After years of working with a variety of platforms to be able to provide a good range of options to clients, I have now decided to develop all websites exclusively using the Adobe Business Catalyst platform.

Why? I hear you ask.

I came to realise that most business owners don't really care which platform their website is built on, so long as they have a reliable, cost effective, and easy to manage website.  

In business, deciding what to stop doing is as important as what to keep doing. So we are now only using the Adobe Business Catalyst platform for all new websites.

It means we can focus entirely on being an online business mentor to our clients. This has been one of the most exciting parts about making this decision. It means the our role becomes one of partnership, support and mentoring, rather than simply managing technology. The only client sites which have experienced hackings, needed upgrades and had functions 'just stop working' have been those sites not on the Adobe Business Catalyst platform. Problems like this -

 

 

"WordPress plugin creating a security issue for millions of sites". And if a problem does occur, then Adobe fix it without the need to get involved with upgrading security patches, plugins and a whole lot of other work.

Our main focus now is to help business owners utilise the web to market their business and better meet the needs their own prospect and client base.

Is that all?

No, and I'm glad you asked. While the stability of the platform is a huge advantage, there are many others.

Integration with customer database

At the core of every business is its customer base. Adobe Business Catalyst provides a built in customer relationship management system which means anytime a customer fills in a form on your site, buys a product or interacts with you in some way, this is recorded - with a range of automated follow-up and marketing options available.

Always up-to-date

The problem with many alternative platforms is that they date.  No sooner has a site been built with WordPress or Joomla than a new version, security patch or plugin is requiring attention. Or the server they are sitting on has an upgrade and things stop working.

With Adobe Business Catalyst, the platform does not date - in fact the reverse happens. It is two steps ahead all the time. While you sleep, security is maintained, fixes are made, new features and functions developed and magically appear in your Dashboard.

Truly Extensible

The platform comes with pretty much everything a small business needs - even if you are not ready to use it all yet.

Most business owners when building their first website, just want to get it up and adopt a staged approach to extra web marketing possibilities. Once built, it is easier to see the marketing opportunities your web presence creates. When using Business Catalyst we can just tap into the functions which are already there - whether it is creating specialised pages to complement print advertising or promotions, creating online events or bookings, or starting to sell things online, or using the built-in email marketing system.

Really Easy to Manage

The Dashboard makes it really easy to manage things like content on your pages, image galleries, blog posts and even your own forms on an as-needs basis. Two training sessions are generally ample to manage the day-to-day running of your site.

So its perfect then?

Its close.

With access to the extensive knowledge base and a ticketed support system, website owners can resolve any issues as they come up. Additional support is available through onlineiq or any of the many other Adobe Business Catalyst partners.

This focus allows us to provide a much better overall experience to our clients - and their clients base, as we know the system inside out.

Something else we love about it...

You may not know, but when onlineiq started using Adobe Business Catalyst 3 years ago, it was just called Business Catalyst - an Australian Company which had developed a fabulous product. So fabulous that it was then acquired by Adobe. You will really notice its Australian origins when accessing some of the tutorials and resources. Its a nice touch.

What if we want to move our existing site to Adobe Business Catalyst?

Just give us a call.  We have moved a number of older sites over to Adobe Business Catalyst recently, and have had some very happy clients. Let us know if you want to talk to them.

Or post questions or comments right here....

Let it never be said that I would recommend something that I do not use myself.  I have been touting Jing's virtues for as long as I can remember.

But a word of warning.  If you find your computer slowing down after much use (I have been using it all day, everyday for 3 years) I had accumulated quite a history.

3.58GB to be precise, for a total of 24,088 items!  Don't believe me??



This explains a LOT!!

So in addition to recommending that everyone use this, I now recommend that you all also watch this video if you do become a prolific user - so you can stop the memory hogging that accumulates after years of daily use.  Here is the official blog post about it from JingProject.

I think its a credit to my Mac that anything worked on it at all with this running in the background :)

The good thing is that all you need to do is remove the folder from the Library - so you don't need to lose the history (and it does not affect what you have stored in your screencast account).  You can simply archive this folder if you ever need to access those Jings.

Jing is my most frequently used online tool.

It captures what you see on your screen in seconds - either a still image or a short video.  You simply save the image or video file to your computer, or you can email a link of the image/video to whoever you want.

I encourage everyone to use it - it saves hours of frustration and verbal explanations.  If you are asked to give feedback about a design or any other visual information, there is nothing quicker or more precise. 

• showing an instant screen shot or video to tech support when funny things are going on with your computer
• capturing an image from your computer
• preparing training videos 
• Jing Pro - (at just $14.95US per year) allows for higher quality sound, and up to 5 minute videos.

It has allowed me to disengage from my business in order to 'feel' what is important to me, and to clarify my direction.  With so much information and 'noise' coming in, it is hard to distinguish what is of real value.  Towards the end of last year I was feeling jarred with tweets, followers, who to follow, what to read, what to subscribe to, what I had subscribed to, and which of the myriad of "once ever only" offers were truly essential.

Reflection has allowed me to get back to basics by coming back to my business plan.  Not just any business plan but one which is driven by my personal goals about how I want to live.  The whole point of being in business as far as I am concerned is for it to give me control over my own destiny. (Ok, so there are other reasons also, but this is a driving force for me).  If your business is not doing this, its time to reconsider what it is all about, or perhaps how you are going about it.

I have reaffirmed my desire for a very simple business structure, for diversified income streams, and to build my business in a way where systems and structures come first, so it can all be handed over easily, and where my personal presence will not be essential for the business to work.  I have been much more detailed than this in my actual plan of course, and this has now allowed me to make some solid decisions.  Here are a few...

1.     Email lists - which to keep, which to ditch

If it does not fit with specific, actionable goals clearly stated on my business plan, I won't subscribe.  I know how to find the information again when I need it.   While ideally I would only use Google Reader to keep track of content, some excellent content only comes via an email opt in (from clever marketers who know the value of your email address).

2.     Social Media

I now mainly have live push-type feeds switched off, but scan feeds regularly.  I have affirmed my view that what I follow needs to be useful content and not just chit chat or blatant marketing, and I will un-follow a lot of people who don't provide the content which I need right now.  For my own contributions, I intend to pass on others' excellent content as I find it, or my own content.

3.     Utilize Google Reader a lot more

This takes the clutter out of my inbox, allows me to categorize my inputs, and quickly scan for what is useful at a time which suits me.

Here is an example of how this all works in practice.  As I was writing this post, an affiliate application I had been waiting on for for some time came though in my email.  I had included as part of my multiple income stream plan to develop the affiliate part of my business this year, so I will act on this straight away.  Another email came through about a great workshop I would love to attend, but I deleted this because I have made a decision to APPLY what I have learnt this year without gaining more 'cutting edge, beat the market' type of input, as incredibly enticing as it is.  Big tip - delete quickly!!

So what will you be doing differently?  Has the holiday, reflective period created some insights or changes for you?

Resource:  If you are unfamiliar with Google Reader, check out this 60 second grab.  It will free up your time incredibly.

The end of the year brings about a perfect opportunity for the three R's - a great time to review your business and personal priorities.

Most people running a solo or small enterprise are doing so for a many reasons - from personal fulfilment in following a passion, to the freedom which making your own decisions on your own terms brings.  

While the internet & technology can help in allowing being more freer and mobile within a business, it can also provide a multitude of distractions, possible opportunities and information which can set us either off course, or in a time wasting direction.  So now is a good time to take stock.

My 3 R's start with reflection, as the holiday season provides the perfect opportunity just to stop for a little while.

Reflect

Reflection is quite a soft activity.  It is less about setting aside time to reflect, and more about allowing reflection to happen by being less busy and being out of the normal routine.  Catching up with family, spending social time with friends - all gives us time to see what has happened in others' lives, gain inspirations (or warnings!), and reassess our own views about what is important and how our year has been.

Simply allow the thoughts to present themselves, let them go, or capture them if you have any epiphanies (or just good ideas).

Review

After a period of reflection, you may feel you are ready to apply something a bit more active and conscious to your thoughts.

Have you felt that there are areas in your life and/or work which you have decided need readjustment?  What goals or values are you reviewing against?

For example, it is important to me that my business supports my greater life goals and values.  These are:  contributing meaningfully to others, having a successful and multiple income stream which does not involve my physical presence, and having geographic mobility.   All business opportunities, ideas and activities need to show they contribute to these goals in some way before I act on them.

When your goals are really clear, any opportunities and/or distractions can be easily assessed against this criteria.  You need to be careful what you ask for as this is what you create.  Do you want more work?  Or do you want more income or freedom of lifestyle?  The two are not the same and reviewing opportunities against your clearly identified goals allows for a very quick assessment.

Is it your goals and purpose which need to change or be clarified, or is it the way you are working towards them which need to change?

If you don't have clear goals and purpose - then this is really worth taking the time to do.

Re-Focus

Once my review is complete, I can then refocus.  I find writing things down really helps - what do I need to start doing, what do I need to stop doing.  It may be scary as perhaps I have invested time and energy in something which now needs to be dropped.  But that is ok - it is essential to stop doing the things which no longer server my purposes, no matter how comfortable or automatic they are.  What will they be?  

I don't know yet, but I look forward to having the talk with myself.

What things are you going to stop or start so you are more aligned with your greater purpose?

The Pomodoro Technique is an excellent productivity and time management system which I have stumbled upon and have been using for a few weeks now.

It is extremely simple to use and powerful, as it hones your focus and discipline in quite a gentle way.  Its aim is to get us to tackle and complete items we avoid doing due to fear of failure, or a dislike of the task.

The name 'Pomodoro' comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer which was used by the inventor of the technique.  I of course, use my iphone.  The important thing about whichever timer you use, is that it has an audible ring.  This and a piece of paper is all you need.

The basis of the technique is through firstly defining a unit of time 'a Pomodoro', as being 25 minutes.  Your task needs to be worked on solidly with no distractions during this time.  For longer tasks you join the Pomodoro's together, but not before having a 4-5 minute break between each Pomodoro.  For shorter tasks, you group these to go into the one Pomodoro.  

Every 4 Pomodoros (2 hours) you have a 15-30 minute break.

Here is a brief daily structure:

1.     Daily tasks are written down and prioritized.
2.     A heading for 'Urgent and Unexpected' is created, where anything urgent which crops up and needs to be dealt with that day is noted.  If at the end of the Pomodoro you still believe task is urgent, you can rearrange your day's schedule and slot this in as a Pomodoro.
3.     An activity sheet is created - where all 'to do' items are listed as they come up.  This could be follow up actions from the day's activities, or anything else - this sheet is simply a repository for things to do, so they don't get forgotten.
4.     Tasks are tackled in 25 minute blocks, distractions are noted and dealt with in the 5 minute breaks, or scheduled into the daily worksheet.

The way it has really helped me is that:

• I now know exactly how long I am spending on a task (I just count the number of Pomodoros)
• I become acutely aware of my distractions (if a Pomodoro is 'broken', you need to start the timer again - so there is an incentive to not give in to distraction)
• I have been able to tell those around me that I am 'in the middle of a Pomodoro' and this has lessened ad-hoc distractions (I am yet to teach the dogs about this)
• I am finding that I am getting to tackle difficult tasks which I have avoided, because I can chunk it up into 25 minutes at a time.

The real success for me has been that I am still very happily doing it after two weeks, and my days have felt very productive.

Here is the link to access The Pomodoro Technique website where you can access the free downloadable book of the technique also.

Give it a go - I'd love to hear your feedback if you try it.