Success in modern times calls for modern technology
July 31, 2012Are you using yesterday’s technology to succeed in tomorrow’s world?
Kevin Weir
Do you remember the old IBM Selectric typewriter? I remember seeing one for the first time in 1980 in my high school typewriting class. Since there were only a few of them, most of us had to use the old manual typewriters that were probably used in the Pentagon in World War II. Once I was able to use it, my typing speed and accuracy went sky high, and I gained an immense measure of confidence in my typing ability. Yes they were far more expensive than manuals, but the productivity gains more than made up for their expense.
However today, do you see IBM Selectric’s used in the workplace? Nope. They sit in an old storage room under a plastic cover, a memory of a distant past that we will never see again. The fact is technology is moving ever higher and ever more productive and innovates in today’s world. So let me ask you, are you stuck in an IBM Selectric world when you should be looking at using the latest technologies to make your business more productive?
Let me give you a great example. I once met a prospective client who was wanting to exit his business and retire, but was trapped working 70+ hour weeks. When I asked to see his financials he pulled out an old leather-bound bookkeeping system with the classic hand ledger debit and credit entries filled in by hand. I asked him how many hours a week he worked on his financials and he told me anywhere from 10-15 hours. I told him about modern computers and how a program like QuickBooks could cut that down to less than two hours a week. His response was “I’m to old to learn all that new-fangled stuff, and besides, it would take to much time.” Last time I checked he is still there, still plugging away.
So what technology do you need to incorporate into your business today? Is it new computers? New software that will save you and your team time and money? New devices that improve a customer’s experience? Always look at your technology expenditures as an investment instead of an expense and make sure you always have that in your budget. Stop wasting time trying to use yesterday’s technology to succeed in today’s business environment, and instead invest in tomorrow’s technology to ensure your future business success.
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