by Michael Reinhart | Jun 13, 2012 | Highlights
I just completed a test implementation of LightSpeed eCommerce using the latest version of Magento (1.7), hosted on Go Daddy.
Things went smoothly, although the documentation on the LightSpeed website is a little outdated: clearly Magento 1.7 fixed the issue described in the documentation, and some of the nomenclature in Magento menus is a little different.
Installing Magento 1.7 onto a shared hosting account on Go Daddy was easy as pie. Configuring LightSpeed to integrate with it was even easier. The hardest part of the installation is modifying the look and feel of the Magento store, but with the abundance of documentation, training material, and community, this isn’t hard to figure out.
The cost of hosting the Magento store on Go Daddy is extremely attractive. With an SSL certificate, it works out to about $75 (CA) per year. If you have some technical skill, and nerves, this is a good option.
by Michael Reinhart | Jun 6, 2012 | Highlights, LightSpeed POS
Over on Kristin’s LightSpeedGuru blog, he talks about using an iPad as a POS terminal complete with printing.
It’s a fantastic idea, and the latest version of LightSpeed for iPad makes it mostly possible. The thrust of that specific blog describes using a special networkable version of the Star TSP100 printer geographically close to the iPad, presumably at your front counter.
But there is another way. Enter the Apple Airport Express ($99). This unsung hero of small office networking allows you to connect USB printers to it (more than one if you use a USB hub). So if you already have a non-network-ready Star receipt printer, simply connect it to one of these, in turn connected to your network, and you’re golden. Simply point your LightSpeed server at the shared Star printer.
In our office, at our front counter, we have 2 Dymo label printers and a Star receipt printer connected to an Airport Express and our world is printing heaven, from ANY of our devices.
by Michael Reinhart | May 12, 2012 | Highlights, LightSpeed POS
On my trip to Paris, mixing a little business with pleasure, I’ve noticed that there are quite a few retailers with Macs at the front counter. Less so in the big money / “touristy” areas like the Champs-Elysées, but more so in the smaller parts of town like Saint Germain des Prés– about 1 in 5 of the boutiques I encountered had a Mac of some kind front-and-centre.
These smaller parts of town where the smaller boutiques thrive are the heart of Paris. The place where the real people and culture come together. The merchants do a good business and are revered by the local people.
Talking with one of these merchants, at the place pictured above, she was unaware that there was a POS system for the Mac. At her store, they’re using a Windows based POS in a Virtual Machine. When I explained LightSpeed to her, she was delighted, expressing her love for her Mac.
From the beautiful ladies prêt-à-porter boutiques to wine merchants run by the same family for generations– clearly, in Paris, the Mac is valued for its gorgeous design and functionality.
by Michael Reinhart | Apr 27, 2012 | Highlights, LightSpeed POS
Most small to medium sized businesses shouldn’t require a dedicated I.T. Department.
With years of experience in Business Analysis, I can help your small business to:
- Increase sales
- Save money
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- Harvest business metrics for decision making
- Compete with “the big guys”
I can become your personal business technology advisor, helping you to understand this stuff.
Call me at 888 647-7002 for a free consultation to find out how.
by Michael Reinhart | Mar 30, 2012 | Highlights, Learn
There’s really no room in entrepreneurship for Technophobia. Even worse, projecting your own fear or lack of confidence onto your employees or co-workers imprisons them.
Today, so many people suffer from a kind of Psychological Transference — “a reproduction of emotions relating to repressed experiences.” Regrettably, our experiences with badly designed software and hardware in the past have set us up for this. But entrepreneurs today owe it to themselves to get over it.
We have at our disposal some of the most approachable technology in our history. iPad, iPhone, and Mac have revolutionized the experience for users. Never before have we had more power and capability literally at our fingertips, and never before has it been so easy.
Crucial to success however is embracing the right attitude, and putting in an honest effort. With services such as Apple’s One To One, or any of the fantastic electronic learning tools available online now such as Lynda.com, or iTunes U, any entrepreneur can step up to the plate.
With a little effort, powerful business tools like LightSpeed, Daylite, and DropBox deliver beautiful experiences on gorgeous devices. Mac, iPad, and iPhone are like magic for entrepreneurs, helping them to make more money, be more efficient, and have more fun doing the things that make their business run.
My job is to help you choose and implement these new technologies. If you think “you’re not a technology person”, the good news is you don’t have to be. AND, you might have a lot of fun.
