No Single Point of Failure

With the past few weeks of hurricanes and wildfires, I hope where ever you are that you made it through with minor to no damage and inconvenience.

These recent events remind me of my days as a Call Center Manager and having to have a plan in place so that there were no single points of failure.  Major disasters, like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and large-scale power outages, are rare. Smaller disasters, such as server failure, burst pipes and fires however happen every day. Companies often prepare for the worst but forget the everyday challenges, which can be just as crippling.   

As a small business owner, and perhaps the sole proprietor, are you prepared for everyday emergencies?   

For example:

- Do you have your computer backed up?  What about all the data, programs, client information you have on your system?  Is it backed up?  There are services like IDrive which can be set up to run a back up of your system and save your information and data so all of it can be restored once you're back up and running.  

- What about all those passwords?  Do you have them written down?  What if you lose your list?  There are password manager applications like LastPass, Dashlane, KeePass, etc. that store your passwords so that you don't have to worry about losing your list.

- What about your website?  Is it backed up?  WordPress has plugins like, Updraft, that will automatically back up your website and send a copy to your Dropbox or Google Docs account.

- Is your phone backed up?  Backing up your smart phone to the cloud  occasionally will save you countless hours if you lose your phone.

These are just a few things that can cause major headaches because  we depend on technology so much. To really think through and plan for a major disaster, here is a website to help with the planning process - www.preparemybusiness.org/planning 

 Your comments and feedback and welcomed and appreciated. You can provide feedback here or on our Facebook page.

Hope you never need to use a Disaster Plan.

Happy Planning,

Annette

Painted Lady Enterprises

'Helping You and Your Business Look Good'

Is Your Website Mobile Compatible?

Do you have a website?  Is it Mobile Friendly?  Meaning if you search on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet, can you read the information that is displayed without it being enlarged or turning your device sideways? 

We all strive to get the highest ranking on Google as possible.  And it's always challenging keeping up with how Google ranks websites.  There are changes coming as of April 21st.  There is speculation that mobile friendly sites will be ranked higher than non-mobile friendly sites. 

If you want to read all the technical information about this update, here is a blog post from Moz Blog - 9 Things You Need to Know About Google's Mobile-Friendly Update posted by Cindy Krum on April 6th.

Also, here is a link where you can test your website to see if Google considers it mobile friendly -

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Wondering what to do if your site fails the mobile friendly test?  Contact your webmaster.  The person/company that built your site.  Depending on the platform, it sometimes can be a simple fix.  

Most savvy webmasters have ensured that the websites they have built over the past few years are mobile friendly.  This is one of the services I offer and I am glad to be of help.

In appreciation,

Annette

Painted Lady Enterprises

 

Staying Organized

I recently took part in a discussion with a group of other ladies on tips that help us stay organized.  

Here are the highlights of our discussion on Organization.  

• Use apps that are available for smart phones and IPad, i.e. check lists, To Do lists, etc.  Great for repetitive lists like groceries, packing, weekly reminders, etc.

• Use color coded bags or monogrammed bags for different businesses, meetings, crafts, projects, etc.

• Use color coded file folders.  I like to use Red for Urgent/Priority, Green for money matters, etc.

• Toodledo app was suggested to use as a task and note manager.  There is a free version.  It will organize your to-do list and notes, and make you more productive. You can use Toodledo as a standalone application, or you can synchronize with Toodledo.com, one of the most popular online task managers.  I have started using this and it is wonderful.  I have it synced to my IPhone and IPad.  The image used here is from the IPad app.  Here is the website - http://www.toodledo.com/info/iphone.php. 

• Book suggested – ‘Getting Things Done’ – available on Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/p5ml7gw

• Make a schedule.  Make an appointment with yourself.

• Work with Vertical files and stand up papers that you are working on.  Makes papers more visible and easier to find until completed.

• Hire someone to do the things that are not our strengths.  It was also suggested to contact NAPO, The National Association of Professional Organizers, they have people who are working on their accreditation and would be willing to do work with you for free.  Here is their website - www.napo.net

•  Speaking of NAPO, each of their Professional Organizers usually have their own speciality.  I subscribe to two newsletters from NAPO POs and get great tips from both.  You can find local organizers in your area on their website - www.napo.net

• I also subscribe to a daily ezine from Unclutterer.com, which provides great organizational tips. 

• Pinterest is another great place for organizing tips.  You can use the search feature to find specific ideas for organizing and you can subscribe to different boards.  Here is a link to my board on organizing -   Pinterest.com/paintedladyent/organization/

I hope this has been helpful.  Please share your organizing tips.

Happy Organizing,

Annette
www.PaintedLadyEnterprises.com
"Helping You and Your Business Look Good"