Below is my review of one of the key tools for any remotely based project manager, creative worker or digital nomad – Web Project Management Software.  I hope it helps you out in your quest for that perfect work/life balance!  -  Bryan

Average Read Time:  5 Minutes

If you are a Digital Nomad like me, communicating with clients, vendors and employees can get pretty tough and downright expensive if you don’t have the right tools.  For creative projects like building websites, copywriting, graphic design and the like, communication is the number one thing needed to ensure the success of a project.  But if you are traveling all around the world and dealing with project members in different time zones, how to you make it all work?

For me, I utilize a number of different tools, but the one tool I absolutely love (for reasons you’ll soon find out) is something called BaseCamp.  BaseCamp is Web Project Management Software at its best.  I know because I’ve tried a number of them with varying success and I’m 100% confident when I say that none hold a candle to BaseCamp.

You may have already heard of BaseCamp before.  In fact, I’ve written about it here on this blog even once or twice.  It is such a simple software program that at first you wonder why the hell there aren’t any more fancy features.  The software is deceptively simple in fact, but what it lacks in flashy features and marketing teams, it makes up for in pure “get-it-done-ness”.  I’ve been using BaseCamp for well over 4 years now and honestly I can’t see myself living without it at this point.  It “just works” for what I need and provides that seamless communication element that is so crucial for me in my business.  Here are the main reasons why I love BaseCamp:

Screen Shot of the Daily Digest I Receive each day on all active projects

Communication

Keeping an open line of communication is essential for any project.  To do this, one must always be giving updates to clients and vendors, setting expectations of what is being done, when it will be done by, and whether or not it actually got done.  Sometimes the communication part of the project can take as long as the actual work does!

BaseCamp helps to automate these things for you.  Because everyone on your team has a login to the project, you can setup Milestones, To-Do Lists, Send Messages, Upload & Share Files, etc…  As you get items completed, you simply check the to-do or milestone off in the software and everyone sees it automatically!  In fact, you can even subscribe to a “daily digest” for each project that will send you a summary of the previous days activities.  Imagine being able to send your client a detailed status report every single morning!  Clients love that, and so will you since you don’t have to do anything extra!

Speaking of automated communication, how about never having to worry about “reminding” people any more?  When you assign someone to a task or to a milestone, updates are sent out automatically through the software reminding people (in advance) that a particular item they are assigned to is due soon.  People can no longer claim they forgot or that you didn’t remind them.  And if they do?  You have the digital trail to prove it in your back pocket.  Of course the blame game never helps anyone, but I’ve found that this automated feature also helps to lessen the tension I feel when I have to continually ride people to get things done.  This way the software does that part for me and it take a little of the stress out for both parties involved.

Example of Dashboard for a BaseCamp Project

Ease of Use

BaseCamp is so easy to use, I hardly ever even get a call from a client asking for help.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to help anyone with anything regarding the software itself.  All you do to add someone to a project is put their contact info into BaseCamp, assign them to a company and hit “send”.  BaseCamp automatically sends the person an email with how to setup their account.

Once the user logs in to the BaseCamp project, its obvious where everything is located.  There are really only 6 different tabs you can click on (Dashboard, Messages, To-do’s, Calendar, Writeboards, Files).  Finding what you need is super simple, and the fact that there aren’t a ton of features make it much less frightening for clients – especially the ones who don’t like dealing with technology in the first place.

On the subject of “ease of use”, here is another cool feature.  Clients don’t even have to use the software itself for it to be useful for you!  Whenever you send messages or communicate through the software interface, emails are sent out to the various people in the project.  All your client needs to do is reply to the email and it will still be tracked inside of BaseCamp.  This means even if a client refuses to use the software, you can still keep all your messages and files for each project centralized.

Integration

I already mentioned the integration with email, but there are a few more integrations as well – all equally as easy to use.  When you are on the go, you can email your projects directly from your blackberry or iPhone (or whatever) and the message will be tracked through BaseCamp.  Built in integrations also exist for RSS feeds for each project or for your entire master project list as well as iCal feeds so you can subscribe to milestones inside your favorite calendar program.

There are also a number of third party integrations for BaseCamp that let you automate things like time tracking, invoicing & billing, reports & charts, and all sorts of other stuff.  And last but not least, there are also numerous apps for iPhone’s, Android Phones, Blackberry’s and even a super slick mobile web version as well.

In Addition to these most common plans, they also offer a basic plan and FREE plan that lets you manage one project

Pricing Structure

The developers of BaseCamp got it right when building their pricing structure.  Instead of charging per user, you are charged for the amount of projects you use.  For me, I rarely need more than the “Basic” Plan.  This plan gives me up to 15 projects at a time and over 5GB of file storage for just $24 per month.  Since they don’t charge per user, I can add as many clients as I want to each project without incurring any extra cost.  This is great because I don’t have to have akward conversations with my clients about why one person can have a login account, and another one can’t.  That would make me feel uncomfortable with using the software in the first place.

Software As A Service VS. Self Hosted Software

A lot of people ask me, “Why would you give up control of your data to someone else?  Why not host it yourself?”  Good question, but totally the wrong mindset in my opinion.  At this point, hosting software yourself is definitely NOT safer than letting a professional do it for you.  Do you really think you have more security chops than people who do this for a living?  BaseCamp is hosted on state-of-the-art servers that are protected by biometric locks and round-the-clock interior and exterior surveillance monitoring.  On top of that, only authorized personnel have access to their data center which is monitored 24/7/365 by staff onsite.  Are you doing that good of a job with your Dell Server in the closet at the back of the office?  Didn’t think so.  Plus, they guarantee to keep your data backed up and secure and you can export it at any time.

Summary

I could go on an on about the benefits I get from using BaseCamp, but honestly you should just try it for yourself to see what I’m talking about.  It is the perfect way to bridge the communication gap with your clients – especially if you are digital nomad like me.

BaseCamp is perfect for creative industry folks like graphic designers, copywriters, web developers, software developers and the like.  That being said, I know people who use BaseCamp in almost every industry imaginable.  If you are a house painter or General Contractor, BaseCamp will do wonders for your business.  If you are a consultant of any kind or even just an internal team at a large organization, give it a try.  I don’t care what you do, I’m sure BaseCamp can help improve your work flow.

There are so many articles out there on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), many of which have a ton of great information.  This article is meant to introduce you to the term, get you familiar with what it means, and get you thinking about how to get started with SEO on your own website.  - Bryan

Average Read Time:  3 Minutes

In the broadest sense, SEO is about getting your website found online.  If you are a painter in Hailey, Idaho, the goal is to get people to find YOU when they search for “Hailey Idaho Painter” in Google or any other search engine.  You want to make sure you are in the top of the search results, or at the very least on the first page when people are searching for your services.  If you aren’t on that first page, chances are nobody will ever find your website naturally online.

Here is a brief overview of different SEO Strategies that will help you get to the top of Google Search results.

1.  Optimize Your Website – This includes creating keyword sets for all of the pages on your website.  Each page will need meta data entered (Keywords, Descriptions, Title, etc..).  People don’t see the meta data when they visit your site, but search engine spiders use the info to index your site.  Once these are created, the content on the site should be optimized to match those keyword phrases.  For instance, if the keywords for your page are “Hailey Painter, Hailey Idaho Painter, & Hailey Painting Company”, then the written content on that page should have at least most if not all of those key words in both the content & meta description (used by search engines).

2.  Directory Submissions – There are a lot of high quality web directories that your site should be submitted to & maintained on.  Some of them are free, and some cost to be a part of, but are well worth it.  Yahoo Business, Best of the Web, and Business.com are just a few of the major ones.  There are probably others that are more specific to the industries you serve as well.  Being listed in directories creates a powerful “Back link” to your website which gives it more authority in Google search results.

3.  Article/Content Marketing – This is key to becoming perceived as the “expert” in your field.  Articles (good ones, not crappy ones) can be submitted to sites like HubPages, Squidoo, ArticleBase, Digg.com, and industry publications (the best) in addition to being on your website.  These articles are highly indexed and distributed throughout the web.  The links from these sites to yours gives your site credibility.  Pick a posting schedule and write brief articles relevant to your industry and customer base.  If you aren’t good at writing articles, consider hiring an individual or firm (like me!) to do it for you.

4.  Web 2.0 Marketing – All this really means is getting your content found and talked about on social media websites.  It is also called social media.  The idea is that because of the viral nature of the web, by creating content (#3 above) and then distributing via Social Media, it provides the widest reach, and helps to drive traffic & new leads/business.  If you don’t have a Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare account, its time to get one now and start using it!

5.  Video – Believe it or not, Google is now starting to index video just as highly, or more so, than regular text based content.  Videos do NOT need to be professional to be effective (although professional is still nice).  Purchasing a simple Flip Cam or two and creating quick “how to” videos or similar and posting to YouTube and your website will help tremendously.  Video’s should also include meta-data.  To continue on our Painting Company example, you could make a quick video on “Choosing Paint Colors” or “How to properly paint a Ceiling”.

Of course there are many more things you can do to rank highly in search results, but these are the basics.  It may seem like a lot, but most of this is very easy to do and is free or very cheap to implement.  If you don’t have any type of SEO strategy in place yet, its time to start thinking about it.  The Internet isn’t going away, and the longer you wait, the more competition you are going to have.

This is a short guide that will teach you how to setup your own website with virtually any design you can imagine.  It will also teach you how to manage it on your own, using your own domain, and with no help from anyone.  If you can write an email, or create a word document, you can create your own very good looking website.  – Bryan

Average Read Time: 7 Minutes

I’ve made a website or two in my time

After working in the technology field for close to a decade, I’ve tried many of the services available claiming to help you build a website.  There is anything from the free to the ultra expensive and everything in between.  Everyone wants you to use their service, and claim they make it easy for you or your business to get found online.

While many of these claims may be true for some people, the best and brightest companies and entrepreneurs are using the WordPress platform to power their websites.  WordPress is hands down the most powerful, flexible and innovative content management system (CMS) on the planet.  Many of the top websites & blogs are powered by WordPress, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GigaOm, TechCrunch, NASA, and many more.

Even though these large companies & A-List Blogs are using WordPress, it doesn’t mean its hard to use.  On the contrary, WordPress is extremely easy to use!  If you can create an email, or a Microsoft Word document, you can probably setup a WordPress Blog or Website.

The following guide will walk you through – step by step – how to setup your own WordPress website or blog.  The entire process can be done in a couple of hours if you know the right steps to take.  Scroll down to the section titled “How to Setup Your Self Hosted WordPress Website Today” to start right now.  Or consider reading a quick explanation of why you should use WordPress and the difference between the two WordPress hosting options below.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

If you are already familiar with WordPress, you know that the software is always free. The only difference is how you use it. WordPress.com is a hosted version of the WordPress software.  WordPress.org is the Open Source project that creates, manages and continually improves upon the WordPress software itself.   If you don’t want to host the software yourself, you can sign up for a free account at WordPress.com and be off and running in under 5 minutes.  This isn’t a bad way to go for people very new to blogging or website building, but it is certainly not the best option for someone wanting a professional appearance online. Below are some of the Con’s to going with the free version:

• Design & Appearance – There are only 100+ Themes to choose from and you can’t upload your own custom theme.

• Extensions & Integrations – You can’t upload Plug-ins for your site.  Plug-ins are something you want, trust me (more on that later).  You are also limited on the types of HTML code you can embed.  This makes sharing video or other custom integrations much harder.

• Domain Name – You can’t have a custom domain mapped to your site.  Instead of having a professional web address like www.thebizevolution.com you are stuck with a less professional site like bizevolution.wordpress.com .  Go ahead, check both links out.  They are both live, but the second link is an older version of my new site.

• Control of your Online Business Presence – You have far less control over things like code changes, and advertising displayed on your site.  The hosted version at WordPress.com will also insert links to other blogs that you have no control of.  This is bad if you want customers to stay on your site (which I’m assuming you do).

The second option of course is to host WordPress for yourself. This is the best option for entrepreneurs and small businesses who want a powerful, professional and good looking website.  I’m going to show you how to get your own site up and running in 4 easy steps.  But first, lets go over the benefits of hosting your own WordPress website:

• Design & Appearance – Choose from thousands of free themes online and use them for your website.  If you can’t find a free theme, choose from hundreds of Premium themes designed for industry & function specific purposes (ie: Photography, Blogging, Business, Products, etc…)

• Extensions & Integrations – Easily add any type of custom Plug-in, or third party HTML.  This is extremely useful for adding features to your website or blog.  Things like email newsletter sign ups, social networking icons, video players, contact forms and much more.

• Domain Name – Choose a custom domain name so your business has a professional appearance online.

• 100% Owned By You – Don’t worry about anyone messing with your site.  There won’t be any ads, links, or pop-ups that you don’t personally put there.

So hopefully you agree that hosting WordPress for yourself is the right option to go with.  I promise that if you are serious about your business, you want to go the extra mile and host your own website.  Luckily, hosting your own website is WAY easier than you might think.  In fact (like I mentioned before), if you can create a Word document, I can walk you through how to setup your own WordPress website by the end of the day.  Ready to get started?

How to Setup Your Self Hosted WordPress Website Today

Step 1 – Setup a Hosting Account
Step 2 – Install WordPress on your site
Step 3 – Choose a Theme/Design
Step 4 – Install Your Theme

Step 1 – Setup a Hosting Account

The first step is to setup a hosting account.  Your hosting account is the place where all the files for your WordPress software & website/blog will be located.  If you want to put pictures or videos on your website, this is where they will reside.  Think of it is a remote based computer that someone else will be managing for you.  I recommend using a company called BlueHost.  BlueHost is the best because they offer “1 Click Installs” for WordPress.  Since you don’t want to deal with any technical mumbo jumbo, using BlueHost will make your life much easier.

Do this:

1. Click Here to go to BlueHost Online
2. Once on the website, click the big “Sign Up Now” button
3. If you already have a domain name, enter it now and hit “next”
4. If you do not have a domain name, use the search form on the left side to search for a domain.  (Hint: try to find a domain your customers would use when searching for you online.  If your company name is “Biz Evolution”, try to find a domain name like “www.thebizevolution.com”)
5. Once you find a suitable domain name, fill out the remainder of the form including your billing information.

You will need to pay for a year of hosting which will cost you $83.40.  Not bad to have your very own professional website for an entire year.  The next step will be setting up WordPress on your website and choosing the theme & design you want to go with.

Step 2 – Installing WordPress on your site

Once you have signed up for your BlueHost account, make sure to print and store all of your account details in a safe place.  You will want the information in case you ever forget your password and need to access your account.  For the next step you will need to log in to your BlueHost account and install WordPress with once click.

Do This:

1. Login to your BlueHost Control Panel using the information you just created
2. On the main page, Scroll down until you get to the section titled “Software / Services”
3. Click on the “WordPress” Icon (this will re-direct you to a new web page)
4. Click on “Install” (a brand new version)
5. On the next page, choose the most recent stable version of WordPress (usually the default selection) and leave the second field blank
6. Review License agreement, check the box to accept terms and click the “complete” button

Once these steps have been completed, WordPress will be installed on your website! You are now ready to choose a design and start creating your content!  Look for an email from SimpleScripts that will provide the account details to log in to your WordPress Software.  Again, make sure to print this information and keep it safe should you ever forget your password.

Step 3 – Choosing a Design

Lucky for you, WordPress is very designer friendly.  You can pretty much design any website imaginable and use it with your WordPress software.  There is a huge selection of free themes to choose from, in addition to many different Premium Themes.  Whats more, almost any theme can be completely customized by yourself without any type of coding or design experience necessary.  Of course if you are looking to take over the world with your website you can always hire a designer or project manager to create something 100% custom.

But lets start with what’s already available.  After all, I promised you a powerful, professional & good looking website for under $200.  For this price, I have included the hosting account (step 1) and the price of a premium theme.  This means if you want to use one of the thousands of free themes, you will really only be out $83.40 for your website.  Cool huh?

I do however highly recommend going with a Premium Theme.  You pay a little extra, but its worth it.  Premium Themes help with your SEO (search engine optimization), are much easier to customize/modify, and also come with unlimited free support.  Very nice for us “non-techie” people.

Do This:

1.  Start off by Searching through all the Free WordPress Themes at the Themes Directory You’ll find more than you can possibly go through,  trust me.

2.  Check out the Best Premium Themes Available.  I’ve spent a long time finding the best premium themes, and these are my top picks:

• Headway is by far and away my top recommended WordPress Theme.  It is extremely customizable and the easiest theme to use because of its “Drag & Drop” style visual editor.  Headway is the only theme I’ve found that lets you visually change the look and feel of your site just by pointing & clicking.  By uploading a unique header image to your site, you can automatically adjust your site colors to match so everything looks professional.

• Thesis is another great theme used by many of the top bloggers in the world.  Thesis is the original “Premium Theme” and is backed by an amazing support team.  The best features are the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tweaks that help you make sure your pages & posts are found online.

• WooThemes is awesome if you want to get really custom with your design, but don’t want to pay for a designer.  They have TONS of quality themes available at great prices.  Once you purchase a theme, you own that theme for life.  If you are looking for a very specific look & feel, I highly recommend checking out their site and finding something that speaks to you and your business.

Step 4 – Installing Your Theme

Once you have chosen a theme that you like, you will need to download the theme files & install them on your hosting account – OR – Install directly through your WordPress software.  Depending on what theme you choose, follow the instructions below.

Installing a Free Theme from the WordPress.org Directory

If you have chosen a free theme, you should be able to quickly install it on your site.  Write down the name of the theme you have chosen and follow these steps:

1. Login to your WordPress software using the login information sent to you from SimpleScripts (you should have printed it out as well).
2. Once you are logged in, click on the “Appearance” and then the “Themes” Button on the left hand side of the screen
3. Now click on the big “Install Themes” button on the top part of the screen.  This will open up a new page that lets you search for or upload a new theme.
4. Type in the name of the theme you chose in the search bar and click “Search”.  This should pull up the theme you chose from earlier.
5. Verify this is the theme you want installed and then click on the “Install” Button
6. Once you have installed the theme, it will show up in your “Manage Themes” area.  Now all you have to do is click on the “Activate” button underneath the theme.

And that’s all!  Once you have activated the theme, make sure to preview your site and see how it looks.  If you haven’t created any content it may look a little boring, but don’t worry.  The more content you create and the more you play around with the WordPress software, the cooler your site will be.

Installing a Premium Theme You Have Purchased

If you have chosen a Premium Theme for your website, you will need to follow a slightly different process to install it in your WordPress software.  Luckily it is still very easy.  First go through the process of purchasing the theme you have chosen.  Once you have purchased the theme, you will get instructions on how to download the .zip file containing your theme.  Follow these instructions:

1. Download the .zip file to your computer.  Make sure to download the file to a place you will remember.
2. Login to your WordPress software using the login information sent to you from SimpleScripts (you should have printed it out as well).
3. Once you are logged in, click on the “Appearance” and then the “Themes” Button on the left hand side of the screen
4. Now click on the big “Install Themes” button on the top part of the screen.  This will open up a new page that lets you search for or upload a new theme.
5. Click on the small “Upload” button
6. Now click on the “Browse” button.  This will open up a file explorer window so you can find the .zip file you saved to your computer.
7. Find the .zip file and double click to select that file
8. Now click on the “Install Now” button
9. Once you have installed the theme, it will show up in your “Manage Themes” area.  Now all you have to do is click on the “Activate” button underneath the theme.

And that’s all!  Once you have activated the theme, make sure to preview your site and see how it looks.  If you haven’t created any content it may look a little boring, but don’t worry.  The more content you create and the more you play around with the WordPress software, the cooler your site will be.

Building Content for your Site

Content simply put is the text, pictures, video or any other visual aspect of your website.  Its your “About us” page, your “Contact us” page, and all of the other pages you want on your site.  Adding a new page is as easy as clicking on “Add New” under the pages menu on the left hand side of your screen.  If you are going to be blogging, adding a new post is just as easy.

For help getting started with your website and creating content, adding widgets & plugins, make sure to visit the WordPress Lessons page located here.

And that’s a Wrap!

Now you have a fully functioning powerful, professional & good looking website.  From here the sky is the limit!  Start creating your content and take the online world by storm!  If you went with the free WordPress theme, your total cost should only have been $83.40.  If you went with a premium theme, your cost shouldn’t have exceeded $175 (and could have been as low as $155).  Not bad to have your own site, on your own domain, that you completely control.

I hope you have enjoyed the experience of setting up your first WordPress site!  If there is anything I can do to further help you on your online journey, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.  My business is helping entrepreneurs & small businesses like you!

One Final Offer

This eBook is 100% free and I will always keep it that way.  That being said, I still need to find ways to make some money and feed my family.  If all of the instructions above are still too much for you to handle, consider hiring me to do it for you!  I only charge $49 for the Free Theme Installation & $99 for a Premium Theme.  Here is what you get if you hire me:

1. I handle setting up your Hosting Account
2. I transfer any domain account you already own (changing DNS Records, etc…)
3. I handle installing your theme & modifying normal settings
4. I install a handy set of recommended Plug-in’s including:

• Comment Spam Blocker
• All in One SEO Pack (for Search Engine Optimization)
• Social Media Share integration (So people can share your site on Facebook, Twitter & any other social media network you like)
• Automatic Data Backup (so your site data is always backed up)

Additionally, I will:

1. I will give you a one on one training session over the phone and internet – I walk you through how to set everything up, how to create pages, create posts, pictures, videos and more.
2. Unlimited email support for the first 30 days your site is handed over to you
3. Custom Logo – For an additional $150 dollars, I will handle creating a custom logo or header image for your website.  This includes 4 initial concepts and an unlimited amount of revisions until you are satisfied with the result.  I normally charge $249 for this service, but I have discounted it if you also hire me to setup your website or blog.
4. Guaranteed Delivery within 4 days – If your site isn’t ready to go within 4 days, you don’t owe me a single penny, but still get to keep your website!  Cool eh?  That is how dedicated to your success I am.

So what are you waiting for?  Go out there and setup your website today, or contact me to set it up for you!  Either way, you are well on your way to taking over the online world!

Gmail is the primary application used in Google Apps.  Gmail is email on steroids. It has so many useful and easy to use features, I’m surprised anyone uses anything other than Gmail to handle email communication.  If you need a little extra push, here it comes in the form of two handy and Free Gmail Plug In’s. I’ve started using these over the past few weeks, and now I would be completely lost without them.

Rapportive

View of Rapportive inside my Gmail. Look to the right hand side. The Rapportive information is there instead of ads

Social CRM is all the rage these days.  Its the idea of integrating the Web 2.0/Social Media layer of the internet in to your customer relationship strategy.  Companies like BantamLive have spearheaded the concept by successfully integrating platforms like Twitter in to the every day CRM tasks.

Rapportive is doing something similar, but with a very cool twist.  Rapportive is a Gmail Plug-In that turns every email into a Social CRM experience.  Once you install the Rapportive plug-in, every email is magically transformed in to a contact dashboard.  The ads you are used to seeing on the right hand side of the screen are replaced with an overview of the contact you are viewing.  It pulls in useful information from that contacts social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, etc…

Essentially, Rapportive aggregates any person’s social data in to one location – your Gmail Inbox.  It does it in a way that is totally unobtrusive and useful.  If you use Gmail, do yourself a favor and download this free plug-in today.  You won’t regret it.  At the very least, the ads you are used to will be gone!  Talk about a win-win!

Boomerang

For me, one of the keys to getting work done is effective time management.  I can’t manage my time when I have my email open all day.  The constant back and forth of email is extremely distracting.  If I’m not careful, it can take up my entire day and pretty soon the day is over and I haven’t accomplished any real work.

Instead of just clicking "Send" I can specify a specific time. This saves a ton of time in the email "back and forth"

I manage this by only opening my email 2-3 times a day at most.  I reply to important emails and use an amazing Gmail plug-in called Boomerang.  Boomerang lets me send or reply to messages and then specify when I want that message to be sent.  Instead of sending it immediately, I can have all my emails send at a certain time each day.  This is a huge time saver because it eliminates the constant back and forth that distracts me.  Since I can send the messages any time I want, I can even have them send first thing in the morning so I’m “top of mind” to anyone I’m trying to reach.

Following up is also a chore most of the time.  How do I remember to follow up with someone if I don’t want to create a task or calendar item for it?  Boomerang solved that problem too.  When sending an email, just click a box to “Boomerang” the message back to you at a certain time.  For example, when sending an email to a sales lead, I tell the message to “Boomerang” back to me in two days if that sales lead did not reply.  That way it is out of sight, out of mind for me, but ensures I’ll follow up in two days.

As I mentioned before, if you aren’t using Gmail already, these are two more extremely good reasons to make the switch.  Gmail, and both of these plug-ins are completely free.  So what are you waiting for?!!

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Have you used either of these plug-ins?  What is your experience with them?  What other Gmail plug-ins do you know about?  Teach me in the comments below!  And please share this if it was useful to you.  Its the only way I get my articles to a wider audience.  Thanks.

But I noticed. I live in a small town and the post master knows me and my wife.  He recognized that the mail was intended to go to us, but the address was different.  Thank god for that!

Long story short, we had to close all of our existing accounts, open new accounts and everything associated with that (new cards, checks, online access, etc…)  It sucked.

I never want to do that again. I was determined to find a solution to the problem that would ensure my online accounts would be safe and nobody could gain access to them.  Since I’m a proponent of staying completely web based, I wanted a web based security solution as well.

I found it with Passpack.com

Passpack lets you store login & password details for all of your online accounts

Passpack is freaking sweet!  If you are serious about protecting your online accounts, I highly suggest you take a look at the service.  The service is free for up to 100 accounts, so there is pretty much no reason not to give it a try.  I’m a heavy user, and I’m still only at 33 accounts.  That means I can add 67 more accounts before I’ll ever have to pay for the service.  And since the paid version only starts at $1.50 per month, I’m not too worried about it even if I do have to start paying for it.  $1.50 is totally reasonable – especially if it means my data is secure online.

What Passpack does

Passpack is a web based password storage service for individual or team/business use.  Essentially it is a way for you to secure all of your passwords in a single location online.  Once you setup the service, you will only need to remember one password for the rest of your life.

If you are like me, you probably have 3-5 passwords you use for ALL of your online accounts.  Something like “myhouse123” or “10wilson08”.  You probably have something that you can remember.  The problem with this strategy is that over time you end up having many, many accounts with the same password.  If any of your accounts are compromised, it is easy for an identity thief to gain access to other accounts as well.

What you need is highly secure and impossible to guess passwords that are unique to every single online account you have. The best way to do that is with a service like Passpack.

How it works

Signing up for a free Passpack account is easy.  Similar to other online services, you have to choose a user name & password.  However, since this service is super secure (Government grade baby!), you will also need to create a “Packing Key”.  Essentially, this is a second password for accessing your account.  It is a second layer of security so you and only you can access this account.

Once you have an account setup you can start adding login & password information for each of your individual online accounts.  As you go through this exercise the first time, you will probably want to use Passpack’s handy password generation tool.  It will automatically create a super secret password for each of your online accounts.  All you have to do is update each account with the new passwords and Passpack will remember them for you in the future.

Admittedly the initial process is time consuming.  You have to go through all of your accounts and update the passwords.  It isn’t instantaneous.  However, once you set it all up, it is super easy to use and highly secure.  You won’t have to worry about those identity thefts any more.

Automatic “1 Click” Login

Passpack lets you automatically login to web accounts - even if you have multiple user names & passwords

It took me 2-3 hours to get all of my accounts entered and passwords changed.  Now that I have it all setup, logging in is a breeze.  Before I log in to any of my web accounts, I first log in to Passpack.com.  Passpack is the only service I need to remember my password for so its pretty easy.

Once I’ve logged in there, I activate “1 click login”.  This gives me a button in my browser that lets me automatically log in to sites I have an account with.  For the rest of the day, all I have to do is visit the site I have an account with and then click the “1 Click Login” button in my browser.  Once I click the button, Passpack securely retrieves my password from my account, enters the user name & password in to the login form and automatically logs me in.  Easy cheesy.

Share Passwords with Clients & Co-Workers

Another feature that sold me on Passpack was the ability to share passwords among teams and with clients.  As any small business owner knows, keeping track of passwords can be quite challenging among teams. If any team member leaves, the password needs to be updated and then re-distributed to team members still with the company.  Furthermore, the password is only as secure as your employees are.  If any employee decides to give a password out to someone else, it is impossible for you to know.

With Passpack, this problem has been solved.  Since all passwords are stored in the Passpack account, all you have to do is inactivate the account of a terminated employee.  Since they no longer have access to their Passpack account, they simultaneously are denied access to all of the other online accounts.  As long as you set them up as “view only” users (UPDATE: Please see clarification on this feature from Passpack in the comments section below), the employee never actually knew what the passwords were to each online account.

And there’s more

There are other really cool features like secure messaging between employees and partners, and anti-phishing protection.  I haven’t had a chance to use these features yet, but they should also come in handy as Biz Evolution grows.  The features I have tried and use are more than enough reason to get your own Passpack account too!

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I hope this article has helped you and your small business.  If you want to share the love, please share this article using one of the buttons below.  If I can help you with your transition to Passpack, I offer one on one or hourly consulting.  Just contact me to discuss.  - Bryan

I was inspired to write this post after watching Jason Fried from 37Signals discuss the topic at TEDx.  I highly encourage you to check out the video here.

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Everyone wants to be productive right?

After all, being productive is what makes us feel like we are worth something and contributing value.  This applies to our personal lives and also to the businesses we work for.

Business owners want productivity among their employees too. The more productive employees are, the better chance the business has at fully utilizing their staff and turning a profit.

Unfortunately, many businesses are doing it all wrong.  The office has become a place where real work is all but impossible to accomplish. Managers, Meetings, the water cooler and demanding co-workers all unconsciously conspire to keep most people from doing real work.

Think about your office environment for a moment.  When was the last time you had 5 hours to yourself to just focus and get stuff done?  How about 3 hours to yourself?  If you are completely honest with yourself, you’ll probably be hard pressed to think of a time where you had even 2 hours alone to just sit down and focus. This is why when asked, most people prefer places other than the office when they really need to get something done.

Yet focus is what produces the best results. Focus is what most people need (especially your most valuable employees) to do things right the first time.

So how do we stop the horrible cycles we’ve gotten ourselves in to?  How do we transform the office environment from a place of distractions to an oasis of productivity and employee happiness?  I have several unconventional tips that just might help you out. 

1.  Setup “No Talk Zones” – Often times all people need is a little quiet time to get things done.  In an open office environment, co-workers and managers have the ability to swing by at any time of the day and interrupt what people are doing.  By setting up a no talk zone somewhere in your office, people can respect the space like it were the library.  If someone is in the no talk zone, people can assume that the person is working on something important and try not disturb them.

2.  Setup “No Talk Times” – A variation to the no talk zone are no talk times.  If your office doesn’t have the type of space to setup a no talk zone, consider setting up a few times a week where people are encouraged to be quiet (within reason of course).  Start with something small like a Wednesday afternoon.  Once you see the results produced from a little quiet time, you’ll be itching to setup no talk times every day!

3.  Eliminate Meetings – I know, I know, meetings are fun.  They are a great way to make it look like we’re working, when actually we aren’t.  But meetings don’t accomplish much.  A one hour meeting with five co-workers isn’t really a one hour meeting is it?  No, its a five hour meeting.  Plus, that meeting is keeping everyone from actually working.

Instead of setting up meetings all the time, consider more passive forms of communication.  Email & Instant Messaging is a good start.  Before you setup your next meeting, try emailing the questions instead.  Ask people to respond by a certain date and see if you were able to accomplish the same thing.  If you really want to take it to the next step, start using passive collaboration tools like Basecamp for managing projects.

4.  Change how you measure productivity – Traditionally, managers and business owners like to see employees in the office.  They want them there from 8am until 5pm (or longer) because they equate “butt in chair” with “work is getting done”.  As we’ve more or less proved above, being in the office does not necessarily mean work is getting done.  Instead of requiring certain hours from employees, try measuring their output instead.  Set deadlines for certain tasks just like you used to, but let the employees figure out the best time to get them done.

For many people (me included), I would rather work late in the afternoon and at night to get things done.  I’d rather use the morning time to get some exercise and take care of personal errands.  If the work I’m doing doesn’t require that I’m somewhere for a specific time period, why should it matter?  Of course if employees aren’t getting their work done, that’s another story.  However, if you move to measuring productivity based on output instead of “chair time,” I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results AND the level of satisfaction your employees have with their jobs.

I hope you liked these unconventional tips and that you try to apply them within your business.  If you do, please let me know about your experience with them and your own tips for increasing employee productivity!

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Capsule - Hosted Software as a Service CRM Provider

I actually heard about CapsuleCRM quite some time ago.  At the time I was already using a web based CRM solution for the company I was working for, so it wasn’t until last week that I actually got a chance to test it out.  I was interested because it looked like a very simple and straightforward piece of software, and it also provides dashboards for quick sales measurement.

CapsuleCRM is the first in my series of reviews on Web Based CRM solutions. If you are in the market for a new CRM solution, or just like knowing about the options available to you, make sure you subscribe to my updates to keep in the loop.  I’ll complete 16 reviews in total (although that could change) and there will be a post/review sent out each week on Tuesday’s.

Capsule CRM by Zestia

I like Capsule a lot.  After using it for the better half of a week, I feel like it has done its job superbly yet for some reason I’m feeling a little bit underwhelmed.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  Capsule does everything I think a good CRM software should do, yet there seems to be something missing in the realm of “pizazz”.  I’m probably the only guy on the planet that likes to “feel it” with his software, so instead of offering a lop-sided review based on my gut, lets get down to the specifics.  I think you’re going to like it.

Getting Started with Capsule CRM

Central Dashboard

Capsule CRM is simple to use.  I like that.  In fact it is the #1 (and #4) criteria I have for good CRM software from my list.  I was able to upload my company logo, customize the color scheme and get my contacts list uploaded in under 15 minutes.  That’s pretty darn cool no matter how you look at it.

Managing Contacts

Contact List

After uploading my contacts list, I clicked over to my user settings and linked my contacts with my Google Account.  Very cool feature people!  This is what good integration is all about.  Now that the accounts are linked, every time I enter a new contact in Capsule, that contact is also created in Google. If you are an Android user, think about how awesome this feature is.  Since your contacts on your Android Phone can also be synced with your Google contacts, this means the days of double data entry are over!  Just enter the contact once in Capsule and that contact will automatically show up in Gmail, and on your mobile phone contacts list.  Yeah baby.

Managing and searching for contacts inside of Capsule is pretty straight forward.  There is a search bar always on top of the screen that lets you simultaneously search through your contacts, companies, opportunities & cases.  The contacts screen also has a list of contacts that you can filter by tag.

Social Networking Integration

Twitter/Social Media Integration

Social Networking Integration is implemented on a small scale.  By adding the Twitter address of a contact, you will see their recent tweets on their summary page within the software.  Capsule will also add a picture for your contact by grabbing it from their social network profile.  Not too shabby.  Other than that, the only integration I can see is a small icon for each social network you have added for that contact.

From there contact management is pretty straightforward.  I would prefer that adding notes didn’t require 3 clicks to accomplish.  I prefer a blog/comment style format where the note box is always available and all you have to do is start typing.  The less clicks the better.  If that is all I have to complain about though, I guess Capsule CRM is doing a pretty damn good job.

Opportunity & Pipeline Management

Sales Dashboard & Pipeline Management

Managing a sales pipeline is extremely easy with Capsule.  If you already follow a specific sales process (I was trained using the Brooks Group Technique), you can enter your sales stages very easily.  If you don’t already have a process in place, you can still get started quickly by choosing one of the two templates already loaded in the system.  By following a specific sales process for each of your active opportunities, Capsule gives you a pretty decent sales dashboard and idea of what type of revenues to expect.

Cases

Case Management

In addition to opportunities, Capsule gives you the ability to create cases for any contact or company.  Cases can be used for customer support interactions, or to track small projects or ideas.  Link multiple contacts and companies to keep track of everyone involved.  The cases feature is very basic, but that is all you need it to be.  If you need a more robust customer service app, consider linking your Capsule & ZenDesk accounts.

Calendar & Tasks

Calendar & Task Management

Capsule puts Calendars & Tasks in the same bucket.  By creating a task and setting a due date, that task automatically shows up on your calendar.  If you don’t need to complete it at a specific time, the task is simply added to your ongoing task list.  You can easily create any type of task from a contact, company, opportunity or case at any time.  By subscribing to the iCal feed inside of Capsule, you can sync your business calendar with Google Calendar or any other calendar software/service that you use.

Customization

Add Custom Fields to Anything

I like the fact that Capsule allows you to create custom fields.  If all you need is the bare bones info, then its already there.  No need to clutter your software with un-needed fields.  However, if you do need to customize for any reason, you can do that easily.   This is nice for niche specific businesses that have unique needs but don’t want to spend a ton of extra money on an industry specific CRM solution.  Of course Capsule already lets you use Tags on your contacts so don’t go overboard with custom fields just because you can.  Oftentimes the more fields you have, the less motivated your team is to fill them out.

Integration

Integration Options

In addition to integrating with Google Apps, Capsule integrates with 6 other web based business applications including FreeAgent, FreshBooks, KashFlow, MailChimp, Xero & ZenDesk.  If you are a user of any of these programs, Capsule might be an excellent CRM choice for your company.  The level of integration with each of these services is beyond the scope of this review, but I encourage you to visit each of the companies websites for more details.

What I really think about Capsule

Capsule is definitely software as a service done well.  The people at Zestia have done an excellent job.  The functionality of the software is everything you need without going overboard and ruining it.  My only beef might be in the overall user interface.  I feel like it could use some improvement.  I don’t like the icon’s very much – especially the sales pipeline icon – and feel like they could be a little more modern.  I know, I know, call me petty.  I might be the only guy on the planet that puts such a high value on “sexy software”, so take it for what its worth.

All in all I highly recommend Capsule as a great CRM solution for small businesses. It currently ranks very high on my list.  If you are considering a new CRM software for your company, please give them a try.  Like I mentioned above, you can be up and running in less than 15 minutes.

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If you liked this review, or are just interested in Hosted CRM solutions in general, make sure to sign up for blog updates.  This is the first review on my list of 16 software as a service CRM companies I’m reviewing over the coming months.  By subscribing to the updates you’ll get all the details on each company and have an opportunity to choose which one is right for you.

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Its time for you to setup a Google Places account.  Google Places allows you to create or claim your business listing online.  This is very similar to setting up your business in the Yellow Pages, except Google is Free and it gives you a great set of features to learn more about your business and the customers searching for you.

For instance, once you setup your business listing, you will be able to

• See how many people saw your listing & what search term they used to find it
• See how many people clicked on your listing and any links in the listing
• Add Coupons or offers to your listing to give visitors an incentive to come to your store
• Add Photo’s, Contact information, store hours and more
• Post updates in real time (ie:  Live Music this Thursday Night)

All of these services are FREE to use.  There are premium services you can add at a later time like custom Tags, but don’t worry about that until you have setup your basic account and you know how it all works.

What to do next (only takes 10 minutes)

1.  Go to http://www.google.com/places
2.  Sign in with your Google Account or Create a new one (Free)
3.  Click on the big “List your Business” button
4.  Enter your business phone number to have Google search for your business automatically
5.  Follow the directions from there

The process only takes about 10 minutes and it is WELL worth your time.  Once your listing is approved, you will be able to come back every day to see how many people have seen your listing, and what search terms they used to find you.  This helps a lot because you can start to change your message a bit to get more people calling you.  Don’t forget to offer an incentive like a coupon or similar to encourage people to come to your business!

And that’s it!  This is probably the most simple technique for getting found online and driving more traffic to your store or business.   You can’t find an easier and more cost effective way to get started online.

Attention location based businesses!  You know who you are.  Most of you.  Businesses that have a physical store front.  Restaurants, Coffee shops, Clothing Stores, Grocery stores, whatever.

Its time to get to know FourSquare.

Its a totally free way to promote your business and learn more about who your best customers are.  It is also one of the best ways to take advantage of Social Media on the hyper-local scale.  Oh, and its REALLY easy to get started with.

What exactly is FourSquare?

For your customers, FourSquare is a mobile service that helps them explore their city (or town), find cool things to do, unlock badges and connect with friends.  Its similar to Google Maps because it lets them search for venues close to them from their mobile device.  The difference is that there is an additional social & game layer built in.  FourSquare gives people points whenever they “check in” at various locations.  If you check in more than anyone else for a particular location, you become that location’s “Mayor”.

If your customers have friends on FourSquare, those friends know where they are checking in and can be updated if they are close by.  People can also leave “tips” about certain locations.  For instance, if they absolutely LOVED the waffle fries at Perry’s Restaurant in Ketchum like Ashton Kucher does (seriously. I just saw that on Perry’s page on FourSquare), when people check in at Perry’s next they will see this tip and perhaps order the fries as well.  Talk about great free advertising…

How can FourSquare help your business?

For no cost to you (at least for now), you can login to FourSquare and claim your business.  Don’t worry about adding your business from scratch.  FourSquare most likely already has you listed in their directory.  On top of that, customers are probably already checking in at your store.

By claiming your business now, you will gain valuable insight in to who has checked in, how often they check in and what they may have said about you.  You will automatically know who checks in the most at your business (your “Mayor”) and by default know who promotes your business the most.

You can start offering incentives to people to check in and get even more insights in to your customers.  Currently, FourSquare lets you offer incentives (taken directly from their site) like:

• Mayor Specials: unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue. Who’s the Mayor? It’s your single most loyal customer! (the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days) (“Foursquare has deemed you the Mayor? Enjoy a free order of french fries!”)

• Check-in Specials: unlocked when a user checks in to your venue a certain number of times.  (“Foursquare says you’ve been here 10 times? That’s a free drink for you!”)

• Frequency-based Specials: are unlocked every X check-ins. (“Foursquare users get 20% off any entree every 5th check-in!”)

• Wildcard Specials: always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the Special.  (“Show us your foursquare Swarm badge and get a free drink!”)

How freaking cool is that?

If you think about it, this is a prime example of how business tools are evolving.  What other tool in history can give you this level of detail about your customers?  I can’t think of any myself.  The only other thing close would be hiring a person to physically track each customer and how many times they visit.  However, that still wouldn’t allow those customers themselves to become your best advocates and marketing team!

You owe it to yourself to claim your business on FourSquare today.  It is extremely easy to do, and the information you gain from it is priceless.  And since the service is free to sign up for, I’d say that’s a pretty damn good ROI.

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I hope you enjoyed this article and that it helps you and your small business prosper.  Please share this on Facebook or Twitter if you found it useful.  It means a lot to me.   As always, if I can be of help to you and your small business, I’m just a phone call or email away.  Thanks.  - Bryan