Month: September 2011

Fishbowl Among Utah’s Fastest-Growing Tech Companies

Robert LockardSeptember 30, 2011Leave a Comment

For the fifth year in a row Fishbowl has earned a spot on MountainWest Capital Network’s list of the top 100 fastest-growing technology companies in Utah. We placed No. 63. Just a few weeks ago I talked about how Fishbowl has been on the Inc. 5000 list for four years running. We’re on a roll!

What These Awards Mean

Orange arrow, Fishbowl Inventory BlogThese awards reflect Fishbowl’s focus on providing high-quality inventory management software and other business solutions for affordable prices. They also show that companies of all sizes are realizing that they need to improve their inventory management to survive in these challenging times.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, you need to keep track of all your supplies and products if you want to be successful. The great thing about Fishbowl Inventory is that it’s priced so even small businesses can start using it early on and then stay with it and keep using more features as they grow into a midsize business. This saves a lot of trouble and expense of having to switch inventory systems every few years because they can’t meet a company’s ever-growing needs.

What’s Next

At Fishbowl, we’re not content to rest on our laurels because of our success. The fact that we’re succeeding means we’re doing something right and it inspires us to keep working harder. We’re introducing a whole slew of new products and features, including:

  • SalesPoint – a point of sale solution that integrates directly into Fishbowl Inventory.
  • Fishbowl Enterprise – Our ERP/MRP system gives midsize businesses access to inventory management, accounting and many other tools for a fraction of the cost of other ERP/MRP systems.
  • Fishbowl Inventory 2012 – We’ve got some special features in store for our upcoming software update, so stay tuned!

Hopefully all of our new products and features will let us continue to serve our customers well. And I’ll be back next year to talk about the new awards Fishbowl will receive because of the bold steps we’re taking to keep growing.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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Fishbowl Security Basics

Aaron Wignall, CISSPSeptember 28, 20119 Comments on Fishbowl Security Basics

Hello, Fishbowl Blog readers!  This is my first of, what I hope to be, many blog posts.  My name is Aaron Wignall, and I am the IT Manager at Fishbowl Inventory.  I’m somewhat of a unique IT Manager in that my training background is in Information Security, and not the nuts and bolts, necessarily, of IT.  In fact, I recently obtained my CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) Certificate.  What I’d like to do with my blog posts is to pass on some of my security knowledge, especially as it pertains to using Fishbowl.  So please follow me and my posts here on the Fishbowl Inventory Blog!

Aaron Wignall is the IT Manager at Fishbowl, Fishbowl Inventory BlogThe first, and I hope most obvious, thing to do is to make sure your database is in a secure location (If you are a Hosted Fishbowl customer, these steps will be done for you).  Your Fishbowl database is in a file <whatever you named it>.fdb and, by default, resides in C:\Program Files (x86)\Fishbowl\database\data.  You can put your database file anywhere you want as long as you point Fishbowl to the right location (Database tab of Server options – server must be stopped to change).

The trick is to put it in a folder that not everyone has access to.  As much as we hate to think of the people we work with doing something malicious, it’s a real possibility.  Your Fishbowl database has lots of valuable information about your customers, your inventory, your open SO’s, etc. and if a rogue employee copies that database and takes it with them, they have all the time in the world to crack passwords and get into it.

Make sure the folder you have your database in is only accessible by the user running the Fishbowl Server (should be a user with administrative rights).  The user that runs the Fishbowl Server should have a secure password that is known by as few people as possible, and, for good measure, should probably be changed periodically (your password change frequency should be based off your paranoia level, 30 days for the ultra-paranoid, 90+ for the relaxed hippies *smirk*).

Safe laptop, Fishbowl Inventory BlogYou’d think that would be enough, wouldn’t you!  After securing your database, though, you need to secure your backup database!  Fishbowl allows you to schedule a database backup, and to specify the folder to put it in.  You need to secure that folder, as well.  You can put it into the same folder, but you wouldn’t be maximizing the benefit of the backup!  Try to move your backup to another physical drive, at least, so that if the drive with your main database makes like an IED and explodes, you can recover within minutes.

Again, you still aren’t done.  Another thing to keep in mind while securing your database: sometimes when we release new versions of Fishbowl, it upgrades your database to a new version, as well.  When this happens, Fishbowl makes two different backups.  One is a copy of the database; the other is a Firebird database dump.  I like to call these the “Murphy’s Law backups” because you shouldn’t need them, and you won’t need them – until you don’t have them.  They are created for rollback purposes during the upgrade.  Leaving these unprotected is just as bad as leaving your main database unprotected.  You can find these files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Fishbowl\database\data  – inside the “old” and “backup” directories.

Now your database is much safer.  You will want to consider doing the same for your QuickBooks database ( <dbname>.qbw ) and related files!  With QuickBooks, you have to make sure you allow access to the folder for the QuickBooks user as well.  To determine which QuickBooks files to secure and back up, refer to the Intuit Website and this blog post by Doug Sleeter.

Aaron Wignall, CISSP
http://www.fishbowlinventory.com
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New ERP/MRP Costs a Fraction of the Price of Other Systems

Robert LockardSeptember 26, 2011Leave a Comment

Fishbowl is now offering a complete enterprise resource planning/material requirements planning (ERP/MRP) system to midsize businesses. It’s called Fishbowl Enterprise.

Often, companies grow to a point where their old accounting and inventory management tools don’t have enough features to meet their needs anymore. So they think the only option is to move to an expensive ERP/MRP system that they can barely afford. Now there’s a better solution.

While a high-end ERP/MRP system can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to renew, Fishbowl Enterprise costs about $45,000 and it has much smaller annual renewal fees. Midsize businesses get all the features they’re looking for at a fraction of the cost of what they’re currently paying.

Watch this video to hear Fishbowl CEO David Williams explain how Fishbowl Enterprise combines inventory management, barcoding, accounting and many other business tools in one package. And sign up for a free Fishbowl Enterprise demo here.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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Navajo Nation President Coming to Fishbowl

Robert LockardSeptember 22, 2011Leave a Comment

Guess who’s coming to dinner! Dr. Joe Shirley, Jr., president of the Navajo Nation, is coming to Fishbowl’s headquarters in Orem, Utah for a special visit on September 26-27, 2011.

Fishbowl President Mary Scott and Navajo President Dr. Joe Shirley, Jr., Fishbowl Inventory Blog“He will provide his insights on how we can come together as a human family to serve, support and uplift one another,” says Fishbowl President Mary Scott who is a good friend of Dr. Shirley. “This is a rare opportunity for us all.”

Dr. Shirley is coming to Fishbowl in the Canyon Park Technology Center for several reasons. On Monday evening he will enjoy a potluck dinner with local business leaders. Then he will attend a meeting to discuss Fishbowl’s role in helping Navajo citizens gain new job skills through the CAM Center. Fishbowl is also helping Navajo businesses succeed through its inventory management software.

The next morning Dr. Shirley will get a tour of some of the beautiful trails and landscape Utah Valley has to offer. Later that day they’ll meet with education experts at Utah Valley University, a sponsor of the CAM Center.

The last time we had such a remarkable visit was when Commander John Herrington, the first Native American to go into space, came and described his experience overcoming challenges and reaching lofty goals. This visit should be just as uplifting. Hope to see you there!

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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The Secret’s Out: Women Business Owners Finding Success

Robert LockardSeptember 20, 2011Leave a Comment

In just 10 years, the business environment for women in the technology industry has completely changed. Today, rather than being seen as an oddity, women in leadership positions are becoming much more common, according to the Utah Business article “Skirting The Norm.”

Boss mug and high heels, Fishbowl Inventory BlogEight percent of high-tech startups are run by women, a number that is constantly increasing thanks to two main factors: Education and technology. These two tools are opening new doors to women in the workplace and driving a surge in successful women business leaders.

“The skills will win in technology,” says Mary Michelle Scott, president of Fishbowl. “It’s not personality or politics. If you have skills, you are going to do well. It’s really not that difficult, and I hope the secret’s out.”

The Internet makes it possible for anyone, no matter their gender, age or race, to quickly get a hands-on education and put it to use in a business. A stay-at-home mom can build a blog or run an ecommerce website without having to sacrifice much time with her children. Business leaders at the office can network with each other through LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media. Everything is becoming much more convenient and interconnected thanks to advancing technology.

“The computer doesn’t care; it’s the great equalizer,” Scott says. “We’ve truly arrived when we realize we are one together – when we don’t create separate tribes. We need to collaborate, support and uplift one another. And I’ve never seen a place embrace that more than Utah Valley.”

Women business leaders in the technology industry, Fishbowl Inventory BlogScott has had a remarkable career because she never lost her love of learning. She gained new technology skills as she helped several small businesses turn into big successes over the years. A year ago she came to Fishbowl and used all the skills she had learned to help CEO David Williams put the inventory software company on financially stable footing. Thanks to her vision and hard work, Fishbowl keeps growing and adding new products, like a point of sale solution called SalesPoint.

Scott believes that anyone who’s willing to put forth the same effort she has will have the same chance of attaining her level of success.

“The biggest illusion is that this is unattainable,” Scott says. “Putting in the time and learning the skills opens up a whole new world. When you cross that digital divide – with college or without it – you give your life endless possibilities. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t play.”

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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Strong Manufacturing Numbers Soothe Recession Fears

Robert LockardSeptember 16, 20111 Comment on Strong Manufacturing Numbers Soothe Recession Fears

It looks like the United States may not be heading into a recession after all, according to a new manufacturing report. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index in August was 50.6. That’s down from July’s 50.9, but any number above 50 means manufacturing increased that month, so this is still good news.

Manufacturer transporting dollar sign, Fishbowl Inventory BlogManufacturing has been one of the biggest saving graces for the economy, staying strong while other industries struggled to recover. Despite natural disasters, fluctuating demand and rising commodity prices, manufacturers have been able to keep growing month after month for about two years.

Unfortunately, consumer confidence fell sharply in August. That could be a problem for manufacturing in the coming months, but we’ll have to wait and see until the September report comes out to see which way manufacturing goes.

Whether or not manufacturing stays strong, many companies in this industry are turning to QuickBooks manufacturing software to help them both cut costs and be more efficient. If demand recovers, manufacturers who use this software will be better prepared to fill all their new orders. If demand falls, they’ll have their costs under control and they’ll be in a better situation to survive in spite of declining sales.

Hopefully we’ll avoid falling into a double-dip recession. You should hope for the best but prepare for the worst by using QuickBooks manufacturing software in your business.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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10 Generic Foods That Taste Better Than Name Brands

Robert LockardSeptember 14, 20116 Comments on 10 Generic Foods That Taste Better Than Name Brands

I love generic brands. They usually cost much less than name-brand products because they don’t carry huge advertising costs. The problem is that many generic-brand foods just don’t cut it when compared to the real thing.

Woman comparing oranges, Fishbowl Inventory BlogIt’s a good idea to be on the hunt for shopping deals, especially when the economy looks a little rough. But you don’t want to buy food that doesn’t taste as good as what you’re used to. That’s why I’ve come up with this list of 10 generic foods that actually taste better than the name brands they’re competing against. As a bonus, I’m also going to talk a little about how this relates to ERP/MRP systems for business, so stay tuned for that.

On with the list:

1. Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt vs. Dannon Light & Fit. I’m very picky about my yogurt. It has to be low in sugar, fat and calories, but also taste good. Only Dannon Light & Fit managed to fit that description until I discovered Wal-Mart’s version. Now I actually prefer it over Dannon yogurt. The price recently went up for Wal-Mart’s yogurt, but it’s still the cheapest (and tastiest) option.

2. Kroger Ice Cream vs. Dreyer’s and Häagen-Dazs. Who wants to spend $6 for a half-gallon of ice cream? Not me. If I’m going to throw caution to the wind and have a little fun, I’m going to splurge on the ice cream that’s sometimes on sale for as little as $1.67, depending on where you live. And there’s plenty of variety among the Kroger ice cream flavors, so you don’t really lose anything by choosing the store brand over the more expensive alternatives.

3. Kroger Deluxe Pizza vs. DiGiorno and Freschetta. This really surprised me. You can get a frozen pizza with all the toppings you want for about one-third less than the name brands. And it tastes great!

4. Kirkland Signature Take-and-Bake Pizza vs. Papa Murphy’s Pizza. Costco offers a limited variety of take-and-bake pizzas, so Papa Murphy’s definitely wins in the toppings department. But Costco more than makes up for it in price, size and taste.

5. Great Value Instant White Rice vs. Kraft Minute Rice. Honestly, I can’t tell a difference between these two types of instant rice. They’re both just as easy to prepare, but the Wal-Mart one is a fraction of the cost of Minute Rice. The fact that it’s cheaper makes it taste much better to me.

6. Great Value Multi-Grain Flakes Cereal vs. General Mills Wheaties. Again, there’s almost no difference between these two cereals, but Wheaties costs much more than the Wal-Mart brand.

7. Kirkland Signature Muffins vs. Any Other Brand. Costco muffins are so huge and delicious, other muffins pale in comparison. Plus, they’re available in blueberry, apple cinnamon, double chocolate, poppy seed and several other flavors to satisfy just about any preference.

8. Kroger Creamy Peanut Butter vs. Jif. I grew up loving Jif peanut butter, but the amazing thing is that the Kroger version is virtually interchangeable with it. Try it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

9. Kirkland Signature Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate vs. Minute Maid. You get much more orange juice for a lower price when you buy the Costco frozen concentrates rather than the Minute Maid ones. And they’re the same thing!

10. Great Value Drink Mix vs. Kraft Crystal Light. Wal-Mart has done a great job adding new flavors and improving the packaging for their drink mixes to make them more like Crystal Light. The only gripe I have is that Wal-Mart’s drink mixes have a few calories while Crystal Light is always zero calories. That’s a minor issue, though.

It’s nice to see generic-brand foods catching up to name brands, but they still have a long way to go in many cases. Here are some examples of name brands that have yet to be surpassed in taste: Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Mother’s Animal Cookies, Nilla Wafers, Wheat Thins, Ritz, Honey Bunches of Oats, Crispix, Pop Tarts and Quaker Oats granola bars.

You can save a lot of money and not sacrifice taste or quality by buying generic products over name brands. This is like how a business doesn’t have to buy an expensive ERP/MRP system from Microsoft or some other big company when they can get the same features for much less through a more affordable brand like Fishbowl Enterprise. That’s my food for thought.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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Fishbowl Employee Bikes 200 Miles to Fight Cancer

Robert LockardSeptember 12, 20113 Comments on Fishbowl Employee Bikes 200 Miles to Fight Cancer

This past weekend, one of Fishbowl’s employees, Bryan Byrge, took on the extraordinary challenge of riding his bike 206 miles across three states to raise money in honor of his mother-in-law who passed away from cancer a year ago. The proceeds from the 2011 LOTOJA Classic bike race go to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation to study, treat and prevent cancer.

Inventory Specialist Bryan Byrge bike race, Fishbowl Inventory BlogThe LOTOJA Classic is the longest one-day race endorsed by the United States Cycling Federation. It goes from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, crossing three mountain passes and climbing nearly 10,000 feet in the process. And the racers have to complete the whole trip within 14 hours! This is a grueling race that many top cyclists from around the country come to participate in.

Bryan is an inventory specialist at Fishbowl. He had never ridden his bike for more than 50 miles at one time when he first committed himself to training for this race five months ago. He rode more than 2,300 miles and climbed 110,000 feet during his intense training period. Now that’s dedication!

He finished the race in 11 hours, 6 minutes. He placed 64th out of 650 racers, putting him in the top 10 percent. And he raised $1,750 for the cancer fund.

Bryan’s mother-in-law, Sally Vranes, battled Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma cancer for five years, and she served as a powerful inspiration for Bryan during his preparation. Despite the incredible pain she endured in her last few years, Vranes never stopped serving her children and grandchildren. She attended every game of her grandson’s football team, and she inspired the players to win every game of their 2009 season. You can see a video about this in the KSL News article “Young athletes learning life lessons from their No. 1 fan.”

This has been a great year for fitness at Fishbowl. We ran a 64-mile relay race two weeks ago, we held an ambitious service project in August, and we’re just about to open a new fitness center at our office in Orem. Even as Fishbowl keeps growing, its employees are shrinking their waistlines!

Congratulations, Bryan, on making it through this amazing race and for doing it for such a noble cause. You embody many of the ideals Fishbowl strives for, including excellence and service.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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INVENTORY MAN…agement Saves the Day

Robert LockardSeptember 08, 20111 Comment on INVENTORY MAN…agement Saves the Day

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of the adventures of Inventory Man! It’s been a while since I posted the last part of this story so you might want to go back and reread the earlier chapters. In part three, “INVENTORY MAN…agement Is in Trouble,” two of Inventory Man’s friends were sucked into one of the giant robots attacking Fishbowl headquarters. Now let’s see what happens next!

The Incredibles logo is the copyright of Disney and Pixar, Fishbowl Inventory BlogInventory Man struggled to get around the two robots between him and the Fishbowl building. His mind was still filled with concern as he frantically thought of his friends’ fate. Were they alive? Could he still save them? These thoughts kept him from concentrating on the task at hand, and the robots took advantage of his distraction.

They had learned from the other robots’ fights with him in the city and so they switched their strategy from fighting him one on one to taking him on all at once. Inventory Man tried to gain an advantage, but the towering machines were moving too fast and he was starting to lose ground.

While one of the robots got his attention, the other snuck up behind him and sent him flying into a nearby building. Inventory Man pulled himself out of the huge dent he had made in the building in time to see two hulking figures approaching him through the dusty air.

Just as the robots were about to burst through the cloud of dust and renew their attack, they abruptly stopped mid-step. They stood perfectly still for a few seconds and then suddenly turned around and hurtled back toward the city where they had come from. Inventory Man was surprised by this sudden turn of events. He was about to follow them when he heard his name being called. It was Slowest Chain’s voice.

Inventory Man hurried to the top of the Fishbowl building where Slowest Chain and Getting Oldsoon were climbing out of the robot that had sucked them up just a few minutes ago.

“Are you both all right?” Inventory Man asked.

“We’re just fine, thanks to a little ingenuity,” Ms. Chain responded gingerly.

“Did you have a hand in stopping those robots?”

“Certainly!” Ms. Chain said. “I was able to look up the robots’ bill of materials, and I discovered a little flaw in their makeup. They have a transmitter that allows them to constantly communicate with each other, so I just had to reprogram one to spread my orders to all the others. They’re returning the stolen goods and repairing the damage they did as we speak.”

Inventory Man scanned the area in the distance and confirmed that Ms. Chain was right. The robots were all retreating.

“I must say I’m impressed,” he said, smiling. “That was very quick thinking, Ms. Chain. You put yourself in a lot of risk, though.”

“I had to get close to make it work. Everything turned out all right, though. We make a good team, don’t we?” she said, returning his smile.

“Yes, we do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.” And with that, Inventory Man flew out sight.

“Gee, Ms. Chain, let’s go make sure everyone’s okay inside,” Oldsoon said as he ran to the stairs.

Downstairs, everyone was accounted for except Kevin Clark.

“I hope Clark’s okay,” Ms. Chain said with concern in her voice.

As if to answer her question, a robotic arm swooped into the room through an open window and promptly deposited Clark next to his desk. He was holding a large box.

“Hi, Slowest,” he said nonchalantly. “I got picked up by one of these metal fellows, and it just happened to have my undelivered computer inside it. So I grabbed it on my way out. Boy, what a day this has been. I think I’m going to like working at Fishbowl. I hope everything’s been nice and quiet around here while I was away.”

And thus ends the amazing adventure of Inventory Man…agement!

The Incredibles logo is the copyright of Disney/Pixar.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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Everything You’ve Heard About U.S. Manufacturing Is Wrong

Robert LockardSeptember 06, 2011Leave a Comment

Today I learned that pretty much everything we assume we know about American manufacturing is just plain wrong. The Industry Week article “Manufacturing at the Crossroads” dispels a lot of depressing rumors that have swirled around about the manufacturing industry for a long time.

I’ll condense the article’s main points into four myths about manufacturing, and then I’ll show how those myths are wrong with a healthy dose of reality.

Lying businessman, Fishbowl Inventory BlogMyth No. 1: U.S. manufacturing is shrinking.

Reality: Manufacturing has grown at about the same rate as GDP for 60 years. Manufacturing is a good gauge for how the overall economy is doing. When manufacturing is on the rise, it usually means consumer confidence is high and people are buying more products. When it’s falling, you can bet people are buying less and the economy is pulling back.

Myth No. 2: China is the biggest manufacturer in the world.

Reality: The United States is still the world’s biggest manufacturer. We produce 21 percent of all the products in the world while China produces 15 percent. China has certainly made giant strides over the past few decades, surpassing Japan as the second-biggest manufacturer. But they’re still firmly behind America.

Myth No. 3: Manufacturing is the past, not the future, of American business.

Reality: Manufacturing is still a huge part of the U.S. economy. It accounts for 11 percent of GDP, and it’s one of the biggest factors keeping the shaky recovery going. While many other industries have struggled to recover from the recession, U.S. manufacturing has been growing for nearly two years.

Myth No. 4: There are no jobs in manufacturing.

Reality: Twelve million Americans work in the manufacturing industry. That’s about 9 percent of the total workforce. While new technology has streamlined many tasks and eliminated some jobs, it has made manufacturers more efficient and better able to weather economic uncertainties. Companies that are growing are more likely to hire new employees than ones that are struggling to stay alive.

American manufacturers face several challenges, such as rising inflation, a competitive world market and the possibility of a double-dip recession. But manufacturing is still doing great in America, and it’s in no danger of disappearing. You can bet that any reports of its death are greatly exaggerated.

Robert Lockard
Robert Lockard is a copywriter with Fishbowl. He writes for several blogs about inventory management, manufacturing, QuickBooks and small business. Fishbowl is the #1-requested manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks users. Robert enjoys running, reading, writing, spending time with his wife and children, and watching movies.
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