Business Next

Michael Rogers talks with Ian Richardson, owner of Doberman Technologies in Mason, about his use of interns in his small business and how he partners with local educational institutions. Doberman Technologies was named to the list of Michigan 50 Companies to Watch for 2017. From their website: “Doberman Technologies LLC was founded in November 2005 by Ian Richardson in Lansing Michigan. Doberman has a combined IT experience of over 40 years in house. Doberman specializes in acting as a Third Party IT Management Firm; that means that Doberman functions as a fully outsourced IT department for your organization. Purchasing, Helpdesk Support, Vendor Management, Long-term IT planning, Business Consulting, Equipment Disposal, Physical Infrastructure, Cloud Services, and Compliance Management are just a few of services offered in the Doberman portfolio. Doberman’s mission is to ensure that our clients have a superior technological experience while capturing greater efficiencies through high reliability, effective business continuity planning, and robust security platforms that keep their data safe.”

Michael Rogers talks with tech expert Tony Merlo, owner of SmarterPhones.net, about the recent announcement of new iPhones and other Apple products, the increasing use of augmented reality, and the importance of house-cleaning your mobile devices by clearing out old apps. All of which are great topics for entrepreneurs to know!

Michael Rogers talks with business coach and consultant Tom Borg about his suggested systems for business success, including how to create the kind of company your really want, how to get great ideas to grow your company, how you as the  business owner or manager is only as good as your inner circle i.e. cpa, business coach, trade association, business peers, friends; how to make it easy to do business with your company, and the four powerful questions employees and customer have for you.

Michael Rogers talks with tech expert Linda Daichendt, executive director of the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan (MTAM), about VISA testing a program to bribe small merchants not to accept cash, trends in robots replacing human workers and are tech products getting easier to use?

Michael Rogers talks with Kevin Begola, owner of Titanium-Buzz.com. Kevin is a member of the Small Business Association of Michigan’s Leadership Council. From their website: “In 2007, Kevin took the jewelry world by storm when Titanium-Buzz became the first-ever retailer to offer camouflage wedding bands, an idea of Kevin's that was so popular it has since been copied by most jewelers in the industry (if you want the original and the best, you can find them here).

Michael Rogers talks with Linda Daichendt, executive director of the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan, about Bill Burr’s 2003 report that recommended passwords that used numbers, obscure characters and capital letters and updating regularly—he now regrets the error: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-man-who-wrote-those-password-rules-has-a-new-tip-n3v-r-m1-d-1502124118?mod=trending_now_2

Michael Rogers talks with Jay Harrington, who with his wife Heather own and operate Life and Whim in Traverse City. From their website: “Life and Whim was started by husband and wife team Jay and Heather Harrington, who moved to Traverse City for no particular reason (you could say on a whim) other than a desire to live a purposeful, meaningful, active and more simple life, and to expose their three young daughters to the magic this region offers. They started Life and Whim as a blog which served as their vehicle to share their experiences – both good and bad – of moving to a new place for a new life, and the lessons they learned along the way. What started as a blog has now grown into a passion project through which they can pursue their love of community, creativity and craft. In addition to founding Life and Whim, Jay and Heather also own and operate a brand strategy and design firm, Harrington, which serves a nationwide client base of sophisticated professional services firms.

Michael Rogers talks with business coach and consultant Tom Borg to learn more about the critical factors that contribute to small business success, including attracting the right team members, retaining crucial employees, identifying the right kind of potential clients, understanding client’s needs, wants and problems; ways to exceed customer service and product expectations, and the importance of regular follow-up with customers.

Michael Rogers talks with small business tech expert Tony Merlo, owner of SmarterPhones.net, about the need for small businesses to be cautious about political opinions they may be tempted to post on social media, how to grow your online audience, tips for building your online brand, the growing potential of augmented reality, new federal recommendations on passwords and tech gadgets of interest to small business owners.

Michael Rogers profiles business coach and consultant George Scott, owner of Business Consulting Services in mid-Michigan. George understands business – both as a business owner and as a business consultant/business broker. Beginning his double roles in 1983, he has been, and is, able to observe (up close) the internal operations and financial conditions of hundreds of businesses.