This month we added four new service categories to our local business directory for the Coastal Bend: AI phone answering, workflow automation, custom software, and AI consulting. We also launched a new internet safety tool called Shield, you can install it on a spare computer at home, or use a cloud version if you don't have spare hardware. The big move: we're the only directory in the Coastal Bend offering these services, and we're keeping them honest with real guides based on work we actually do.
NPCLocal is our local-services site that connects Coastal Bend folks with local pros, plus a jobs board.
By The Shop · Dispatch from Alice
You can now find four types of tech services on our Coastal Bend business directory: AI phone answering (a system that answers your business calls), workflow automation (software that handles repetitive tasks for you), custom software (programs built for your specific business), and AI consulting (someone who helps you figure out if and how to use AI). We're the only directory in the region with these categories, and we filled them with honest guides based on real work we do every day.
Each category comes with six or more real questions people ask when they're trying to figure out if this stuff works for them. No hype. No 'best' rankings. Just straight answers. Spanish and English both.
You can install Shield on any spare computer that stays plugged in, an old laptop, a desktop in a closet, anything that runs all day. It turns that machine into an internet filter that protects every device on your home or office network. Your phone, your tablet, your kids' devices, they all get filtered through that one computer.
If you don't have a spare computer to turn into a filter, you can use the cloud version instead. You change a setting on your device or install an add-on in your browser, and the filtering happens right there. No box to manage. No computer that has to stay on.
We've connected our computer shop to Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, and other business listing sites. That means when you search for a computer shop in Alice, Texas, you find us in multiple places.
If you've never posted a job on our jobs board before, your first job post is free. One per email address. Ninety days to use it. Same protection as a paid post.
The jobs board works in Spanish. When someone searches for work in Spanish, they see the same jobs. The apply form asks for name, message, and contact info in clear Spanish. Job posts stay in English, we don't translate those, but everything else is bilingual.
When our daily articles mention one of our local services, the laser engraving shop, the photo magnet tool, the jobs board, the weather site, the first mention links to it. No more dead ends. You read something useful and you can actually go try it.
The daily paper has a section that links to good articles and videos on topics that matter to small shops: how to protect yourself from ransomware (malicious software that locks up your files), how to back up your data, how to use accounting software like QuickBooks, how to set up wifi, and similar. No political stuff. No competitor links. Just practical, useful content.
Our laser engraving shop uploads videos to YouTube. You see tumblers (drinking cups), signs, and custom gifts getting engraved in real time. The videos post on a schedule so they hit YouTube and Facebook when people are actually watching, not all at once.
We built a course on computers and AI designed for your phone from the ground up. It's not a desktop course squeezed onto a small screen. It's built for how you actually read on a phone.
Calallen, a town near Corpus Christi, is now a standalone city on the directory, matching the weather site. You can search for services in Calallen and post jobs in Calallen. It's no longer grouped with Corpus Christi.
This month we added four new categories to the directory: AI phone answering (a system that answers your business calls), workflow automation (software that handles repetitive tasks), custom software (programs built for your specific business), and AI consulting (someone who helps you figure out if and how to use AI). We're the only directory in the Coastal Bend with these categories. That means they stay useful and honest.
This short video from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission breaks down exactly how a ransomware attack starts and what a small business owner can do right now to stop it before it wipes out their files. It comes straight from the feds, it is free, and it is plain enough that you can watch it with your whole staff in one sitting.
This free step-by-step guide walks you through fixing slow mesh Wi-Fi the right way, starting with node placement and reboot order before you spend a dime on new gear. We like it because it covers the stuff that actually trips up small shops, like weak backhaul, sticky clients that won't roam, and ping spikes on video calls.
This is a free workshop straight from Google that shows small business owners how to use AI tools like Gemini to knock out real everyday tasks, not just theory. We like it because it is built for folks with no tech background and walks you through actual things you can do this week.
We found this one real useful because it walks you through the right tools to have on hand and the safety steps to follow before you crack open any device yourself. If you have been paying a shop for fixes you could probably handle at home, this video is a solid place to start.
