Want to know more about Xero?
We love Xero, but, ideally this is not the forum for Xero questions as the session started out. So we pushed over into business process.
.jpg)
For those that want to know more about Xero and ask any questions, #xerocoffee on the First Friday of each month (except Good Friday) is a great place to learn more about what Xero can do for you and to troubleshoot any questions you may have. Sign up for Xerocoffee here
Talking Online Applications for Startups
Software is important, but, the business values behind are the key.
As the small business market looks to migrate to hosted storage, management tools, billing and accounting, the choice of software needs to be considered carefully just like any other large purchase or change in your life.
The Engine Analogy
Since we talk about engine’s quite a fair bit in our analysis of software for your business, let’s compare the decision to buying a car. You could pick the best car, with the fastest engine in the world, this does not mean that the car is:
(a) the right choice for you,
(b) going to make you the fastest or most dominant in a race,
(c) mean that you are capable of driving the car as it was designed to be driven, or
(d) you will get the perceived value you paid for.
Cars like software applications have drivers. The skill of the driver, the skills of the assembly line, tires touching the ground and the ability to anticipate what’s coming around the bend are all skills needed to get the right products in the mix for your business.
Building a scalable back end for your start up
At #startupbeers we focused on trying to not only talk about a great mix of applications that are available for businesses (Xero, eWay, Wufoo, Onelogin etc.) but, we also delved into why a business would choose these applications.
In short, the purpose of these applications is to make sure that you have the right components and the desire and vision behind the wheel to scale your business in a fashion that is “new”. No longer do you need an army of labour to get things done and if you find yourself paying a “General”, then you should sit back and ask what steps he will put in place to negate inflation in the labour force.
So, how do you build a scalable business model when you’re just starting out by yourself?
Practising what we preach
It’s a strange analogy, but, one I’ve used to describe how Interactive Accounting has grown quickly and successfully. (I presented at #xerocon in Auckland in February on this very topic for accountants, check it out here: The Modern Practice
The dinner plate analogy
At startup phase, the business is all you, a whole dinner plate. You are the business, there’s no denying it. We discussed what made it hard to separate out some of the functions and let this go:
- Trust
- Management Skills
- Hiring the right person
- Training time/costs
- Systems in place
- A brand (not just your relationships)
Just to name a few. In short, it’s not a simple scenario you need to be prepared and the first step is the hardest. After this it becomes easier. The main aim is to split out roles and hire people that are excellent at these roles. In short, great leaders in industry always hire people smarter then themselves and make this known.
but, wait, what happened to the beers?
Beers were consumed, politics, security issues and the “how to put together” of online systems was discussed at great length. We also went through attendees website's with our in house digital guru, Rob Daly.
So when’s the next #startupbeers?
Sign up here for the next startupbeers which will be on the 12th of April and if you can’t make it, send any questions via twitter hashtag #startupbeers and we’ll get back to you with the answers ASAP.
