Just because something is old, it doesn’t mean that it is not useful. Sometimes, the old thing is the best thing. That runs counter to the culture that considers something old after a year. Today’s upwardly mobile want to keep up with the times and be seen having the next big thing even before the last big thing has been opened. We care about what is trending. We want to know what’s hot. If you follow tech rumors, you know what I mean. The iPhone 12 is the current offering from Apple. Less than a week after it was out, the rumor mill had already skipped the iPhone 13 and moved onto rumors about the iPhone 14.
Unfortunately, this tendency also affects how we view people. The first grey hair means your stock price is headed down. You will have a harder time getting the promotion because that is reserved for a younger and more energetic go-getter. Ageism is a real problem that is only getting worse with each passing year. That is especially true in tech. You are practically a fossil if you are in your early 50s. The board is already looking for your replacement. Don’t even mention arthritis. Well, it is time for older people, gadgets, services, and tools to reclaim their rightful place. Don’t start your new business without at least considering these tried and true ideas:
Printers and Scanners.
Ready for a good laugh? How’s that paperless society coming along? If anything, the stacks of paper have only gotten higher, and for good reason. All of our efforts to get rid of paper transactions have created more of a mess than we had. Think about how difficult it is to get things done without printed material. There is no way you will be running a productive office without a printer and scanner. When you absolutely have to get that information from a piece of paper into your computer, you are going to need some kind of scanning software to make it happen. You don’t have to go with an expensive solution. Try a free scanner app.
Here is another shocker: You might actually want to keep a fax machine around because the staggering truth is that a simple, low-tech fax is still one of the easiest and most accepted ways of receiving official documents remotely. Some companies might balk at your email attachment. But every company will accept a fax. It is like cash. You are so over it. But the rest of the world is not.
Mobile Web
It is a little outdated to talk about mobile responsive websites. After all, laptops are making a comeback. Apple keeps trying to make desktops happen, along with every other computer manufacturer. In 2020, at least one major smartphone vendor left the business to focus exclusively on their other interests.
Even so, there is still good reason to apply responsive web design to your business strategy. It is still important to have a mobile-first strategy. More people are going to access your site from their phone than a full computer. They are going to still prefer apps to full-blown applications. They are going to be using 6” screens. They will be swipe typing and dictating to a digital assistant. If you are not preparing your business for that reality just because there has been a brief resurgence in desktops, you are moving too fast. Slow down. Mobile and social aren’t going anywhere.
Business Cards
One of the greatest inventions in the last hundred years is the business card. At least, that is what any sales person would tell you. No one wants to bump your phone or try to scan a QR code or get your information via an NFC tag. Forget it. A business card is the perfect vehicle for shuttling your email and phone number to a prospective customer. When their plumbing backs up, they are not going to go digging through a terabyte of digital junk to find your contact. They are going to notice the card they stuck on their fridge with a magnet and call the first number they see. So it has always been. So it will continue to be into the foreseeable future.
In with the new is not an excuse for out with the old. You are still going to need a scanner, a mobile responsive website, and a good, old-fashioned business card if you want to succeed in this brave, new world.
