Being the good Catholic boy I am, every Lent I give up something for the season through Easter. Without getting into a religious conversation, whatever I give up should be a sacrifice. In the past I have given up desserts, various forms of adult beverages and using choice adult words. However this year I thought long about what I could sacrifice that would surely make me a better individual.

I am giving up non-essential spending. For both myself and my business, I will not spend money on anything that is not required. A non-essential business expense is one not directly related to revenue generation, and one for personal is one not vital to my very survival.

To ensure I am keeping my word, I am keeping track of any purchase I don’t make, and its dollar value. The accompanying picture to this post lists the first 2 items I did not buy. Amazon had the Nokia E71 for almost US$150.00 off this past weekend, but I declined. I recently bought some adapter tips for my iGo portable charger, only to realize once I got them I need another cable, which I decided not to buy as I had no essential travel planned through Easter. I have a couple of personal items as well, but nothing stellar to mention. The list is more to track my decisions rather than to be a shopping list after Lent is over, though some items I still may buy.

Some people think my Lenten sacrifice is a sound decision, especially those who know me and my continuous quest for electronics. Others think my decision is lame, and instead I should be supporting the economy or I probably shouldn’t be spending these days anyway. In any case, I feel good I have gone week only buying essentials.

What do you think, and if you celebrate Easter as well, what did you give up for Lent?

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Business • Diversions • (6) Comments • Permalink

“Now I am wondering what is next to fall.” I asked this question the other day when I wrote of the demise of Yahoo! Briefcase. The next thing I know, I get an email in my inbox from Vindigo. The message, in plain text, stated the following:

“Please be advised that Vindigo is no longer in business and your account information on file will not be billed again. We appreciate your past business and apologize that we are no longer able to provide it to you. This email is a service announcement in regard to your Vindigo account and was sent from Vindigo, Inc., 500 Seventh Ave, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018.”

That’s it – no link, or anything.

For those unfamiliar with it, Vindigo was a service where you could sync content with either a Palm or Windows Mobile device. With that definition and the proliferation of real-time wireless services, you could guess their business model would not last too long. Plus the service was free, so they were not getting any money from me. As I have migrated from my Palm 680 to my Nokia E70, I wasn’t using the service anyway.

Even though there were no links in the email, I attempted to go their Web site at vindigo.com. Even though there was a “404: File Not Found” error message, I noticed the favicon showed up in the browser. This indicated to me the Web site still may be there in some form. So I Googled “vindigo” and it gave links to other pages on the site – including the profile login page – which were still in place and functioning. Removing the home page is one way to take down a Web site, but remember there are other pages people can easily get to.

I am not trying to build a deadpool here on The Hot Iron, only mentioning 2 sites that are shutting down. As things commonly happen in 3’s, dare I wonder who’s next?

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Business • Mobile Technology • (5) Comments • Permalink

In the course of networking with colleagues or entrepreneurs in general, business operations is a topic discussed often. From hiring or computers to everything in between, it is good to discuss such business commonalities, as we can learn from each other and gain perspectives on how to manage various elements of our business.

It wasn’t until recently I realized I rarely if ever talk about money in networking. This thought came to mind as I got into conversations with 2 separate colleagues, and the topic of money came up. Each conversation was different, but it lent some insight into their business’ finances and how they seek revenues and profits. However it wasn’t until afterwards, when I was digesting what was discussed, that I realized money was discussed.

Now don’t think I am suggesting you should start a conversation with a complete stranger by saying, “hello, tell me about your business and how much you make?” Rather, when in a situation when you may want a different or unique perspective on money and finances, seek out trusted colleagues for a conversation. This colleague may be a fellow entrepreneur who is familiar with your business or not. You don’t have to open up your QuickBooks file to someone in the process, but you can get into some details without putting a dollar figure with it.

Of course you should always review any advice or decisions with your accountant or CPA. You do have one, right?

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Small business drives the economy. That statement is said over and over again, but what does it really mean? We hear figures how most new job growth comes from small businesses and entrepreneurs, but then that’s it – no depth is reported and you never hear anything beyond it. Allow me to put some meaning to it.

As you don’t have to go far to find any new unemployment numbers these days, let’s use this report out of the Great State of California where 79,000 were lost in the month of January, 2009 alone.

What one company is going to hire 79,000 people? Or what two companies will hire 39,500 each? Or what 100 companies will hire 790 people each?

Or will it be 79,000 companies hiring one person each? These 79,000 companies are the small businesses and entrepreneurs who are doing all they can to survive – and thrive – in this economy. Issues of extravagant junkets and private jets never come into play for them. As they do well and grow, they have the need to bring on more people. But it is expensive to bring on an employee. First off, you want to make sure you can keep them on the payroll and be able to pay them through the highs and lows of business. Then there is insurance – not just healthcare, but workers comp, unemployment, liability, etc. Add to that whatever tools they need to do their job, and you see the challenge for us entrepreneurs.

As elected officials throw around figures so large that I am sure even themselves don’t quite grasp, let alone those who voted them in, they need to remember who will be doing the actual hiring, and ensure they have the level playing field to do so.

Let the conversation on small business hiring continue!

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You don’t have to look far on the Internet for a mention of poor airline customer service. On a recent flight, however, I received great service – service to a level that compelled me to write to the airline. Rather than doing so, in a closed manner, I decided to put it in the form of an open letter here on The Hot Iron.

Dear AirTran Airways:

I am writing regarding a recent flight I had on AirTran and the great service I received. The flight was on Sunday, February 22, 2009 aboard flight 20 from Atlanta to Chicago-Midway. On that flight I upgraded to business class, as well as the flight into Atlanta.

My only regret in this letter is I did not get the name of the gentleman who was the flight attendant in business class. He did mention it at the beginning of the flight but I did not note it. However, his attentive, outstanding service did not need writing down. Many times I have flown domestic business or first class - on AirTran and other carriers - and the service has been good, but not great. I do not have the expectation of the forward cabin being an open bar party, but attention to those who paid more to be there is what I seek.

This attendant went way beyond service I have received for quite a time. He was very friendly, greeting each and every passenger as they boarded, and gave extra attention to children. Once the plane was boarded he came through and asked us if we wanted a pre-flight drink, which I haven’t received in quite a while. Throughout the flight he came through the full business class section frequently asking if there was anything else we needed or wanted, right up until the time we landed.

Once we landed and started to deplane, I noticed some passengers ahead of me in business class give him a hug. Perhaps they knew him or were just as pleased as I was, but that is something I have never seen before! As I passed him and he thanked me for flying AirTran and wished me a good evening, I thanked him and shook his hand – something I had never done before to a flight attendant.

Please pass along my kind words to him, and I look forward to the next flight I am on with him. And for sure I will get his name again.

Regards,
Mike Maddaloni
Chicago

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Business • (4) Comments • Permalink