Why is the right software so important to run a small business?
We have all heard the old adage, Time Is Money. It’s a saying that rings especially true for small business owners. As a small business owner myself, I understand this first hand. Depending on the day, I may wear more hats than you’d find at the Kentucky Derby. And honestly, the same goes for the rest of the management team. As a small business, what matters is that the job was done. There’s no room for ego and job titles to get in the way.
The Right Team
So time is at a premium for small business owners. They are generally the go-to person for almost every function. Payroll, sales, marketing, product design, hiring, managing receivables, the list goes on and on. Having the right team in place is absolutely key in these situations. A good number of small businesses fail at this point because of incorrect hiring decisions. These poor decisions, made at a critical time can have disastrous effects on the business. On the other hand, just as a bad hire can tank a small business, the right hire can have exponentially positive effects.
Meet The New Team Member
The importance of putting together the right team is nothing new to entrepreneurs. So as we sit here, over halfway through 2018, let me propose a thought experiment. What if we think of the software we choose to run our businesses, as just another team member? Now this isn’t a mind-numbing, Freudian-style thought experiment, but let’s explore this for a moment.
- Client management
- Billing
- Contract management
- Staffing
- HR
- Project management
- Inventory tracking
You can find a software solution for each of these tasks. Each product may solve their specific problem the way you want, or maybe they won’t. Some of the solutions you find may talk to some of the others you find, some may not. Some of them may fit into your budget, and you guessed it, some probably won’t. So if we consider these software solutions to be team members, what do we have now? Not a team I want to be a part of.
Your software should be one (or some) of the hardest working team members. Always available, always up to date with the latest info, and let’s you know when the things you care about change. They communicate with each other and solve problems together. That’s the kind of team a small business owner needs.
The Right Software
By looking at the software as a real team member, we gain valuable perspective needed when evaluating our next software choice. The goal becomes finding software that works with you and your team, not against it. Ideally, you should be able to get all of your daily business tasks done using one solution. It’s the way some of the biggest companies on the planet operate.
Think about it … If your whole team is using the same tool to get their daily work done, how much time do you think you would save? No need to bother teammates just to get an update. No more lost time to tracking down the info you need. It works as one of the team members, increasing efficiency and your productivity.
Bento Systems
Full disclosure, I own a software company that specializes in small business software. The company is called Voltz Software and our small business solution is called Bento Systems. It’s the result of a career spent solving small business problems with software. We would love for you to check us out the next time you get ready to make a decision about your business’s software needs.
