As I sit at my desk, admiring the cloud, Iam full of questions for the coming year.No, I am not talking about a visible massof condensed water vapor floating in theatmosphere, I am talking about cloudcomputing! You’ve heard about it;everyone says you need it, but what theheck is it? Basically, cloud computing helpsyou dump the software. But still, what doesthat mean to your business? Few thingstie up a business owner’s time and moneyas much as technology does. Computers,software apps, networks and other devicesthat your business relies on are oftencomplex, expensive and time-consumingto purchase and maintain. Thesechallenges are driving more entrepreneursto adopt cloud-based solutions. Here arethe four main reasons you should considermaking the move to the cloud:

1. It is cost efficient. Because you don’thave to purchase additional hardware andsoftware, you’ll save on capital expenses.By moving some of your infrastructure to

From the Chamber President

Forecast for 2014: Cloudy Witha Chance for Entrepreneurship

Leah Bolin

Cullman Area

Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 1104Cullman, AL 35056-1104

info@cullmanchamber.org256-734-0454 | F: 256-737-7443

www.cullmanchamber.org www.visitcullman.org

VOLUME 45 | JANUARY 2014 | ISSUE 1

On behalf of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Af-fairs Committee, we would like to invite you to attend a panel presentation onthe “State of the Community” sponsored by Freedom Insurance - Gloria Wil-liams Agency on January 16. The event will be held at the TP Country Clubfrom 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

Mayors from each of the 11 municipalitiesof Cullman County have been invited to speak.BAILEYTONCOLONYCULLMANDODGE CITYFAIRVIEWGARDEN CITYGOOD HOPEHANCEVILLEHOLLY PONDSOUTH VINEMONTWEST POINT

The purpose of this forum is to provide the county and each of the municipali-ties in Cullman County the opportunity to share information on their commu-nity with Chamber members and the business community.

Thank you also to our program sponsor Premier Bank of the South

Chamber to host “State of theCommunity” on January 16

the cloud, you won’t need to hire IT staffor devote hours of your own time to ITmaintenance.

2. You can access your data fromanywhere. Cloud-based storage and appslive on remote servers and are web-based.This means that you and your employeescan access them from anywhere, on anydevice, with a browser and an internetconnection.

3. Your data is automatically backedup. How many of your businesses weredown for days, weeks or even longer afterthe tornado of 2011? Most businessowners understand the importance ofbacking up essential data, and yet it’sprobably still one of the first tasks to fallby the wayside. Having your dataautomatically backed up through a cloudprovider gives you one less daily worry,and it ensures that your files are protectedin the event your business suffers a poweroutage (or a tornado!).

4. It makes collaboration easy. Cloudservices have made document sharing,real-time editing and other forms ofcollaboration a cinch. Because most of theapps are browser-based, you and youremployees don’t have to waste timelearning different interfaces, waiting foremail attachments to download, ortranslating documents from one format toanother.

Technology is helping every business, largeand small, to move forward. Because ofnew technologies like cloud computing,entrepreneurs can build companies at afraction of the cost as compared to earlieryears. Despite the difficult economy - andin many ways because of it -entrepreneurship is alive and well.Whether you are on Main Street or on theweb, the forecast looks bright for 2014.Use the resources of the CoC. We arehere to help.

*Intuit Small Business

www.CullmanChamber.org

-OPEN TO PUBLIC-

Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce - Eyes of Progress - January 2014

Chamber helped to celebrategrowth in the Cullman area

Shimmer & Glo Tanning and Beauty Salon216 2nd Avenue SE, Cullman

Serra Visser Nissan1724 Cherokee Avenue SW, Cullman

Deep South Classics118 5th Street SE, Cullman

The convenience of cellphones hasmade it possible to talk to othersanytime and anywhere, but there isstill an art to using the phoneproperly in a professional setting.We will cover what to know aboutspeakerphone, ring tones, greetings,speaking volume, voicemails andmore. In addition, the session willcover suggested phrasing forprofessional phone etiquette in anoffice environment to create a goodimage when answering, handlingcomplaints, transferring calls oraway from the office. These simpletips are easy to immediatelyimplement in any organization!

Karen Sladick is a premier expert inproductivity and leadership training. Forover 7 years, her training sessions andkeynote speeches have helped professionals,leaders, teams and organizations improveoutput, increase speed in execution and savetime at work. She educates, entertains and

Lacy Beasley, Vice President of BusinessDevelopment, Retail Strategies, LLC, willspeak to the group on January 23 at 8:00amand seating is limited. Please contact JackieMoore at the Chamber at 256-255-0723 orjmoore@cullmanchamber.org for moreinformation.

The Chamber will host the January“Community Luncheon” (formerlyFourth Friday Luncheon) on Friday,January 24, in the All SteakRestaurant Banquet Room (323 3rdAve. S.E.). Senator Paul Bussmanand Representatives Mac Buttram,Ed Henry and Randall Shedd willgive an overview of what'shappening in Montgomery.

Cullman Area LegislativeDelegation Public Address

The event is sponsored by MitchSmith Chevrolet.Doors open at 11:30 am to allownetworking opportunities before theprogram begins at 11:50 am. Lunchis $15 per person for Chambermembers and $20 for "Future"members. Reservations in advanceare required*. Please register onlineat www.cullmanchamber.org orRSVP by contacting the Chamber viae-mail at info@cullmanchamber.orgor by calling 256-734-0454.* 48 hours cancellation notice or subject to billingNo payments will be taken at the door but can be in-voiced or paid online.

Nominate yourfavorite smallbusiness todayThe Retail Committee of the CullmanArea Chamber of Commerce isproud to provide special recognitionto our small business community bypresenting one (1) monthlyrecognition award and one (1) yearlyaward. Monthly award winners willbe considered the nominees for theyearly recognition award to bepresented at the Cullman AreaChamber of Commerce AnnualMeeting held each February. VisitCullmanChamber.org to show somelove to your favorite business.

SMALL BUSINESS

OF THE MONTH

1655 Cherokee Avenue SWCullman, AL 35055

(256) 734-6430www.mschev.com

Facebook: The-Spot-Discount-Beverages

Brought to you by:

- SEMINARS THIS MONTH -

www.mschev.com

motivates professionals to improveworkplace productivity.

Get what you need to begin anorganized year in 2014 . Be sure totake advantage of this seminarsponsored by Charter Business atthe Chamber on January 30 from8:00am to 12:00pm. Cost forMembers is $129 per person (FutureMembers - $159). To register onlinevisit www.cullmanchamber.orgunder the events calendar. Pleasecontact Jackie Moore at 256-255-0723 orjmoore@cullmanchamber.org formore information.

Action Environmental, LLCAK Equipment Rental and Sales, IncCarmen Moss DMDCullman Internal Medicine

To sponsor a student contact jmoore@cullmanchamber.org

January 15 - Agri-Business Day

Breakfast SponsorPepsi Cola Distributing Company

Lunch SponsorJeb Williamson, CPA LLC

www.merchantsbankal.com

Brought to you by:

Cullman Regional Medical CenterCullman Rotary ClubHeritage Diagnostic CenterWebb Wheel Products, Inc.

Thank you to ourScholarship

sponsors:

- COMMUNITY LUNCHEON -PRESENTED BY:

Mickey ParrishState Farm Insurance& Financial Services

256-734-4640 | MickeyParrish.com