Share on Facebook

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

What have I done in 2008 (not 2009), that really impacted my business - either at a core profit level, or a core efficiency level. Here’s my Top three things I’ve done that have had a huge effect on my business. If you’re starting a business, or growing your business, these might make a big difference!

1) Apple, Gmail, and the Ultimate Shift in my tools and resources…

Ever seen those Apple commercials? Ever wonder if maybe they were right? 2008 was the year of the Apple, and while I still use my PC for certain things, my switch to Apple, and Apple products, proved hugely beneficial to my business!

I can get into specifics about why Apple versus PC, and why, and what tools I use on each, but I’ll save that for a longer, specific post. Suffice it to say, this was a huge time saver, and my business works better on Apple. now have 3 Imacs, 2 Powerbooks … and no headache.

2) Gmail and Google’s paid suite of business tools.

I may live to regret this, but since I was on PC, I used Outlook. Outlook is a horrible program, but I was so stuck in it. So many years wasted… so many emails lost…

Outlook is… quite possibly, the devil.

With my switch to Mac, I made the switch to Gmail, which was very difficult, laborious, and to my way of thinking, a waste of time. Yet, no single thing has catapulted me in productivity than switching to Gmail, and Google Docs, spreadsheets, etc…

Yes, I may live to regret this, putting so much faith into one company, but the paid version (pay the paltry $50 per person), is amazing beneficial to me, my employees, my company, and our productivity.

They simply work, and they work anywhere.  I can travel, and be completely connected to my business. Does anyone still actually use Outlook? I feel like I was a late adopter of Gmail, but it has catapulted me to a better Internet Lifestyle (work and play together).

3) Focus on fewer sites…

We have hundreds of websites. Yes, hundreds. Sometimes it feels like even more!

In 2008, we trimmed it down. Fewer, larger sites were the word of the day, and guess what? It’s working! Follow our lead … this is the wave of the future.

Ever notice how hard it’s getting to rank in Google? Yep - big sites win. Focussed sites win. I’m not saying the ocassional sales letter site can’t garner an easy 20-100k, but if you’re around for the long run - think big, and think, single or small group of sites.

What about link farms? Blog Farms? Etc…  Been there, done that!

Save those for the people whom want to work harder than you do!  You simple won’t need them if you work on creating a big site, with big content, and big community. That’s a fact!

What’s your top 3-5 business changers? What have you done in your business to blow up your productivity or bottom line? We’re getting our 2009 list ready, but would love to get your thoughts and insights first.

What are your game changers?

Share on Facebook

Finally, I am honestly giving this a go! I am moving from Outloook to Gmail - really. That’s all my mail, including importing over 50 inbox accounts, over 150 folders, and over 8 gigabytes of past mail.  Did I mention this was a massive undertaking. It’s just begun, and I will report my findings and how life is after Outlook in about a month.

However, this task is so significant, and will likely affect so many people, that I had to blog about it. The move from Outlook to Gmail is a staggering one for me. I’ve been on Outlook (or Outlook Express) for my whole life. Brief run ins with Thunderbird or Eudora never took, and I never could get myself off of outlook…

Even though it has never worked well for me!  It checks mail glacially slow, constantly crashes, I’ve lost my email countless times … the problems with Outlook are endless! Yet, I’ve never truly believed I could make the move.

Well, now I’m trying it. Yes, really trying it. Transferring the accounts, and past email (which will serve as a great backup) to Gmail, from my Outlook Stores.

Best of all, you’ll hear about my experiences first hand! 

Why am I taking the plunge that will cost me days of hard work to move from Outlook to Gmail?

1) Reliability and Speed - Outlook was slow, Gmail is fast

2) Search - searching in Gmail is nearly instantaneous, whereas, after trying Desktop Search and even Google Desktop, I could never search my email reliably. My email, perhaps, is simply to big.

3) Travel Pains are Eased - I am now %100 ready to travel - with all my email accounts online, I am ready to travel (which, as you know, I do quite a bit).

4) My Outlok had simply stopped working (again), and was taking nearly 30 minutes to boot. The writing on the wall was clear. Either move, or lose my email yet again!

Concerns with Switching from Outlook to Gmail:

1) Transferring my mail is very slow. It will likely take a FULL week to transfer my mail (via creating an IMAP Google account in Outlook and copying)

2) The Gmail intereface is very different - will I be able to sruvive without folders?

3) Importing all those email accounts, and finding my passwords is a monumental undertaking!

4) I could simply ignore this and go play computer games, or start yet another Internet business.

So, here I go, off into the wild blue yonder of Gmail from Outlook.  I really believe this is a revolution. Vista is a disaster, and I will not upgrade. I am, for the first time, considering Apple as a computer to work on. This is no small question, as I have been a dedicated PC person my entire life. How dedicated?

Um, I’m a gamer, and obviously, an Internet Mareting guru (in hiding). What I use is beyond imagining. I have a Dell XPS 710 H2C and HP Blackbird 002, with 3 side by side 30 inch screens, connected to a 52′ Sony TV.  I don’t even know how much screen real estate that is, but let me tell you - when I sit in front of my computer, I feel like I could control a space shuttle mission.

Why is this important? Because, the switch to gmail from all things Microsoft, if all goes welll, will start me down a path of re-investigating my computer choices which have never worked as they should. Let me call this post Part 1, in a continuing saga towards an empire of Internet Marketing built on your most important tools (your computers) that actually work!  Could it be that Apple based Internet Marketers have always had an edge?  We’ll see.

However, as I embark towards Gmail from Outlook, I wonder what Pandoras box I might be opening…for myself, and for you as well!