EDITORIAL
A Solution at
Last!
Constant care is needed to maintain a strong
infrastructure. By Karen Lowery Hall
or the past few years, Bob and I have spent a lot of time running
shop vacs. Water found its way into our basement, causing us to
cringe every time the weatherman said the word "rain". In addition to causing sore backs and general crankiness, the encroaching
wetness ruined our carpet, two bookcases, and the paneling.
We tried a number of fixes that worked temporarily, but water is a persistent foe. Finally, however, we got to the root of the problem—literally.
The water had created a path that followed the roots of a 40-year-old azalea
bush. I loved that azalea and its spring shower of white blooms, but it had
to go for the greater good. And I felt much better about its demise after the
first big rains came and our basement remained snug and dry.
Digging that azalea out was hard
work, but that's what was required.
In this respect, maintaining a
home isn't that different from
running a business. A company
has an infrastructure that must be
constantly tended.
Preserving your healthy infrastructure means more than just
regular upkeep of the physical
plant, although that is certainly
part of it. It also requires routine
equipment maintenance and keeping consumables stocked. It means keeping your software up to date; upgrading to the latest versions as early as you
can. In this month's Digital Original, John Giles tells us that that task may
become easier as software companies move toward cloud-based subscription services.
It also means paying attention to your employees. Regular performance
reviews will help you and your staff to understand where progress is being
made and which areas require attention. You may find that you need to
make changes to some proceedures to streamline your workflow. If so,
be aware that people have a natural tendency to resist change. Debra
Thompson's column can help you find an effective method to overcome
that resistance with minimum stress to all concerned.
While you're at it, contact your customers to make sure you can effectively meet their changing needs. Businesses are finding new ways to communicate their messages. Adding cross-media marketing, Web-based services,
social media management and the like can perk up your bottom line while
building customer loyalty.
You have a lot of irons in the fire. Some jobs can be delegated, but as the
owner, the final responsibility rests with you. ◗◗
F
www.MyPRINTResource.com
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Kelley Holmes
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kelley@quickprinting.com
EDITOR
Karen Lowery Hall
800-616-2252 x6108
karen@quickprinting.com
Senior
Consultant
Bob Hall
browndawg@aol.com
Sr. Contributing
Columnists
Tom Crouser
David Fellman
John Giles
tom@crouser.com
dmf@davefellman.com
john@johngiles.com
Contributing
Columnists
David Claerbaut
Nancy DeDiemar
Mitch Evans
Steve Johnson
Sandra Long
Stuart Margolis
Sudhir Ravi
Joe Rickard
Tawnya Starr
Debra Thompson
drdc46@yahoo.com
nancy91762@gmail.com
mitch@mitchevansconsulting.com
steve@copresco.com
sandra.long@pitneybowes.com
bPfaff@margolisbecker.com
ravi@thinkvariable.com
jrickard@intellectives.com
tawnya.starr@firespring.com
debra@tgassociates.com
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QUICK PRINTING / May 2013
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