I am trying to keep as little private data as possible on my computer. I managed to convince myself that they are much safer on a secure server than on my personal computer, which can be stolen or crash at any time.

I have therefore been contemplating for a while going for an online version of Quicken to manage my personal expenses.

So I was delighted to listen to this interview of Marc Hedlund, co-founder and CEO of Wesabe, and online management system for personal finances.

In addition of the expected secure online features to track expenses vs. budget, Marc gives few examples of super-cool features.

I like the one that enables Wesabe users to use Twitter to directly update their own accounts while buying a coffee at Starbucks!

Wesabe is certainly a company to watch, and their product a solution worth trying.

A more complete interview is accessible on the HyveUp WEB site.

Remi
www.outsourcing-vsc.com

Business | No Comments »

SMBs do not necessarily have trivial software needs; some have even very sophisticated and/or diverse ones. It is not uncommon for SMBs to have needs that encompass JAVA and .NET developments, together with technical support for enterprise applications like SAP or NAV, and requests on advanced technologies like Flex or Ruby on Rails.

In fact, chances are the talents are available somewhere someplace. It might be in Bangalore, Shanghai, Sao Paulo or Cape Town.

[Read the entire article].

Business | 2 Comments »

As you might know, I run a company that focuses on providing outsourcing services to SMBs. A significant portion of our customers are WEB 2.0 startups located in the Silicon Valley who decided to outsource part or all of their engineering.

As a result, a substantial part of our corporate communication is geared toward these companies.

Hence the decision we made last year to sponsor HyveUp, a company that produces video clips where WEB 2.0 startups’ founders or executives share their stories and vision.

The companies interviewed are not necessarily our clients (actually only a very few are, bummer!), but I found interesting to share on my blog the vision and experience of these entrepreneurs who are living the dream of becoming the next Facebook. In fact, some of the interviewees are already well on their way, like Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder.

[Read more].

Business | 12 Comments »

An Indian newspaper (the India Times) recently reported on Obama’s position on job outsourcing.

More generally, what do the Presidential candidates say regarding employment in the USA?

Their opinions are diametrically opposed. While one considers corporate tax cuts an appropriate answer, the other believes the priority should be in recreating the conditions necessary for creating jobs inshore. [Read more].

Business | 4 Comments »

Could a falling dollar and pricey oil make manufacturing goods in the USA an economically viable solution again?

Not too sure, says Pete Engardio, in the June 30 issue of Business Week.

The main reason it that it would cost too much to revitalize some heavy industries. James Turk, CEMCO’s CFO notes, “American foundries now can compete head-to-head on cost, but there are not many foundries, welders, machinists, and quality-control engineers. What we had 10 years ago is gone.”

[Read more].

Business, China | 9 Comments »

The May issue of INC. magazine features Mitch Free, the founder and CEO of www.mfg.com, an Atlanta-based company, whose business skyrocketed after Free established a presence in China.

I would recognize a lot of my own story in his account. When I started doing business with Mainland China, I was a little concerned. As many Westerners, I was raised in an environment that would see China as a threat, almost similar to the USSR’s. And even today, years after China opened to International trade, many negative rumors are still floating around about doing business in China: “you will never get paid”, “it takes forever to establish a profitable operation”, “IP will be stolen”, “not a good place for a Westerner”, “nobody speaks English”, etc. [Read more].

Business, China | 5 Comments »

The McKinsey Quarterly recently conducted an interesting survey on “Competition from China.”

With 41% of the answers, China is widely seen as the country where major competition comes from and is likely to continue to come from in the future. China tops by far India 22%, South East Asia 11%, and Eastern Europe 6%.

What are the reasons that make China such a strong contender? [Read more].

Business, China | 1 Comment »

On May 14, I posted an email I received from a friend of mine who moved last year from San Francisco to Chengdu. His message was about the earthquake “seen” from Chengdu. In a new email I just received, he describes his actions as a volunteer for the rescue campaign. I am sharing for all the wonderful synchronicities that happen in life! [Read more].

China | 4 Comments »