Hiring is important. Small business owners tend to make a lot of mistakes in personnel when they’re starting out, but wisdom and experience can improve this. Look for people who can problem-solve, who have good communicate skills and who “get” your company’s culture. Value these skills over experience. Experience can be acquired with training. Then give these people your time and resources to show you value what they bring.
Okay, not entirely the end. If you’re still on Windows XP it’s not going to self-destruct and magically vanish from your computer within a week, but unfortunately it will be a bit unsecure to use. On April 8th Microsoft will stop supporting this operating system that was released back in 2001 & they urge that you upgrade now. You will no longer receive security updates or support for issues with this operating system.
So, if you’re the owner of a computer running the Windows XP operating system, which is still running on more than 10 percent of the world’s computers, it might be time to upgrade to a new computer or at least a new operating system.
Of course, neither of these options may seem like the option you’re looking for, but sticking with XP isn’t going to be the most secure option. Even connecting a USB drive could be unsafe & being connected to the internet is an even worse idea. If you’re reading this after April 8, 2014…I hope you aren’t on a computer with Windows XP.
A few options before the end of Windows XP:
#1 Buy a new computer
If you choose this option, you may want to make sure that it is running the new Windows 8.1 operating system that is supposed to be closer to what you currently have with Windows XP – unless you’re in the market for a new user experience.
#2 Upgrade your current computer’s operating system to Windows 7 — this option assumes you can find it somewhere to purchase.
#3 Upgrade your current computer to Windows 8 – this option isn’t ideal, it may not even work on your computer that was born before the new touchscreen era.
#4 Do nothing & just keep using Windows XP – after all, it didn’t disappear, but this option isn’t the safest. If you do choose this, at the very least don’t leave it connected to the internet.
Everyone can probably relate to a few of the items listed in this article about bad business habits…
Are you guilty of any of these bad business habits listed on inc.com?
“…lack of morning focus! Always scattered. Trying to organize the morning better and seriously prioritize!” — @rcsolak
“Bad habit: allowing the URGENT (and sometimes the TRIVIAL, such as an email with its hair on fire) to block out the IMPORTANT” — @KevinLMK
“Taking on too many projects at once…so I set a goal to work on high priority ones for >= 3 Hr per day.” — @BrentBrewington
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What are your bad business habits the you’re ready to break?
This article found via LinkedIn really does say it all — so many business today still don’t have a website or utilize any social media.
The first place I look, and most people look, for a new business they are considering working with, purchasing from, etc. is the internet. When you are looking for something, the first & easiest place to find it is online. I always check out a company’s website, not only to get their phone number, address, or email, but to see if they look legit, have any pricing online, & the works. I am one of those people who read the about page too.
So many times, a company that I may potentially purchase from doesn’t have a website & I will frequently go elsewhere if a comparable business exists within the Amarillo area. The main reason is, I’m not a mind-reader & I don’t know if the other company has what I’m looking for, especially if I can’t scrounge up any info about what they offer online.
If you do have a website, it’s important to make sure it’s not too flashy or dated too. Many times, this will automatically send customers on their way to your competitor.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the web design mistakes you don’t want your business to make — to see the entire article, click here.
Now, the last one on this list might be possible, but you have to think to yourself, 1) Will I do as good of job & 2) Do I really have all that time (you are running a business afterall).
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