How to Use Social Media for Your Small Business Success
September 1, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
I’m really loving the growth of social media – especially the way it can serve as a watercooler and networking environment for those that work in The Anywhere Office. One of the downsides of being virtual is losing the connections and social element of working in an office.
I have found Twitter to be a great way to connect with people and in many ways it’s even more powerful than the traditional water cooler as I have connected with people from all over the globe!
Being a work at home dad, entrepreneur, and small business owner it’s hard to find the time in my schedule to get out to networking events. This is another area where social media has really been amazing – I’m able to take a more asynchronous approach to finding and starting conversations with other liked minded people I meet. I think the key, however, is to then take those conversations to the next step and schedule a real-time phone call, Skype chat, or in person meeting when possible.
Still haven’t taken the social media plunge? I came across a recent article that helps you get up to speed on the big three:
Here’s a quick 101 on how to best leverage the top three social networking sites — Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn? Finding the Right Fit for Your Small Business | Small Business Matters.
If you haven’t explored any of these services yet I strongly urge you to do so! You can connect with me on all three here – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook.
Twitter is by far my favorite – which is yours? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
Video Conferencing Breaks Out of the Boardroom – Watch it On-Demand
June 23, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
Video conferencing has changed. What was once a very costly technology only used by large enterprise type organizations with dedicated IT departments is now easier to use and more cost effective. There are a variety of solutions to fit almost any budget.
This was the topic of discussion a few weeks ago when I joined Bloomberg Businessweek in their New York Studios for a live Video Webcast called “Video Breaks Out of the Boardroom”. The show was hosted by Jim Ellis, Assistant Managing Editor of Bloomberg Businessweek, and I was delighted that they invited me to join Marc Beattie from Wainhouse Research to be part of this episode. Here is a photo from our broadcast:
The Bloomberg building was amazing and everyone I met there was extremely friendly and helpful. We had a wonderful discussion and looked at what’s involved with implementing video conferencing including how much technical know-how it takes, how and why companies using it, what it costs, and what are some of the stumbling blocks. We also took some great questions from those that were viewing the live broadcast.
In case you missed it you can now view the entire Video Webcast live. Just register here and you can watch the whole show. We discussed the topic for about 20 minutes and then had about 10 minutes of Q&A. If you’re currently using video conferencing, or thinking about it, you definitely want to catch this.
A big thanks to everyone at Bloomberg Businessweek for having me be a part of this event. I hope to join them again for future shows!
Please post a comment below and let me know what you thought of the webcast and feel free to ask me any questions you might have about using video to connect with your virtual teams and remote workers.
Working From an Airport with The Anywhere Office
June 17, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
I have to admit that these days I don’t travel that often. Having a 3 year old son makes me want to stay home a lot more than I used to – and being I work in The Anywhere Office I find I can often avoid unnecessary travel by wielding my mobile work technology to work from anywhere. However now and again an opportunity arises that I just can’t pass up. Last week I was invited to be a panelist on a Bloomberg Businessweek Live Video Webcast all about video conferencing.
It was a great opportunity that I didn’t want to miss – so despite the fact that it meant flying out of town on my birthday – I went to the West Palm Beach Airport here in sunny Florida and flew to New York City.
The webcast was lots of fun and I got to spend some time with my good friend Marc and visit with his family as well – a splendid time was had by all! I got to the airport very early because I hitched a ride in with my wife (who works close to the airport) and it got me thinking about being productive in an airport and why I love flying out of PBI. Here is a short video I shot talking about working from an airport with The Anywhere Office:
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Join me Thursday – Bloomberg BusinessWeek Free Live Webcast on Video Conferencing
June 8, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
I’ve been invited by Bloomberg BusinessWeek to be a panelist on a free live video webcast this Thursday (June 10th) all about video conferencing - I hope you can tune in! Here is the description:
Video Breaks Out of the Boardroom
Thursday, June 10 at
10am PT | 1pm ET | 6pm GMT
Video is changing how companies interact with employees, suppliers, partners and customers. It’s an important area for growth and an essential tool for global businesses.
Join us as we speak to executives and thought leaders in the video collaboration space about emerging technologies and how these tools offer so much promise for business.
- Build & sustain business relationships
- Broaden the scope of your markets
- Strengthen customer relations and loyalty
Our expert panel, moderated by Jim Ellis of Bloomberg Businessweek, includes Marc Beattie, co-founder, Managing Partner, and Co-Manager ofUnified Collaboration Practice at Wainhouse Research and a recognized expert on the collaboration services market and Phil Montero, CEO of Montero Consulting, Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com, and the spearhead of the remote work movement for more than a decade.
Managers Need to Learn to Embrace Flexible Work
June 3, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
In consulting with companies off all different sizes in a variety of industries I’ve found one of the biggest challenges they need to overcome in order to embrace flexible work is management resistance.
Despite the long list of benefits to virtual work or telecommuting many managers are simply uncomfortable with the thought of managing remote employees. That’s why a recent article by Fast Company really caught my eye. It describes 3 recent scenarios where managers didn’t want to provide workplace flexibility and the unfortunate results:
Managers, sticking your fingers in your ears, closing your eyes and saying “La, la, la, la” when a valuable, competent current or prospective employee presents a plan for flexibility doesn’t make it go away.
The article shares some excellent suggestion for what managers can do when approached by employees proposing a flexible work agreement and also what employees can do if a managers shrugs off the request with the “that doesn’t work for me” rebuttal. Read more
Work Unchained: Free Webinar Replay, Whitepaper, and Blog Post
May 13, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
Work happens everywhere – virtual offices, client sites, home offices, coffee shops, airports, hotels, and any number of remote workplaces. However, despite all the advantages of flexible work – most companies struggle when making this shift.
The biggest problem is that most organizations take an ad-hoc approach to workshifing, which has been thrust upon them. The business landscape began to change; they increasingly found themselves working across time and distance with team mates, remote offices, clients, vendors, and other outsourced professionals. And they mostly left individual employees, project teams, and offices to decide for themselves how best to conduct business. Virtual teamwork was not deliberate, and not undertaken with any real strategy.
If you’re in this boat – what are you to do? You can’t just stop the flow of business and start over with a brand new plan. But you also can’t just lumber forward and say to your people, ‘Work virtually better.’ What you CAN do is take a step back to get a perspective on your process and workflow in order to isolate and highlight areas for improvement and adjustment. One way to accomplish this is by conducting my ICC Workflow Audit™ which helps you take a look at your needs for Information, Communication, and Collaboration in order to guide you in choosing and throughtfully apply the right technology and guidelines for your organization or team.
I recently partnered with Citrix Online to discuss this topic in a free webinar – Work Unchained: The Competitive Edge of the Anywhere Office®. We had a great turnout for the event and some interesting discussions. If you missed it you can watch it on-demand.
For more information on how to implement the ICC Workflow Audit™, read my white paper or my guest post on their blog Workshifting.com
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you or your organization have adopted to virtual teamwork. Please post a comment below and share your stories and feedback!
Using Technology for a Lean, Green, Virtual Team
April 22, 2010 by Phil Montero · View Comments
It’s no surprise that telecommuting, workshifting, or virtual work - whatever you choose to call it - not only makes smart business sense but can also help you run a more environmentally friendly business.
Whether you are a large corporation, small business, or solo professional there is a lot you can do to lighten your ecological footprint. When you reduce the need to travel and take advantage of technology to collaborate from anywhere you keep tons of carbon emissions from polluting the world. A shift to printing less and using more digital documents saves untold numbers of trees.
By taking The Anywhere Office® approach you’ll save money, be more productive, and be more green. So this Earth Day make a commitment to make even a small adjustment to the way you work to do your part.
You can start by downloading The Anywhere Office Toolbox – our free eBook contains information and links to technology, services, and other resources we find of benefit to mobile workers, virtual teams and supporting virtual offices and distributed work.
You’ll find tools for gaining remote access to your documents or computer, holding web meetings and conferences, sending and receiving digital faxes, sending video email and holding video conferences, dealing with time-zones, and marketing your business online.
These are all free or affordable solutions with free trials – so there is no excuse! Incorporate some of these tools today and make your business more green.
Unchain yourself from the office; work where and when you want.
