Black Enterprise Small Business University Technology Course Review Week 3 by Lashana Thomas
This week for Black Enterprise Small Business University,
we’re giving you a course review in Technology—helping you choose the right
gadgets (and avoid the wrong ones!) for your business. Mario Armstrong a digital
Lifestyle Expert and technology contributor for CNN and NBC shows you all the
latest tech tools in this lesson titled “Your Gadget Guide.”
For this lesson Mario Armstrong is taking you to the tech
lab, to introduce gadgets that can make your business and lives efficient and
better through technology.
First up: The
Power Bag: This gadget is essential for every entrepreneur and small business
owners, doesn’t waste time searching for outlets, having the power bag provides
instant power up to 4 devices simultaneously. The Power Bag comes with a built
in battery that’s charged directly into an outlet.
2nd:
Tablets: Tablets keep you productive
while on the go. The new Ipad shoots in 1080Hd, and you can edit from the
tablet as well. Outstanding for presentations for visual businesses.
Purchase at: http://www.apple.com/ipad/, Asus Transformer Pad,
Sony Tablet
3rd:
Note taking is critical to any entrepreneur or small business owner. The Livescibe smart pen is a great tool because
while your note taking, it captures the audio that it hears and links the 2
together so you can hear what was recorded for accurate notes. This feature allows
you to focus more on listening than writing.
For digital note taking the best App is Evernote, a free App for tablets, desktop,
laptops users, and your smart phone that synchs across all platforms. This
invaluable tool will help you keep track of your ideas, your projects, work
flow, and help you collaborate with team mates.
Next up: Video
Conferencing helps you save time and cost on traveling and help you meet with
your clients faster, but to do this right you need the right equipment. First is Skype certified webcams: Logitech
HD pro and Facevision both shoots in full HD. Finally the
laptop, Mario recommends the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook, lightweight, long
battery life, and it boots up quickly.
Lastly: After
investing in your technology you have to protect it. Lojack
for laptops is a great product, you install the software on your
computer, it will allow you to track your computer through GPS, and give you
the ability to lock it down or wipe the data off remotely.
Tips to remember:
- Identify your problems then buy solutions
- Invest in training
- Don’t get overwhelmed. Implement first. Master. Then Repeat
Lesson 2: SETTING
UP YOUR BUSINESS FOR SUCCESS – HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
James Andrews, founder of Social People specializing in the
creation of digital/social technology strategies, online communications, and
web content production is a strategic communications agency that focuses in
helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to
build better connections with their audiences.
In lesson 2 social media savant James Andrews tell you how
to set up your business for success using the latest and most efficient tech
tools. This lesson starts with the basics. A computer is the nexus of your
business operation. One of the best simple and standards computers that have
the same functions as desktop is a laptop, when searching for one, look for
durability, good battery life, and wireless connectivity, size, and screen
dimensions.
Another fundamental piece for your business is your online
presence. The first thing you want to
do is develop a web domain for your business. The best way to create one is
yourbusiness.com , this tells the world your open for business, and tells
people you’re ready for new customers. First thing is selecting a name, once you
select the name, go to Godaddy.com and see if it’s available, then you buy the
name and claim your business. In most cases you want to purchase the .com
extension, if yourbusiness.com isn’t available then try yourbusiness.net or
research different extension suitable for your business. Godaddy allows you to
park and build a simple web page but James Andrews, recommends hiring someone
with experience in web design and creation.
Just as important as your online presence and website is
phone system. A phone service is paramount to how people reach, perceive, and
look at you. There are many solutions to
create an in office experience online. Try services such as grasshopper.com,
the entrepreneurs phone system, they offer you a toll free or local number,
unlimited extensions, call forwarding to mobile phones, and voicemails that go
right to your email, all for less than $10 per month but if you’re on a tight
budget, Google voice can do the job for free.
Another service is video conferencing; iMeet.com combines video, audio, and
web conferencing in one platform. iMeet is great tool that allows you to
connect with employees, customers, and people around the world.
Managing multiple team projects can be difficult without the
right tools to keep you organized. Basecamp is a project management software and
online collaboration tool, this allows you to manage projects and organize
documents in one place and share information across teams. An alternative to Basecamp is a free project
management platform that is just as efficient is Asana. Asana is the shared
task list for your team, the single place to quickly capture, plan, organize,
track, and communicate everything you and your team are working on.
Lesson Recap:
- Technology is critical no matter what size your business is, whether your brick and mortar or all online.
- Computer: A desktop or laptop
- URL: A URL, yourbusiness.com, tells the world you are open for business
- Phone is critical: Grasshopper.com, iMeet.com, and Basecamp
Lesson 3: TOOLS TO
GET YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL – FROM SOFTWARE TO HARDWARE
Mel Parker is Vice President and General Manager of the
North America Consumer and Small Business at Dell. In his role, Mr. Parker is
responsible for leading sales, marketing, strategy and operations. Additionally
he is Chairman of the Dell African American Employee Resource Group.
Access to resources is the key for any entrepreneur at any
stage. Dell wants to make sure you have everything you need. General Manager
Mel Parker tells you how and why the company is dedicated to helping your
business be successful.
If growth is your business goal, the key is to implement the
right technology solutions to address both your immediate and long terms needs
for your small business. You should view technology as an accelerator and
enabler to help your small business grow and thrive.
First – Do your homework: Find credible and knowledgeable
resources, family, friends, trade associations, and industry online
communities. Compile this information and engage the experts for comprehensive
solutions.
Second – For on-the-go solutions, identify the most durable
and up-to-date hardware products available. A durable mobile tech solution for
every member on your team is a Dell Ultrabook or a Vostro PowerBook, these
tools allows for sharing information and staying connected while on the go.
Third- Integrating flexible software that addresses your
changing needs and challenges. A comprehensive technology solution designed to address
your unique business needs, will help your business grow faster and more efficient. For small businesses and entrepreneurs Cloud
is a great way to access and share data in real time.
Finally - Partner with a service provider, like Dell for
business support that will support you every step of the way. Consider security
needs, IT department that can provide support, and the best IT concierge
service that can help take your business to the next level.
Teachers:
Lesson 1 – Mario Armstrong
Lesson 2 – James Andrews
Lesson 3 – Mel Parker
Comments
Post a Comment