consider the following options;

• virtual “office space” through web services like Basecamp or Highrise or literally office space you can rent where you share conference rooms, Internet connections, etc. with other small businesses
• Outsource those jobs to services that specialize in such things. For example we recently signed up with a local service that does a lot of our administration, billing and other jobs that we can do but it’s not our area of expertise. This frees us up to do more production work as well as sales.
• Rent equipment instead of buying it unless you need the tools on a day to day basis.
• You may be be very skilled and have a lot of your business secrets in your head but unless someone else knows all the procedures your best assets may die with you. Consider crafting an easy to understand manual. Hire a good technical writer if you have to. (we can help with this)
• Before going the route of hiring full-time employees consider hiring freelancers who can telecommute and work with their own equipment be it a computer or other tools.

Other than the funds needed to buy new equipment or hire new people what is your greatest challenge to growing your business to a point where it will survive if you are not around anymore?

Paper or plastic? We hear that question at the grocery store a lot although it seems like I’m not being given the “paper” option as much as I used to. I could take a rabbit trail and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each but that’s not the purpose of this post.

How often do you reference or create a “to-do list” on your computer either by keeping current working items on your desktop, e-mails in your inbox or a program dedicated to listing items you need to do for the day, week or month? I admit I kept current projects on my desktop and don’t file away e-mails until I finish a task requested in the e-mail but you know what works best for me? Writing a list of items I need to do on a blank sheet of paper. I can close an e-mail program or my desktop will be hidden by other programs but to get rid of the list on the piece of paper I would have to toss it in the trash. I’ve seriously been thinking of buying a bound journal for nothing but to do lists. Some people use white boards. How do you keep the things you need to do for the day front and center as a constant reminder and record?

By the way, I’m referring to the computer system as “plastic” for what it’s worth.

I just finished reading the book, Problogger - Secrets to blogging your way to a Six Figure Income. It was actually a book I won in an online contest but is one I highly recommend anyone buy. Don’t let the title fool you. This book is not a get rich quick scheme using blogging. The principles laid out in the book not only can help you be a better writer but also a better business owner if that is where you are in life or looking to go. Of course as a small business owner and blogger I was thinking of both while reading this book.

The book is co-authored by Darren Rowse of Problogger.net and Chris Garrett of Chirsg.com . Two of the most successful bloggers today. I would describe both Darren and Chris as real. Real individuals who are passsionate about what the write about but also are completely honest about how much work blogging takes if you want it to be a profitable venture. It wasn’t long after I started reading the book that I realized the things they were saying were a lot of the hard lessons I have already started learning as a business owner. Some of those aspects include finding a niche, income and earning strategies, promotion and marketing and creating a worthwhile product.

Another thing I discovered in my reading was they used a term we already use in our business mission statement, Compelling Content. However a big point they made was that just having compelling content without marketing is talking to yourself.

The buying and selling of blogs is also covered in the book. That whole section confirmed things we have told customers when it comes to having a web site that has value. I read things in that chapter that apply to any business. I dare say the entire book is really a handbook for the entrepreneur of business person will professional blogging as the prime example. Of course I as a part of our business we encourage our clients to blog as a way to communicate news, tips and ideas about their industry however you may want to take your blogging or desire to blog from hobby status to a professional venture, If you are a small business owner or looking into starting a small business or If you just want to be a better writer who will connect with your audience, buy this book.

Have you read Problogger? What were your thoughts? I’m also interested in hearing what other books you may have read that could apply beyond the title.