SoKy Local Business or "SoKybiz"

Most Americans Have PCs and Web Access › › › Geographics

By Rebecca Lieb October 28, 2005

Sixty-two million U.S. households, or 55 percent of American homes, had a Web-connected computer in 2003, according to just-released U.S. Census data. That's up from 50 percent in 2001, and more than triple 1997's 18 percent figure.

Home Web use continues to skew toward more affluent, younger and educated demographics. Both computer ownership and Web use are lower in households comprised of seniors, among blacks and Hispanics and among households comprised of people with less than a high school education.

Conversely, nearly all households earning over $100,000 -- 95 percent -- own at least one computer, and 92 percent are online. In homes earning under $40,000, the online figure plummets to 41 percent.

Whole Article >>

This was posted by SoKy : 1:10 PM  0 comments links to this post

Don't forget the time change tomorrow. Fall back one hour and change the batteries in your smoke detector!!

This was posted by SoKy : 6:20 PM  0 comments links to this post

I just wrote an article about my renewed excitement for SOKY.NET. It describes what I'm so excited about and why. It also described some of the features of the website as well as the expected sources of revenue. I've decided not to publish it here because I feel it would be a strategic mistake to offer too much information regarding the plans for the site/business. Nevertheless, let me say that I am very excited about this business and will do what is necessary to deploy the site and shake things up in South Central Kentucky.

One quote from my recent readings is as timeless as it is encouraging...

On its surface, online isn’t bound by temporal definitions. Touted as a 24/7 medium, the seemed to transcend the clock – saying you are a “dynamic” website is, for many users, the obvious. Of course you’re dynamic. It’s like radio bragging that it’s full of sound.

- Online Dayparting: Claiming the Day, Seizing the Night by MORI Research

I've written a good amount of advice for small business owners, this time I'm taking my own advice and keeping my cards close to the vest. Something about ships and lips comes to mind.

This was posted by SoKy : 8:13 AM  0 comments links to this post

Forgive me audience for I have sinned. It's been one week since my last post and I have no excuse. Actually, I have lot's of excuses but in the end, I have neglected this website and for that I repent. (Five hail windows and two our processors.)

It's been a crazy week at the desk of David Francis. I attended the wedding of Ken and Angel Kenslow a couple of weeks ago and then sent them off on their honeymoon to Akumal Beach resort on Sunday. Thanks to hurricane Wilma, that resort no longer exists. Quoting the resort staff I talked to on the phone, "the property has been destroyed."

Thankfully, my dear friends were evacuated to Merida Mexico long before the arrival of "The strongest Hurricane on record for the Atlantic basin." They are safe, though my good buddy "Winky" is a tad upset about the whole ordeal. (Winky is the nick name I gave him because of the call letters of the TV station he works for.)

What does this have to do with you? Nothing. What does this have to do with small business? Nothing directly but in one aspect there is a lesson. The fact is, I have shifted some of my priorities to monitor the hurricane, comfort my customers and their parents and perform what I call "Fire Fighter" duties. Top it off with the fact that our partner had a business meeting in Lexington on Friday and Carrie had laryngitis, as well as my web editor being on vacation, it has been a wild week. (And no, the web editor does NOT edit this blog. You probably figure that out didn't you? LOL)

In my business(es), I have strived to put in place a good system of "self sustenance." As Flight Engineer, I affectionately refer to it as autopilot. As a (now former) member of the Air Force Reserves, I had to be prepared to fly missions on short notice and as a travel agency owner, be prepared for somewhat extended separations from communications whilst out of the country. It is a challenge that I have risen to through preparation and planning.

In short, I have learned to delegate, empower, educate, lead and then trust a few people to "cover for me" if I am gone. As my business(es) grow I don't want to loose this particular freedom to get up and go. As part of my operational strategy, I am keeping in mind what (who) is necessary to maintain a professional level of control and freedom as I experience growth in my organization. The next 12 to 24 months are going to be challenging because of expected market gains and new market focus in my businesses, so I will have to be even more intentional in this effort to remain free.

In the book "E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber, a good amount of time is devoted to explaining the difference of creating an organization that works for you instead of you working for it. I have seen it too; very successful business owners from retail to agriculture are servants (slaves) to their business. The book describes this very well and explains that it's important to prevent this at all cost. I agree. Who in their right mind sets off to create a business and say, "I want to work 100 hours a week, worry all the time and never go on vacation again?" E-Myth is a book I will likely quote from either directly or in principle because there are some valuable insights. Coining a phrase from the book "Primary Aim," is something that a business owner must not forget and something I will mention in future postings.

This last week, and now this post, has helped me remember my primary aim and that is to remain free and flexible. Not to shrug off my responsibly when I want to but to have real freedom by knowing things are taken care of correctly in my absence. I strive for this mostly so I can be there for the people I care about, but also so I ensure my businesses are working for me instead of the other way around. Remaining free and flexible allows me to explore new business opportunities, research ways to innovate my processes and procedures, look at new and exciting ways of doing things, read the paper or even go fishing. Freedom is important to me and that's what qualifies it as my primary aim.

Creating a business that does not rely on your presence is also a good move for when it comes time to exit. If your small business would fail in your absence, then it stands to reason that your business is only viable with you as a part of it. If the time comes to sell, will you have to sell yourself with the business? That can't be good. Though I do hear about it all the time, how a small business has sold and the previous owner is contractually obligated to remain for a few years to assist in the transition.

Doctors and lawyers for example, have it bad. Their businesses typically revolve around their own educations, expertise and presence. Typically, if the doctor is out, there is little or no revenue. I admire the doctor or lawyer who instead of branding themselves or their name, they create a recognizable brand for their practice, this allows them to recruit, hire and train good professionals to take care of clients/patients in their absence. When a doctor has a team of trusted peers, they can confidently leave the business and know their patients are well cared for and their revenue stream is uninterrupted.

A well marketed and branded doctors office can be an asset even without the original doctor and this could allow the doctor to truly retire when (or before) it's time. How much sweeter would the pot be if instead of just income earned and invested for retirement, the Dr. could also reap the benefit of the sale of his or her practice at full value? Yes, I'm quite sure doctors have figure out ways of selling practices, but my point is about investing in the brand and creating something is as valuable without you as it is with you. It's about creating freedom now, and also at the end.

Disaster preparedness is another reason freedom is important and one I may cover more fully in the future. Briefly however, creating a business that does not require your presence offers the assurance that if something were to happen to you, be it an illness, an accident, a death in the family or other unavoidable separation, your customers, employees, lenders and family will be provided for. Knowing this may bring more peace than many realize. Knowing that your business income would not be adversely affected by your absence is more valuable to your business than many understand. It takes the pressure off when dealing with a personal or physical issue and allows you to truly focus on the task at hand instead of having the added burden of business catastrophe to deal with.

Hopefully I have been able to communicate what I'm trying to say. (grin) No matter if you're the owner of an existing business or thinking about starting one up. It's my opinion that a person should do it with freedom and flexibility in mind. To build a company that can operate profitably and effectively in the absence of the principal is a good strategy operationally, emotionally and economically. Simply ask yourself the question; "What would happen if I were gone for 10 weeks?" It may be all you need to do to realize the importance of freedom in your business operational strategy. It may reveal other areas of your life that need to be looked at as well. Besides; it is about living... isn't it?

This was posted by SoKy : 7:52 AM  0 comments links to this post

From INC.COM : 75 Reasons to Be Glad You're an American Entrepreneur Right Now
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20051001/75-reasons.html

Number 75

Because, in the end, being an entrepreneur is more than ever the way you can choose your path and find the deep satisfaction of walking it. You can earn your days without being beholden. You can make something, affect the world, leave something behind where once nothing stood. You can turn work into meaning for yourself and for others. You can be proud. You can leave a wake. Come good or ill, you can assume responsibility for yourself, and be whole, and be who you were meant to be.

This was posted by SoKy : 2:15 PM  0 comments links to this post

Update December 4th 2005: I've removed that feed due to the JavaScript overhead. It was causing performance issues with the blog.

You may have noticed in the navigation panel to the right, I have added a news feed. I selected Business news with a sub category of Entrepreneur. It took a little finagling but I got it to work without breaking my layout.

Since it's a dynamic list from another server, I wanted to draw you attention to one that is listed now...

It's wonderful

This was posted by SoKy : 2:09 PM  0 comments links to this post

Adobe Systems moved closer to acquiring Macromedia after the Department of Justice said the US$3.4 billion deal passed anti-trust muster. The approval came nearly six months after the deal was first announced on April 18. Over the summer, the Justice Department sought more information on the deal, raising the possibility that it would halt the deal or at least force some change to allow it move forward.

WHOLE STORY >>>

This was posted by SoKy : 4:22 PM  0 comments links to this post

In response to a recent question about media files, I offered the following information that I thought I would share with you. I've been of the opinion for a number of years that the Internet Browser and the family room TV will merge, I actually thought it would be further along than it is by now. I know, with Microsoft WebTV and TiVo, things are shaping up, but it takes bandwidth to really makes things "move and shake" online.

The infrastructure is coming together to offer everyone broadband access just like broadcast T.V. (Keyword "WiMax") I once drew up a business plan _{(concept really)} that included WiMax to handle Cable TV, Broadband Internet, Telephone service as well as wireless utility and security. I was only short the 50 Billion $$ I needed to put together the network. (grin)

Here was the question:

Posted: 06 Oct 2005 at 4:12am

Hi all,

I am in the process of putting downloadable video clips on my website and am wondering the best format to use. When I say best I mean a tradeoff between quality and size.

Options the I know of are .mpeg, .avi, .wmv

Anyone have any advice.

Here was my response:

Posted: Today at 8:28am

I have a large client with an entire TV production staff. We have been publishing in WMV for months with no complaints. We provide instructions for non-windows people most of whom already know how to handle WMV because it's so popular.

In a recent meeting however, we began exploring mpeg for downloadables and Flash for protected content.

(Funny though, these media people wanted to publish in ALL formats. When explained the process (time) and the cost of bandwidth and disk space, they agreed that we either stick with WMV or one other alternative.)

From experience, I would suggest that if you're publishing WMV files for download, zip them to force the download, otherwise people will play the clips in place and you'll chew up more bandwidth than you may have intended.

I'm about to put a dedicated box [server] in place just for media files. It seems the web is making that transition I expected, from text based to media based. More and more of the larger players (especially news) are making the transition. Throw in some pod-casting, Internet radio and interactive Flash and you have the interactive TV of the future.

I wrote an article a few years back that the Internet is the TV of the 50s. I'm confident that within the next 10(?) years it will be difficult to discern the difference between your TV and your Internet browser. I remain convinced... we are on a path to true multimedia.

With all of this said, let me make one more observation. While the Internet may be making the transition to a more media rich format, I think there will always be a market and need for text based content online as well. It's the interactivity that makes the web so popular. People expressing their opinions, sharing their thoughts and images, meeting people and finding information. Companies can publish information that can be indexed, referenced and used in many ways. Media content is good, but the visitor has to sit through the presentation instead of being able to quickly scan it or pass over the parts that are not of interest.

So, while mainstream web may turn more media rich, the text based web is here to stay. I'm thinking there will be a convergence of the two... for example, a chat box on the side of a currently playing program where people can express their thoughts through out the program. Or time indexing that will allow people to insert a comment or send a link to the exact portion of the program. Yes, these will happen I am sure.

This was posted by SoKy : 8:37 AM  0 comments links to this post

It's been a week since I've posted and I must apologize. (Thank you for the kind email reminders (grin)) I was honored to attend my friends wedding in the Smoky Mountains last week and I also got to help with the recent Rock for the Red concert in Fountain Square Park in downtown Bowling Green. I tossed up a quick and simple website for them and it proved popular. (http://www.RockfortherRed.com) Even the Daily News linked to the website which I found very flattering. Thanks guys.

I have been extremely busy with business as well. Having recently published two websites as well as continued first class customer service of my existing clients, I have been swamped. Things are getting better (?) in that I have two major projects (Three if you count my wife's travel agency website too), that are on the front burner this month.

One is a politicians website which I will announce later, the other is a large international organization for Christian church women. According to their membership records, there are 25 million of them world wide. I'm very excited about both projects and am hopeful that this will send SOKY.NET into the next phase of her existence. I'm already considering hiring a person or two for editorial, graphics and programming. Times are great... difficult... but great.

Oh, my wife's website? It would appear the current layout and design is not "getting it" so I'll have to burn a little midnight oil to get that one redesigned and implement some of the promised features. It's a labor of love... but it's still a labor.

I have begun the process of moving from a proprietorship to a more formal existence for SOKY.NET as well. I have submitted my application to the state of Kentucky to become a "Limited Liability Company" and will be separating my business accounts from my personal accounts. It's the next logical step and my tax man helped in the decision. I'll also register with the city of Bowling Green as well as soon as my tax ID is issued, though I'm not sure I really have to. From a tax standpoint I don't think I do, but from a business operational standpoint the time is right. (I used to operate from my home in the county but now have an informal office in the city... I just want to do what is right.)

Anyway, I'll try to post more often and also more on topic. I've started a personal blog to move some of my rants from here... http://blog.davidfrancis.org

This was posted by SoKy : 6:00 AM  0 comments links to this post

Okay folks, here we go.

I've been threatening to move this blog to my own server but have hesitated for a number of reasons. My main reason was the fact that Blogger leaves old copies of posts on their server and leaves me with no ability to edit posts or comments. I think I've worked around this issue with a good plan.

1. I'm editing the blog template to indicate my change with a static link for search engines.
2. I've added a little JavaScript to offer a link to the correct location
3. I've put another script to automatically reroute traffic. At least those browsers with JS enabled.
4. I've modified my 404 error page to explain and also track misdirected traffic.
5. I've inserted another script in the footer to allow me to dynamically change the information if all else fails.

So there you have it... let's see how this works.
 

WOW It worked famously!!!

Here's how I did it.

• I changed my template with all the new scripts FIRST!
• I updated (republished) the site with the new template.
• I changed it to FTP publishing and republished again.
• I changed my template again to remove the announcements and redirect scripts.
• I tested it by entering an old URL and sure enough, the old post was there, but my JavaScript worked perfectly redirecting me to my server with the proper file association.

I'm so proud of myself.

This was posted by SoKy : 1:18 PM  0 comments links to this post