http://passionped.wordpress.com/
I haven’t exactly made it a secret that I am not the world’s
biggest embracer of technology. In my business however, I am miles ahead of my
two partners. One partner has a home computer and a basic cell phone with nary a single phone number in her contacts - it's all in her head, she claims. The other
one has a smart phone but no home computer. She rejects e-mail, rarely answers her phone, and hardly ever listens to voice-mail. Neither has any idea what social
media is. They are artists, full of whimsical and creative ideas. I am the practical one and
the de facto realist. The task of dragging us, as a business, into the 21st
century is going, it seems, to fall to me. While I have done my fair share of whining about technology on this blog, I am finding the prospect of
introducing some mobile device technology into our business strategy a little
less daunting than I might have previously because of what I have
learned in that last few months and in my recent research. Actually, I am feeling downright inspired at the moment... kind of!
Feeling so inspired, I dragged the netbook computer I received as a
gift last year out from its home under the couch and blew the dust off. I am now taking it to work with me daily and
have started using it to track my inventory and place orders on-line. I have
also started updating our Facebook page more frequently, and have used the netbook for
some on-line business banking. I have also been using it for product research
as well as being more timely with my business correspondence. While I was performing these tasks already, I was doing them
from home after business hours, hoping that I didn’t forget anything between the store and home. Often times, this was contingent on the
stuff-of-life not interfering. Real-time and on-site is making me feel mighty
efficient these day and makes my personal time much more pleasant as well. I recently acquired
my first smart phone and am still learning how to use it, but my head is
starting to swim with ideas and possibilities!
My partner-peeps are even starting to drink the mobile
device Kool-Aide a little bit too. This, in and of itself, is HUGE! I knew we were making strides when I was
asked to leave the netbook at the store for them to use on their days at the helm. The mere mention
of Twitter is no longer being dismissed with a wave of the hand as unnecessary to business growth,
and there has been a sudden epiphany that moving money between bank accounts does not always
require a special trip to the actual bank. Progress is being made. Admittedly,
it’s in baby steps, but at least it’s in a forward direction!
I love the series of Verizon Wireless commercials about the little
girl entrepreneur and the mobile devices she used to build her lemonade business. This is the first of the series. I want that little credit card swiper
for my phone so we can accept credit sales when we are off-site at shows, which
has always been an issue. I’ve
already started doing the research! I am a bit concerned about security with this particular mobile device, but so far, the research says it's quite safe.
Oh, and I see a tablet in my near future as well! Anything else I should be looking at?
Oh, and I see a tablet in my near future as well! Anything else I should be looking at?
