Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello everyone just here trying to get myself back together!
I`m posting this topic, because what happened to me can happen to any small business. PLEASE BE PREPARED, and go with your gut instinct!!! and if it needs to be done, do it!  there and then and do not hesitate, or put it off till it happens to you.
Well, here is my story, Easter Sunday [night] my office was broken into, and they basically wiped out the place. After doing the math the total value of items taken was around 23, 000.00 all which was hard earned and of course out of my own pocket. The total of items taken were:
4 Core2 - QUAD-Core Professional work stations with 8 GB DDR2 800, the motherboard alone is $1399.99 all the other nice perks made each computer`s value at around 3,210.00K ( 2 flat 24 inch monitors, NVIDIA nforce 680Sli, dvd-cd writers, 500 GB hard drives and so forth.

3 Dual Core  valued at 2,200.00 [ dual flat 30" screens, and the works]
1 MAC PRO with 30 inch monitor $2499.99, Never used it was just set up 4 days earlier but hadn`t had time to use it.
The moral of the story is not to brag about the equipment, it`s to give an example of what can happen to you if you procrastinate, I was in the middle of getting everything insured but was looking for a deal. First mistake!
I was given a good deal two days prior to that but didn`t take it thinking I can bargain the price or perhaps see if I can get a better deal through a friend.
Please don`t wait for this to happen to you: Now I`m 23K out, and not even my bank will give me a loan, Not even DELL, Since I maxed out my credit line purchasing equipment.
PLEASE PROTECT YOUR GOODS, AND IF IT MEANS DISHING OUT AN EXTRA 110.00 A MONTH, DO IT.
CURRENTLY, I`M STUMPED, I`M USING AN OLD 300MB COMPUTER JUST TO GET BY. CAN YOU IMAGINE 300 MB`S?
BOY IS IT SLOW!!




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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Well that certainly has to suck. I`m sorry that happened.

Insurance was my first move, even before business cards.

Then again, at least we know the perpetrators of this crime didn`t lift your machines for the code in them: http://www.startupnation.com/pages/community/forum_posts.asp ?TID=4824&PN=0&TPN=1

So it`s just some computers. That`s easy enough to replace. Maybe they left some web dev manuals.

Ouch! Edgar, that hurts. What are your plans? Did this interupt your ability to bill your clients or did lose their data too? I`m asking because you could had some sensitive billing information on those computers.

Well,
It did shut me down, for a week! but, this far into the business... I can`t quit!. I`ve invested to much time and money into the company that it would be hard just to close down. It was a big loss, but like brandAlchemy said, they are only computers and they can be replaced.
Raisingcapital02, as far as billing no critical information since, I had just moved everything to QuickBooks Online, I went this route simply because I didn`t want to keep upgrading every year having to purchase upgrades, this way they do everything for you.
What`s funny is, the laptop that did have all the important information I found on the floor in pieces, so I was able to recover it by removing the hard-drive and hooking it up to a 2.5 external drive enclosure.


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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

That`s cool. I`ve been looking at online archiving; maybe I should do it also.

Are you sure this wasn`t gang-related, like some MS-13 thing for rouge web developers? See anyone in the area wearing Star Trek t-shirts?

Are you trying to be funny or rude? Why would this be Gang-related? MS-13 is Salvadoreans, I`m Puerto Rican!  By the way, you hide behind that little sailing ship show your identity. Star Trek Shirts? You`re funny



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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Yes, it`s a joke. And no, I don`t hide behind my logo. It`s my logo - is everything a conspiracy to you? Geez...

Based on your photo, I`d recommend you go the same direction...

But thanks for the gang update. Maybe it was the Crips. Were all your machines red?

A JOKE!
BrandAlchemy,
Does it look like I`m in the mood to be joking? Dude there is a time and place for everything. Right now is not the time, and tomorrow doesn`t seem like it either, so the least I want to hear right now is your ignorance.

So what is based on your photo supposed to mean? was that supposed to be racial? Dude! Please, don`t go there, because you`re going to make yourself look bad in front of the crowd.
(my apologies to everyone trying to be supportive, as you can see there are a few that can`t get things straight)



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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Your photo is way too small for me to be racial. I was just implying that you aren`t all that, well, photogenic.

I was thinking about MS-13, however, Maybe it was the notorious `Microsoft -13` gang. Was all your software registered?

Back to the issue at hand. Edgar that stinks and I`m sorry you had to go through that. Do you have a storefront or were these items taken from home? What will you do differently to beef up security?

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Make it count! My Passion: www.jdawgdesign.com - My Rush: www.wyliephotos.com