mobile commmunications Archives

Part 4: The Last Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets

June 26, 2008 by Liz

Part 4 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

Yesterday, Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets explained how customers online and offline respond to TSheets. Today we’re finding about the guy who made his job tracking time for folks who work offline, mobile, and on the web.

So, Matt, did you dream about Time travel as a kid? Did you wish you had more time to play? How’d you end up in this business?

To be transparent, I remember hearing as a kid that God wasnâ€™t bound by time. God had complete knowledge of what â€œI was going to doâ€ but still gave me the freedom to choose whatever it was I wanted to create. That baffled my mind and actually still does. I think to some degree, every kid dreams about â€˜Time Travelâ€™. I even remember reading a book where a kid found a little shed that when he sat in it, â€˜Timeâ€™ was normal for him but outside the box time would stop. In other words, when he was in the box, maybe 1 year would go by but when he went out of the shed, no time would have elapsed. This book inspired me to find my own â€œshedâ€. So in my 8 x 9ft bedroom- I used a secret closet behind my bed. Whenever I wanted to dream big, I could pull my bed out away from the closet door and squeeze into the closet where there was complete absence of light. And I would sit in darkness â€“ a bit scary if I remember correctly. It was in that closet that I could shut my eyes and travel to any place or any time that I could image. As my favorite place in the world was on the Colorado Uncompahgre Plateau, where I went camping and hunting with my dad– that is where I would often imagine I was.

I ended up in this business not because I enjoyed imagining about time travel or that I liked movies like â€œBack to the Futureâ€. I got into this business because Time Tracking is a real business challenge and I challenge that I experienced firsthand. One of the criteria that I use before Iâ€™ll engage in a business venture is, â€œwill this opportunity create a win/win/win?â€ What I mean by that is,

Will the person that purchases my product/service truly be better off than without?
Will this have a positive impact on the environment?
Will this business provide a growth opportunity for me in every aspect of my life?

TSheets nails each one of these right on the head!

Why is Time valuable?

Why time is valuable? â€“ I believe that everything becomes more valuable as it decreases in quantity. Simply put: time is valuable because from the second we are conceived, time starts running out. Further, to create financial wealth, we exchange our time for money. Thus, if time is worth more than money and we are willing to track our monetary investments, it seems foundational to track our time investments.

As I had mentioned earlier, Time Tracking isnâ€™t sexy â€“ until you turn it into making money. At TSheets, we are passionate about helping you understand where you invest their time.

Thanks, Matt. I’ve enjoyed every minute, . . . um, er . . . but I didn’t keep track.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Part 2: More Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets

June 19, 2008 by Liz

A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 2 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

Yesterday, I started a conversation with Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets to find out more about his business that serves folks who work offline, mobile, and on the web. When we ended Matt and I exchanged two questions.

Matt said: Would you be interested in knowing how TSheets can track time from a cell phone?

I answered: Sure, how do you do it and why would I want to?

Liz, fasten your seatbelt and keep arms and legs inside at all times and prepare yourself, because Iâ€™m about to change your life. The how: we are the first company in history to create a voice activated time tracking software. For example, you can simply dial a phone number and say, â€œHi TSheets, clock me under job code â€œBridge Projectâ€ and add notes â€“ Iâ€™m meeting with the owner to discuss design plans.â€ At that moment, you are â€œclocked inâ€ under a job code and notes have been attached to that timesheet. You can also clock in/out from the iPhone Web app., or regular mobile Web app. too.

The â€œwhyâ€ is blatantly sexy! You see, tracking time isnâ€™t sexy, that is, until you can turn your time into money. Now, Attorneys, Freelance Consultants, Web Designers, Realtors etcâ€¦ can accurately track the time that they invest into clients and projects. And now they donâ€™t have to try and remember what they did or talked about, as it can all be captured right there on their timesheet.

Hmmm. I like turning time into money. Most folks do.
Thanks, Matt! More next week about mobile time.

What do YOU think. Would track your time on your cell phone?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Part 1: A Timely Interview with Matt Rissell of TSheets

June 18, 2008 by Liz

A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 1 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

At Tech Cocktail8, I met Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets. He’s a great conversationalist and in a business that serves folks who work solely offline, those who work mobile, and those who work mostly on the web. He seemed a perfect catch for an interview to find out more about closing the gap between the online and offline business worlds.

Matt, your tagline says “Time is money. Track it.” What does that mean exactly?

Great question Liz. First, let me begin by saying that we are passionate about helping people â€“ in this case, specifically, the business leader. More than ever, time has become more and more valuable as we cram as much into each day as possibleâ€¦

The old saying, “time is money”, has been around since, well, probably the beginning of time, but for some reason people seem to ignore this simple truth. 80% of the population is actually unaware of how valuable time is, how they invest it, and if they have employees, how much is wasted. TSheets wasn’t created because “I had a great business idea” but rather, I was the small business owner who was frustrated with managing labor expenses. With approximately 20 employees I went on a hunt for a time tracking solution. What I found were tools that weren’t practical for the small business owner. Thus, I had my friend build one. After our first month using TSheets for our time tracking, we reviewed the timesheet reports, and it became blatantly obvious that there was some serious time timecard fudging going on. Literally, my companyâ€™s ROI in the first month was $2,000 in reduced labor expenses and increased efficiency! I began to realize that time really does equal money.

To answer your question on a personal level – have you ever found yourself at the end of a busy day, week, month or even year when you realize that things are coming to a close and you begin to get this feeling of, “I know I have been busy but what the heck have I been doing? Where did the time go?â€ It happens to me all of the time. However, now I have a time tracking tool that tells me where I have been investing my time. I set up Job Codes and can now track how much time I have spent with my family, at work, exercising, and even the time I spend volunteering. It’s incredible to have a clear picture of my timeâ€¦ and to be honest, it gives me a real picture what my real priorities are.

I work with are businesses, universities, and individuals. Their needs are different. Their days are varied, often stuffed with meetings, research, or thinking. Many are professionals who find tracking time is not among their favorite things to do. Why would they even look at it?

Liz that’s a great point! We understand that time tracking probably isnâ€™t going to rank very high on the personal â€œTo Doâ€ list. It’s funny, because we are always saying around the TLab (the TSheets Office) that tracking time is as much fun as getting your teeth pulled. But our PASSION truly is – to simplify the life of business leaders by making time tracking fun and easy! Truly, everyone has the opportunity to be a business leader, whether they own their own business, are an employee or student. It’s a mindset not a position. We believe that time is just as valuable for the student, as it is for the professor or the business owner — so our service accommodates each person’s life â€“ regardless of their role.

Because of TSheets’ mobility, it has practical applications for all types of people at each stage of their life For instance, freelancers can track their time spent with each client. Bloggers can track their time writing, researching, or time spent surfing the Web. Students can set up job codes such as homework, internships, and class time. Businesses can track their hourly employee times. Sales Managers can identify areas of weakness to train behavior as opposed to simply managing results. Athletes can track Cardio, Weight Training, and sleep. The impact of having a clear picture of your priorities can literally be life changing.

Would you be interested in knowing how TSheets can track time from a cell phone?

Sure, how do you do it and why would I want to?

That’s the cliffhanger until tomorrow. . . .

Thanks, Matt!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.