Most small business owners that I meet think that IT is something that only big companies can really see benefits from. While that is true in some respects, not everything is matter of scale. True, a 5-man operation isn’t going to see huge benefits in document/process automation software nor is a 1,000 square-foot warehouse going to see a lot of gain in implementing a full-blown warehouse management system. But that doesn’t mean that everything should be done with spreadsheets!

Here’s a few super-basic places where even 1-man operations should be leveraging technology:

1. A Computer! I don’t care what your business is, you need a computer. Your customers want and expect to be able to communicate with you via email and you’ll need a computer to do any of the rest of this stuff!
2. High-Speed Internet Connection. Dial-up is dead. Your local cable company or phone company can provide high-speed internet for less than $100/month. I just can’t see running a business today without it any more than I can see running a business without a business checking account.
3. Accounting/ERP. There’s no reason not to be using software to keep the books. You can download QuickBooks Free Edition and you really don’t need to be a bean-counter to use it. You can then add modules or upgrade to bigger editions as the need arises. Even the most expensive versions of QuickBooks aren’t very expensive (less than $500). Have a Mac? Then you’ll probably want to look at MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) AccountEdge. There’s not free version, but there is a 30-day trial. If your business involved making widgets and you really need MRP-type functionality, you should be looking at either SAP BusinessOne or Compiere (an OpenSource ERP/CRM that’s surprisingly complete). You can only manage something that’s being measured. If you’re not paying attention to your financial performance and tracking your progress and forecasting the future then you are operating blindfolded!
4. Email. You must have an email address and you must check it at a minimum, once a day. Put it on your business cards, your websites and on your letterhead. This is the modern-day equivalent of having a phone number…it’s not optional.
5. Your own Domain Name. You do have an email address right? Great. Now, let’s have it say you@wondercompany.com and not ralph674@yahoo.com. It’s not hard and it’s certainly not expensive. A personalized domain name costs less than $10 a year and there are very inexpensive services out there that can host your email and website for you for a nominal fee every month. It looks so much more professional. Do the Yahoo! addresses work? Sure they do, but if you were a potential customer for your company, wouldn’t you immediately feel better about a company that has it’s own email address versus ralph674@yahoo.com?
6. Website. Are you listed in the Yellow Pages? Then why aren’t you online? At an absolute minimum, you need to have marketing-type information online. There are 1000’s of services out there that will host a website for you for under $10/month. Many of them offer free templates and wizards to build your online presence as well. Of course, you’d be better off having someone (like us) help you with this step if you’re not comfortable. Do you sell goods that could be shipped? Then open the floodgates and sell your wares on-line!

Feel free to leave a comment below if you want more information about any of these basic steps. There are of course many more things that can greatly improve your operation, but so many I see are missing these basic building blocks that I wanted to start here.

Welcome back again!