In addition to presenting webinars and traveling to conferences all over the place, I have decided to start a new side business. It is a face-to-face business which you probably would not expect from me!
Right after the holidays, I helped plan and help out at a "Bring your new gadget to the library" night hosted by my town library. We were hoping to get people to bring in their new tablets, e-readers, and digital cameras and to help out with their questions. Over 40 people showed up, which, for our small town, is a big turn-out! The age of the attendees ranged from 50-85.
The questions ran the gamut from "How do I get my Yahoo contacts onto my iPad?" to "Can you help me install what I need on my Pandigital tablet so I can use the e-books offered by the library?" Much of the time was spent with helping Kindle, Nook, and iPad owners with the process for getting the Overdrive e-books onto their devices. Along the way, there were tons of other questions, too!
I realized there really is not a place where our community members can go to learn the basics of the use of all these new tech devices. It seemed like a niche that was waiting to be filled! I was in the process of getting an office in town, anyhow, so I decided to start a business to support those that need help. I have been open for two days now.
The site, which explains the business in more detail, can be found here: http://kackl.net/gadgets.html
I will let you know how I make out! And, if I need any help, I will be sure to tweet out my questions to my very smart PLN! :-)
