He does a nice job of laying out the benefits of blogging for your small business. I'd add one more. Basically a good blog can lead to great connections within your industry. Not necessarily sales (though it has for me), but connections with other companies which can reap rewards not envisioned when you started your blog. Just by being "out there" you're giving yourself a big boost over the competition because if some other business is looking to work with a business like yours then you'll be much easier to find then the competition. In addition, they'll be an easy and effective way for the interested parties to find out more about you. Making that process easier lowers the barriers to them approaching you with ideas and that can only be a good thing.
Update: This doesn't really belong in this post and I've linked to it before, but I really love what Gavin does with the MicroISV digest. Great stuff Gavin!
"I think part of the reason i'm such a strong believer in customer support is that my first job ever was at Sears. There you are taught that the customer is ALWAYS right. If the customer tells you he/she saw a $40 pair of jeans under a $19.99 sign, they are right. If a customer brings back a pair of obviously worn clothes for a return, they are right. If a customer wants you to check the stockroom even though there is nothing back there, they are right. "
I think the same thing Phil. My first "real job" was at Office Depot where they have a similar policy. I think retail is a great training ground for future entrepreneurs because they almost always teach customer service skills.
I'll also be doing an interview with her later today or tomorrow.
In bigger news HelpSpot has it's first official hosting provider. ValientHost! I have a bunch more to say on this when I get back to the office but needless to say I think it's a huge leap in HelpSpots evolution and means that now any company can use HelpSpot without their own server or preexisting hosting service. ValientHost is going to handle the installation and upgrades so it's going to be a nice turn key solution. Giorgio of ValientHost is a great guy and I'm really looking forward to working with him and his team. More on this in a future post.
If you're at barcampnyc find me! I'm in a mustard colored long sleeve shirt and currently sitting on the black couch in the middle of the place writing this post.
My wife and I went to a live shooting of Jim Cramers Mad Money yesterday. It was a blast. He's got a ton of energy and puts on a great show. He stayed late and made sure everyone had autographs, he even signed my rubber bull!
I didn't really want to have my picture taken with him, but the little woman insisted so here it is:
*[This image was lost to time in my blog transition]*
Update: forgot to mention that the low res on the picture is because it was taken with my new Treo 700w (which totally rocks BTW)
Great point by Jason over at 37 sigs. Apples best move was the creation of the Apple stores. I admit I didn't think it was a big deal when they started them, but it's been huge. More than anything it gives them a chance to talk to potential customers directly. Before the Apple stores you either had to do your research online (not mainstream enough) or you got second class assistance in a CompUSA.