KIS & Tell October 2020
Resilience. Yes, it's a buzzword, but, it's a worthy one.
Last month, I wrote about things breaking to make space for better ones. Well, the trend continued. The lifeline of my business, my laptop, broke last month. But, since I've built resilience into my operations, I barely missed a beat.
Sometime over the last year, my laptop started to get very hot. I'm guilty of having dozens of tabs open, running several programs, and rarely shutting down. I worked it hard for years.
The first sign of trouble started months ago. It would freeze and crash every few weeks. By mid-September, it crashed every few minutes. It was impossible to do anything - even sending an email would overload it.
Getting a backup laptop isn't easy when you're in Sweden. The keyboards are different - I've got extra keys like, ö, ä, and å.
Lenovo, my favorite laptop company, doesn't ship to Sweden either. And not to mention, I was going to Turkey the following week. There wasn't time to ship one to Sweden and Yigit recommends not sending it to Turkey.
Without a laptop, I can't work. Everything I do is online My entire company is online.
🚨 This was an emergency! 🚨
It was a complete conundrum. Yet, much to my relief, it only took a few hours to get a backup running.
If you've been around any length of time, you know I'm constantly preaching about tech tools. OneDrive (highlighted below) and NordPass (in last month's KIS & Tell) saved my tail. It took me only two hours to get my operations back up and running.
For now, I'm working from Yigit's Swedish gaming laptop. He just got it a few months ago, which was so clutch. My new Lenovo is on it's way to Sweden, via a virtual mailbox service. Yigit is going back to Sweden for a week in mid-October. He'll bring back the new laptop (and Cami!).
My main intention behind using both OneDrive and Nordpass was security. Having your data backed-up in the cloud is the best defense against ransomware. Now, I value them for their flexibility and resilience. If you can remember one login (for NordPass) you can work on anything without a hitch.
Fresh Content
Hot off the press & onto the blog, website, and beyond.
We all want to get more done, but there are only 168 hours in a week. Some people seem to be able to move mountains in that time, others barely move a needle. It all comes down to time management and efficiency.
In a recent blog, I went over 5 ways to make the most of your time. This is one of my favorite topics, especially the point about automation!
In order to get more done, we need to have the space to focus on what really matters. I call this space margin. It's the time you carve out to do your deep work and be at your best.
If you find this blog helpful, comment below to share your favorite part.
App of My Eye
I'm always on the lookout for new apps that help make running business easier! Here are the best finds over the past month.
Microsoft OneDrive. This app saved my tail last month.
On your computer, you can move folders into the OneDrive app and you'll have access to them on your computer and anywhere else you have internet. The folders and all their contents will be backed up in the cloud. If you don't have your computer, you can log in to OneDrive and access them.
I set my files to auto-sync so I don't even have to think about it. Every time I create a new file or make changes to an existing one, OneDrive uploads it to the cloud.
One missing feature is that it doesn't preserve previous versions. Other than that, it's just like the Microsoft Office you're used to. Except if your computer dies, you don't lose everything on it.
Best Reads
I love to learn. Especially with business, there are always new perspectives and information we can benefit from. Here's my latest fav.
Want to be more resilient? Create backup plans and contemplate how to respond to likely complications. Especially in 2020, we need this (and back-up plans for the back-up plans the way it's going)!
In the business world, we call this scenario planning. It's part of risk management. You cannot completely get rid of risk, but you can minimize it. Yigit has a saying for this from his military days: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
Check out this article for the key questions to ask to create your backup plans. This process not only increases resilience and helps businesses, but you can also use the process to change habits and work towards your goals.
Practicing Simplicity
Practical tips to simplify your business.
Practice: Create an FAQ Resource
Rationale: Chances are your current and prospective customers will ask similar questions over and over. Instead of answering it every time, you can provide the information upfront in an FAQ resource. It will cut down on the number of times you repeat yourself, increase transparency and trust, create boundaries, and allow people (who like to) to research you before contacting you.
Tools: Website platform, welcome magazine, services & pricing guides
Tax Tips
The world of tax is constantly changing. Here's what you need to know.
There's a storm brewing over state income taxes.
Most states tax income based upon where the work was performed. Now that so many people are working from home and many others traveled to get away from cities and hotspots, many people may have a confusing tax situation next year.
If you're working in a different state than usual, I highly recommend you read this article and track Every. Single. Day. where you are working. Keep good records, because you'll see in the article how a state can figure it out (hint: it's invasive!).
State taxes can be just as complex as IRS taxes. Each state has its own set of laws and is responding to COVID differently. If you're confused or have any concerns, please reach out and we'll figure out where all you need to file in 2020.
Out & About
We're going places! Whether it's for networking, client meetings, or personal travels, I love to explore. Here's one recent stop.
I'm chasing good weather 🌞
Since I had to leave Sweden, I figured it'd be smart to take a vacation. I haven't taken a full week off since I started KIS. It's nerve-wracking to step away. But, it's well documented that it's healthy and necessary so I tried to.
Yigit and I went to Bodrum, in the Southwestern corner of Turkey. It's on the Aegean Sea with beautiful blue water. Honestly, it's similar to Kusadasi, which is two hours north and where I'm staying for the next few months. If you've ever seen pictures of the Greek islands, the beaches are similar. There's even a Greek island half a mile off the coast! (It's crazy that it's Greece, but it is.)
In retrospect, a week was too much time away, so I'll take only a few days next time. The good news is that as the health articles forecasted, I've come back to my work refreshed and focused.
Kitty Corner
It's probably impossible for me to get through a newsletter without mentioning my furbabies!
For my new website, I needed some new photos so I had a brand photoshoot at our Swedish home. Cami was not pleased. She's basically my work partner. We spend all day hanging out- me on my laptop, her sleeping somewhere in sight. Literally, she follows me around.
The day of the photoshoot was no exception. In fact, she got a possessive. She stayed close, demanded attention, and even photobombed some shots. It was very cute and I loved it!
Scroll through the pictures to the left to see some of her best poses.
On the Horizon
Here's what we'll be focusing on over the next few weeks.
This month I'm hustling through tax extensions and prepping for the next season. I have several ideas on how to make the 2021 tax season even easier for clients and I'm excited to create and test them out!
I don't expect to travel again this year. I'm settled for at least the next few months.
I teased last month about a new website. It's still happening and is *almost* done. It's coming together nicely and I'm real excited to share it with you!
I almost forgot… Happy Pumpkin Spice Season!