Houlihan Capital LLC has upgraded to the next-generation of the Cool Life Systems’ Financial Services CRM

Houlihan Capital LLC, a solutions-driven valuation, financial advisory and boutique investment banking firm, has upgraded to the next-generation of the Cool Life Systems’ Financial Services CRM.  Cool Life Systems will continue to provide Houlihan Capital the robust Financial Services CRM to manage all of Houlihan’s clients, contracts, invoices and opportunities.  The Financial Services CRM provides the Houlihan team the tools to manage email campaigns within the same user interface.

Houlihan Capital’s headquarters is based out of Chicago, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, and provides investment banking and valuation and financial advisory services.  “After being a Cool Life Systems client for several years, we were excited about migrating to the newest version of the CRM.  The previous version was great, but the newest version exceeds our expectations.  The ability to have a holistic view of our clients and their contracts is priceless.  Our whole team is actively using the system, while our marketing department is executing email marketing campaigns with the same system,” said William Butrym, CEO Houlihan Capital.

Cool Life Systems is a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that provides investment banking firms’ tools to communicate with their clients and manage deals within the proprietary CRM.  Features of the system include a reporting dashboard that displays user and database activity, email marketing and a CRM to manage clients, contracts, invoices and opportunities.

“The newest version of the Financial CRM is a great achievement for Cool Life Systems and was recognized by Compare Business Products by being included as a Top CRM Solution.  Financial service firms manage complex and multi-tiered relationships, all while demanding accurate information in real-time aggregating multiple sources of information from transactional inputs. The Financial CRM allows firms to manage, monitor, and ensure consistent communication with clients and their prospects,” said David Cummings, CEO of Cool Life Systems.

Demonstrations of Cool Life Systems’ features and capabilities can be scheduled Monday through Friday, (800) 988-8850 or complete the contact us form.

About Cool Life Systems
Based in Montgomery NY, Cool Life Systems provides cloud based computing solutions that deliver real-time results to several industries that no other firm can match. CLS powers scalable on-demand database solutions that are customized to a company’s unique processes, policies and philosophies for the effective management of customers/clients and staff. CLS is recognized as the benchmark provider of systems, to Professional Service Firms, Financial Services, the Food & Beverage Industry, and Digital Media Platforms that are seeking a single consolidated customer view while being able to execute highly targeted marketing campaigns.

Summit Business Brokers Selects Cool Life Systems

Summit Business Brokers, Inc., a leading provider of financial services, has selected Cool Life Systems, Inc., a supplier of cloud based computing solutions to power their new website and eMarketing campaigns.  Cool Life Systems will provide Summit Biz Brokers a new website (www.summitbizbrokers.com) that is optimized for both desktop computers and smartphones.  The website exemplifies the Summit Business Brokers, Inc. brand and enables two way communication with their current and potential clients via the Social Media Suite and newsletter tool that is powered by the Cool Life Systems’ Customer Relationship Manager (CRM).  The revamped website is going to focus on providing educational resources for today’s baby boomers, who are the largest segment of business owners coming to the stage of their careers that selling is a serious consideration.

Summit Business Brokers, based in Los Angles, California, serves the greater LA region and suburban markets.  “Our clients are owners of their businesses, and rely on us to help guide their decisions.  As technology advances, the baby boomers advance with it, thus requiring the new website to communicate with today’s social media networks,” said John Schmid, Summit Business Brokers.

Cool Life Systems is a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that provides clients tools to communicate with their customers that are stored within the proprietary CRM.  Features of the system include a traditional and mobile website, educational resource library, email marketing, event manager and complete access to the Cool Life Systems’ Social Media Suite.

“At Cool Life Systems we pride ourselves on offering a flexible SaaS solution that is built around real time communication with our CRM.  Summit Business Brokers will be able to utilize our Social Media Suite to build awareness and promote the educational library.  The new website looks great and positions Summit Business Brokers to be an educational resource as well as the perfect professional advocate for their client companies” said David Cummings, CEO of Cool Life Systems.

Cool Life Systems’ features and capabilities are listed on our website (www.coollifesystems.com), online demos  can be scheduled Monday through Friday via toll-free (800) 988-8850 EST or complete the contact us form.

About Cool Life Systems
Based in Montgomery NY, Cool Life Systems provides cloud based computing solutions that deliver real-time results to several industries that no other firm can match. CLS powers scalable on-demand database solutions that are customized to a company’s unique processes, policies and philosophies for the effective management of customers/clients and staff. CLS is recognized as the benchmark provider of systems, to Professional Service Firms, the Food & Beverage Industry, and Digital Media Platforms that are seeking a single consolidated customer view.

Why Your Business Needs To Break Free of Excel

How many business owners either plan or run or both their business with an Excel spreadsheet? Truth be told, I’m a huge fan of Excel. I used Excel to track wedding expenses, my personal budget, even as a basic calculator.  I even lived Excel while working for GE.  But as a business management platform, Excel can and is a real nightmare.

Yet so many folks are using it to do just that.

If tools that are time saving, money saving and allow you to act with confidence matters when making  business decisions are important to you, then you owe it to yourself and your business to have an Excel intervention and see how you can spend your time focusing on the things that really matter like, say, running your business.

But first, let’s look at a few reasons why it’s time to shut down Excel.

Your business is dynamic, and Excel is static

Among larger companies, gone are the days of the formal annual budgeting process. More and more, businesses are adopting a rolling forecast that flexes to the constantly shifting marketplace. These same large companies are swiftly shedding the giant, clunky planning tools of the ‘90s in favor of agile, web-based tools.

But for small businesses, planning is happening in Excel. According to NY Enterprise Report, a whopping 93 percent of small businesses—including those using QuickBooks as their accounting software—are planning and managing their business with a spreadsheet.

The problem, in case we haven’t noticed, is that nothing is static anymore.

Manually keying historical data into Excel is a drag, and manually plying through QuickBooks to understand where you were off target and why the numbers don’t add up is time lost that could be spent thinking about your products and services or your customers. Your business is constantly generating new information, and Excel just sits idly by, waiting for you to fill it up. Then, it provides no “so what” or sense of what’s next.

Even your business model is dynamic

Not only is your data dynamic, but your business model is too. Let’s say you read an interesting article about the emergence of Content Marketing as a fantastic channel for driving new customers your way. You are thinking about dipping your toe in and acquiring tools to help facilitate amazing new content, to facilitate amazing new web traffic, to facilitate amazing new business… you get the idea. To fit that strategy into Excel, you’re adding a row here, inserting 10 there, filling down formulas, and checking the results. Pretty soon, you’re spending more time building your business model when you should be building your business.

Because the very nature of your business is unique, and because it continually evolves, you need tools that are flexible enough to allow you to model out a new channel, or perhaps a new customer segment you’re thinking about going after. You should be able to test out a change in pricing and see the impact to your bottom line instantly. Excel can do that, sure. But it takes so much time to grind it out that most business owners end up following gut instinct rather than owning the numbers. And that’s a missed opportunity.

You need a web app…

Seems like a silly thing to say, right? But it’s true. To kick the Excel habit, your business needs the aid of smart, fast, cloud-based tools that turn a “one person team” into a one person army.

Excel is no longer the go-to place to run and plan your business. The times are changing with a series of new tools like those provided by CLS and they are worth paying attention to.

I’m not saying you have to un-install Excel. But just know that if you want to get back to building and running an amazing business instead of amazing spreadsheets, the days of Excel are numbered.

About www.Cool Life Systems.com
Based in Montgomery NY, Cool Life Systems provides dynamic software as a service business solutions for multiple industries. Cool Life Systems, implements business solutions for a company’s unique processes, philosophies and policies to connect people, systems, and technology, enabling a seamless integration of CRM (customer relation management) processes, websites, and all marketing efforts in one centralized system. Learn how Cool Life Systems’ provide users with the tools they need to grow and manage their business in many areas that include: marketing, sales, lead-acquisition, client management, and project management by visiting our Website at www.CoolLifeSystems.com.

CLS Presents at Orange County Business Accelerator

Cool Life Systems, Inc. (CLS), a provider of cloud based business solutions, gave a presentation titled “Supercharging Your Business Development Strategies” at the Orange County Business Accelerator on April 27, 2011.

The presentation, led by Mike Torticill and Bud Shea, focused on the available technologies that owners of small and medium businesses can use to boost their development, growth and revenue. The presentation also differentiated between businesses that have achieved their growth targets by adopting technology and the small businesses continuing to languish and produce poor returns on investment because they are afraid to investment in technology. Attendees at the presentation also learned:

• How use of email and search engine optimization plays a significant role in business development,
• Why lack of integrated systems costs businesses money and causes inefficiencies ,
• Why sales management systems are just as necessary for a sole practitioner as a 25 person office.

CLS began operations eight years ago as a two person startup and has since maintained annual growth rates exceeding 30%. During the past two years, CLS has achieved market-leading performance in several closely-related high growth market segments. With the market for virtual desktop infrastructure market expected to grow to $65.7 Billion by 2013 according to Gartner Research, CLS’s portfolio of proprietary products and outstanding service record continues to attract numerous clients who recognize the benefits CLS is able to provide their companies. These organizations recognize a global transition to virtualization at the desktop is propelling CLS to become an extraordinary growth story over the next five years.

About www.Cool Life Systems.com
Based in Montgomery NY, Cool Life Systems provides dynamic software as a service business
solutions for multiple industries. Cool Life Systems, implements business solutions for a company’s unique processes, philosophies and policies to connect people, systems, and technology, enabling a seamless integration of CRM (customer relation management) processes, websites, and all marketing efforts in one centralized system. Cool Life Systems’ provide users with the tools they need to grow and manage their business in many areas that include: marketing, sales, lead-acquisition, client management, and project management.

CLS a leader in cloud computing technologies recently attended the 2010 AICPA National Business Valuation Conference November 7 – 9, 2010, in Washington DC as part of their national marketing campaign showcasing their business database & CRM solutions to financial services companies. CLS’ market-leading, SaaS offerings help businesses create efficiencies and improve operational performance.

Cool Life Systems’ CLS 3.0 software accomplishes this by integrating clients business needs into a single application, effectively streamlining operations for an entire business while reducing overhead expenses and unlocking valuable business information with minimal effort. With CLS’ centralized solution, companies can simplify access to information company wide allowing all employees to make better business decisions to drive profitability and performance.

“Our focus and commitment to the financial services industry, by showing to them technology solutions that allow firms grow earnings at multiples they never thought possible, is a cornerstone of our company”, says David Cummings, CEO of Cool Life Systems.

If you did not have a chance to speak with a representative from Cool Life Systems’ during the conference or if you want to learn more about how our product and services create value for your firm, please call Cool Life Systems at 800-988-8850 or e-mail at Sales@CoolLifeSystems.com to schedule a demonstration.

Making the Internet 100x Faster

As businesses and consumers appetite for web based content and Internet driven applications increase, the barrier of slow transmission speeds inhibits the growth and use of data intensive, Internet based applications for all users.  A recent article in Computerworld.com tells about a viable, near term solution being developed by researchers at MIT that could allow Internet use to explode.

The article is short and well worth the 5 minutes to read.  You can access the article here.  Happy Reading!

CRM Data Disconnects

Traveling to conferences always gives me the opportunity to catch up on my reading of marketing journals, new web technologies, b2b best practices.  During a recent trip to Chicago I read an article in B2B Magazine written by Lisa Sutrick.  You can access the article with this link.

I recommend you take the 10 minutes to read the article and then consider your own CRM practices. Some items to reflect upon might include:

• Do the employees at your company have ability to access all client data in one snapshot so that they can make an informed business decision?
• Does your CRM & database package provide a single view of all data?
• What types of data disconnects exist within your business? Why?
• Is it my software, my processes or both that is preventing me from achieving the next level of

Software services, regardless of provider, need to be effective and provide measureable ROI for continued use.  If the software and processes are broken or a data disconnects exists the negative outcome: your business suffers, customer data suffers, user adoption suffers, and customer experience suffers which creates a drag on your business earnings, profitability and reputation.

You need to focus on solutions like CLS 3.0.  The ability of applications like CLS 3.0 to provide integrated platforms that eliminate disconnects surpasses the functionality of many popular applications.  Paying for an application where you can’t measure the returns and capture the benefits means that you are wasting money and not getting  the results you expect and need.  Think about moving to applications that actually produce results.

Cool Life Systems is Semi-Finalist for Government Award

Cool Life Systems, Inc., based in Montgomery New York, has been selected as one of three semi-finalists in New York for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.  The award is the government’s highest recognition for employers that demonstrate exceptional support to employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve.

Cool Life Systems is among 130 semifinalists nationwide selected from more than 2,500 nominations submitted by Guard and Reserve members or their families.  The awards, to be announced in the early summer, will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney of New York City and the county of Suffolk NY, were the two other semifinalists named from 85 nominations in New York.

A hard copy of this press release can be found at the following link.   For more information about this award or about Cool Life Systems, Inc., please contact us at 800-988-8850.

Work on your Business not in it

Small & medium business owners of all stripes have one thing in common – they are looking for financial reward.  James Deyo clearly illustrates, in his article below, the difference between a business owner working for their business and business owner working on their business.  However, he left out one key component – “The How”.  One of the easiest solutions to accomplish “The How” is implementing business technology solutions provided by Cool Life Systems.    The business software tools from Cool Life System allow a business owner to focus on the strategic because their employees have tools to effectively and successfully complete their job without interference, while still being managed.

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There are several reasons why people go off on their own and start a business. Some see the chance for financial success. Others want the freedom of being their own boss. Still others just want to prove something to themselves or others. But, anyone who starts, or buys a small business gets to the point where they ask, “Why did I ever try to do this?” And, even after achieving the success, it’s easy to reflect back on the process and wonder, “How did I ever do that?” In the end, the most meaningful question is, “if I had it to do all over, would I do it again?”

The concept of working “on your business, not in it” isn’t my own. It belongs to Michael Gerber, who wrote about it in his best-selling book The E-Myth Revisited. I’ll touch on the concept here, but I strongly suggest you read the book – you’ll never look at your business the same again! Four (of the many) questions Gerber asks are:

1. How can I get my business to work, but without me?
2. How can I get my people to work, but without my interference?
3. How can I own my business, but still be free of it?
4. How can I spend my time doing the work I love to do, rather than the work I have to do?

Small businesses get started because the owners have a new idea, or something they want to accomplish. Not all entrepreneurs with an idea, however, know how to run a business. They are often well versed in a couple of disciplines, but not all of the ones necessary to really make their business work. So, they do what people normally do. They focus on the things they are comfortable with and don’t look closely enough at tasks they know they should do, but are “hard.”

At some point in time small business owners become consumed by the business – and maybe the possibility of losing it. This fear is compounded by the fact they have to do every important thing themselves because they do not have the necessary infrastructure. If this is where you are – if these are the four questions you are asking yourself – you need to change the way you’re looking at your world. You don’t own a business – you own a job!

If you can sit in your office, put your feet up on your desk, and think about the “big picture,” you’re working on your business. If you are the one who builds, and rebuilds, and tweaks, and re-tweaks the direction of your company, you are working on your business. If you define your job as being the person who prepares your business for growth, you are working on your business. If you are doing what you set out to do one, or five, or 25 years ago when you started your company – and having fun doing it – you are working on your business. If you are not doing these things, you own a job. It may be a high paying job and your family may appreciate you all the more for it, but it’s still a job – and you are working IN your business, not ON it!

The ultimate goal of working ON your business should be to have it function as well as possible without you. In other words, it’s an investment! You’re probably never going to get this investment to the point where you can treat it like a common stock or a corporate bond. But, your objective should be to get as close to that point as you can. If you do, you will own something that is valuable to someone else and you the have the option to sell it. If all you own is a job, don’t expect people to line up at your door to buy it.

Your objective should be to get your business to the point where it is NOT dependent on you! Develop your employees to do things without your involvement. Figure out how to give your customers what they want, without having to go through you. Have your employees take care of the day-to-day tasks, freeing you to focus on the more strategic issues. Build a model for your business that ensures things get done right at the first point of contact.

Getting your business to this point is not going to happen overnight; it takes a conscious, sustained effort and time. If you want to make it happen, you have to make it happen! You must put the processes in place to support it. Any individual who has built a successful, mature business knows how it happened. If it didn’t start with a clear vision of what the “finished product” would look like, the architect certainly developed one early in the process.
Author:  Jim Deyo, Originally published 4/2006. Reprinted with permission.

Cool Life Systems Achieves Significant Growth in 2009; Unveils Strategy for 2010

Cool Life Systems, a leading provider of Software as Service (SaaS) business solutions, announced today that they exceeded forecasted targets in 2009 in both client and revenue growth. In 2009, Cool Life Systems achieved significant increases in revenue and an 18% increase in overall client base. Cool Life Systems also announced its 2010 strategy to develop an exclusive Channel Reseller Program to further capitalize on the substantial gains made in 2009.

The development of a new Channel Sales Program will allow Cool Life Systems to target key multiple market segments that lack a strong technology presence. The initial channels that Cool Life Systems will develop include Professional Services, Eateries & Restaurants, and Groups & Associations. The products being made available to these industry segments are designed for rapid deployment and ease of use by non-technical personnel. As a result of this new program, Cool Life Systems is expanding
to existing staff by adding three additional positions.

“Given that Cool Life Systems, a ‘young’ company, is able to expand and hire three Channel Sales Managers in this turbulent and stressed economic environment, is attributed to the strength, capability and value our software provides,” said David Cummings, CEO of Cool Life Systems. “The addition of our Channel Reseller Program further reinforces our position as a technology and software leader that business owners should turn to as they look to implement technology solutions that allow them to make more money.”

2009 was also a significant year for Cool Life Systems as they garnered awards and accolades. Cool Life Systems was recognized by Financial Advisor Magazine as a leading provider of technology solutions to professional services firms in the financial services market place. Cool Life Systems was also recognized by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve as an employer displaying outstanding support to its armed services employees.

A copy of the original press release for republication can be found here