My Hero-Carbonite

Oops, I did it again. Any you have probably done it too.
       I just pushed the wrong button on my computer and threw out a very important document. This is the thing nightmares are made of.
You check the trash to see if it was captured there; you check every file on your computer; you have a stiff drink and contemplate how you are going to find all the information you need to recreate it.
       We have written about this before, but I just hit the wrong button and did it again. The importance of backing up all the data on your computer cannot be understated. Have you considered what will happen if your computer crashed? You would not only lose an important document, you would lose everything that you have stored a computer files.
       If not a total crash, or hitting the wrong key, your data could be compromised by viruses, worms or Trojans. Except for the use of good anti-virus security programs there is not much that you can do to avoid this nightmare.
       The system I use, and I just had to use it again last week, is Carbonite. You can back-up you information on CD’s or external drives, but this requires discipline and a lot of time. If you are going to use CD’s or external drives you have to remember to store them offsite; somewhere safe. Some operating systems have a restore feature that can recapture anything back to a specific date. Anything you have worked on since your last back-up is in jeopardy.
       Carbonite is a remote server that can easily store and retrieve anything you have on your computer. It works in the background to back up all your files at a remote location. If your computer is attacked by a virus, stolen, damaged, or dead you can easily retrieve all you work with a few key strokes. It backs up as you go so you can never lose more than about 10 minutes work and you don’t even know it’s there, except for the little green dots that reassure you that a file is protected.
       Two great pluses are that it encrypts everything before it is stored so nobody except you can read or copy it, and there is no limit to what you can store. Long complicated spread sheets are just as safe as your short note to Aunt Sue or the pictures of your kids.
       This service will only cost you about a dollar a week and brings more peace of mind than money can buy. I’ve used it myself and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Do You Have Your Hat on Backwards?

In today’s tough economy you have done your due diligence, thoroughly analyzed your income and out go, and sorted your numbers every which-way. You have discovered that your Widget A only accounts for 12% of your business. Should you drop this product line?
WAIT! There are other areas to consider before you pull the plug. Have you done a full analysis of the total potential market? You are likely to find that although Widget A only represents 12% of your business, it actually represents 90% of the total market. Whether by design or happenstance you have discovered a niche and filled it. This has long been the mantra of product designers and sales teams-“find a niche and fill it.”
With this knowledge on hand would you still want to pull the plug on Widget A? What are the chances for add-on sales of your other products? Are your Widget A customers likely to recommend your to their friends and associates? How much of the infrastructure of Widget A overlaps other products in your line? It may only represent 12% of your income, but how much of your outgo does it represent, probably a lot less than 12%.
A major car manufacturer I worked for several years ago made just this mistake and has never been the same since. These are all questions they should have asked as part of their strategic planning analysis. Your Widget A may not be your most profitable product, but it may have a great value to you in the whole scheme of things, in capturing extra business, or in just filling a need that nobody else is able to do, thus making you a hero and a successful commercial enterprise.
A lot of the success of your business will depend on this balancing act. It is critical that you due your due diligence, but not make any decisions until you look at the picture from both sides, yours and the client’s.