Trading Your Time for Money: Thinking Like an Employee

Hey there.

You are a small business owner. You own your own business. Yet even still, you're probably thinking like you still worked in a job. That's to say that you've patterned your business model after trading your time for money. So your business model looks something like this:

You land some work. You declare your hourly rate. You produce some form of output over time. You receive money in trade for your time. Hey, not a bad deal, and you start marketing yourself to more clients. Your first client is happy to give you recommendations, and leveraging their trust, more people sign on the dotted line for your services. Sounds great, eh?

Well, there's an unfortunate reality happening in the background that's actually hurting you - a negative system based off of your business model. That pattern looks like this:

You see, the more work you obtain, the less time you have - because there's only one of you. You're only capable of so much output (you can only work forty, sixty, eighty, or even a hundred hours in a week), and eventually, you make a diminishing return on money.

You flat-line. You can only work so hard, with so many clients and projects, and make so much money. And system is part of what's hurting you. You're thinking like an employee.

Employees trade their time for money. It's the only revenue stream they have. But trading time for money isn't a business. It's a job. Their work isn't scaleable, which means, you can never add more time and you can never add more labor. Meanwhile, some of the ancillary effects of the system should be pretty obvious to you. The more clients you obtain:

1. The more work you're contracted to perform.
2. The less time that you have, diminishing your ability to take on new work.
3. Tardiness increases; deliverables become more and more late; quality slides and you make more errors; you over-commit and under-perform.
4. That diminishes perception and confidence. Fewer people can recommend you. You aren't paid top billing for your services. You're working as hard as you can for little benefit.
5. Your business develops a bad reputation; you burn out; cash flow becomes constrained.
6. You're out of business.

One of the first things to recognize when owning your own business is that you're not an employee. You've got to stop thinking like one. You're creating a great job for yourself but not a great business. 

Next time, I'll talk more about thinking like an entrepreneur or a business owner, and address potential solutions to this problem. Until then, think about your business. Where are you trading your time for money? How isn't your business able to scale because of your model? That'd be a great place to start thinking about how to transform your business and change your thinking.

R

Why Heartbleed is a Good Thing

Don't get me wrong: Heartbleed wasn't a shining moment in tech security and I'm not super-glad that the vulnerability occurred. Still, personally, I'm pretty happy when stuff like this hits the fan.

Well, I suppose I'm glad in a "question authority" kind-of-way. When a wide-ranging vulnerability like this is brought into the open, it gets us in the technology security field off of our butts to, one, provide a remedy to the most immediate problem, but two, question all of our assumptions.

Incidents like Heartbleed, Edward Snowden's NSA revelations, and the good work conducted by Wikileaks, gets technology professionals to look more carefully at our solutions. It forces us to think differently. These incidents also reveal certain threats that we may haven't foreseen. They also lead us down a path of hardening our all our technologies in short-order to curtail compromise. In all, situations like Heartbleed elevates all of our security postures. They make all of us safer.

Arguably, what wasn't safe was continuing to live in ignorance as Heartbleed was exploited, or, while the NSA was wiretapping private data centers without warrants, or, believing that corporations and governments always have our best interests in mind. Assuming everything is okay wasn't safe. Proving flaws and vulnerabilities - even if the outcomes are undesirable - is how we all get better.

Question authority. Further, question our assumptions. Learn, build awareness, and do better next time. That's what will improve cyber security.

R 

Heartbleed Vulnerability Advisory

This week, a doozy of  a security risk was revealed concerning the way data is encrypted between computers and web servers on the Internet.

It's called Heartbleed and you may have heard of it by now. 

If you are a client of mine - and as it is my obligation as your technical administrator - I wanted to take a minute to address my services and your exposure to this vulnerability.

Microsoft Windows Terminal Services

If you receive terminal service/remote desktop solutions from me, your services are ran on Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 servers.  Inasmuch, Microsoft has confirmed that their platforms are not affected by the Heartbleed vulnerability so your site and its data and your communications between them are not subject to this risk.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/erezs_iis_blog/archive/2014/04/09/information-about-heartbleed-and-iis.aspx

Google Apps

If I manage your Google Apps environment, as of Thursday April 10, 2014, Google confirmed that they've patched all of their servers for their major services, so your mail, contacts, calendars, and so on - stuff I manage for you under Google Apps - are also secure:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/09/google-heartbleed-patch-info/

Online Backup

If you receive an online backup product from me, I've received a verbal confirmation from the vendor that their solutions are not subject to this vulnerability.

VOIP Phone Solutions

If you receive your VOIP solutions from me, I've received verbal confirmation from the vendor that their solutions are not subject to this vulnerability.

Third Party Website Hosts and Operators

You need only be concerned about this vulnerability if your website conducts any form of secure transaction, such as logins, taking payments, or processing orders.

If your website just serves-up webpages with information, you are not affected by Heartbleed. If your website takes in any information securely, it is likely subject to this vulnerability.

If your website or email service or backup service is hosted by a third party, it is their responsibility to patch their servers and advise you of their status. I recommend you contact them immediately for a status.

Third Party Cloud-Based Services

Nearly all websites are affected by the Heartbleed vulnerability including popular brands like Netflix, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, large banking institutions, and the like. The situation right now is rather fluid and broad but I'd recommend the following approach:

1. Take an inventory of the 3rd party websites that are related to your business and that you frequent; ie, your financial institution, online business software, file sharing software, and so on.

2. Visit their websites or blogs for the latest update/information about their vulnerability to Heartbleed.

3. Following their confirmation that their vulnerability has been addressed, you would want to change your password with that service at the earliest opportunity.

Android Phones

Finally, Google has confirmed that some versions of the Android (Droid) operating system are exposed to this vulnerability. The models and versions vary. Those who run Android/Droid operating systems on their phones will want to apply updates throughout the weekend or discuss this matter with their cell phone carrier/provider. To test whether or not your Android phone is vulnerable, you may wish to try this solution.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

R