567: Shelley Watson of DBQ Technology - Evolving Careers and Combating Industry Biases

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In this episode of Command Control Power, we welcome back Shelley Watson, a seasoned professional in the tech industry. We delve into a wide range of topics including Shelley's history of presenting and training and her transition from running Wheelwrights to starting a new business venture. The discussion moves into deeper waters as Shelley shares insights on ageism, gender bias in the tech industry, and the importance of building trust with clients. She emphasizes the value of experience, synthesizing information, and how being seasoned professionals can give them an edge. Shelley also touches on the significance of having a constructive influence beyond just technical assistance and the importance of diversity and amplification in the workplace. The conversation is peppered with personal anecdotes, professional advice, and Shelley’s outlook on the future of her career.

We talk a bit about Shelley's journey and her training days.

There is an art in being an extrovert and engaging with audiences

Shelley talks about transitioning from Wheelwrights to DBQ Technology

Navigating the Pandemic: Adapting to remote work and training

She discusses the challenges and strategies of closing a business

Vendor relationships and the intricacies of business closure can be a tough road

We discuss building trust and demonstrating motives in business

Jerry has questions about navigating age and experience in the consulting world

This leads us down a path to gender bias in our field

Shelley talks about the power of amplification

People say things that are indicators as to who they are. Pay attention to those queues

t may be uncomfortable to do so, but it is key to find ways to make someone aware of something they said

You may not feel like your comment will matter, but you could be one of many that triggers change

Progress, improvement, relief is important for people

The Role of Technology Professionals in Social Change

Concluding Thoughts on Ageism and Future Conversations

Shelley was hoping to get into her favorite conversation like the Hold Harmless clause, which means we will have to have her back on again!

Check out http://commandcontrolpower.com/dbqtech for Command Control Power merchandise

560: Interview with Justin Esgar of ACES Conference - May 15th - 16th 2024

Thank you to our VIP sponsors!

▶️ New: watch on YouTube!

Topics:

-Today we welcome Justin Esgar of Virtual Computers and The ACES Conference.

-Justin gives us his full review of Vision Pro.

-Joe gets practical about flying with a Vision Pro.

-Justin recommends a book called MSP Secrets Revealed (he happens to be in it as well).

-He does not recommend crying while wearing a Vision Pro.

-Our show now uses Streamyard, which Justin highly recommends.

-ACES Conference is back live!

-This is not a technical conference. Rather, it’s more about improving the ways we run and profit from our MSP practices.

-Justin tells us about many of the great names that will be in attendance, as well as Apple and other sponsors.

-Super Ops is giving away an Apple Vision Pro at ACES Conference!

-There will be great swag given away and, as Joe mentions, the hallway sessions.

-This is the 10th ACES Conference!

-Justin tells us why he started, and continues to run this conference.

-All sponsors have some requirements from Justin - no roadmaps.

-Make yourself accountable when you are there. Make the best use of your time.

-We talk about the ACES Mastermind Program. They group meets regularly to help each other accelerate growth of their businesses.

-Use the code commandcontrolpower for 10% off the ACES Conference!

-They are also offering a travel stipend. If your cost of travel is $650 or more ACES will help make it more accessible to be there.

-If the content doesn’t draw you in, come for the skiing!

-Both Joe and Adam Rice have their anniversaries during ACES.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

555: A Desperate Cry For Help

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Topics:

-Has Sam really not backed up in an extraordinary amount of time?

-This sparks a discussion about backup policies in general.

-We talk about the 3-2-1 backup strategy and how relevant it still is.

-Joe shares a client story about how a calendar syncing app removed calendar history.

-If you’re a consultant, finding a backup service with affiliate options can be beneficial financially.

-We are constantly fighting the good fight about keeping macOS and hardware up to date.

-Joe charges a fee for working with unsupported Mac computers.

-There is a difference of what we will support, depending on residential vs business clients.

-How reliable is Time Machine?

-We share some details from our rates and plans survey. Join us on Patreon to hear more.

544: Interview With Adam Burg - Owner Of CALSO Technologies LLC

Topics:

-This week we welcome Adam Burg, founder of CALSO Technologies and Command Control Power Patreon sponsor.

-Adam shares the story of his consulting career.

-CALSO is an acronym for the members of his family.

-Partnering with key vendors made it simpler to manage his clients.

-They manage clients as small as 2 up to 50 users.

-MDM, email backup & archiving are key components to his MSP stack.

-The MacAdmins Slack is a major source of help. Adam can be found as MacDadmin.

-Adam hosts the Los Angeles Mac Admins Meetup.

-Adam’s kids love the Command Control Power theme songs.

-“There’s no substitute for being there”. -Joe Saponare

-Adam talks about his team, including his wife, who is a co-owner, and a contractor/employee that he relies on heavily.

-Taking a job can sometimes mean you need to rely on others that have the expertise to get the job done.

-Adam talks about traveling with the family on work trips, and finding time to get away on hikes.

528: Interview With Shawn Lemon Founder at The Digital Organizer

Topics:

-This week we welcome Shawn Lemon, founder & CEO of The Digital Organizer.

-Shawn was a Creative at the Apple Store for several years.

-A dinner guest challenges Shawn to start his new career.

-After a great start, he found himself in break/fix land for a while.

-Shawn talks about the days of hard drive upgrades and rolling that into digital organization.

-He stopped break/fix cold one day.

-Migrating to Google Workspace and organizing data is the main focus of his current business model.

-He talks about creating partnerships with other businesses.

-Shawn has one full time employee and leverages contractors.

-After giving up MSP work, he’s working on creating a recurring model for digital organization projects.

-Joe talks about keeping someone at hourly until mutually vetting each other.

-Certain people are disorganized for a reason, and that can lead to a level of pushback.

-Mindfulness training is another aspect of the job.

-Shawn created a digital organization guide for Command Control Power listeners, available here.

523: Chrome Shaming

Topics:

-Jerry is annoyed with voice dictation, considering where we are with AI.

-Sam wonders why Siri can’t send a message to a group without unlocking his iPhone.

-Is privacy the cause of Siri seeming to go backwards in functionality?

-Sam discovers an issue with the private MAC address feature of iPadOS and connecting to a captive portal network.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227

-Some confusion ensues when discussing the privacy network features.

-Joe wants to mention a few apps from the Apple Design Awards.

-Jerry and Joe go back and forth about wearing an Apple Watch to bed.

-Sam loves the Arc Browser but Jerry shoots down one of the big perks that Sam loves.

-One of Joe’s clients lost important 365 calendar data. He was able to find the ics files on the computer and used ICS Merger to restore the missing data.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!