Writing
Plain advice for people running real businesses.
I’m Danielle Lemons, Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect. I write about what twenty-plus years in operations, technology and client work have taught me: keeping projects on track, choosing phone systems and IT support, and building websites that actually bring in calls.
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- Operations
Forty Projects at Once: What I Learned About Keeping Client Work From Slipping
At one point I was managing as many as 40 active client projects at once. Here are the habits that kept the work from slipping.
- Business phones
Before You Switch Business Phone Systems, Ask These Six Questions
Thinking about switching business phone systems? Ask these six questions before you sign anything.
- Operations
What Forecasting $1 Billion Taught Me About Running a Small Business
Nine years forecasting $1 billion a year in revenue at Avnet taught me habits that work just as well in a small business.
- Operations
Why Every Small Business Needs a Written Process, Even a Short One
A process that lives only in someone’s head isn’t a process. It’s a risk. Here’s how to start writing one down.
- Websites
Three Things I Check First When a Local Business Website Isn’t Bringing in Calls
When a local business website isn’t bringing in calls, I don’t start with the design. I start with three free checks.
- Managed IT
What “Managed IT Services” Actually Means for a Small Business
“Managed services” sounds expensive and vague. Here’s what it actually means, and what to ask before you sign.
- Technology
What Tennessee Small Businesses Should Expect From a Technology Partner
Phones that ring, internet that stays up, a website that brings in customers. What every Tennessee small business should expect.
- Websites
Your Small Business Website Doesn’t Need to Look Like a Fortune 500 Brand’s
Your website doesn’t need Fortune 500 polish before it can earn you business. It needs to do three things well.
- Business phones
A Dropped Call Is a Missed Job: The Real Cost of Unreliable Tech in a Service Business
A dropped call is a missed job. The real cost of unreliable technology in a service business, and how to stop the leaks.
- Career
Why I Chose a Company Whose Values Match My Own
I’m a woman in tech and a woman of faith. Why I joined a company whose values match my own.
- Websites
Why I Build Your Website Before You Ask Me a Single Question About Price
Most web designers start by asking your budget. I start by building your finished website, and you decide once it’s real.
- Marketing
Why Middle Tennessee Small Businesses Can’t Market Like a National Brand — and Shouldn’t Try
Small businesses grow fastest when they stop copying national brands and become the most useful, most findable option in their own zip code.