| If you have never been in the military, a gig line is | | | | pictures and keeping track of them, and even doing |
| used to describe how you are dressed. A gig line is | | | | minor editing of them in iPhoto. |
| lining up your shirt, belt, tie, and pants "lines" so that | | | | - iWed - creating a web or blog site describing your |
| you look professional and sharp. In your personal | | | | company |
| world it is preparing yourself and lining up your | | | | - iDVD - creating a full blown DVD of all of the above |
| mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional self to handle | | | | files to hand out to customers. |
| the rigors of the business world. In the business | | | | - Pages - to write your marketing copy, create |
| world, you line you line up your resources, money, | | | | Request For Proposals (RFP), or create flyers or |
| time, and personnel effort selling a product/service to | | | | brochures to give to potential customers. |
| a customer and making a profit. So, let's see if your | | | | - Numbers - create catalogs or quotes for customers. |
| Mac gig line can be done. | | | | - Keynote - create a presentation to give to |
| Over 95% of the businesses that I have consulted | | | | customers or have them download them off of your |
| with can switch from using a PC to using a Mac for | | | | web site. |
| their business with very little issues involved. The | | | | Sales |
| other 5% need to run Windows because they have | | | | - Business documents - using Apple's iWork is a great |
| a few applications where there are no Mac equivalent | | | | start in using Pages, Numbers, and Keynote to handle |
| types of software, such as an anthropological, | | | | your startup business documents. |
| forensic, or other niche industry solution that there is | | | | - Contact Management - keeping track of all of the |
| little to no Mac solution. | | | | vendors and customers whether you have 100, 1000, |
| So, how is a business run using a Mac? Well, there | | | | or millions of contacts the various Mac solutions an |
| are a few things that need to set the stage to use | | | | handle it. Apple's Address Book is a start to begin |
| the Mac. | | | | tracking this information, but the more you track the |
| 1. Type of business determines the solution. Your | | | | more you'll need a larger application. |
| business determines what hardware and software | | | | - To Do List- we all have tasks to do to get done. |
| solutions that you intend to use. A dentist will use | | | | Apple's iCal can handle simple To Do lists, but other |
| different software than a graphic artist or a writer, | | | | solutions are available to handle more difficult tasks. |
| however, there are some similarities to all of them. | | | | - Calendar- making sure you schedule your time and |
| 2. Switchers can do it. If you are switching from a PC | | | | priorities means that you keep your calendar free of |
| there is a way to finding the answer to switching. | | | | non critical stuff and schedule only those things that |
| Write down all of the Windows applications that you | | | | are most important, such as family and friend time. |
| use, define what they are (such as word processor, | | | | Again, Apple's iCal can handle a Solo Entrepreneur's |
| photo editor, etc) and then find the Mac version of | | | | calendar of events, but you may need a better |
| that type of software that you use. If there are no | | | | solution of the numbers get too big or it gets to |
| Mac solutions that you like, you can run Windows | | | | complicated. |
| under Apple's Boot Camp or virtualization software | | | | - Sales/POS (Point Of Sale) - keeping track of your |
| Parallels or Fusion. | | | | sales and the accounting of your income is extremely |
| 3.Type of solution depends on capability. If you are a | | | | important to know whether you are successful or |
| writer you'll need specific tools to be able to write | | | | not. See below for a suggestion. |
| for multiple customers and vendors. If you are a | | | | Operations |
| graphic artist you'll need other tools. | | | | - Billing and Accounting - billing is about sending out |
| So what software solutions are there for a startup | | | | invoices to be paid and accounting is about tracking all |
| business or an entrepreneur that nearly all of them | | | | of your business expenses and income for tax |
| could use? | | | | purposes. Get an accounting package such as |
| Marketing using iWork and iLife '09 | | | | Quicken rather than doing things by hand or using a |
| - Garageband - allows you to create your own music, | | | | spreadsheet such as Numbers/Excel since it makes |
| but more importantly, create your own podcast or | | | | things much easier to recalculate and "slice and dice" |
| audio file to be incorporated into iMovie. | | | | the data to determine taxes and information for |
| - iMovie - allows you to create movies of how to | | | | paing bills. |
| build a storage shed, an interview of a local celebrity | | | | - Business Tasks - such as mailing for invoices or |
| that endorses your product, or even a product | | | | newsletters, etc. These will vary according to the |
| service testimonial of your business. | | | | type of business you are in. |
| - iPhoto - putting your digital pictures into iPhoto gives | | | | If you're starting a business, let me know if you |
| you control over product pictures using keywords, | | | | have any questions and I'll be glad to answer them |
| putting together a monthly newsletter using seasonal | | | | for you. |