RSSCategory: Call That Girl’s Tech Blogs

Welcome to our new website and location!

| June 23, 2009 | 0 Comments

I’m not sure what to call this new site…a website or a blog, so it’s a Blogsite!

Many months ago, I started to blog more often and give out my tips and tricks and information about Call That Girl on http://www.wordpress.com. Since I was getting MORE activity on the wordpress site than my website was, it made perfect sense to match up the two and combine forces.

With this new site we will be having weekly promotions, computer troubleshooting tips and tricks, workshop information and of course, my interns and my own daily blogs that are categorized by topic (you can find the topics on the right side bar). Now this is what I call Interactive! I love it as I can do all the changes myself!

Scott Schumacher, web designer of HolisticGeek.com, has done all the work and design for this new blogsite, so if you have interest in having your site revamped into a site like this one, please contact him via his website or by email at at scotts@holisticgeek.com. He is offering a “buy 3 hours, get one free” special to get you going. His maintenance fee’s are very affordable as well and moving to this type of website for your business is really an extra edge in today’s hot “social media” world.

Finally I am also announcing the opening of our new location in St. Louis Park! This move was very necessary as we outgrew our old office and needed more space. Below is a picture of the workshop.

 

 

Thank you for checking out the new site, take a tour and come back often for updates!

ps…that YouTube video is kind of old, but I like it better than the other one I did…so I’ll still give out the spring cleaning special, it will now be a “summer cleaning special”

Lisa Hendrickson
Computer Repair Gal
Call That Girl!
612-865-4475

The Eport

| June 8, 2009 | 0 Comments

The Eport:

Call That Girl is totally excited for this summer! This summer is more exciting than my summer of 2003 (when my friend Vikki and I came up with the idea of Call That Girl via our infamous eports!).

 We have many things going on and on the plate, so keep on watching us grow and coming to your neighborhood! We are there and everywhere…Have you seen the Call That Girl Mobile? (or the truck as I call it). 

 truck 3

 Spotted the truck out and about?

If you email my intern Hassan within an hour of seeing my truck….we will give you 30 free minutes of free tech support! (Hassan@callthatgirl.biz). Just tell us where you saw me and where I was…done deal!

The Tips and Tricks of the week!
Are you just about to open up a document and start working on that massive project? Here is the tip that will save your life or your heart/stress level (if not now, but maybe later).I had a client last week who worked on a document for 3 hours without saving and had 2 documents open by accident, closed one without saving and closed the wrong one. Drama. You know what happened, she lost all her 3 hours of work.

 After you open up a new document, immediately save it in a location you know where it will be saved. (the My Documents is a common place or your desktop for Mac and PC users)

 Then…go to your autorecovery area and make sure you have auto save turned on!

 Mac users with MS Word: File>Save As>options>set for 3 minutes.

PC user with MS Word: File>Save As>options>save>set for 3 minutes

 I type fast and losing 3 minutes worth of work is all I can deal with. If you are a slow typer, then the standard 10 minutes should be fine.

 Are you a wanna be Twitterer (Tweeter, Twit)?

Don’t want to let your competition get an unchallenged foothold with Twitter audiences?

This class will give you all of the tools you need to be a twitter star!  
Bring your own laptop so you can get hands on experience in addition to information.  Lunch at QKindness Cafe after class is included.

Friday, June 12th 9am to 12pm $99 (discount for early birds).  Space is limited — register today:

http://twitterfulllaunch.eventbrite.com/

Remember to keep Call That Girl in mind for your next computer repair and if you’re looking for a new blog to check out, please see what I’m up to!

That’s it for this week folks!

~Lisa
 
Call That Girl!…

..The next FRESH thing!
 
Lisa Hendrickson
612-865-4475
https://callthatgirl.biz

“People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, …but they will always remember how you made them feel”
~Carrie Bradshaw

Bacon!

| June 5, 2009 | 0 Comments

I wish I had bacon for breakfast instead of my Slimfast shake. 

That’s all I really wanted to say today!

bacon2

Networking vs Connector

| May 27, 2009 | 0 Comments

Do you know the difference between a networker and a connector?

Network: –verb (used without object)

 to cultivate people who can be helpful to one professionally, esp. in finding employment or moving to a higher position

Connect: –verb (used with object)

to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind:

 

con⋅nect
  /kəˈnɛkt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuh-nekt] Show IPA
–verb (used with object)
1. to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind: to connect the two cities by a bridge; Communication satellites connect the local stations into a network. 

I was emailing with a guy yesterday from LinkedIn and we were discussing networking and  I closed by telling  him that I’m more of a connector type. I’m always trying to find ways to connect 2 folks for value of revenue or to save money somehow. I probably refer 2-4 folks a week to each other, easily. That comes from being a wide spread networker and having a gift of wanting to help others. (the point of networking right?). Most of these connections I make are just me having a day. I don’t seek them out. Just yesterday I was at a client’s office who said he was looking for a designer to make brochures. I knew of 2 people to refer him to on the spot. 

This is also the reason why I think I avoided joining the large networking groups. I knew early on in my networking career that I need to be connected to many folks and the larger groups tend to work on internal referrals and bring on the mentality of “Let’s get together for coffee and see how we can help each other out”….where, if you’re a connector type, there is no need for coffee. Just let me know what you do and I’ll add you to my mental rolodex. You already know I fix computers, and I know what you do so it’s a done deal right? 

“Let’s do coffee” for me only has value if we are going to do business together or partner up, etc. Networking is today’s world is much more accelerated and if you are busy like I am, there is no time for it. But I will say, that in my first 6 months, I did coffee dates with people and 90% of the time it turned out they wanted to sell me something they sold. It was pretty disappointing to be honest. And not one of those folks has ever called me or referred business to me (that I know of and I track all my clients).

2 weeks ago, I was talking to someone who does something for my business (he will rename nameless) and he said that he would like to get together to see how we could help each other network. I told him that we both already know what each other does, so what is the point? Then he got a big miffed at me and said, “You know, I’m a part of ABC networking group, I KNOW HOW TO NETWORK. I get most of my clients through ABC Network or from adopted clients from other folks.”

Wow! Congrats! I have built a business from scratch and got my clients the old fashioned way, HAND AND FOOT. Of course with that, comes referrals, but that’s how the service business works. Once you are established, you will get referrals and I thank  my lucky stars everyday that I spent the first 6 months of building my business going to every networking event I could find. I also thank my lucky stars that my clients or people I have met networking like me and my business enough to refer me out to people. 

Our conversation moved to the business we do now together, but I could not let it go. I stopped him and said, “You know, I just want to tell you that you have no business telling me how to network, I’m fairly well connected at this point and I don’t need you to tell me how to network”. PFFT. I was kind of angry… so angry I sent him a link to my LinkedIn profile just to sort of prove my online presence with one of the online media’s I use for “networking”. 

Just sayin’

So to close, you can network, be a connector or be both. I know a few people out there that are good at both and I commend them for their efforts. It’s not easy to manage everything in your head, who does what and how you can help them out. 

In my opinion, if you want to get to know someone to help them or have them help you, the best way in today’s busy world is to email someone with an introduction letting them know of your business and how you will keep them in mind as well. Email dates, saves time and money!

My first job…a 411 operator

| May 22, 2009 | 0 Comments

Below is a picture of me sitting in front of a USWest/Qwest terminal. I was a 411 operator from 1988-1995. I look back at this picture and just laugh. The reason why I am holding up a little notepad with the word “jerk” on it was because one of my co-workers just bought a new camera and was taking pictures of everything. So I wrote that up and when he said he was taking my pic, I flashed the “jerk” sign. What is really more hilarious is the big ol green screen monitor working off  a terminal system. Little did I know back then I would own a computer repair company 20 years later (eeks! 20 years flies by!)

th_mono1

The Qwest job by far was never one of my favorites, but I was making great money for a kid that age. I drove a sports car and took trips often. Ah, the good old days of having freedom and not caring about anything but where I was going out that night. I had to work many split shifts and weekends, but that was the life of a 411 operator. Times have changed now, we get the computerized 411 lady now–which I hate. As I build my business I have learned a few things…I will do the exact opposite of everyone else and NEVER ever, no matter how big my business gets, ever have a phone queue, “press 1 for this, press 2 for that”. 

Call That Girl will always always always have a live person answering phones…unless of course, I’m out of the office:)

Happy Friday everyone!

TGIM

| May 18, 2009 | 0 Comments

Thank God it’s Monday…my weekend was boring and I actually couldn’t wait to get back to work. I did work a smidge though, I had 2 clients so that helped a bit. I also did the big Ikea run on Saturday. Yeah, I am stupid. Going to Ikea on a Saturday is like going to Target on Black Friday. I survived and only had to be slighty irritating to one sales lady. I asked her “Do you know where the shelves are, the standing up ladder type ones that you decorate with”..(because I don’t know the real name for the desglinka??) and she said, “you know, I don’t think we sell those”. 

Duh, yes you do! Ikea sells about everything in the world. So I said in a direct tone “Yes you do, I saw it online…you just don’t know what I’m talking about” and left her in the dust while I blazed to the “do it yourself” area. Then I found a smart sales person who knew exactly what I meant and pointed me right to the shelves. I kinda feared buying the “do it yourself”…I wasn’t interested in putting together shelves for 5 hours, but that’s how it goes with Ikea right? 

Turns out I only had to spend about 30 minutes for both shelves, yay! I love the shelves too! Perfect for what I needed and I spent under $40 for both. Happiness for me over a boring weekend:)

Today I have a lunch appointment, then a client. I’m free before and after, so today should be a breeze. I have a monster to do list, so I hope I can chop away at that! 

Have a great Monday! Lisa