Sometimes you just have to fire a business associate!

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Linkworth used to be a fairly reliable advertising partner on InvestorBlogger… but then they forgot to pay up for their share. I’m pretty sure they kept the money from the client, but just ‘forgot’ to pay their partner. …

In past years, I would just send them a ticket… but nearly 75 days have passed since the last ticket… no answer. Ticket #2 was posted with everything. 48 hours passed… no answer. While you might think I was hasty, this is in fact money outstanding from  2017 and even 2016. So really tardy!

But I’m not the only person having trouble getting paid from them, too.

“Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw my site(s) from LinkWorth’s market because the invoices are overdue by 180+ days. There is no point so I have canceled the advert, and removed the site from your directory.

I have double-checked the monies received columns @ Paypal and can now confirm that 70+ days have passed since my initial query regarding outstanding payments from 08/10/2017 for

****-31 120961 $ 33.19 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 PayPal 08/10/2017 View Invoice

“Posted on: 05 April 2018 04:59 PM Account ID: 6**6 Account Username: ***—————————— I’m chasing up missing payment of $33.10 from last year. ****-31 120961 $ 33.19 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 PayPal 08/10/2017 View Invoice Todate this amount has not been forwarded to my paypal account for this account. Please advise when this can be done… etc.etc.”

In other words, the payment is now 10 months overdue. To you perhaps, $33.10 is a small amount of money; but to me, it represents an unwillingness to honor the terms of your agreement with me.

On further research, I discovered that there is an additional payment of $45.00 also outstanding from either of the following (NOT BOTH)

****-30 119044 $ 47.50 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 PayPal 11/10/2016 View Invoice
****-29 118751 $ 47.50 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 PayPal 10/10/2016 View Invoice

A payment was made on 11/11 to my paypal account, I don’t know which of these invoices it is in respect of. It doesn’t matter because there is a further invoice outstanding as well.

So for the total of $80.69 outstanding, I now demand immediate and full payment. I would like to resume our business relationship, but your choice to defer payments without adequate explanation or excuse suggests that you’re not in a position to.

Do me the courtesy of advising me whether payment is possible or not.

Yours Kenneth @ InvestorBlogger”

There is little leverage I have right now except to share it on my site. I don’t have the legal means to chase $80, so I have to let it go. But it is a reminder that in business, whoever takes the money late takes the biggest risk.

What is Windows ReadyBoost? How can it save you money?

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Are you looking for a solution for a slow running Windows PC? There is one often overlooked method that gives an older PC a boost. Windows ReadyBoost is a simple-to-adopt and affordable solution to speeding up a PC running Windows Vista or later and uses older or slower hard disks. This article explains what ReadyBoost can do, what the requirements are, and how to set it up.

What is ReadyBoost?

Each time your system needs to read or write to the hard disk, there is a delay before the task is complete. ReadyBoost is a feature of Windows that improves the computer’s speed by creating a cache on a flash memory device instead of on the hard disk itself. This cache will store and retrieve data for the Windows system to use more quickly.

the ‘second’ old PC needs Windows ReadyBoost..

Setting up Windows ReadyBoost on the slower PC is an effective strategy to reducing the typical bottleneck of slower disk speeds caused by frequent usage. Though flash devices can be slower than traditional hard disks in longer or more data intensive tasks, Windows maximizes the performance by choosing where to cache the data. This results in overall snappier responsiveness in your system.

What does ReadyBoost need?

To set up Windows ReadyBoost on your system, you will need a USB flash drive plugged into a USB2.0+ socket. ReadyBoost also works with SD cards and Compact Flash cards through a memory card reader, but Microsoft advises that this may not be as efficient. Your drive or card needs to have a minimum amount of shared space of at least 256MB. However, because the ReadyBoost frequently access the drive or card, I would recommend reserving a thumb drive or card only for that purpose.

Windows ReadyBoost will impact the performance and life of your card, so sharing it for other purposes exposes other data to corruption or loss if the unit fails. Nowadays SD cards and thumb drives are very inexpensive; in fact, there are probably a few suitable ones lying around. If the system is older, or you are not sure about its capabilities, then borrowing a USB drive is the best way to find out if it is compatible with ReadyBoost.

Setting up Windows ReadyBoost

Simply insert the USB thumb drive into the USB slot or push the memory card into the attached reader. Windows will automatically test the drive for ReadyBoost capability. If the device meets the ReadyBoost minimum requirements, Windows will provide an option in ‘Autoplay’ to set it up.

Then open the File Manager and right click on the thumb drive, and open the ‘Properties’ tab. If a ‘ReadyBoost’ tab is located on the properties menu (on the fifth tab, located between ‘Sharing’ and ‘Customize’ on Windows 7, etc.), the computer has recognized the USB key as Windows ReadyBoost compatible.

There are two options to consider for the drive: ‘Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost’ or ‘Use this device.’ There is usually a recommended amount, but it is possible to select up to the maximum reserved space of 4Gb in FAT32 if you choose ‘use this device.’ The ‘dedicate this device’ takes over the entire device regardless of its size, and there are no further options. It is not possible to use more than 4GB on FAT32 due to limitations in the file structure.

After clicking ‘Apply,’ the system will create the cache file on the device and begin to use the space for accessing data. The initial setup may require about 30 seconds to set up, but you should notice an increase in responsiveness on older hardware.

Limitations Do Apply

Lower end or older hardware will experience much bigger improvements than newer machines. But even newer machines will still benefit from a boost. If the system is limited in other ways, then improvement in speed may only be occasional or temporary. New machines running SSDs will probably not experience much of a boost.


As a quick fix, it will extend the life of older hardware, add a little pep to computer performance, and come at little or no extra cost. Money saved! Next!

Postscript

At the suggestion of a ReadyBoost article by TechRepublic, I’m trying out the ‘exFAT’ format instead of NTFS. Give it a whirl! It was quick to reformat…!

Busy Entrepreneurs–Focus on Your Business, Don’t Worry about the Stationery

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Small business entrepreneurs are busy making sales, managing manufacturing or stock control, or worrying about each month’s accounts. Suddenly, a lack of toner for laser jets in the back office means that  your customers don’t get their invoices, or the copier breaks down again, or the promotional items needed for tomorrow’s giveaway event haven’t been delivered yet.

These issues are things you don’t want to face. Which of the suppliers do you call? Why not just use one supplier for everything? The back office isn’t glorious, but it’s an important part of your business function.

Office Stationery
That’s when managing multiple stationary suppliers for your back office supplies becomes a real headache. Entrepreneurs should instead try ordering from as few stationary suppliers as possible. Why? Simply, it offers all kinds of benefits for the small business: integrated ordering, increased efficiency, and better B2B supplier relationships. In our business, we currently use at least five suppliers for our stationery needs, meaning that we need to order and pay five different vendors each month.

Saving Time, Simplifying Hassles
Sounds like a difficult task to achieve, but when entrepreneurs multi-task all the time, ordering from multiple suppliers for office stationary and supplies highlights how difficult it can be. Entrepreneurs face handling different ordering systems, complex billing arrangements, and invoicing from multiple vendors. Managing all your orders via one website simplifies the task tremendously by saving time and money for your company.

Increased Efficiency: Integrated Purchasing
Ordering stationary or coffee supplies, paper for the laser printers, and copier servicing all used to require at least three different companies, not to mention all the other items a typical busy office requires. Choosing just one vendor will help the small business person be more efficient, whether the office needs repair of its equipment or promotion T-shirts for the charity event next Saturday. So look for a supplier who can cover all of the issues that your small business needs for its back office. That way, you can focus on your business and run it the way you need to.

Developing Customer Relationships

Surprising as it seems, good vendors should develop strong relationships with customers in the B2B. Amazon Business aims to do this by developing a wide portfolio of products, services and good customer management. This is just good business sense: good for the customers, good for the supplier, too.

If you’re aiming to improve your business efficiency, consider trimming the number of suppliers for stationary you deal with each quarter. You’ll notice an easier workload, and you’ll be better prepared to do business knowing that office supplies are in good hands. And don’t forget: Amazon is not only your Fulfillment Partner, but offers everything you need for your back office, too.

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