What is “data” in our lives today? Its documents from work, tax returns from last year, credit card statements with sensitive data, pictures from the summer vacation, rare MP3s you have collected, home videos i.e. our memories, identity, and assets. All these are our “data”, electronically stored in our desktops, laptops, PDAs, Servers and at the mercy of software and hardware glitches that can wipe out everything in a second. Do you have insurance on your data?

Most people don’t give data backup much thought until they actually lose everything to some technical failure. Unfortunately, no matter how much you think you can avoid it, the truth is that your laptops, desktops or servers are all machines and they will wear down one day. Even if your hard drive does not fail and motherboard does not short out, you can still have erased all your data by pressing the wrong key or downloading corrupt files into your computer by mistake. Worst of it is, even with expensive hardware and careful maintenance it only takes a power surge to fry your computer.

Apart from hardware failure, corrupt software and virus attacks are the most common causes for data loss. Unfortunately, the most common forms of data backup like USB drives, external hard drives and DVD/CDs are just as vulnerable. USB drives and external hard drives can become corrupt while CD/DVDs tend to get scratches that make then unplayable. Therefore, if you think you have fool proof backup in these— think again.

We don’t realize the cost of not taking backups until we lose the data we had so carefully stored in our hard drives. It is similar to losing your home to a fire or a natural disaster. You suddenly find that you have lost names, addresses, phone numbers, letters, and photos – things that are important and precious to you. But thankfully most people have insurance for their home and belongings.

Data backup is even more important for people who work from home. These days home based businesses are a rage and the accounts, tenders, agreements, vouchers – everything is probably stored in a system at your home and you take regular backup in an external hard drive. All it will take is a power surge or glitch during the backup process to corrupt the data on both your computer and external hard drive at the same time and you could lose everything pertaining to your business transactions in the blink of an eye.

The one and only way to avoid these mistakes is to keep your files backed up with a third party provider like Carbonite. For a fee of $54.95/ year, Carbonite can store unlimited data in its secure servers, with encryption for double security. Even if your computer crashes, you can login from any another computer to access all your data instantly. Make a smart decision, get some data insurance and back it up with Carbonite now to crash proof your life!

Do you love to network, but don’t have time to follow-up? You’re not alone. The majority of networkers love to mix and mingle with potential new clients at various events, but when they get back to their office, they toss those valuable business cards in a drawer and plan to follow up tomorrow. For most busy professionals, tomorrow brings its own new projects and before you know it, several weeks or even months have gone by with no follow up. Hundreds, or maybe thousands, of dollars in potential revenue has been laying in your top desk drawer!

We have the solution to keep you on top of your follow-up and make you a leader in business prospecting. Our Prospect Follow-up Service – Cards to Cash, provides a quick turnaround to those new business acquaintances and presents a professional image of your business.

Our package offers:

• Each business card scanned into a working database
• The design of a real Follow-up card with your logo or business card imprinted on the inside flap
• The card is mailed to the new prospect on your behalf
• One telephone call is attempted to the new prospect to set an appointment
• Business cards and database file will be mailed back to you for future reference
  

And the best part is that this service is very affordable, around the cost of a nice cup of coffee.

Are there business cards right now laying in your top desk drawer? Have you been too busy to follow-up with the contacts you made at the last Tradeshow? Contact us and we will get your name back in front of these potential new clients. Visit our website at www.avirtualbiz.com, or email to info@avirtualbiz.com.

I was speaking to one of my wonderful clients today, Diane Wilkerson with Knoxville Insurance Agency and she told me about how her business had been experiencing a dry spell for about the last two months. Which gave her some concern and made her re-evaluate why she was in business.

Well, she found out why today! Just this morning she has written four new policies and the phone has been ringing off the hook.

We all go through those periods of self-doubt and wondering, “is this really the path I’m supposed to be on?” And then we get that re-affirming phone call or sale that confirms that everything is fine. We sometimes have to weather those dry spells until the rain comes and pours out those wonderful blessings on us and our businesses.

So if you are going through the dry spell today…the rain is just behind the next cloud.