Edge Build, Run, and Sell Your Apple Consulting Practice

Business and Marketing for iOS and Mac Start Ups
1. ed
ISBN: 978-1-4842-3835-6
Verlag: Apress
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 455 Seiten

Starting an app development company is one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do. Or it sends you into bankruptcy and despair. If only there was a guide out there, to help you along the way. This book is your guide to starting, running, expanding, buying, and selling a development consulting firm. But not just any consulting firm, one with a focus on Apple. 
Apple has been gaining adoption in businesses ranging from traditional 5 person start ups to some of the largest companies in the world. Author Charles Edge has been there since the days that the Mac was a dying breed in business, then saw the advent of the iPhone and iPad, and has consulted for environments ranging from the home user to the largest Apple deployments in the world. Now there are well over 10,000 shops out there consulting on Apple in business and more appearing every day.Build, Run, and Sell Your Apple Consulting Practice takes you through the journey, from just an idea to start a company all the way through mergers and finally into selling your successful and growing Apple development business.What You'll LearnCreate and deploy grassroots as well as more traditional marketing plans
Engage in the community of developers and companies that will hire you and vice versa
Effecively buy and sell your time and talents to grow your business while remaining agile
Who This Book Is For
Business owners looking to grow and diversify their companies as well as developers, engineers, and designers working on Apple apps who would like to branch out into starting their own consulting business.


Charles Edge has worked in consulting most of his adult life. He has worked with large, multi-national consulting firms, started consulting firms, worked to sell firms, and helped to develop offerings and business in both large and small firms. He's worked hourly, on retainers, and even converted customers from an hourly consulting firm to managed services. Along the way, he's earned a lot. He has been working with Apple products since he was a child. Professionally, Charles started with the Mac OS and Apple server offerings in 1999 after years working with various flavors of Unix. Charles began his consulting career working with Support Technologies and Andersen Consulting. In 2000, he found a new home at 318, Inc., a consulting firm in Santa Monica, California which is now the largest Mac consultancy in the country. At 318, Charles leads a team of over 40 engineers and has worked with network architecture, security and storage for various vertical and horizontal markets. Charles has spoken at a variety of conferences including DefCon, BlackHat, LinuxWorld, MacWorld and the WorldWide Developers Conference. Charles' first book, Mac Tiger Server Little Black Book, can be purchased through Paraglyph Press. Charles recently hung up his surfboard and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, Lisa. Charles can be contacted at [e-mail]. 

Autoren/Hrsg.

Edge, Charles

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Table of Contents;4
2;About the Author;15
3;Acknowledgments;16
4;Introduction;17
5;First, Let Me Talk YouOut of This…;22
6;Chapter 0: The Joy of Being a Sole Proprietor;24
7;Chapter 1: Build the Offer;29
7.1;Before You Get Started: Take Care of Yourself;30
7.2;Research What Should Be in an Offer;32
7.3;Pricing;35
7.4;Building the Offer;39
7.4.1;The Hourly Offer;39
7.4.2;The Retainer Offer;41
7.4.3;The Managed Services Offer;42
7.4.4;The Fixed-Fee Offer;44
7.5;Build the Contract;46
7.5.1;Service Level Agreements;49
7.5.1.1;Server Uptime;50
7.5.1.2;Time to Resolution and Average Response Times;51
7.5.1.3;Net Promoter Scores;52
7.5.1.4;Remedies;53
7.6;Does This Pass the Sniff Test?!?!;54
7.7;Funding Your New Adventure;55
7.7.1;Growth Requires Capital;56
7.8;Conclusion;57
7.9;Further Reading;57
8;Chapter 2: Beyond Services;59
8.1;Reseller Accounts;60
8.2;Selling Mobility;62
8.3;Should You Sell Cloud Services?;65
8.4;If You Do Sell Cloud;69
8.5;Evaluating the Security of Cloud-Based Solutions;71
8.6;Referrals vs. Selling;75
8.7;Providing Hardware and Software;75
8.8;Providing Infrastructure Services;77
8.9;Further Reading;80
9;Chapter 3: Hiring and Human Resources;81
9.1;Decisions, Decisions;81
9.2;Before You Hire;84
9.3;Where to Post Your Jobs;85
9.4;Writing Job Postings;87
9.5;Reviewing Resumes;88
9.6;Interviewing;90
9.6.1;Phone Screening;91
9.6.2;In-Person Interviewing;92
9.7;Making The Offer;94
9.8;Onboarding New Employees;95
9.9;Wikis for Onboarding;98
9.10;One-on-Ones;102
9.11;Training;103
9.11.1;Individualized Learning Plans;104
9.11.2;Layering Training Assets;106
9.11.3;Conferences;109
9.11.4;Meetups;113
9.11.5;Sites For MacAdmins;114
9.11.6;People to Follow;115
9.11.7;Inspiring Employees to Learn;118
9.11.8;Learning to Lead;121
9.11.9;Soft Skills;124
9.12;Signs It’s Going to Get Hard to Retain Someone;134
9.13;Diversity;137
9.14;Outsourcing HR;141
9.15;Conclusion;143
9.16;Further Reading;143
10;Chapter 4: Accounting 101;146
10.1;The Concepts;146
10.2;Buying Accounting Software;151
10.3;Accepting Payments;152
10.4;Accrual-Based Accounting;153
10.5;Hiring an Accountant;153
10.6;Doing Taxes;155
10.7;Insurance;156
10.8;Cash Flow;157
10.9;Conclusion;158
10.10;Further Reading;159
11;Chapter 5: Buy Software to Automate the Business;161
11.1;Choose Your Tools;162
11.1.1;Device Management;162
11.2;PSA, MSA, RMM, and BDR (Oh My!);164
11.2.1;BDR Software;165
11.3;Some RMM, PSA, and MSA Solutions to Consider;166
11.4;The App-Based Economy;170
11.5;Automation Services;172
11.5.1;What to Expect When Building Software;173
11.6;The Customer Scorecard;175
11.7;The Balanced Scorecard;176
11.7.1;Financial;176
11.7.2;Customer;178
11.7.3;Internal Processes;179
11.7.4;Learning & Growth;181
11.8;Testing;183
11.9;Techie Bits;184
11.9.1;Antivirus;188
11.9.2;Automation Tools;189
11.9.3;Backup;190
11.9.4;Collaboration Suites and File Sharing;191
11.9.5;CRM;192
11.9.6;DEP Splash Screens and Help Menus;192
11.9.7;Development Tools, IDEs, and Text Manipulators;193
11.9.8;Digital Signage and Kiosks;195
11.9.9;Directory Services and Authentication Tools;196
11.9.10;Identity Management;196
11.9.11;Imaging and Configuration Tools;197
11.9.12;Log Collection and Analysis;198
11.9.13;Management Suites;198
11.9.14;Misc;200
11.9.15;Point of Sale;201
11.9.16;Print Servers;201
11.9.17;Remote Management;202
11.9.18;Security Tools;202
11.9.19;Service Desk Tools;203
11.9.20;Software Packaging and Package Management;204
11.9.21;Storage;205
11.9.22;Troubleshooting, Repair, and Service Tools;205
11.9.23;Virtualization and Emulation;208
11.9.24;Honorable Mention;208
11.10;Conclusion;209
11.11;Further Reading;209
12;Chapter 6: Make Friends: Develop Partnerships;212
12.1;Engaging Customers for Referral Business;213
12.2;Finding the Right Partner;214
12.2.1;Structuring a Partnership;215
12.3;Quid Pro Quo;216
12.4;Subcontracting vs. Partnering;217
12.4.1;Dealing with Problems with Partners;219
12.5;Conclusion;220
12.6;Further Reading;221
13;Chapter 7: Engage in Free and Guerrilla Marketing;223
13.1;Examples of Guerrilla Marketing;224
13.2;Search Engine Optimization;230
13.3;E-mail Automation;235
13.4;What to Do and What Not to Do;238
13.5;The Cadence;241
13.6;Social Media;242
13.7;Conferences;245
13.8;Conclusion;248
13.9;Further Reading;250
14;Chapter 8: Using Public Relations;252
14.1;Getting Started With PR;252
14.1.1;Gather All Your Social Properties;253
14.1.2;Publish a Media Kit;253
14.1.3;Gather Local Media Contacts;254
14.1.4;Gather Industry-Specific Media Contacts;254
14.1.5;PR Template;254
14.2;Decide What Kind of PR Works Best for You;255
14.3;Local PR;256
14.4;Haro;257
14.5;Press Releases;259
14.5.1;Press Release Tips;260
14.5.2;The Anatomy of a Press Release;261
14.5.2.1;The Headline;262
14.5.2.2;The Header;262
14.5.2.3;The Dateline and Lead;263
14.5.2.4;The Body;263
14.5.2.5;General Information;264
14.6;Seasonal PR and Marketing;265
14.7;Hiring a PR Firm;268
14.7.1;Understand How They Work;269
14.7.2;If It Isn’t Working, Switch Firms;271
14.8;Things to Stay Away From;271
14.9;Conclusion;273
14.10;Further Reading;273
15;Chapter 9: Advertising;275
15.1;The Three Phases;275
15.2;Buy Advertising;277
15.3;Blogs;279
15.4;Buy Advertising on Podcasts;281
15.5;Search Engine Advertising;282
15.6;Online Advertising;284
15.7;Radio Advertising;286
15.8;Print Advertising;287
15.9;Coupons, Sales, and Specials;287
15.10;The Wrong Calls;288
15.11;Marketing Development Funds;289
15.12;Conclusion;289
15.13;Further Reading;290
16;Chapter 10: The Art of Selling;292
16.1;Choosing a Sales Methodology;293
16.1.1;Why Sales Methodologies;293
16.1.2;Choosing a Methodology;294
16.1.2.1;Target Account Selling;295
16.1.2.2;SPIN Selling;295
16.1.2.3;SNAP Selling;296
16.1.2.4;The Challenger Sale;297
16.1.2.5;Value Selling Framework;298
16.1.2.6;Solution Selling;298
16.1.2.7;Conceptual Selling;298
16.1.2.8;The Sandler Selling System;299
16.1.2.9;MEDDIC;300
16.1.2.10;CustomerCentric Selling;301
16.1.3;Making the Methodology Selection;302
16.2;Implementing Your Methodology;303
16.3;Working with Big Companies;304
16.4;Conclusion;307
16.5;Further Reading;307
17;Chapter 11: Diversifying Your Portfolio;310
17.1;What Is a Good Addition?;310
17.2;Be Wary When Moving Forward with Initiatives;312
17.2.1;What You Should Do Before Proceeding;313
17.2.2;Are You Overvaluing Your Time?;315
17.3;Implementing a New Offering;315
17.3.1;Review the Offer;316
17.3.2;Compare the Offer to the Market;316
17.3.3;Make a Project Plan;316
17.3.4;Make a Sales Plan;320
17.3.5;Fail Fast;322
17.4;Dealing with Failure;322
17.4.1;Why Customer Initiatives Fail;323
17.4.2;Why Our Technology Initiatives Fail;323
17.5;Dealing with Success;326
17.6;Conclusion;329
17.7;Further Reading;329
18;Chapter 12: When to Stop Growing;331
18.1;Communicating with Employees;332
18.2;Leading (And Retaining) Teams After the Growth Subsides;332
18.3;Letting People Go;335
18.4;Managing Finances When You Stop Growing;336
18.5;Conclusion;338
18.6;Further Reading;338
19;Chapter 13: Sell the Company;340
19.1;Who Is Going to Buy the Company?;341
19.2;Valuations;343
19.3;Multipliers;345
19.4;Non-Compete Agreements and Covenants;346
19.5;Are You Going to Stay with the Company?;347
19.6;Wielding Political Capital;347
19.7;Conclusion;349
19.8;Further Reading;350
20;Chapter 14: The Part-Time Owner;351
20.1;A Part-Time Job;351
20.2;Set an Expectation;353
20.3;Put Someone in Charge;354
20.3.1;Find Someone to Run the Company;354
20.3.2;Letting Go;356
20.3.3;When Things Aren’t Going to Plan;357
20.3.4;Don’t Complain;357
20.3.4.1;The 5 Whys;359
20.3.4.2;SWOT Analysis;361
20.4;Conclusion;362
20.5;Further Reading;363
21;Chapter 15: Buying Companies;364
21.1;Make a List;364
21.2;What Are You Actually Trying to Buy (or Roll Up)?;365
21.3;Approaching Acquisition Targets;368
21.4;The Finer Points of Acquisitions;369
21.5;Company Culture;370
21.6;Merging Operations;371
21.7;The Numbers;372
21.8;Rather than Acquire;374
21.9;Are Assets Transferrable?;375
21.10;Don’t Make a Bad Deal Just Because You Can’t Let Go;376
21.11;Merge the Companies;376
21.12;Conclusion;377
21.13;Further Reading;378
22;Chapter 16: Running a Consulting Practice Inside a Larger Company;380
22.1;What Does the Company Want You Doing?;381
22.1.1;Getting the Right Mix;381
22.2;Building Service Packages;383
22.2.1;Change Control;384
22.2.2;Operationalize Services;385
22.3;Marketing;387
22.4;Sales, Sales, Sales;388
22.5;Staffing;390
22.6;Professional Services as a Service: Subcontracting;391
22.7;Conclusion;394
22.8;Further Reading;395
23;Appendix A: Getting into a Rhythm;396
23.1;Close Accounts You No Longer Need;396
23.2;Remove Duplicate Services;397
23.3;Delete Apps You Don’t Use;397
23.4;Organize Your Files;398
23.5;Remove Old Fonts;398
23.6;Clean Up Your Mail;398
23.7;Connect Your Apps;399
23.8;Remove Old Device Drivers and Devices;399
23.9;Rotate Passwords;399
23.10;Review Your Device Security;400
23.11;Update Your Device Inventory;400
23.12;Review the Fees for Every Contract;401
23.13;Make More Money;401
24;Appendix B: Common Apple Terms;402
25;Appendix C: Sample Managed Services Agreement;408
25.1;Standard Services Agreement;408
26;Appendix D: Using Trendlines In Microsoft Excel;419
27;Appendix E: Common Job Titles;425
28;Appendix F: Device Scorecard;430
28.1;Access to the Organization’s Network;430
28.2;Access to Organizational Resources;431
28.3;Cradle-to-Grave Device Management;431
28.4;Directory Services;431
28.5;Endpoint Protection;432
28.6;World Class Support;432
29;Appendix G: Additional Reading;433
30;Index;437