5 Steps Business Owners Can Take Before Going on Vacation

When you think about going on vacation, for most it means relaxing and sightseeing. For most small business owners it can mean stressing that things are being done instead of having fun or taking their laptop and working while lounging on the beach or by the pool. There are some small business owners that don't go on vacation at all.

Datavo knows that stress can cause a vacation to be ruined so we came up with a short list of items you should take care of before you leave so that you can have a relaxing and refreshing time.

• Make a list of your tasks. At least a two weeks prior to your vacation go through all of your responsibilities. Determine which tasks must be delegated and which can await your return. Do things such as paying bills or invoicing customers early so that you are not worried while you are away. Make sure to update your list the day before you leave and mark off all completed tasks. 

• Make a schedule for checking in. To stop yourself from working all day and your staff from calling you with issues every second, set up specific times you are available and which circumstances you need to be contacted for. It may also help to only give one of your staff members your contact number and make them the designated point person while you are out.

• Be specific and clear with your employees. Keep your employees in the loop. Have a meeting with them at least a week prior to your departure and let them know what you expect from them while you are gone. Go over any projects or assignments and assign who will be in charge of your responsibilities while you are gone. The day before you leave have another short meeting reviewing everything and confirm that your staff has everything it needs. 

• Use your phone system's features. Most phone systems have features that allow you to optimize your customer service. Make sure you set your voicemail greeting to out of the office and set up any forwarding features so that your calls can route to you properly. 

• Let your customers know you are leaving and who they can contact. Start letting your customers know that you will be going out of town a few weeks prior to your departure date. Set up an automated email response for any received emails that lets people know you're out of the office, what day you will return and who they can contact in the interim.

Now that you have all of that taken care of try to enjoy your vacation. Have faith that your employees will take care of everything and keep you in the loop if anything arises that needs your immediate attention.  Taking a vacation should leave you refreshed and revitalized, making you more productive in the long run. 

7 Helpful 'H' Hallmarks of Honorable Leaders

It's time of our 'H' installment of Datavo's Business Leaders Attributes by Letter series. You can catch up by reading 7 Great 'G' Gages of Great Leaders.

Let's get moving with the 'H's...

Honest

Thomas Jefferson said, " Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Honest leaders know their strengths, failures and shortcomings. They learn early on that transparency breeds respect and their employees are much more likely to rally behind and listen to them. 

Humble

Humility does not come easy to everyone. Humble leaders know that being cocky only makes other people not like you. Learning yourself and accepting that there are things that you do not know is the first step to being humble. 

Hardworking

Albert Einstein said, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means." Hardworking leaders know that leading by example is the best way to get the full potential out of their employees. Showing great work ethic makes others around you want to emulate it. 

Helpful

At work you may be assigned a project that you are unfamiliar with. Hopefully you will have a helpful coworker that is willing to share some of their knowledge with you. Helpful leaders know that their employees can look to them when things arise that they may needs advice on. 

Honorable

Being honorable means that you may have to speak the truth even when it is unpopular. People will respect you when they know that you stand for something and conduct yourself based on truth instead of feelings.

Hearty

Hearty people are spirited, enthusiastic, exuberant, fervent and sincere. Leaders with this quality earn their workers respect because they exude passion and are seen as heartfelt and genuine. 

Humane

Luc de Clapiers said, "One cannot be just if one is not humane." Humane leaders are able to show empathy and make decisions based on all the factors of a situation and see how they will effect the people involved. 

To end our list, let's go over 7 'H' words that honorable leaders would never want to be - hypocritical, hostile, hateful, helpless, half-hearted, hasty, or hopeless. 

Feel free to leave any words you think we left off or would have on your own list int the comments. Make sure to look out for our next list of 'I' adjectives. 

The Need for Speed - Datavo's Ethernet over Copper Solution

Unifiying Your Communications - myDatavo Assistant

The Datavo myDatavo Assistant is a lightweight application toolbar, designed to complement your myDatavo Web Portal. It offers automatic notifications and instant access to regularly used calling features making it a valuable tool for keeping your users connected. 

HIGH FUNCTION TOOLBAR

myDatavo Assistant significantly enhances the user experience by enabling your users to access communication services at any time from their desktop. Subscribers can now access their most advanced telephony services from their computers, without having to change applications. 

An intuitive toolbar application, it allows your subscribers to:

• search their myDatavo contact list

• initiate and configure synchronization with Outlook contacts

• search contacts in an external LDAP directory

• initiate click-to-dial outgoing calls

• enable/disable key call services.

This integrated approach even provides extensions that allow your subscribers to initiate click-to-dial outgoing calls directly from Microsoft Outlook.

INTEGRATED NOTIFIER

The myDatavo Assistant Notifier transparently maintains contact with myDatavo Web Portal so that it can alert subscribers whenever calls are incoming, or when a new voicemail is received, via a pop-up notification. The notification displays the name of the caller (pulled automatically from the user’s myDatavo contact lists), their number and the time of the message. In addition, when a user receives an incoming call, the notifier provides options to send the call to voicemail or forward it to another line, at the click of a button. Residing in the Windows system tray, it offers a notification area icon that shows voicemail status and provides a shortcut to myDatavo.

IMMEDIATE STATUS CHANGES

myDatavo Assistant allows users to easily change their status in much the same way they’re already used to doing through their instant message clients. A simple point and click allows users to select:

• Ring my phone – deactivates any other service that might be in effect

• Do not disturb – activates the Do Not Disturb (DND) feature

• Forward calls – to the previous five numbers used for forwarding or to a different number they can input

• Find Me Follow Me – delivers granular control over advanced call routing functionality.

Feel free to contact us at 1.877.7.DATAVO or www.datavo.com for more info.

Happy Labor Day from Datavo to You!

Have a wonderful holiday! Visit us at www.datavo.com

5 Ways to Succeed in a Small Family Business

Family owned businesses are a big part of our culture. With technology changing so drastically over the last few years it may seem as if these types of small business are disappearing, but they aren't. With the current state of the economy, people are bringing family members and friends into their business ventures even more. It can be difficult to keep your business and personal relationships separate due to the delicate dynamics of the familiar relationship. Here are a few ways to protect your business and personal relationships with relatives and friends. 

1. Establish expectations. From the very start of your business venture you should define roles and responsibilities for each family member. A lack of clarity fuels conflict and can lead to disaster. Each person should have a specific job description, just as any employee would, and they should understand what the boundaries are in the work environment.
2. Create a conflict resolution plan. Despite your best efforts, there are bound to be conflicts in the business. Because personal emotions will ultimately be involved, determine in advance a way to resolve disagreements. You need a process to work through conflicts to protect the integrity of the work environment as well as your relationship.
3. Put everything writing. Even if you are going into business with your dear beloved mother, get everything in writing.  Remember, this is business. People have short memories, and a disagreement about ownership interests, money allocations, or even vacation time can cause tempers to flare.
4. Manage fair- and-square.  As you add other employees to your business, make sure you manage equitably.  Family members should not be given added perks and privileges other team members don’t receive.  And the same thing is true when it comes to rewarding performance.  Every team member should be evaluated and treated fairly.
5. Keep personal baggage at home. Don’t bring personal battles into the workplace.  It’s unprofessional and can ruin relationships with customers and clients who don’t want to be caught in the middle.

We hope these tips were helpful. For more information about Datavo visit our website at www.datavo.com

10 Quotes to Get Inspired With

Here at Datavo we know waking up in the morning can be hard sometimes so here's a list of our favorite quotes to start your day.

• I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them! – C.J. Walker

• The enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth-persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. – John F. Kennedy

• The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. – Debbi Fields

• Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. – Richard Branson

• I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – Donald Trump

• Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

• I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. – Oprah Winfrey

• Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations. – Steve Jobs

• Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. – David Rockefeller

• In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential. It’s no different in the financial realm. – Suze Orman

Feel free to leave any of your favorite quotes in the comments.