gdharries.com blog

If I didn’t have to

2009-10-23T19:00:40Z

If I didn’t have to:

Connect to high security, remote Windows networks and do more than simply read files, I’d use a Mac.
Be part of a team who builds SharePoint websites and Intranets, I’d use a Mac.
Be part of a team who builds ASP.NET websites and applications, I’d use a Mac.
Be part of a team who builds WPF and Silverlight applications, I’d use a Mac.
Frequently work with off-site Windows developers to create advanced Java-based business software, I’d use a Mac.
Share and edit files with clients, all of whom use Windows to run their organizations, I’d use a Mac.

But this is what I do. I’m a designer and business owner who uses Windows. Between Mike and I, our skills and experience are what pays the bills, puts food on the table and allows our company to grow and prosper.

Windows 7 makes me happy. With it, I feel efficient and comfortable. It’s easy to use, responsive and stable. I’d consider Windows 7 to be the best operating system that Microsoft has ever produced.

I’ve owned and run Macs since OS 7 and recognize that if you live in a bubble - a one person company or small agency that only runs Macs and does minimal document collaboration with external, Windows-based clients - then Macs are probably a better choice. A little simpler and fine-tuned, those Apple computers.

But, once you’ve lived outside of the rabid Mac fanboy buzz for a while, you start to see how crazy - some would say offensive and self-important - people can get about what’s really just another brand of computer.

Cult of Mac, indeed.

It’s that time of year

2009-10-17T01:18:40Z

October in the Yukon usually means snow and this time around is no exception, as the white stuff has flown a number of days this month.

It’s been 23 years since I started snowboarding. Sure, I ride noticeably slower and am increasingly scared of getting hurt - hence, that’s why I try to stay on the ground as much as possible - but the stoke still lives on.

At this time of year, I regularly day-dream about powder days, laps through the park and perfectly groomed runs. And I still get as excited about watching the latest snowboard videos, just as I did back in 1997.

Snow Leopard and Microsoft Exchange 2003

2009-09-14T17:13:40Z

Snow Leopard has hit the streets and people who want to bring their Macs to a Windows workplace will be happy about its support for Microsoft Exchange 2007. What Apple fails to mention is that 10.6 also works with key components of Exchange 2003.

My company has long subscribed to a hosted Exchange service for email, contacts and calendar. Up until now, I’ve mainly been using a Windows machine as my primary workstation.

I say “mainly” because I’ve tried to switch back to Mac OS X a number of times. After a few days, I’m forced to give up and retreat to Windows. The lack of built-in Outlook/Exchange support is what repeatedly pushes me over into Microsoft-land.

Last week I installed Snow Leopard on my iMac. Configuring the Exchange 2007 account was an absolute breeze. But, the real test for me was to communicate and schedule calendar events with users whose accounts reside on Exchange 2003; an older version which Apple states Snow Leopard does not officially support.

Let me be the first to tell you, joyfully, that it works. If your account is on Exchange 2007, but you have to interact with Exchange 2003 users, the process is completely smooth and seamless. Events just work. Mail just works. Contacts just work. To Exchange 2003 users, you’re on a dusty old Dell, running Windows and using Outlook.

Thanks, super smart Apple engineers!

The future of Urban Yukon

2009-09-11T16:06:40Z

Update - September 22, 2009: Urban Yukon has found a new home with Dave Rogers

Urban Yukon was launched on March 24, 2006. Over three years later, I’m looking for a new owner.

The website started out small, with only four blogs in its member list: Evan Wise’s justwerks software, Patrick Goruick’s It’s blog®! (from blammo™), Andrew Robulack’s Bad Robot and my company’s blog, Subvert.

As word about Urban Yukon spread, the member list grew slowly, but consistently. Now, here we are on September 11, 2009, with 54 members. The highest ever number of members was 62.

Urban Yukon has been a wonderful experiment, as running the website has taught me a lot about grassroots marketing on the web. The only traditional advertising I’ve done for the site has been through partnerships with various print and online publications, always for free.

Everything the website has achieved - huge traffic spikes, excellent (and often surprising) search engine results, consistent daily visitor numbers, real-world meet-ups - has come from the efforts of its members who regularly write interesting content on their blogs, which Urban Yukon automatically picks up and re-distributes.

But, here’s the part about Urban Yukon’s future. I don’t have the time to upgrade or maintain the website in the ways that it deserves. The site is dearly in need of a visual re-design, re-organization of content, a better search engine, categorization of members and a whole host of tools & features. I have a vision for the site, but not the short or long-term resources to pull it off.

I’m willing to part with Urban Yukon for a very small amount of money ($1.00) if the right person comes along. In my mind, this person, or company, will have a community spirit and the technical skills to handle such a transition. The new owner would also have to look after domain name renewals, web hosting services and updates to the member list.

If you’re interested in taking over Urban Yukon, please email with your contact information and any suggestions or ideas you may have.

How to succeed with enterprise clients

2009-09-08T21:18:40Z

Four not-so-simple, but essential, steps:

1. Know what you’re doing

Many of the people you’ll work with in an enterprise setting will be risk-adverse. This is not to say they’re against taking risks in their personal lives, but when it comes to work, taking a chance on an unproven company or technology can have massive repercussions if things go wrong (and sometimes, even when they go right).

Important data could be compromised, security breached, jobs lost, trust broken, time wasted or egos bruised. That’s why it’s vital as a consultant working with enterprise clients - heck, any type of client - to be reliable, responsible, responsive and respectful.

2. Know how to sell

Being able to sell your company’s virtues will only get one foot in the door. The other will be permitted when you help the person or department buying your services to sell your project up the chain of command. Sometimes, even sideways.

Provide your contact(s) with the background information, numbers (billing cycles and total cost of ownership are good examples), short & long-term impacts, legal terms & conditions, resource needs & projections and whatever other details they need to look good and show they’ve done their homework.

3. Know how to maneuver

Once the project is underway, give your contact(s) the tools to sustain momentum. When they stumble into inevitable roadblocks, be there to help with relevant, thoughtful ideas and suggestions.

Find and outline solutions, and if allowed, be willing to go and meet personally with the individual or department who is creating that very obstacle. Listen to them, show respect and validate their concerns. Negotiation skills are key to surviving in an environment where compromise can run rampant and derail even the best laid plans.

4. Know how to adapt

Every business is different, as are their internal processes. If you’re working on a technology-based project, be careful about stepping on toes by blindly enforcing your own methods on the client.

While it’s smart to have a clearly established working process, be adaptive and tweak as necessary. From development environments to security procedures and change requests to deployment strategies, being agile and open to new techniques will go a long way.

What I’ve been up to

2009-06-24T23:55:40Z

Learning more than I ever thought I wanted or needed to know about Microsoft SharePoint 2007.

Using pictures, it’d be something like this…

Or as Microsoft puts it…

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is an integrated suite of server capabilities that can help improve organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management and enterprise search, accelerating shared business processes, and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight. Additionally, this collaboration and content management server provides IT professionals and developers with the platform and tools they need for server administration, application extensibility, and interoperability.

Hoo boy.

I deleted my Twitter account

2009-06-19T16:57:40Z

I’ve been on Twitter for about two years. A fun experiment, but I’ve grown tired. My time on this earth would be better spent doing work, meeting people, regularly updating at least one of my two websites and being with the family.

Today I made the decision to delete the account. Just like I did with Facebook many months ago.

So, goodbye Twitter. Hello, more free time.

Running a business is (sorta) like raising kids

2009-04-30T23:52:40Z

I’ve got both, so I guess it makes me a subject matter expert.

1) There will be times, often quite regularly, that a business will keep you up at night and/or wake you early in the morning with thoughts of things left undone or general stress and anxiety. The difference is with a business, you can probably force yourself to fall back asleep. With a wailing baby in your arms, it’s their choice to submit, not yours.

2) Just when you think you have a business skill mastered (e.g. sales, project management, accounting) something new will come along and flip you on your head. Anyone who is a parent knows this is a harsh truth; your child is perfectly safe/content on a tricycle, but now, suddenly, they want to ride a two-wheeler.

3) Even in the happiest, most joyful moments (e.g. signing a big contract, hiring the first employee, moving into your own office) it’s only a matter of time until you’re back down in the dumps again, frustrated, scared and confused. Kids have a knack of doing this to you on a regular basis; curious, risky little humans that they are.

4) You can never really get ahead in business: there’s always more bills to pay, work left unfinished or to-do list items that await. Same with kids: there’s always laundry to do, books to read, bedtime to make, meals to prepare or lessons and parties to attend.

5) If you don’t keep on top of managing your business image through careful marketing and communications, somebody else will do it for you. In the case of kids, if you aren’t careful about what they say or what they learn, somebody else will take on the task without you being aware; that is until they surprise you at the dinner table with some choice new words or phrases.

Running a business and raising kids are some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences a person can thrust upon themselves. That said, I’d argue raising kids is more rewarding in the long-run; a business can’t draw wonderful pictures or say they love you when you need it most.

Writing your own paycheque is great, but honest “wrap every inch of their little arms around you” hugs are much, much better.

The love of business

2009-03-29T15:44:40Z

It’s been over two years since I started my own business. Not one of those 750+ days has felt like work.

I left a fantastic company in order to make Subvert happen. During the first six months, I spent 2-3 days per week taking care of our kids. Looking back, that was a wise decision. Not only did I get to have a memorable spring and summer with our children, but I was able to ease into the process of running a business instead of being thrown directly into the fire full-time. If it was the other way around, I don’t know if I could have survived.

I made plenty of mistakes at the beginning and I still do today. From cashflow to project management and invoicing to workload, as soon as I think I have it figured out, something new comes along to trip me up.

Owning a company, especially one that consumes office space, is stressful. Having to constantly invest in infrastructure (software, furniture, books, training and technology) plus pay the bills (government taxes, accountant fees, organizational dues, insurance, rent, payroll and sub-contractor payments) month in, month out, can feel relentless. Once the ball starts rolling, it doesn’t stop, and worse yet, it only picks up speed.

Does this sound like work? I can clearly understand how it could be viewed that way. To me, it’s a personal challenge and a chance to pursue my lifelong dreams.

No matter who signs your paycheque, each day will bring about obstacles that seek to knock you down. But those same obstacles, if viewed as challenges, are opportunities for learning and growth.

Whenever you stumble and fall down, you have the choice to either stay on the ground and call it quits or pick yourself up and start moving forward again. Each time you choose to stand up, you’ll be a little wiser and more aware.

The reality is, you have to love running a business as much as what you love to do (in my case, that’s design). These two aspects are inseparable. They need one another to exist. And that’s precisely why this experience has never felt like work.

It’s just always felt like love.

Switched to Windows

2009-02-21T02:51:40Z

A few months ago, I decided to start down the path of switching from Mac to Windows. For most people it’s the other way around, but Windows is simply a better fit for the type of stuff I do and the people I work with.

Aesthetics and user experience are important to me, so I spent a good while researching hardware that I’d want to look at on a daily basis. In the end, I chose a Lenovo ThinkStation S10 and two Dell 24” LCD monitors that matched the industrial black styling of the Lenovo nicely.

As for user experience, I decided to live on the edge and install Windows 7 Beta as my operating system. Sure it’s beta, but after running it full-time for the past while, I’m convinced 7 is the best Windows ever.

I’ve also been careful to choose what software I add to the machine, again basing my decisions on aesthetics and user experience.

For these reasons, I installed Adobe CS4 suite, Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007, Apple iTunes, Direct FTP and Microsoft Expression Studio.

More than two months into my Windows switcher experience, I’m a happy camper and there’s not much I miss about Mac OS X. I can collaborate better with programmers, arrange meetings easier with Outlook and produce artwork + documentation that’s more consistent for everyone involved.

In search of office space

2008-09-27T23:50:40Z

There comes a time in the life of every young business where the owner must decide whether to keep on truckin’ as is or take the appropriate steps to grow into a larger and more sustainable operation.

For my company, that time is near.

Subvert has a lot on its plate, with projects lined up four months in advance. While it’s good to have this much work in the pipeline, it’s also stressful knowing that delays in projects right now can have a dramatic effect on what comes later. As the guy who today does everything - sales, project management, planning, design, development and technical support - I know I can’t keep going at this pace forever.

I’m past the point in my life where I want to work myself to the bone. Now I’d rather spend time with my family, relax in the evenings, do fun stuff outside (ride bikes, xc ski or snowboard) and take weekends off. I enjoy my time away from work as much as I enjoy the work itself, which is a nice balance. To further adjust this balance, I want to find an office that I can go to during the day and come home to a non-work environment at night.

During the past few months, I’ve been searching for a reasonable amount of office space to lease in downtown Whitehorse. Let’s just say pickin’s are awfully slim. There’s a number of garbage spots out there - dark and dingy with little natural light - as well as several new, expensive locations that are too big for my needs. Of course, I want to find something in between. An office that is affordable yet attractive, has lots of natural light, good neighbours, nice location and room to grow. Y’know, the perfect location.

I’m happy to say I think I finally found that very spot. So, after some number crunching and talking to my insurance company about extra fees, yesterday I decided that Subvert can afford the arrangement. Next week I will sign the lease contract with a move-in date for January 1, 2009.

This key step - leasing office space instead of occupying the spare bedroom - is kinda big and scary, but I truly believe the timing is right. I have faith the business will continue to grow at a healthy rate and the extra expense will pay off. If I never took a risk, I may never know what could have been.

A return to bike racing

2008-08-08T18:08:40Z

A local three-day road cycling event, Tour de Whitehorse, held July 25-27, marked my formal return to bike racing after a three-year hiatus.

Racing bikes is never an easy task, even when you’re in the best of shape. Your lungs hurt, legs throb, back aches and wrists sting no matter what level of fitness with which you toe the start line.

I used to race mountain bikes on a provincial and national level from 1994-1999 and the sport defined who I was as an individual. Of course, that was all long before getting married, raising two kids, running a business and other more important adult activities came to be.

I’ve put on some weight since we had Adele and Seth; I’d guess about 25 pounds over four years. Most people think I’m still pretty skinny, but I know better.

I know how I feel about myself and how much more effort it takes to do things I like, such as hiking up a mountain with snowshoes or running loops through the snowboard park at our local resort. My family also has a history of high cholesterol and heart disease; both conditions I’d dearly like to avoid.

As you can see in the event photo above, the ol’ spandex doesn’t look as good as it used to (did it ever?) but you have to start somewhere. At least I could pull it on without looking like a shiny bag of potatoes. I’ve lost more than 15 pounds this summer through regular bike rides and minor changes to my diet - no juice, pop or post-dinner snacks, for example.

For me, this return to bike racing, even though I ended up coming half-way down the pack in the Sport class, is an important achievement.

The experience confirmed to me that I am, in fact, not dead, not washed up and not over the hill. That I can still get out, try my hardest and do my best. That’s really all I want out of this activity. Just to be able to set a good example for our kids and show them the importance of not being afraid to simply try.