Being Held Hostage?

It was late April in a Starbucks as the spring snow fell outside. It had taken us a few tries to finally meet, and I remember the tires splashing through the slush as the blast of cool air rushed into the warm coffee shop. There was pleading in Terry's eyes.

Terry was being held hostage. He didn't know how to escape. He was looking for help. He had heard about me from a mutual friend, and had been trying to meet with me for a while. He was hoping I could help.

You see, Terry's IT guy, deciding that he knew better than the company who had hired him to set up their systems, was the only one with the passwords to systems. Worse than that, he was refusing to turn them over. As we sat and talked, I could tell that Terry needed some hope and needed to know that there was a way out...

...and he wanted to regain control of his business technology. That's why he came to me. And that's why I'm the Geek Whisperer™.

Enough is enough!

I am sure I won't make too many friends in the technology industry with this letter, but I really don't care. I am frustrated and fed up, just like you. Making any decision about the purchase and implementation of technology solutions has become the equivalent of a new reality show version of Revenge of the Nerds.

Ever had the experience of calling a technical support hot line and speaking to someone who introduced themselves as John, but after just a few a moments of conversation you're pretty sure their name is really Venkat Raman? Did you wind up feeling stupid on a call like that? Did you feel insulted by their attitude?

I know I have. And I have more knowledge and experience than any of the people answering the phone! It's just not right. And it ends here. Let me explain...

My name is Stephen Hultquist. I am an expert in the practice of practical technology. I began using the Internet all the way back in 1983 -- before Al Gore "invented" it -- and long before most normal people had any idea that there was or would be a world wide web. Since starting my career with IBM in the early 80s, I have gained 25 years of practical technology expertise. I write for InfoWorld, a leading technology industry magazine, I am called upon to test new technology and consult with technology vendors, and I am a sought after consultant on business/technology issues to enterprises around the world.

On the other hand, I'm also a pretty normal, busy guy, just like you. I'm a husband and father. I own and run my own consulting business. I'm an author and professional ski instructor. I speak professionally and teach. I coach and mentor. I golf and bike and spend time with my kids in their sports and art endeavors.

There's no better way to learn than to teach!

Throughout my career I have found that there is no better way to learn than to teach. In my consulting practice I spend a fair amount time teaching--training--and most importantly listening to business owners. I see and hear just how frustrated they become when faced with having to make a technology related decision, especially when they feel at the mercy of their technical staff. Whether that staff is in-house or outsourced.

The GEEKS are the new High Priests!

The "Geeks" have become the new priestly elite. They constructed a whole new language all their own, built from arcane acronyms. It sounds like English but... and they are the only ones who understand and can effectively communicate with each other around this jargon. Do you feel like you're being forced to become a PHP, XML, or some other kind of technical expert just so you can have a conversation with these guys? And in reality do you even want to know what a Wiki is...

Technology advances faster than anyone ever imagined it would. Just trying to keep up with what is happening is a full time job. The divinity schools of this new "priestly caste" are filled with a progressively more difficult group of people to deal with. It often seems that these kind of techies actually work at making it hard to understand what they are talking about.

I am fed up with the arrogance of this new priestly caste, the technology elite.

...and they are an embarassment to those true, brilliant technology people who understand that technology serves the needs of people and organizations. I am blessed to know and have worked with many amazing technologists over my career. They aren't available to most people, though, since they are creating competitive advantages for big corporations, inventing incredible technology, or else they are retired and diving in Chuuk and skiing the Alps.

It's time to stop the insanity and restore your business!

This starts when you understand that technology is not magic, rather it is nothing but a set of tools that must make your business more profitable. In his book The Goal, Eli Goldratt, makes what I believe may be the single best and simplest definition of the goal of any business; that is, "to make money both now and in the future."

If any business decision that you are currently facing (whether a technology issue or even a hiring decision it doesn't matter) does not move you toward that simple goal, you will not stay in business for long!

Welcome to Geek-Free Tech, a practical, clear, and most importantly, profitable approach to technology -- for today and tomorrow.

Of course, I am not saying every technology expert is trying to hide the keys to the kingdom, and I'm sure the majority are really trying to do a good job. But haven't you found that it's really hard to find one who isn't so in love with the technology they use, that they completely miss the fact that these technological solutions are, very simply put, a set of very expensive tools. Tools whose only purpose should be to help your business grow and grow profitably.

The few technical "gurus" who get it are in very high demand, are very busy, and are very expensive to even talk to. BUT NOW, there's good news...

LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO TURN TECHNOLOGY INTO COMPETITIVE WEAPON!

A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS IS FINALLY HERE!

You will no longer need to hire a translator just to communicate with your technical staff. Nor will you you or your business be placed at risk by someone who is in love with a specific technology or technological solution. Instead you will have one of the top business/technology professionals in the country, totally committed to the growth and profitably of your business. Answering questions about the best business solutions available, which "solutions" to stay away from, and how to make sure that the technology decisions you make today, you won't regret next year!

Every Month Geek-Free Techn will provide you with the practical help and pragmatic insights into the most effective use of technology in your business -- and home -- all aimed at making a positive difference to your bottom line, and giving you that most elusive thing of all "PEACE OF MIND".

When you join Geek-Free Tech:

• You will stay abreast of the latest technology solutions for businesses via our monthly e-zine. Reading this one publication will replace the dozens of magazine articles you would normally have to comb through to find that one article or worse that one paragraph that applies to your business.
• You will receive not only solution recommendations by business function, like the best CRM (Customer Relations Management solution) for a small business but also, and probably more importantly warnings about which seemingly inexpensive solutions you will live to regret buying later.
• You will have access to a monthly teleseminar covering topics as wide ranging as the best wireless back-up systems for home offices, to, why some people still get SPAM.
• You will be able to ask for technological advice twice a month via email the best of these questions will be answered on the teleseminar or included in the monthly e-zine.
• You will save money by knowing which technology solutions are actually worth the investment.
• You will save time by having a true business/technology professional available to you so that you do not have to become an expert simply to talk to your own IT department.
• You will be able to eliminate the need to hire a CIO (Chief Information Officer) because Stephen Hultquist is providing that business function for you at a fraction of the cost.

In short, you will turn technology from being a problem and a sunk cost -- into an asset and even more importantly a COMPETITIVE WEAPON.

These are my solid promises and proven benefits for membership in the Geek-Free Tech program, but they are not for everyone. I work with a lot of "Info-junkies". People who love to get loads of information but never apply it in real life. They say they are interested in growing their business, in moving forward, in achieving what Dan Kennedy calls The Phenomenon. But next year they are still facing the same problems they faced this year.

If you are sick and tired of listening to all the hype and promises that technology seems never to quite able to deliver--if you are ready to find out which tools you really need in your tool box to help your business grow--if you would really like to have a widely respected business/technology expert in your corner then you are ready to take the next step...

Sign up for my 5 part email training course showing you how to evaluate a potential solution, discover the hidden costs, actually make a realistic payback calculation and recognize when this solution will probably be ready to be replaced.

To YOUR business -- and technology -- success,

Stephen Hultquist

P.S. Technology is constantly moving forward. The technology elite geeks try to keep you in the dark. Strike back with insights you can trust! Click the button to join today: