It's that time of year: We're all obsessed with . . .

Okay, that wraps up a hundred jobs and details. You do need the family time; you do need the work-life balance. But you also need to finish all the things that need attention this year. It's a time for great FOCUS.

I'm going to keep this newsletter focused on the five things we're doing in the next five weeks . . .

Thank you for your support. Please share this newsletter!

Our last two webinars are now posted. Both address the challenges of finding and keeping employees in the current environment - and for the next five years!

Finding and Keeping Great Employees in 2023 - is posted now at MSPWebinar.com. It's open to everyone for free, including the handouts. Please check it out. And if you don't have time now, bookmark it for the new year.

SOPs for Defining Jobs, Finding Candidates, Interviewing and Hiring - is posted inside the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. It is available to members only. In addition to being posted as a stand-alone presentation, it is the final component of the Employee Hiring and Onboarding Roadmap.

Every year, I try to post more free content open to everyone. And, of course, we add more content inside the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community. Both are guaranteed to have truly useful information that will help you improve your business.

I promise we will never waste your time. Our promise is simple:

Last week I mentioned that we're leaving QuickBooks and moving to Xero for our financial package. Several people have told me over the last year that they moved to Xero and are happy for it. Others were surprised and asked me to give updates here.

Reminder: Our plan is to make the big switch on January 1st so that all of 2022 is in QuickBooks and all of 2023 will be in Xero.

Exporting the chart of accounts from QBO was easy. We also ran a complete P&L for the last two years, so we could easily highlight accounts that haven't been used in a while. If we need them again, we can create them again. Basically, it allowed us to import a clean chart of accounts.

We have never used account numbers since we didn't set them up long, long ago. Xero automatically created account number for our chart of accounts and I adjusted the number so it's easy to align Cost of Good Sold with the corresponding goods (and services) sold.

We hooked up Stripe, PayPal, and the Chase bank account. We are not synching with any of these now, but it's very easy to click a button and begin that synch.

We went through a nearly identical process for the list of products and services. So now we begin the year with a nice, clean list.

Update: I am pretty sure I will swear less in 2023.

-- -- --

You can find out more about Xero at https://www.xero.com.

This article is not an endorsement or a paid placement. I am not claiming that Xero is right for your business (I can't promise it's right for mine). I'm just letting you know what I'm up to.

Comments and feedback welcome.

We hold an online conference about every three years.

This year's theme is based on my personal motto: Nothing Happens by Itself.

And I know I'm bragging, but I think our content and format is among the best in the SMB IT community. We'll have a landing page after the first of the year. But for now, bookmark May 17-18.

We're holding a two-day event with some speakers you know and love - and some great speakers from outside the IT industry. I promise you, it will be a great investment in your business!

My 14th Annual State of the Nation Address for SMB IT is scheduled for January 11th!

Please share the registration link with your friends on social media! https://bit.ly/son2023

I'll give a quick report on 2022 and some predictions for 2023. Then I'll introduce my company theme for the year - and how it fits in with helping YOU to be more successful in the year ahead.

I'll give you a hint: I think 2023 will be a great year for IT consultants. And I'll tell you why. Sign up now and join me January 11th.

:-)

The SMB Community Podcast was created in 2012. It's extremely successful. In fact, it's one of the most popular podcasts in the IT community!

But it's time for a change. We're having a total reboot of the SMB Community Podcast, starting January 5th.

We're introducing a new host AND a new format.

After researching all the podcasts focused on the SMB channel, we realized that too many podcasts have sprung up copying our format. Or maybe they weren't copying us. After ten years, maybe it's just a great format.

Anyway, you can't fill a void where there's no void!

So we've come up with a totally new and different format. You can always catch our podcast every Thursday. The new format drops January 5th.

Check it out at https://www.smbcommunitypodcast.com. Subscribe now on your favorite pod-catcher so you don't miss the big re-launch.

Taught By: Karl W. Palachuk

Newly Revised Course

- Five Tuesdays: January 10 - February 7, 2023

When I take on new coaching clients, they have many of the same issues over and over again. This is true of clients with $10 Million in revenue as well as those under $1 Million. And almost all of them boil down to SOPs – Standard Operating Procedures. Or the lack thereof.

Everyone knows you need SOPs. In fact, you probably know which ones you need. But where do you start?

You will learn:

... And More!

Avoiding the biggest pitfalls with SOP development and deployment

Building an Action Plan that works

Delivered by Karl W. Palachuk, blogger and author of the very popular “SOP Friday” posts at http://sopfriday.com.

Includes five weeks of webinar classes with related handouts, assignments, and “office hours” with the instructor.

This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager or Operations Manager.

Meets Certification Requirements for:

This class will be recorded. Each unit is generally posted within 24 hours of the live class. These recorded units will become the On-Demand class and you’ll have lifetime access to it.

Unit 1 Introduction and Organization of SOPs

Unit 2 Managing Time and Money

Unit 3 Service Delivery and the Service Board

Unit 4 Practical Operating Considerations

Unit 5 Putting It All Together

SMB Community Podcast - New episodes drop every Thursday

The Killing IT Podcast - New episodes drop every Tuesday

Our YouTube IT Consulting channel now has more than 615,000 views!

Subscribe today and don't miss a thing!

You can always check out my YouTube Channel and subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/smallbizthoughts

OR my Relax-Focus-Succeed Channel at https://www.youtube.com/relaxfocussucceed

Yvette is a longtime friend and collaborator of mine. We worked together on the CompTIA Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity executive council.

Now she's the author of a new book entitled the Impactful Inclusion Toolkit. This book is available to "pre-order" now, but it ships later this week! So I've already ordered my copy.

Also note, in case you want a little introduction to Yvette, that she is my guest on the SMB Community Podcast Thursday the 22nd. You can catch up with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvetteportersteele/.

She'll join us on the SBT Roundtable Thursday, January 5th to kick off our year.

The link is always in your dashboard. Log in, click your name, and plan to join us live on Zoom.

The December 22 and 29 meetings will use the same old 2022 link. But please check your dashboard - There's a new link for the weekly meetings and Roundtable starting with the January 5th meeting!!!

:-)

I know: "Stuff" happens.

But my heart goes out to the IT team at Big Lots who had a very bad weekend.

I have no idea what the problem was, but I know this:

This calendar lists two kinds of things: LIVE in-person events from any organization that focuses on the SMB consulting community; and MY events, whether live, webinar, etc.

Of course: Everything here is subject to change based on Covid. Click the links for the latest details. Please send updates so we can post them.

Register Now: Webinar Registration - Zoom

Jan. 30-Feb 1, 2023

Tel Aviv, Israel

More info: https://www.cybertechisrael.com/

:-)

Feb. 1-2

Dallas (Southwest)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-dallas

Feb. 1-3, 2023

ChampnionsGate, FL

More info: https://zerotrustworld.threatlocker.com/

Feb 6-10, 2023

Amsterdam

More info: https://www.ciscolive.com/emea.html

Feb. 9-10, 2023

Southern California

More info: https://www.smbtechfest.com/index.asp

Feb 14-17, 2022

Fort Lauderdale, FL

More Info: https://www.mspexpo.com/east/

Feb 15-16, 2023

Phoeniz, AZ

More info: https://www.channelnext.ca/event/iotssa-cybersecurity-conference-and-expo/

February 22 & 23

Newport Beach, CA

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

Feb 27-March 2, 2023

Barcelona, Spain

More info: https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/

March 5-7, 2023

Orlando, FL

More info: https://event.thechannelco.com/xchange-march

Mar. 8-9

Dulles, VA (Mid-Atlantic)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-washington-dcdulles

March 8-9, 2023

London, UK

More info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/emea/cio-uk

March 14-15, 2023

Londong, UK

More info: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/emea/cio-uk

March 20-22, 2023

London, England

More info: https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation

March 21-23, 2023

Europa-Park, Germany

More info: https://www.cloudfest.com/

March 22 & 23

Atlanta, GA

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

March 30-31

Orlando, FL

More Info: https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event

April 4-5, 2023

Rome, Italy

More info: https://italy.cyberseries.io/

April 11-14, 2023

Nashville, TN

More Info: https://robinsbigseminar.com/

April 17-21

Chicago, IL

More info: https://www.himss.org/global-conference

April 19 & 20

Dallas, TX

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

April 20, 2023

Bristol, UK

More info: https://www.cybersecurityexpo.co.uk/bristol

April 24-27, 2023

Las Vegas, NV

More info: https://www.connectit.com/global/

Apr. 24-27, 2023

San Francisco, CA

More Info: https://www.rsaconference.com/usa

Apr 27-28, 2023

New York City, NY

More info: https://techsponyc.com/

May 9-10

Chicago (Midwest)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-chicago

May 24 & 25

Newark, NJ

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

:-)

June 4-8, 2023

Las Vegas, NV

More Info: https://www.ciscolive.com/global.html

June 5-7, 2023

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

Orlando, FL

More Info: https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/secure/cybersecurity-conference

June 7-8

San Jose, CA (West Coast)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-san-jose

June 20-22, 2023

London, England

More Info: https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/

June 21 & 22

Tampa, FL

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

June 29-30

Denver, CO

More Info: https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event

Aug. 9-10

Newark, NJ (Northeast)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-newark 

July 12 & 13

Columbus, OH

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

July 13, 2023

Manchester, UK

More info: https://www.cybersecurityexpo.co.uk/manchester

:-)

August 30 & 31

Toronto, Canada

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

:-)

Sept. 6-7

Boston (New England)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-boston

September 20 & 21

Chicago, IL

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

Sept 28-29

Omaha, NE

More Info: https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event

Oct. 10-11

Atlanta (Southeast)

More Info: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2023-atlanta

Oct. 16-18

Miami, FL

More Info: https://promo.acronis.com/summit-2023-pre-register.html

October 18 & 19

Washington, D.C.

More Info: https://events.ascii.com/

Oct. 2-4, 2023

Miami, FL

More Info: https://www.dattocon.com/

:-)

Dec 7-8

Phoenix, AZ

More Info: https://kernanconsulting-mastermind.mykajabi.com/mastermind-event

:-)

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