One of the many topics of discussion this week at BizBuilderCT was about beginning with the end in mind. There were several newcomers to the group, both experienced entrepreneurs and new business owners. Regardless of experience level, a common theme that we all face is how to take the steps necessary to accomplish our goals.
For example, one of the visitors today has been in business for about a month. She is a graphic designer, and has been working as an employee for others for about 14 years, as well as doing some freelance work on the side. As a function of the recent economic issues, she finds herself having to run a business that was never really part of the plan. The actual work the business performs is the easy part; it’s all the other stuff that she’s unsure about. What should she do?
The answer she received was to determine her strengths and weaknesses, prioritize which things she would have to learn how to manage and which could be outsourced, and focus on what steps needed to be taken to accomplish her goals. The best thing about this advice? It’s universal!
Sure, those are all great things to tell a new business owner. They are also great things to tell an experienced business owner. Without goals, you never know where you’ll end up. And without a plan on how to accomplish those goals, you may never get there.
We all know the importance of routinely backing up our important files, right? Software systems and online services abound that make this seamless and easy for you. But what happens when your backup fails?
It is important to have two backup systems. Ideally, one should be on site and one should be off. Use archiving software and an external hard drive (never backup to your primary drive – this defeats the purpose!) for routine backups. You’ll also want to have a backup kept off site, such as CDs or DVDs in your safety deposit box, or at your best friends house.
Why two backups? Having one on site is great for when you accidentally delete a file, or your hard drive crashes. But if something happens to your office, such as fire, flood or theft, that completely compromises both your primary hard drive and your external, you’ll be very glad to have an off-site backup that you can retrieve data from.
Many computer security software suites, such as those from Norton, McAfee, or TrendMicro, have backup options available with certain flavors of their software. Frequently, external hard drives will also come with backup software, either already installed on the drive, or packaged on a CD with it. Depending on your needs, it becomes a matter of finding which software fits your needs and your lifestyle best.
Web-based services such as Carbonite and Mozy run in the background on your computer, and copy the files that you designate to their servers for safe keeping. You can set the backup to run daily, weekly, or even constantly, so that it updates every time you save changes to your files. This is very convenient, but can also be problematic if you have a major error with a particular file, and don’t realize it until the corrupt file has been backed up through your automatic service, whether on site or online. Having this secondary backup can help save you hours and dollars of recovery time and effort.
What’s your favorite backup system?
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