Welcome Ainsley Monahan!

Christine gave birth to our daughter, Ainsley Grace Monahan, on August 7. I set up a web site with all the details and photos: www.ainsleymonahan.com.

Lucky Friday the 13th!

I know it's Saturday, but I had a busy day yesterday and I'm just now getting a chance to post an update. Turns out that Friday the 13th is a lucky day for me! I have three updates from last week, in order from least-to-most significant:

1. I have been making great progress with my consulting business, Triangle Web Applications. I now have several projects going with three e-commerce clients and there is no shortage of demand for the services I am providing.

2. I have accepted a position with a local start-up in Raleigh. As Director of Customer Operations for Consert, I will be setting up a new customer service team, handling the company's IT resources, and helping out with general business operations. It's going to be a lot of work, but it should be fun to work with such a small - and extremely talented - team.

3. From the ultrasound on Friday, we learned that we are definitely having a girl! Having grown up with only brothers, this will be both exciting and very new for me. We're cleaning up the library/office and getting ready to turn it into a nursery. Hoping to pick out some new wall colors this week and start building a registry as we find things we'll need for the big day (August 1st is Christine's due date).

Snow Day

I snapped a few quick photos of the snow this morning. This is the first snow (that's stuck to the ground) since we moved to North Carolina in 2005.

http://photos.mbmonahan.com/SnowDay#slideshow

Triangle Web Applications

I have officially launched my new business venture! Say hello to Triangle Web Applications.

Triangle Web Applications will be focused on two core business opportunities:

1) Developing web sites and Internet marketing strategies for small businesses:

Primarily focused on the "mom & pop" retail segment, I will assist clients in developing an e-commerce presence and marketing their products via the Internet. This includes selecting & implementing storefront solutions; managing e-mail and search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns; and integrating with current back-office & point-of-sale (POS) systems.

2) Building a new line of SaaS (software-as-a-service) applications for small to medium-sized businesses:

I have a new software product in the early stages of development. This will be a hosted web application, also known as Software-as-a-Service, which will provide clients with a flexible platform for managing multiple aspects of their business. I'm keeping the details under wraps for now, but I can share the three tenets which will guide the development of the application: innovation, simplicity, and service.

As part of the business launch, I also have a new small-business focused blog:

Business InfoTech Strategies

The inaugural post is live. I welcome any feedback you have on the blog - you can add a comment or send an e-mail to bits@trianglewebapps.com.