HP Photosmart C6180

Last week, I had the luxury of doing a wee-bit of shopping and I got the office a new printer!

I have been researching printers for the past couple of months and was just waiting for the right time (holiday sale-time) to buy one.

My requirements:

1. All-in-One (Print, Scan, Copy, Fax)
2. Print decent photographs
3. Fax
4. Multiple inks (usually better quality)
5. Easy networking
   

Pluses:

1. Document feeder
2. Separate tray for photo paper

So off I went in search of a new printer. I have always been partial to HP printers, but I have always hated their networking capabilities. After reading some reviews in my photography magazines and Cnet.com, their best best choice was the HP Photosmart C6180 (Retail $299).

I had already received discounts from HP (their price was $269) and Bestbuy had it for $239. WELLLL, I got it for a whopping $219 at Staples. I don't normally get great deals at Staples so I was pleasantly surprised to get such a good deal.

I even told a friend about it and they promptly went out this weekend and bought one which of course I got suckered into installing it for them.

The setup was relatively easy at the office. Took about an hour total to install and then another hour to install the software on each of the other computers. I will note that when I installed it at my friends house, they had a Mac and a PC. The setup took a little longer, but it was successful either way! I didn't care for all of the built-in image editing software, but that's mostly due to the fact that I use other software. I found that it tried to edit the photos when printing and made them fuzzy. So just be cautious and cognisant of that fact.

You can check out all of the details of the printer at Staples. Not sure if it is $219 on-line, but it was at our local store in Tilton, NH.

Password Manager & Form Filling Software

One of my goals of having this blog is to feature software that is useful to small businesses. I'm always looking for tools that make my job a little bit easier. Time = Money. So, I usually jump at the chance to save even a little bit of time.

If you are like me and visit many sites, more often than not, you will be required to create a username and password or fill out lengthy forms just to get their special email newsletter.

Now, for some sites - online banking, credit cards, PayPal, email, eBay, etc - this is essential. But for all of the others, it is just annoying and tedious. In enters RoboForm!

Essentially, RoboForm will save all of your usernames and passwords for you (called passcards). No more writing them on a sticky note slapped to your computer monitor (that's just bad). And don't just keep using the same password. RoboForm can generate one for you.

Additionally, you can create Profiles that will automatically fill out forms for you. For instance, I have one that is "Personal" that stores my home address, phone, and other information. My for "work" profile, stores my office address, work credit card, and other miscellaneous information.

So why is all of this better than using the built in browser form filler and password saver? It's secure! You have a master password that allows you unlock everything, so no prying eyes will be able to get at the information.

I have been using RoboForm for well over 3 years now. They even just launched RoboForm2Go, which allows you to load the program onto a USB stick and then you just carry your passwords around with you. It has been wonderful since I have multiple computers and for when I'm on the road. I just insert the USB stick on any computer and a popup will ask if I want to install RoboForm. Once you remove the stick, it removes the program and ALL of your information from that computer.

So how much is this amazing software? It's actually FREE (for up to 10 passcards). But if you are like me and visit a ridiculous amount of sites (I have more than 400 passcards), then just upgrade to the PRO version for $29.95. The portable version (which is what I use now), is only $19.95.

You can view addtional features (there are several) and download the software by visiting: http://www.roboform.com/

Phew, okay, I'm done selling you on this software. More software recommendations to come!

Keep those Deposit Slips!

After logging into my online bank account to pay bills today, I realized that a deposit from LAST WEEK was not showing up - at all! It wasn't even in the pending status. It was as if I never made the deposit, which of course put me into a mini state of panic.

I know it was a busy week, but I was positive I must have gone down to the bank. Could I really have forgotten to deposit money?

I knew I had enough money in the account to cover all of the bills, but money is money. Where the heck was it?

For the most part, I'm fairly organized (as I say that with a smirk), but finding receipts can be a challenge. Fortunately, I had not cleaned out my wallet yet, and I quickly found he bank deposit slip. I also found the photocopy of the actual check and the carbon copy of the actual deposit slip.

With that in hand, I called the Customer Service line. After going through numerous prompts, I simply pressed "0" which surprisingly still works to actually speak to a live person. The woman on the other end was quite pleasant, but she too had no record of the deposit and told me to go down to my bank where I made the deposit.

So, off I go down to the bank where dogs are allowed to come in! They do that in NH! Since it was noon-time, I again waited in line. Finally, I speak to the lovely teller and she says "Oh, yes, all deposits made last Thursday and Friday will not be posted until tonight." She kindly checked to ensure that this deposit was on that list, and it was.

The funny part was that she told me I could have saved a trip down here if I had called customer service. To which I replied, "I did call them. They sent me to you." Apparently, corporate customer service didn't get the memo!

LLC Formation

It's official, we are now legally WebGamut LLC! When I started this company nearly 10 years ago out of my dorm room at Nichols College, each year I would have a little line on my tax-return for DBA WebGamut earnings.

Though, cosmetically there is little difference, I will be saving money in taxes and my personal liability is now limited. When I decided to start WebGamut back up full-time, I should have just formed the LLC right away, but I kept it as a DBA as I was still working out of my house and there was just little old me.

When I went to get my business insurance that prompted the conversation about employees and interns. The insurance agent nearly insisted that I form an LLC if I was to hire employees (which we are planning to do in 2007).

So just after I moved into the new office space in August, I started the process of forming an LLC. I researched the process and it can get quite costly and cumbersome. I found an online service, LegalZoom, that was reasonably priced and handled all of the paperwork. While, their customer service was knowledgeable and friendly, they do have a few communication holes in their process. It turned out that my "order" was on hold, but I didn't realize that until I called to find out what the hold up was. They then told me that I had to "dissolve" my WebGamut DBA with the State of NH and then they could submit the application. Easy enough. I did that and everything has gone through now.

Now my challenge will be accounting for the year. I typically have done my own taxes (I was originally a double major in Accounting and Finance), but I think this year, I may have to seek out some accounting help with my added complexities. The last thing I want is to be penalized by the IRS (and we all know that happens).

Long story short, if you're starting out a business, save some headaches later on and form an LLC from the get-go.

Going Local

I have to admit that I LOVE a great deal and the convenience of buying everything online. However, having moved back to a small town and running a business that semi-relies on local patrons, I have to say that supporting local businesses has become a priority for me.

I can't say that I will always use local businesses, but in recent months, I seem to be reaching out to the locals for everything from signs to wine making to buying cheeses.

In addition to going local, the viral aspect has been wonderful. I do tend to be a chatterbug, but when talking with the local business owner about who I am, they may not need my services, but more often than not, they have referred someone else to me (without even really knowing me). Now that is pretty powerful!

Importance of Contact Management

Tis' the Season...This weekend was spent putting up the Christmas tree, decorating our house, and writing out Holiday Cards to all of our friends and family. As I began to populate the list for my business clients and associates, I realized that I did not have everyone's mailing address.

Historically, I have always sent a a holiday e-Card that I design. I will of course still continue that tradition, but I made a New Year's Resolution last year to send physical holiday cards. So, today, my task will be to rummage through my very large stack of business cards and start adding them to all of email records.

I am currently using MS Outlook for my Contact Management. I have thought about moving to something a bit more robust like ACT!, which is the only one that comes to mind right this very moment, but with any new tool that takes time. My other option is to buy a card scanner for $100 to read all of my business cards so that I can just push a button after it has digitally scanned them in.

Another choice I could use is to utilize an online business networking/contact management services like LinkedIn, Plaxo or Ryze. I am currently a member of LinkedIn and Plaxo and it has been great for business networking and getting updates from old colleagues who change companies. Unfortunately, I still think that as a full contact management software, going online is still a bit cumbersome and not something that fits my workstyle just yet.

Nonetheless, I have learned and am sharing with you that it is very important to keep your records curent no matter what business you are in. It will make your life that much easier. Perhaps that should be YOUR New Year's Resolution!