These are tough times. You’d be hardpressed to find someone in the channel who disagrees. IT firms of all sizes — from large VARs to small solution providers to individual pros — face a steady stream of new challenges. We hear these stories from all sides, so when I come across articles I think can help, I make a point of sharing them with our community. Here are three that caught my attention recently:

Six Money Mistakes Most Solution Providers Make, from ChannelInsider.com: This is a hot topic for many IT service firms and professionals. There are mountains SMB studies that point to money management as the top reason that small businesses fail (not just their income statment, but their cash flow). Make sure you’re avoiding these six common financial pitfalls so you can survive today and thrive tomorrow.

In Search Of The Holy Grail Of IT Services, from StreetSmartVAR. This piece addresses the desire of all IT companies to transition from ‘vendor’ to becoming a client’s trusted advisor. And before you say, “my clients already view me as a partner”, check out the how-to questions to help you determine where you really stand with your customers, and how you can win their trust and loyalty.

How Successful Entrepreneurs Delegate Their Work, over at TheVARGuy. This piece, written by Mitch York from e2ecoaching.com, highlights a challenge that many entrepreneurs face: when to delegate vs. when to do it yourself, and how to tell the difference between the two. For any entrepreneur who intends to grow, this is a crucial issue. After all, there’s only one of you, and growth requires scale. See how you can strike this balance and prosper.

What other sites or sources can help manage your IT business effectively? Drop me a comment and spread the good word.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 1:17 am and is filed under Media, PR & Events, Stuff We Like. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.