Time-constrained ...

Sorry for the lack of updates. That usually means progress, and I'm too busy to write. Sometimes, however, it means hopelessness. The software startup is progressing well, the six-month startup had some rough patches but is back on track this week. I'll share more when I have more time. In the meantime, be sure to follow the @iterinc twitter feed. I do post there more frequently, especially when time is lacking ...

Small-business email and mistyped addresses

Just got off the phone with a potential supplier who I had spoken with last week about the six-month startup. I had promised to send him some specs. Why hadn't I sent them yet? 

I was surprised. I had sent the email, and was wondering why he hadn't responded. Was I being blown off because we are too small, or is he not that responsible about following through?

Turns out that there were two problems. I had mistyped his email address when he gave it to me over the phone, so he didn't receive it. But his company's email server should have immediately bounced my message as undeliverable. It didn't, so I didn't even know I had made a mistake. Frustration and impatience were the results on both sides, although the phone calls helped clear up the situation and get things back on track.

The moral of the story: If you are a small business owner with a dedicated .com domain for your email, make sure it is properly configured to handle email problems, and notifications are sent out to anyone affected by or responsible for missent emails or email outages. Really small companies may not have a dedicated IT staff, but there are consultants out there who can troubleshoot and fix problems. Many other people (myself included) have our company email hosted on Gmail through the cloud-based Google Apps.