Going Digital without Going Postal™

I've recently been asked to speak to different groups about migrating from the old ways of doing things (paper and ink, for example) to the new ways of doing things (digital documents). I realized that a successful migration to the new ways of doing things could not only save even a very small business operator thousands of dollars each year, but could also help that same operator increase their business exponentially at minimal expense.

In our own business as I.T. trainers, we save huge sums of money and reduce our carbon footprint by providing electronic documentation to many of our students instead of the old-fashioned paper documentation. When we first experimented with electronic documentation, I expected there to be some negative backlash. Imagine my surprise when, not only was there no negative backlash, but instead we received positive feedback in our course evaluations. The electronic documentation in the form of PDF documents is searchable, re-sizeable, and can even provide interactivity. We're also discovering that the traditional method of promoting our seminars via direct mail campaigns is increasingly more expensive and less effective than digital alternatives.

My wife Janet and I have been running our business more or less electronically since we started it. Our consultant became almost giddy when he observed that we operate in a nearly 100% virtual world with no bricks and mortar. We can take business calls wherever we are thanks to a digital PBX, our telephone answering service that makes us sound like a Fortune 500 company. We can respond to email anywhere thanks to our Microsoft Exchange server and Exchange Active Sync which syncronizes our email, calendar, and contacts between all of our computers and even our smartphones (we can even receive old-fashioned faxes on our cell phones). My smartphone even allows me to update my website from anywhere...for example, the beach. Bill Gates really nailed it when he alluded to the "digital lifestyle" in his book Business at the Speed of Thought. The digital lifestyle allows us the freedom to be more creative, more productive, and more competitive without being tied to an office.

In the mid-1990s, I was playing golf with a friend who was an itinerant musician. He brought his cell phone with him on the golf course and I chided him for doing so. He responded that his alternative was to stay in his hotel room to conduct business. Instead, he was able to enjoy a beautiful day on the golf course, interrupted by an occasional phone call. He asked me what I would do if I were in his situation. Obviously, I answered that I would do the same as he. Some people complain about being "tethered" to their office by a cell phone, but I don't understand that. You can make the choice to answer the phone when it rings or not. If you make the choice to stay in your office instead of doing your work on the golf course or at a beach (or wherever you choose), aren't you imprisoning yourself?

I am zealous about breaking as many chains that bind me as I can. I am zealous about embracing the digital lifestyle.