Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Nolan Little and my wife Jeana and I own a software consulting company that has been in business since 2007. We moved to Montana from Minnesota in March of 2017 and own also own a small ranch in the Bitterroot Valley with cows, horses, chickens and dogs. Our company specializes in J.D. Edwards CNC (configurable network computing) consulting. JDE is an ERP software that is owned by Oracle. Our work consists of the backend work on the systems including architecture design, installs, upgrades, security, SOX compliance and day to day maintenance of systems.
What is one habit of yours that helps you be productive?
I keep lists of the work that I need to do that I review and update each day to reevaluate priorities, remove tasks and add new tasks.
What is your morning routine and how does it help you get the most out of your day?
I am an early riser, I’m usually awake by about 5 or 5:30. I watch a little of the world news in the morning and then I’m at my desk by 6 or 6:30. I work from home fortunately so I don’t have to worry about any commute. I get my high priority work taken care of first thing in the morning and then around 7 or 7:30 we take care of feeding animals on the ranch. After that my wife and I sit down to have coffee and discuss both work and ranch matters. Then I’m back to work for the rest of the day.
In the last few years, what lifestyle, habit or behavior change has had the biggest positive impact on your life?
I’ve learned to start saying no to customers who have last-minute requests, especially for night an weekend work. If I didn’t do this I would never get much time away from work as unfortunately my type of work already involves a lot of nights and weekends already.
When you feel unfocused, what do you do?
I generally go find a small project on the ranch that needs to be done which helps me clear my head and get back to what needs to be done on the work front.
What is one piece of software or a web service that you get immense value out of? How do you use it?
My outlook calendar. I keep all of my future work schedules in the calendar plus use the tasks for recurring reminders of things that need to be done so that nothing is forgotten.
What is the one book you recommend most often and why?
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. In order to be successful in business you need to develop relationships with all kinds of people from different walks of life. If you aren’t able to do this you won’t go very far. This book will definitely help you learn how to do this better.
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
Work hard, show up early, put your phone done and listen! Just quitting a job because something didn’t go your way is not a good plan – it will come back to haunt you. That seems to be common thing that happens with young people today and it will not help your career.
What is your favorite quote, one you aim to live by?
Treat others as you want to be treated