Do you remember the dreaded group projects in college? It seemed as if the professor of every course gave the same lecture about the value of teamwork and how collaboration was crucial in the workplace. We all realized that employers needed to know that we can work well with others, but that was not the real problem.
The actual problem with collaboration in college is that people have different levels of focus and attention. The same is true in the work world.
A person’s communication and participation preferences dictate how they engage in a group.
In those college group projects, I quickly realized that each person had their own style. Some students wanted to get the work completed quickly, efficiently and ahead of schedule. Others found responding to emails a drain on energy. Unfortunately, the annoyance would simply continue until the end of the term.
When it comes to growing a business, these same unresolved emotions can make even brilliant teams horribly ineffective. The solution: cloud based collaboration.
Who says that you have to meet in person to be effective as a team? If one team mate prefers to work in the wee hours of the morning while another hits their genius at 4 p.m., there is no reason that either should be forced to abide by the other’s circadian rhythm.
Empower your team to use cloud based collaborative solutions like the Google Drive Suite.
The passive-aggressive college working group took a turn for the better when we decided to forego the in-person cadence of meetings. Instead, we used Google Drive and assigned portions to each group member to complete at their own pace.
WOW. This was a game changer. People had the liberty to work on what they wanted to work on when they wanted to work on it. That freedom made the team more effective and allowed us to complete the project while drawing on each person’s creativity.
In the earlier semesters of group projects, we would collect everyone’s email to coordinate the best possible “in person” working day. Schedule conflicts and missed meetings made the process cumbersome for everyone.
The same philosophy of allowing people to work when they are at their best directly translates to startup culture.
Here are the advantages of using cloud collaboration solutions for your business:
- Cost – Google is the quintessential power resource in the marketplace. Most google services are highly impactful with no cost. Free was always a keyword for college students and budding entrepreneurs alike. Anyone can access shared documents by just signing up for a google email address.
- Convenience – You can access google drive almost anywhere with an internet connection, desktop, mobile phone or tablet. This becomes a great resource on the go. With the dynamics of life and working schedules shifting, flexibility is required. Google Drive features staples that mimic Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel.
- Collaboration – Great for working on teams. In college, Google Drive helped. Creating folders for file management was simple. Permissions levels could change per file be it editing or view only.
Business professionalism is judged by the image they present and the email address they use.
Great brands do many things well, and having a professional online presence is one of them. Business professionalism is judged by your website and email address. Web hosting is the common denominator for each of these.
A web host is one of the single most critical components to select when starting an online presence for your business. Every business needs a website. It serves as the unique parcel of digital real estate where the business can show value and attract customers. Web hosting is the tool that allows you to have a website on the internet.
Without a self hosting account, you have to rely on a website developer. By getting your own web hosting account, you can avoid the increased cost with outsourcing to a developer. This means as a new startup, or solopreneur you can create and manage your own website and online image.
Boost your credibility with a personalized email address
Email is the dominant medium for communication online. Having web hosting allows you to create professional email addresses on demand for you and your team. You need to be taken seriously and prove you are worthy of the earnings you seek with your product solutions.
Email marketing and automation services such as Mailchimp and Aweber require a professional, branded email address. Email service providers like Gmail view unbranded commercial messages as SPAM in your customer’s inbox. Professional email addresses always allow your messages to reach waiting fans and buyers!
Select your hosting service provider wisely.
Two of the biggest providers in the internet hosting web space are GoDaddy and Endurance International Group (EIG). GoDaddy is not only famous for their hosting services but also the celebrity filled television commercials with professional athletes such as Danica Patrick. Now a publicly traded company, NYSE: (GDDY) GoDaddy is sure to be around for a while. EIG is a holding company that owns many popular hosting providers such as BlueHost, Ipage, HostGator and more.
On the outside, the market for web hosting appears to be filled with plenty of diverse options. In reality the space is consolidated to a few major players.
Skyrocket you success with these two startup hacks
With problems to solve and businesses to build, ambitious founders should keep their online infrastructure simple in the beginning. Google Drive and reliable web hosting are two hacks to move your infrastructure forward tremendously. If you’re looking for file management paired with team collaboration, look no further. Google Drive is the starting point. With managing your brand’s digital appearance web hosting is the first way to secure your foundation. Don’t be owned by your web developer, basic web skills are simple to learn.
