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Change is Hard!

Posted on by campeezofficial

We are creatures of habit.

As humans, we all say we want to change. A better job, better daily habits, the latest phone, the list is endless. However, when things change, our initial reaction is to reject it.

In the world of business and software, this is a daily struggle. It usually looks something like this:

Client: “ Can you build a program that does x. We are using one now but do not like it at all “

Us: “ Yes, here try this. We changed all of the things you didn’t like about the old one. “

Client: “ it’s fine, but can you make it more like the old one “

We are used to this and expect it. But what happens when a change is unexpected? Or how do you cope with personal changes that you have nobody to blame for?

This is the hardest change there is to make. Don’t believe me? Try starting a new exercise routine. It’s not the workout you are afraid of. It is change.

The current situation has thrown us all into a big scary change. There are so many changes, and so little known about the future, we are all scared.

Spending a lifetime of putting myself into forced change, I feel like I can offer some tips to help ease the change a little.

1. We are all scared. Don’t feel bad about this. I don’t care how composed your friend looks. Inside he is losing his shit too! My favorite hobby is free diving. Arguing with sharks over dinner is annoying. The world, as we know it changing, scary as hell.

2. When you are forced into a change. Take advantage of your situation; there’s no reason to be nostalgic. It changed. Find the good.

3. Make other changes. This is a great time to start meditation, exercise, quit a bad habit, whatever you need to do. Your routine is gone. Start a new one. One that includes the things that used to scare you.

This is just a small sample of the things you can do to feel better with change. I hope it helps.

At Home

Posted on by campeezofficial

New to working from home? Feel like you might spontaneously combust at any min?

Don’t worry, I understand. My name is Jesse. I am a software developer with Provide and have some experience with working from home.

 A few years ago, I went from traveling and working outside to almost overnight, having to change everything and stay home. It was not an easy adjustment, to say the least. 

 Then almost as abruptly we pulled our son from public school and started homeschool. 

 There were a lot of bumps and bruises along the way. This is always going to be a learning process, however, with following a few simple guidelines, it can be very rewarding.

The home office!

 My first piece of advice for right now is to remember you are all in this together. Be overly respectful of your family’s space and schedule.  If you notice your wife likes to take her calls in the kitchen, use that time to pick up your laptop and work from the back porch a bit. Get to know each other’s routines and make them compliment not clash. 

 Here is a basic routine I follow

  •  3:30 am. Quiet time. This is when I do all work that needs total focus. Writing code Updating live software etc. I can get a lot done when the world is sleeping.
  • 7:00 – 8:00 Coffee for me, tea for my wife, and food for the kid! We use this time to visit and talk about the day.
  • 8:00-9:00 Meditation time for son, then get his school lessons going and answer school questions. 
  • 9:00 – 1:00 Work and school. In this time I take a break for breathing exercises, well more like not breathing ( for free diving), and some meditation.
  • 1:00-3:00 Time to eat! This is the first meal for my wife and me and lunch for the starving teenager. We all cook together and eat together. And watch him clean up together!
  • 3:00-6:00 Chores, workouts, and fishing
  • 6:00 – bedtime We cook dinner together, eat and clean up. The rest of the day we kind of make it up as we go. Sometimes a movie, sometimes bed, sometimes dinner takes a little longer.

This schedule works pretty well for our family. I am sure everyone is a little different but the important part is having a schedule, not what it is. This helps you stay focused and also helps you work together. If we are all trying to use the workout room at the same time it can get a little crowded, or if I am trying to meditate while the boy needs help getting his daily assignments we would have a problem.

 I really struggle here. Not with making a schedule, that I am great at. My problem is I tend to get a little obsessive about it and get frustrated if anything interferes. 

 Make a schedule and stick to it until it gets changed! 

It will happen. You can make all the plans you want. Thangs will change. You can get upset and frustrated, or just roll with it. This is new and a learning experience for all of us.

 

Ok now for the kids. 

 I am pretty sure the main goal in their life is to break your focus. As I am writing this my son has just called my name, over and over, to let me know the dog wants to go on his loft bed. This is compounded by the fact I have attention problems and now all I can focus on is how bad of an idea putting our clumsy dog 6 foot up on a bed with our clumsy kid is. 

 So how to cope with this:

Well after I finally put the dog up I sat back down and started writing again. Distractions happen. Deal with it. 

 I hope that somehow this helps you get through these transitional times.  My top pieces of advice are:

  • Have a schedule
  • Meditate
  • Workout
  • Don’t worry if your schedule changes
  • Be super aware of personal space your family is now co-workers
  • Laugh a lot

Receiving Non-profit Donations

Posted on by kaylaholt58

For your nonprofit, donations are what change the world. You need donations and fundraising to make that change. For small nonprofit organizations, it can be intimidating to ask for donations, but with the right understanding and tactics, you can convince investors that your cause is crucial. So let’s say you’re sending out an email, pamphlet, or website to gain donations, what do you say?

Be Compelling

First, you must prove that you are worth the reader or investors’ time, show them that you’re credible, and have set plans for the goal you wish to achieve. Explain what your organization is setting out to do, maybe tell them why this cause is so important. Show them what good things the nonprofit has already done in this world, that you are serious about the cause. Establish current or previous connections to other trustworthy organizations or companies that help the nonprofit.

With this, you can create a compelling backstory for your clients to find character in your story. It helps establish trust with the nonprofit you’re selling.

Get Emotional

When I say this I don’t mean sappy. Use key phrases, photos, and stories to evoke a feeling inside the readers. This creates an emotional tie to your cause and helps them believe why they need to help. You want the reader to feel essential to the cause.

We all remember the Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercials that left us as an emotional ball of sadness and guilt. Now, you don’t want to leave your investors feeling like this, but you do want to leave them feeling impacted and wanting to help. You want them to know how your cause needs them.

Why you must keep records as a small buisness!

Posted on by kaylaholt58

Good record keeping is what makes or breaks a small business 

If there’s anything I can recommend to small businesses it is to keep track of everything.

It will help in the long run, make everything easier. It can help with (and not limited to!) :

  •  Watch the progress of your business
  • Financial statements
  • Track sources of income
  • Expenses

Business progress

Record keeping will show how your business is doing, if sales are increasing, what sells best/worst, and even what needs to change. Tracking these factors will ultimately lead to business success. 

Financial statements 

Taxes are a pain, but essential so you can stay out of trouble with the IRS. QuickBooks is a software that can make tax statements a little easier., but some knowledge of accounting. Microsoft spreadsheets can also work while your business is small. Report expenses and income to have accurate statements. 

Sources of income

Keep a file of every client and project, what you are doing for the client, how much it is costing you, and how much you’re charging them.

Expenses 

SAVE YOUR RECIPTS ! Some may be tax deductible like:

  • Meals and entertainment: Business meetings at a cafe or restaurant can be nice and an easy way to engage your employees,  just be sure to document it. With the receipt, record who came and the purpose of the meeting. It’s only 50% deductible though, so half on the government and half on you.
  • Out of town business travel: If you or an employee travel out of town for business purposes, travel and accommodations are deductible, but it must meet the IRS Publication 463 to claim any travel deduction. Thankfully, your receipts can also provide a paper trail of business activities.
  • Vehicle-related expenses: To claim a vehicle as a deductible, you have to prove that it is only being used for business purposes. Keep record where, when, and why you used the vehicle for business, and then apply the percentage of use to vehicle expenses. 
  • Home office: Portions of your home office can be deductible if you regularly use it for business purposes. Similar to the vehicle expenses, you need to find the percentage of your home is used. Remember, your home office must be either the location of your business or a place where you meet regularly with customers/clients.

Another inevitable expense is payroll. To keep track of this, at Provide we use Freshbooks, it fits us best. Our employees can log their hours and bill us an invoice at the end of the week, Overall it makes the experience easy and pain-free.

Saas-software as a service

Posted on by campeezofficial

This is a very popular saying in the tech and business worlds right now. But what does it mean?

Well, here is the Wikipedia answer:

So, to be totally honest, I didn’t even read all of it. What I was looking for was the “Service” part. To me, that definition just looks like software.

When we started Provide, the priority is on service. At Provide, we love making cool software, but it is just one way to provide clients with better service.

This is why you don’t see any “Packages” or prices on our website. Packages and pre-set prices are for customers. Provide works with clients and partners, not customers.

How could anyone offer a price before knowing the client?

So let’s get to know each other. Contact Provide today for a free consultation.