Blogs
4 Reasons Why You Need Competition
This week a new coffee shop opened across the street from the coffee shop that has been in our village for ages. Opinions have...
Heather L. Sidorowicz
Blogs
Comparing and Contrasting Cord Cutting Options
Cutting the cord is more feasible than ever before, but will still require some hoops to jump through to get all of the stations...
Blogs
8 Technologies That People Actually Need
While at a networking event recently, after being introduced as the...
Blogs
3 Reasons Why Running Your Business is More Than Numbers
A business is more than a Federal Tax ID number. Businesses take on a life of their own, beyond what is made or sold....
Blogs
2015 Tech: My Year in Review
As the holidays continues to creep closer and 2015 comes to an end, I wanted to take a look back at what worked this...
Blogs
Fighting the Internet: My Biggest Competition
It used to be that integrators competed with each other, but how do you compete with a customer's faith in their google search?
Blogs
What the Magic of Universal Studios Wizardry Taught Me
The best use of technology, however, happens right on the streets with the use of your magic wand. For a fee (upwards of $40)...
Blogs
4 Ways to Survive as a Small Local Business
Today I found out that a local appliance company down the street was closing its doors. This news had me wondering, in this Amazon-...
Blogs
3 Things You Find at CEDIA That Can’t Be Googled
By now, surely, you have heard that attendance was up at CEDIA; and yet, I have heard that everything you see there you could...
Blogs
CEDIA 2015: Beyond the Systems
Lurking in the back of the convention center are companies and products that could change the way we look at our business model.
Blogs
5 Last-Minute CEDIA Tips
With CEDIA EXPO only days away, it’s important to make sure that you are planning accordingly. Here are a few last-minute tips to help...
Blogs
Yamaha MusicCast: Finally Some Competition for Sonos?
MusicCast comes to the market not as a reinvention of the same product, but a new world of wireless. Their system is for the...
Blogs
How the New Apple TV Will Change the AV Industry
In a world of cheaper and cheaper streaming devices, can Apple introduce a better Apple TV unit with a better interface that changes TV...
Blogs
The Four Business Partners Your Company Must Have
In our tech world, we have to be masters in many areas, which makes also being an expert in business very difficult. That’s why we...
Blogs
5 Reasons to Send Your Sales Team Out on an Install
Recently we had an issue with a showroom piece that took out some lights at our store and no tech available to fix it....
Blogs
Six Ways to Set a First Impression Before You Meet a Client
In this digital age, impressions happen long before we meet a client face to face.
Blogs
Who is CEDIA?
The quick answer is that it’s the trade organization CEDIA, that stands for Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association, but who is CEDIA—really?
Blogs
5 Reasons the Cheapest Price is More Expensive than Buying Power
Will you take an extra hour (or even 20 minutes) scouring for the best price to save the company a few bucks, or do...
Blogs
Overcoming the Odds for a Successful Project
If done well, the event, like this system, can be a huge success. No one will even realize the amount of planning that went...
Blogs
InfoComm: Where Great Minds and Big Money Come Together
From a technology standpoint, InfoComm is my favorite show. Not only is it a trade show, but also a buying show for universities and...
Blogs
10 Reasons to Buy from a Local Custom Integrator
We know why we want people to shop local, and yet we sometimes forget to remind the public of the grand benefits.
Blogs
7 Pros and Cons of Adding Commercial AV to Your Business
More and more residential companies are adding commercial audio video to their mix, and there are some very good reasons why. There are also...
Blogs
You Need to Be Human in This Digital World
Like it or not, social media has become an important tool for successful businesses. Here’s a closer look at each platform and why you should...
Blogs
8 Things to Look for in a Rep Firm
If you are starting out in this business or at a place of growth, choosing the right manufacturer's representative can make all the difference...
Blogs
CEDIA Business Xchange: Learning to Be You, Only Better
Conferences, in whatever format, provide an opportunity to take a step back from the day-to-day monotony of business, and focus on the future. The...
Blogs
The True Cost of the Lowest Bid
When you are bidding against another company you might (and probably have to) sacrifice your morals just to have the lowest price. But what...
Blogs
When Technology Fails: Going ‘Digital’ for All the Wrong Reasons
We need to remember, as the technology specialist, it is our job to make life simpler for the client.
Blogs
Extra! Extra! It is Now Okay to Buy 4K!
I give you my blessing my friends; buy and sell 4K TVs to your hearts delight. Sony has even listed HDCP 2.2 in its...
Blogs
The Content Distribution Revolution Continues
HBO and Netflix have both made major moves this month in the distribution of their content.
Blogs
3 New Ways to Sell CI Services
Any of us who have been doing this long enough, know that patterns will improve if we just stay the course, but in the...
Blogs
Tech Toys and the Price of Lost Privacy
With so much technology at our disposal today and talk of great technologies in the future, how do we proceed responsibly?
Blogs
Are You Still a TV Sales Company?
We are an instant-gratification society; if there is something we desire, we want it now. But whatever happened to “good things come to those...
Blogs
The Integrator’s Curse of Always Being Accessible
You have been there before, but when you have that person sitting next to you in the passenger seat you find yourself constantly asking,...
Blogs
The Term ‘Man Cave’ is (Still) Extinct
One of my first articles written for Residential Systems, “The Man Cave is Extinct” helped birth my career in writing. Hearing the term "man cave"...
Blogs
Five Ways to Ensure A Successful Year in CI
There are things we should be doing during any lull in business, and the beginning of the year is a great time to take...
Blogs
Every Interaction Counts When Dealing with the Client
If you are not conscious of how you are making your clients feel, then you are losing long-term relationships and long-term dollars. Here are...
Blogs
How Are You Handling the 4K Holiday Sales Blitz?
Yes, we are in this business to make money—for passion will not feed our families—but don’t we have a responsibility to sell the right...
Blogs
Paradigm Prestige Is a New Recipe for Audio Excellence
Within its 2,000-plus square feet of factory, visitors can see how Paradigm’s “crafted in Canada” speakers are born, from the folded cuts of wood...
Blogs
What 84 Inches of Snow Will Teach You About Technology
I have noticed a few things about technology after being stuck in our home for more than 96 hours.
Blogs
Why You Need a Huddle Room in Your Office
You may have a conference room, but how about a huddle room? There are unexpected benefits of this smaller, more intimate space.
Blogs
Sitting Down with a 30-Year Veteran of the AV Business (My Father)
This week Southtown Audio Video celebrated 30 years of business, and this is not something to be taken lightly in the world of technology....
Blogs
Why Everyone Needs Music in their Home
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” — Plato (Image via:
Blogs
Automation, as We Know it, is Changing
Smart Home…Automated Home…Tech Home… Up until recently these terms have been held for the rich and famous…the upper echelon. Combining audio, video, lights, HVAC,...
Blogs
Get Out Before It’s Too Late … and Attend a Conference
Leave your day-to-day troubles behind and travel to an industry business conference or trade show. These conferences get you away from the daily grind...
Blogs
ihiji: How a Bit Of Work Today Can Make You Money Tomorrow
There are products—like TVs, AV receivers, and speakers—that are easy to sell, easy to understand. Then there are products created to improve the world...
Blogs
Jumping Down the Rabbit Hole: Updating to iOS8
Is the new iOS life changing? No, but Apple has added some pretty neat features and shortcuts. Here's why you should care: Apple changed...
Blogs
The Magic Grey Area: Light Commercial
We may think that the only place to find new commercial products are at shows like InfoComm, but I’m here to tell you there...
Blogs
CEDIA 2014: Networking, the Foundation of Everything
With "Hyperchange" as the CEDIA EXPO 2014 tagline, the rise of this technology (invisible to our clients) has become the foundation that the rest...