This past Saturday, July 25th, marked the 1st anniversary of this blog.   It was exactly one year ago on that date that I published my first post here at Y.F.N.C.G. and began my adventures in blogging and entrepreneurship. It was in that post that post I laid the foundation for what has been a wonderful and challenging year.  A year which saw me plan, and begin running, a part-time computer consulting business.

Although currently this blog is on a temporary hiatus so that I can spend more time on another totally unrelated project, I’m still working hard at starting my consulting business.  Yes, I still consider my business in it’s start-up phase.  I am taking on a limited number of clients, but most of them are friends, or friends-of-friends.  I don’t plan on diving into my business full force for a while still.

So in the mean time, and to celebrate one year on the web,  I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some milestone posts from this past year:

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After writing a recent post on the reasons why computer techs should be using twitter, I received quite a few requests asking for me to provide a list of tech accounts to follow for folks to get started.  I thought it would be cool to try to build this list, and in the process I’ve discovered some excellent resources.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  I’d call this more of a “beginners list”;  a run-down of some useful twitter accounts that focus on tech and computers. It’s purpose is to get you started if you’re new to twitter or to round out your list if you’re already on twitter.  The list is appropriate for anyone who is interested in keeping up with technology trends.

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A podcast, for those of you not in the “know”, is basically a digital radio show that can be streamed to your computer or downloaded onto any number of digital listening devices, including the ever popular iPod.  Podcasting is now more popular than ever thanks, in part, to two factors: 1) the popularity of the iPod and other portable digital listening devices and 2) the reduction in price of quality audio broadcasting equipment. 

This increased popularity means that there are a lot of podcasts sprouting up around the net.  These podcasts range in quality and produciton value from a kid with a cheap microphone in his parent’s basement to a nationally syndicated radio show.  

I’ve fallen in love with podcasts recently after buying a car with an auxiliary input that allows me to listen to my iPod on the road.  This enables me to hear pertinent, relevant, interesting stuff on my 45 minute drive to and from work.  Better than radio, podcasts allow me to choose WHAT I listen to and WHEN I listen to it.  Kinda like Tivo for audio broadcasting.

As a computer guy or gal, listening to tech-related podcasts regularly will help you keep up with the latest trends in computer consulting and the IT business in general.  You can listen at home or in your shop while working on a computer or in the car on your way to your service calls.  There are quite a few tech-centric podcasts out there.  This list provides you with the podcasts that I personally enjoy and in which I find the most value as a computer guy.

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If you’re online and looking to have your finger on the pulse of the latest in technology and web trends, Twitter is where you need to be.   Why?  Simply put, it’s the best way to get up-to-the-minute information on topics relevant to you.

I’ve been using Twitter as YFNCG for a few months now, following people in the tech industry, along with small business advocates, a handful of bloggers, and some friends.  I’m picky about who I follow.  I want to make sure that they are providing useful information that I can benefit from.  I also try to pass on the best of the informaiton I find to my twitter followers.  It’s tough to keep up with it all sometimes, but the beauty of twitter is that you don’t HAVE to keep up.  You just jump in the stream when you’re ready, soak up the info of the moment, contribute a bit of your own, and jump out when you’re done.

If you’re a computer tech and you doubt the usefulness of Twitter, allow me to present 5 ways in which you can gain significant value from this FREE tool. (more…)

Throughout my years in the IT industry I’ve held many positions and titles. Some are fairly accurate descriptions of what I was doing, and some were decidedly very un-acurate.  Now as I start my own business, I’m stuck with the task of giving myself a title.  As it turns out, it’s a little harder than I had anticipated.

Growing Up Geek

When I first fell in love with computers, I was in elementary school.  My parents got a big hunky IBM clone (I don’t remember the brand) complete with two fancy 5 1/4 inch floppy drives.  I loved to play around and find ways to break or confuse the programs.  This started a long love affair with breaking and fixing computers.  At that point, and all through school, I was a true computer geek.  I used computers for the sheer novelty of it.

Flash forward to my time serving in the US Army.   I wanted to flex my computing prowess and volunteered for various computer-centric tasks like creating databases and such.  I then got the opportunity to help network a new office from the ground up.  After that, I was officially appointed the unit’s assistant IMO (Information Management Officer), and was tasked with helping people in the unit with various computer issues.

I loved that job, and found I really had a knack for troubleshooting.  So, after I got out of the army, I took a job as an intern at the Help Desk of a pharmaceutical company.  Within 4 years time I was hired on full time, promoted to a Level 2 Analyst, and promoted again to my current position in the computer industry, Enterprise Systems Analyst.

Every time I was presented with a new position and name (Geek, Assistant IMO, Helpdesk Intern, Helpdesk Analyst, Systems Analyst) I was basically doing the same thing, fixing computer problems.

What’s in a Name?

When I had the idea to start my own computer business, it never occurred to me that I would need to define my job title. In fact, it wasn’t until I started writing this blog that I realized I needed to figure out what to call myself.   So I came up with a list of names that I’m considering using to refer to my position as an independent computer guy, along with how I feel about each one:

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I’m a computer guy, but I’m also a bit of a movie buff.  So I decided I’d have some fun here as the year draws to a close and sum up the best movies of the year that computer geeks like myself can enjoy and appreciate.

Admittedly, 2008 was a pretty horrible year for computer tech-friendly movies. Maybe it’s because  technology is now such an integral part of our culture that it’s become boring. Or maybe all the most compelling tech related stories out there have already been told. Whatever the case, it took some thinking for me to come up with this list.

Though not all of them are true computer geek movies, I based my selections on films that deal heavily with computers, gadgets, hacking, or technology either by the characters or in the story itself.

Without further delay, here are my top 5 movies from 2008 that all computer geeks should see:

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There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to the best way to run a computer maintenance or consulting business from home.  Some people believe that it’s impossible to do good quality work and get enough turn-over if you don’t take the customer’s computer back to your “shop”.  On the other hand, there are techs that work exclusively at the customer’s home and never bring work back home with them.

Which way is the best way to run a PC repair business?

As I’ve done in the past, I decided to weigh the pros and cons of each scenario and see how they stack up against each other using good old-fashioned reasoning.  Keep in mind, I’m not taking into account the possibility of opening a store front…that’s a whole different ball of wax and I’ll save that debate for a later time.  In the following lists I’ve lined out some of the more important factors that I could think of, drawing from my own experiences.

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Historically, the computer guy, like many other service professionals, has been undervalued and under appreciated.  But beware, we computer folk hold a lot more of the cards then some may realize.  For those people who tend to treat their computer guy like a second class citizen, here are the top 10 reasons why you may want to reconsider giving us a hard time (David Letterman style): (more…)

While thinking about the long-term plan for my computer consulting business, I’m constantly struggling between two scenarios: continuing to run my business part-time indefinitely along side my “regular” job working for someone else, or making it my full time gig.  Should I try hard to turn my little computer repair business into an all-consuming career, or simply keep it as a side-operation to supplement my stable, well-paying corporate job? 

It’s a tough question with no easy answer.  I’m satisfied with my career and how it’s progressed thus far.  Some days I feel like it’s a bad move to throw a wrench in the spokes of a fast moving successful career working in the IT industry, but at times the fire in me burns for something more.

To try to alleviate some of my anxieties and make an attempt at understanding it all, I decided to pit full time against part time in a battle royal of ideals, realities, and everything in between. (more…)

Business Name Blues is a 3-part series in which I talk about the experiences I had in naming my business and give tips based on lessons I’ve learned in the process. Part 1 explores choosing the business name. Part 2 looks into the online aspect of business naming. Part 3 closes with the legal and tax steps necessary to ensure your business name is protected. Also, as I go through each part, I will be updating the Resources page with a Business Naming section to assist you with resources and links to help you make the right moves when naming your business.

Don’t miss the end of this article where I summarize all I’ve learned with a list of 8 easy steps to naming your business!

Not Quite Done Yet

Come up with a good name for my business. Check!  Register my business website domain.  Check!  Time to start mailing fliers and knocking on doors right?  Not so fast! (more…)