Matt Nathanson & Rachel Platten Concert

Matt Nathanson opened for Train and Marroon 5 in Louisville last August. Nathanson's album Modern Love has been my favorite since seeing him open. Tonight we saw Matt headline and Headliners in Louisville. It was a sold out show and he put on another great show.

Rachel Platten opened for Matt Nathanson and she joins a long list of awesome openers I've seen. Rachel's set was high energy and great music. Although all the songs were new to me, they were immediately catchy. Rachel connected with the crowd and was very gracious to a screaming crowd.

My wife drags me to these concerts. Don't tell anyone, but I'm glad she does. (: This was another great show and I highly recommend both artists. You can hear their music on 102.3 FM.

Belkin Keyboard Folio for iPad 2

This is a great product. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros

• Great keyboard. It's is the same width as the iPad compared to theTargus which is slightly wider. The keys are spaced well and have a great 'clicky' feel.
• Keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard is designed for iPad and has keys for select, copy, cut, paste, home screen, search, iPad controls, speaker control, and arrow keys.
• Easy setup. Pairing with the iPad was simple. Turn on bluetooth, turn on keyboard, and enter code.
• Dual use. The case is designed well to be used on lap without keyboard and on desk with or without keyboard.
• Adjustable angles. The iPad simply sits on the folio and the material 'sticks' so you can adjust to various angles easily.
• Good case. It appears to be a very durable, but attractive case.
• Pair to two. You can pair the keyboard to two devices. It has a function key to toggle easily between the two.
• Sturdy. The case design provides a very sturdy stand positions. There is no risk of pushing the iPad over when tapping the screen.
• Screen protection. The keyboard does not rest directly against the screen as some other designs do. This protects the screen.

Cons

• Bulky. It definitely adds weight and size to the iPad. When it was in the box it felt about twice as heavy as the iPad itself. It is about twice as thick too.
• Closure. It doesn't stay closed. Not a big deal, but not the best design. It also doesn't use the magnetic on/off like the smart cover.

Other considerations

• Price. If you consider the price of an iPad case and the cost of a separate keyboard, the price is competitive.
• Awkard to carry. Some reviews complain that the keyboard is shorter that the iPad and the case conforms to this. While this is true, just set your iPad on top of your other books. I don't find it awkward.
• Velcro. I like the velcro that holds the keyboard to the case when not in use. It is small velcro and not terribly noisy to open.

Image credit: Belkin.com

I first saw the product at Target and purchased it from Amazon.com.

My Favorite Tech Tools

Recently, I started accumulating some of my favorite tech tools in Evernote. So let's start with that:

Evernote (free) - online note taking software. I use the basic features, which is simply taking notes. Very quick to jot notes when working on PC. Evernote has the best iPhone and iPad apps, too. All three sync seamless to the cloud. It keeps me organized with folders, tags, and search. Microsoft OneNote comes in at a close 2nd.

Dia (free) - Dia.exe is an awesome Visio clone. Visio is far superior, but Dia gets the job done well for free. I use Dia for flowcharting and brainstorming.

SQL Server Management Studio Express (free) - Thanks to Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes book, I write most of my own SQL scripts. It is the most efficient way to extract data for data analysis. Then, after connecting Excel to the database, I copy the script in data import and use Excel as a reporting tool. Every CFO should talk to their IT department to get access to the DB. Don't take no for an answer.

SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) (free) - We use Deltek Vision for our  and it uses SQL Server Reporting Services. I can create custom reports and deploy them inside the Vision application.

Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express (free) - Build your own dynamic web-based reports quickly and easily. With drag and drop features, the non-IT person can build VB, ASP reports and deploy them to the web or intranet.

Notepad++ (free) - Sometimes you just need to see the code to fix it. This is the best code viewer, especially for part-time hack like me. Notepad++ color codes the most common languages including html, xml, vb, sql, etc. For an iPad source code editor, try Textastic.

FileZilla (free) - The free FTP solution. Now that 'the cloud' has become mainstream, I don't use this often, but it's the best when I need it.

Dropbox (free) - What can I say about Dropbox. It is the best thing since sliced bread. Use you PC and windows file folders as you do everyday, but have them backed up to the cloud. Then access them from anywhere with any computer.

Join.me (free) - Bare bones, simple web meetings. Join.me just works. The best thing is that there is NO download for the end user. You download a very, very small app to share you screen. Since it uses flash, there is no download needed to see your screen.

Screencast-o-matic (free) - I can't tell you how many video turtorials I have created. Instead of writing out a page of step-by-step procedures, just throw together a 2-minute video. Web-based, so there is no download.

Vimeo (free) - I use YouTube to share personal videos with the world, but I use Vimeo for work. Vimeo has the easiest security feature. Simply password-protect the video and restrict it from search.

MovieMaker (free) - I've never used a Mac, so I can't compare, but MovieMaker gets the job done. My most-used feature it the split edit tool. I use the Windows built-in sound recorded to add voice. It's also easy to add background music, which I highly recommend.

Keepass (free) - I take password security very seriously. My pet peeve is that 90% of passwords are written in text within 3 feet of the computer. I just can't take that risk with the financial and personal data that I keep. So, I use Keepass. Not only does it encrypt my passwords, it form-fills my web sites with two clicks.

FoxIt Reader (free) - I love the annotation features of FoxIt Reader. I make all my tick marks and comments using this pdf tool. I recommend a dual-monitor system, though.

Paint.net (free) - This is a step about MS Paint. The two features I use that MS Paint does not have is the magic wand and layers. The magic wand highlights all empty areas. Then hit delete to get rid of the white space and create transparency. You have to save it as .png, though. This is great for embedding signature in letters and pdf's.

RunningAHEAD (free) - This is the absolute best running log on the web. I love the dashboard, custom reports, and Garmin upload.

FileMakerGo ($20 iPhone $40 iPad) - This is the most inexpensive way to develop your company's first iPhone app. Typically, companies just need to publish reports and information to it's employees. Build you database in FileMaker or sync it with SQL and build you layouts. You need the desktop app FileMaker ($299).

FreeMind (free) - Organize your thoughts with this free, easy-to-use mind mapping software.

ZixMail (free) - My bank forced me to start using this 3 years ago and I love it. I bought the annual subscription because I liked it so much. Never send an unsecure email again. More and more of my banks and financial institutions are using this tool. I should invest in the company, because it is most likely to become the standard.

These are my favorite tech tools that I use daily. What are your favorite tools?

[Image credit: umpqua via Flickr] My first computer (:

Where In The World Is Mike Campbell

It's been three and a half months since my last blog post. Why the hiatus? Recently, I accept the position of Chief Information Officer in addition to my role as Chief Financial Officer. It was a natural fit because I was already performing all of the IT functions in the Firm. However, we decided we need to formalize the role and put an emphasis on developing custom applications.

My career in IT began probably as far back as high school when I signed up for a basic computing class. Coding came easy to me and I enjoyed it. Even though my college degree is in accounting, I still used those basic programming skills to streamline accounting processes by writing VBA macros in Excel. This lead to a role of selling, installing, and supporting MAS90 (an enterprise accounting software) while in public accounting. With the help of an esteemed colleague and mentor, I developed skills of working with Windows Server and developing custom applications and reports for clients.

When I started with the Firm, we had no full-time IT staff, and I assumed all of the responsibility. To this day, I am the first and only full-time IT staff (with the help of outside vendors). I have built a network infrastructure utilizing the public and private cloud, which has kept IT costs down, while providing the tools we need to provide the best customer service in the industry.

In order to free my time to step up this new role, I have been busy training my staff to take over much of the accounting responsibilities. I have also been reading a lot of technical books and white papers looking for the best solutions to solve business problems.

So that's where I've been. Last year, I was reading a lot of leadership books, which gave me a lot of ideas for blogging. Whereas this year, I have been reading a lot of technical materials, which makes for boring blog posts. I also don't want to give away any trade secrets or competitive advantages.

Choosing a Great Wellness Program

I am a big fan of corporate wellness programs. Our HR Director and I were sold on a program three years ago. We pitched it to the other executive team members and implemented it soon after.

We have watched the biometric screenings improve year after year. We have heard numerous testimonials of employees coming off of blood pressure medication, avoiding knee surgery, and general improvement energy, motivation, and mood. It has been well worth the money.

I am sure there are those in the company who don't appreciate it and can relate to the above video. But the point of the video is that corporate wellness is important and it is effective. This company claims they can make your wellness program not cheesy. Maybe they can maybe the can't. But it's worth a try.

So check them out at RecessWellness.com. Also check out HealthyWorksite.com, TriWellness, Principal Wellness, and  Wellness Council of America.

Leadership Books Are Bunk

Last year, I blogged a lot about leadership. I read a lot of leadership books. Then I just got completely burnt out on leadership theories. The more I read, the more I realized it's all just one writer's opinion. Very little of it is based on fact. So much of it is contradictory.

I came to the conclusion that all this leadership literature is at the same time bunk and beneficial. There are as many successful leadership styles as there are leaders. There are as many company cultures as there are companies. Theses styles and cultures are fluid and dynamic. They must change to react to both internal and external changes. Today's style might not be effective in tomorrow's world.

However, in order to find your individual style, it is beneficial to read lots of books, blogs, and magazines. Your leadership style may be improved through leadership books, biographies, business books, faith-based books, and so on. But most importantly, you leadership style will be formed by your day-to-day decisions and your ability to accomplish goals. Finally, if you want to be a great leader, hire a great team.

Small Fish In Big Pond Or Big Fish In A Small Pond

Image via Wikipedia

I had the fastest recorded 800-meter and placed third at the state meet in the 800-meter race in high school. As I discussed my college options with my track coach, she said it comes down to this: Do you want to be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?

Although running a half-mile in under two minutes is a big accomplishment and did well in Kentucky that year, it was mediocre at best. At the college level, everyone one can run a 800 meters in under two minutes. My track coach's point was you can win a lot of races running for a small college or you can be in the middle of the pack at a Division I school.

The business takeaway is that, when it comes to business success, it matters most what race you choose. You can pick a race with a bunch of mediocre runners and win or pick a race that's full of tons of great runners and finish in the middle of the pack. Pick a race that nobody is in and win.

For example, Tony Hsieh founded Zappos.com on that very idea. There was nobody in the online shoe retail business. "Footwear was a $40 billion industry...and 5% of that was being done by paper mail-order catalogs", but nobody was selling shoes online. His company became one of the fastest growing companies in America and quickly grew to $1 billion. He won a race that nobody was in.

However, that was sill only 50% of the potential of the $2 billion of mail-in catalog sales. Some want to credit Zappo's return policy, excellent customer service, culture, or fast delivery. But look at who he was competing against: snail-mail paper catalogs. Seriously, who buys via catalog anymore!? Online footwear retail was the the mediocre race with the fewest runners.

Tony Hsieh used the analogy of a poker table rather than a running race in his book, "Delivering Happiness":

I learned that the most important decision I could make was which table to sit at. This included knowing when to change tables. I learned from a book that an experienced player can make ten times as much money sitting at a table with nine mediocre players who are tired and have a lot of chips compared with sitting at a table with nine really good players who are focused and don't have that many chips in front of them.
In business, one of the most important decisions for an entrepreneur or a CEO to make is what business to be in. It doesn't matter how flawlessly a business is executed if it's the wrong business or if it's in too small a market. (HuffingtonPost.com)