Last week was the first Boot Camp event for Mac IT professionals serving small business and home users, organized by MacTech magazine. The event, held in San Francisco, was notable for its focus on non-tech content including marketing, branding, client relationships, and community.
We gave the first presentation of the day, “How to Grow Your Business the Quick & Easy Way,” to help Mac consultants think about marketing and business systems. We also created a webpage with marketing and systems ideas, resources, and links specifically for IT pros.
One of our favorite presentations was “Getting the Support You Need,” by Peter Linde, founder of Linde Group, which addressed where to get business ideas, expertise, and advice. He focused on how to gather good ideas from books, other Mac techs, and a variety of other resources to figure out how to run your business better. One subject he stressed was mentoring, and how useful it can be to have a business mentor to help with obstacles along the way.
Steve Favarger of Mac Centric Solutions gave a great presentation on uses for a Windows in a Mac office, and many of the ways this can be accomplished, from Boot Camp to Parallels and Fusion. I’m interested in trying out WINE as a Windows platform.
Sean Costello of IronGate discussed remote consulting–the many applications available to facilitate it, and the reasons why you might choose or not choose to work remotely with clients. He brought up some smart points about how important face-to-face communication with clients can be.
Other session topics were on how to troubleshoot more effectively, how to improve relationships with clients, backup solutions, and mobility options.
We are looking forward to the next BootCamp event and hope MacTech will consider NYC as a future venue.