Rise and Shine: Your Daily Dose Of Business Tech Inspiration

QR codes are everywhere — from menus to payments to marketing campaigns — but are they still safe?

In this episode, Charly explores the surprising security risks tied to QR code usage and shares smart ways businesses can protect their brand and their customers.

📌 You’ll discover:

✅ The real reason QR codes exploded in use (hint: not just the pandemic)

✅ How fake QR codes (quishing) trick customers into giving up person...

Your contact form might be working against you — without you even knowing it.

In this episode, Charly dives into how broken contact forms can silently sabotage your business by blocking leads, frustrating potential clients, and destroying your brand credibility.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ Why broken contact forms go unnoticed until it’s too late

✅ The common causes — outdated plugins, spam filters, poor mobile optimization

✅...

Is that “WAF” checkbox on your hosting plan worth paying for? In this episode, Charly demystifies Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) — what they do, how they work, and whether your business actually needs one.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ The difference between regular firewalls and WAFs

✅ How WAFs protect your site from login attacks, form abuse, and malicious requests

✅ The pros and cons of software, appliance, and cloud-based WA...

Email marketing platforms are slashing or removing free plans — and it’s not just “greed.” In this episode, Charly breaks down the real reasons behind the shift and offers practical alternatives for small businesses, side hustlers, and local clubs who still need to build and maintain a list.

📌 In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ Why free tiers are vanishing across major email platforms

✅ The economic and technical reason...

An expired SSL certificate isn't just a tech oversight — it can tank your traffic, stop your sales, and trigger total chaos in your email, CRMs, and customer trust.

In this episode, Charly breaks down exactly what happens when your SSL certificate runs out, why it often gets missed, and what steps you must take to avoid disaster.

📌 Here’s what you’ll learn:

✅ What browsers, users, and search engines do when your SSL e...

If you're using AI to write your blog posts, product descriptions, or web copy — are you still the legal owner of that content?

In this episode, Charly breaks down the murky (and evolving) world of AI content ownership. Just because the words came from your prompt doesn't mean the law sees them as yours. Learn how to protect your brand, stay compliant, and avoid accidental public domain content.

📌 Inside this episode...

If you're using AI to write your blog posts, product descriptions, or web copy — are you still the legal owner of that content?

In this episode, Charly breaks down the murky (and evolving) world of AI content ownership. Just because the words came from your prompt doesn't mean the law sees them as yours. Learn how to protect your brand, stay compliant, and avoid accidental public domain content.

📌 Inside this episode:

✅ Why AI-genera...

Think a privacy policy is just a checkbox? Think again. In this episode, Charly breaks down why just having a privacy policy isn't enough to keep your business safe.

Many countries now legally require specific details in your policy — and skipping them can cost you millions. But beyond avoiding fines, a solid privacy policy builds customer trust, protects your business, and is often required by third-party services.

📌 In...

Imagine coming home from a trip, turning on your laptop — and seeing a screen asking for a BitLocker recovery key. Panic? You’re not alone.

In this episode, Charly explains what BitLocker is, why you might suddenly be locked out, and most importantly, how to recover access to your device if it ever happens.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ What BitLocker does and why it’s used

✅ How to check if it's enabled on your PC

✅ Where ...

In this milestone 600th episode, Charly Leetham walks you through setting up a passkey on your Stripe account — and why it’s critical for your online security.

This isn’t just a tutorial. It’s a wake-up call to protect your financial platforms with modern, passwordless login methods that use biometrics or a PIN.

📌 In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ What passkeys are and how they work across devices

✅ Why Stripe enabl...

When someone leaves your team, what happens to their Microsoft 365 license and email? In this episode, Charly walks through the smart and secure way to free up a license without losing access to important inbox content.

📌 Here’s what you’ll learn:

✅ Why deleting the user immediately can cause problems

✅ How to convert a user to a shared mailbox — step-by-step

✅ What happens to inbox access and login after conversion

Think your website should be indexed by Bing but it's not showing up? You might need IndexNow. In this episode, Charly dives into the open-source protocol that could streamline your SEO efforts. She also shows you exactly how to enable it with SmartCrawl Pro.

📌 Here's what you'll learn:

✅ What IndexNow is and how it works

✅ Conjecture on why Bing and Yandex support it — and why Google doesn’t (yet)

✅ How to enable IndexNow on WordPres...

Struggling to get your site listed on Bing? You’re not alone. In this episode, Charly walks through live troubleshooting of a real client site that’s stuck in indexing limbo—even after sitemap submission and backlinks from high-authority domains.

📌 Learn what might be holding your site back:

✅ What “indexed” really means (and why it matters)

✅ How to use Bing Webmaster Tools to uncover issues

✅ Why your meta descriptions and backlinks...

Ever wonder what’s lurking on your web server? In this episode, Charly shares a real-world server audit that uncovered years-old WordPress installs, malicious PHP files, and leftover databases — all hidden risks just waiting to be exploited.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ Why abandoned WordPress installs can be major security holes

✅ What encrypted payloads are and how they work

✅ How to identify and clean out malicious or outdated...

Feeling overwhelmed by SEO advice? Charly strips it back to the essentials in this episode, explaining exactly what you need to do (and avoid) to help your website rank — without falling for spammy tricks or getting penalized.

📌 You’ll discover:

✅ Why metadata like site title and description still matter

✅ The best WordPress SEO plugins Charly recommends

✅ How to pick and place keywords naturally in your content

✅ Why backlinks can hel...

Struggling to get your site listed on Bing? You're not alone — and there's a fix. In this episode, Charly walks you step-by-step through using Bing Webmaster Tools to submit your site, verify ownership, and boost visibility.

📌 You'll learn:

✅ How to set up a Bing Webmaster Tools account and verify your domain

✅ Why submitting an XML sitemap is critical for search indexing

✅ How to create and manage a sitema...

Ever felt burned by a “new customer” deal that leaves loyal users behind? In this episode, Charly unpacks her reaction to a Xero ad offering deep discounts and gift cards to newcomers — while long-time users continue paying full price.

📌 Inside this episode:

✅ Why loyalty pricing matters to small businesses

✅ The risk of alienating long-term customers

✅ Real talk on rising SaaS costs vs. value received

✅ A reminder ...

Ever had a moment of panic when your website suddenly vanishes? In this episode, Charly explains what really happens when a website goes down — and how to handle it like a pro.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ Common reasons websites go offline (DNS, server failure, attacks, expired domains)

✅ What to check before contacting support (screenshots, errors, network tests)

✅ How to clearly communicate the issue to your tech team

✅ Tip...

Thinking of buying one of those "magic" dongles that promise global internet access without VPN fees? In this episode, Charly breaks down what a Decentralized Private Network (DPN) really is and why it might be too good to be true.

📌 You’ll learn:

✅ What a DPN is and how it compares to a VPN

✅ Why these devices can pose serious security and privacy risks

✅ How your bandwidth, data, and legal liability could b...