insights

Insights

Plain-English notes on software, networking, and the technology small businesses actually run on.

• October 22, 2026

  IT Checklist for New Hires and Departing Employees

  A simple IT checklist for when someone joins or leaves your business — the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account, your apps, and platform access.

• October 21, 2026

  Connecting Your CRM to QuickBooks Without the Retyping

  A CRM that syncs customers and invoices with QuickBooks saves the retyping and catches mismatches. Here's what to connect and what to get right.

• October 20, 2026

  Locked Out of Your iCloud or Google Account? Start Here

  Locked out of iCloud or Google? Here's what to do, how to avoid support scams, and the recovery settings to set up now so it doesn't happen again.

• October 19, 2026

  How AI Document Intake Saves You Retyping Invoices and Forms

  AI can read invoices, forms, and emails and pull out the details so nobody retypes them. Here's how it works, what to check, and when a script is enough.

• October 18, 2026

  Rolling Out AI to a Team That Doesn't Want It

  Most teams don't resist AI because they're stubborn. Here's how to roll it out so people actually use it, starting small with one real task.

• October 16, 2026

  What Can a Small Business Actually Automate With a Script?

  A script can take over the repetitive computer work eating your week. Here's what's worth automating, what isn't, and a real example of file organization.

• October 15, 2026

  What Does a Small Business IT Consultant Do?

  A small business IT consultant fixes what's broken, plans how your tools fit together, and automates repetitive work. Here's what to expect from one.

• October 14, 2026

  Who Owns the Code When Someone Builds Software for You?

  Custom software ownership in plain terms — what you get at handover, what the developer keeps, who holds the domain and accounts, and what to ask.

• October 13, 2026

  Where AI Helps a Small Business, and Where a Script Wins

  AI can read messy documents and draft replies, but a plain script is often the better tool. Here's how to tell which one your task actually needs.

• September 15, 2026

  Do You Actually Need Service Appointment Software?

  A shared calendar is enough for some service businesses and a bottleneck for others. Here's the line between the two, and what to do once you've crossed it.

• September 14, 2026

  Custom Scheduling Software for a Flemington Hair Salon

  A one-time desktop app for a Flemington salon — admin and staff logins, per-stylist scheduling, and payment at checkout, with no monthly bill.

• September 13, 2026

  Custom Book-Lending Tracker for a Princeton Business

  A simple app for a Princeton book-rental business — synced through iCloud, ISBN lookups for cover art, JSON import and export, and no hosting bill.

• August 24, 2026

  Do I Need a Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace Consultant?

  What a consultant actually does for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and the signs your office has outgrown doing it yourself.

• August 17, 2026

  Do You Need a Custom Website, or Is Squarespace Fine?

  Here's where a site builder like Squarespace or Wix stops being the cheaper option, and what a custom-built site buys you once it does.

• August 16, 2026

  Laser vs Inkjet Printers: Which Is Better?

  For most small offices it's a mono laser — here's when an inkjet is genuinely the better buy, and the third option most comparisons leave out.

• August 14, 2026

  Do You Need an IT Company or Someone to Call?

  Most small businesses assume the choice is a monthly managed contract. Often it's overkill. Here's how to tell which arrangement your business actually needs.

• August 10, 2026

  When Your Business Software Doesn't Fit

  Too expensive, too bloated, or too basic — most small businesses are stuck with one of the three. Here's what building something that fits involves.

• August 7, 2026

  Do You Still Need Paid Antivirus in 2026?

  A client was paying over $300 a year for antivirus she didn't need. Windows and macOS include protection that tests as well, and cancelling was the hard part.

• August 3, 2026

  Startup Software Consulting Without a CTO

  You have the idea, maybe the first customers, and no one to build it. How the five options compare, and what a local partner changes that an agency can't.

• August 1, 2026

  What Small Business IT Actually Costs

  Nobody publishes a number, and there's a real reason for that. Here's how IT work is priced, what moves the number, and how to compare two quotes honestly.

• July 31, 2026

  When Custom Software Beats Off-the-Shelf

  Custom becomes the right call once you're paying people to work around a tool that doesn't fit. Here's the tell, and what building custom actually gets you.

• July 30, 2026

  SaBooks: Invoicing and Proposals for Solo Pros

  SaBooks is a small app I built for sending proposals, generating invoices, and tracking payments — without juggling three tools to get paid for one job.

• July 29, 2026

  Why a Mac Mini Makes a Great Office Server

  A small office server gives you back control of your data without a rack, a server room, or a monthly bill per seat. Here's why I build them on Mac Minis.

• July 28, 2026

  GL.iNet Flint 2 Review: ISP Router Replacement

  Why ISP routers are a privacy problem, and why I install the GL.iNet Flint 2 instead — OpenWrt, no account, network-wide adblock, and a built-in VPN.

• July 27, 2026

  Why Your Office Wifi Feels Slower Every Month

  A few real reasons small-business networks slow down over time, and what actually fixes it for good — not just a router restart.