Make a Difference!

By Jeffrey D. Roth, CEO

With the approaching holiday season, it's a good time to stop whining about how awful 2009 was economically (for many of us) and focus on what we have to celebrate in our lives.

True, it's been tough for some, while others have found new ways to drive new revenue streams and create profits! At SWK, we constantly attempt to move forward. This may mean embracing a new mobile technology or discovering shortcuts for our clients that same time and money. We have found success this year by increasing our services revenue, even though new software license revenues were down.

In 2009, we reassessed our role as a trusted advisor to our clients, taking this role a bit more seriously this year and always striving to provide that extra bit of value that clients always appreciate. It's amazing how you can always find new ways to provide sensible advice with little or no cost to those you serve.

Speaking of serving, the holidays are always a great time to give something back to those who have less than others. When my children were young, I encouraged them to serve turkey dinners at a church homeless shelter on Thanksgiving or clean out their closets of clothing they never wear.

As a professional services company, we are integrated into our local communities – always finding new ways to give. This may be money of course, but there is no donation that means more than human contact; we are on the brink of the days in the calendar when this matters most.

So find something that has your signature on it – a cause that matters to you that is important and that makes your company stand out in the community. While this can be an important differentiator from your competitors, serving others warms the hearts of both givers and receivers – and for that, there is no substitute!

I am interested to hear of how you or your company has made a difference in your community. Please share your story. Send me an e-mail and we'll include it in the next edition of the SWK Insider.