Technology - Build your business - with it or lose it

Technology is a very scary word for many people. For some business people, especially some veterans, the choice to stick with tested and proven traditional procedures for getting work done is often made with a blind eye turned against any hint of technological adaptation. It is human nature to be afraid of the unknown so it isn’t too surprising when I encounter someone else who is scared stiff by some aspect of technology. If you have fears of the unknown there is a remedy available for that.
Do you remember Encyclopedia Brittanica? This was just about the world’s leading encyclopedia up until the personal computer was fast becoming a ubiquitous path to information. What we must remember in business is that the only CONSTANT thing about business is CHANGE. Technology is becoming more and more inter-twined with nearly every aspect of our lives whether we like it or not, it is a process that is greater than us ourselves. It is true definition of the word,”evolution”. Here’s the mistake that Brittanica made that allowed the next encyclopedia powerhouse to take first place. The company held on to traditional 10 ton package of books (called volumes) and stuck to that as their encyclopedia product. The newcomer back then was Encarta and about the same time, compact discs (CDs) were being developed to hold very massive amounts of information.(If you have some time, place a cd near to a single shelf of books on a bookshelf and stand back and think about which is the easier and more logical format to adapt...a stack of books or a tiny CD). This is just one example but it’s what brought Encarta to the forefront in this niche.
The photography arena is probably the best and most widespread iteration of this marriage of technology and business. One of the biggest companies in this industry, Konica, recently announced intentions to discontinue supporting film photography. Being a photographer myself this really hit home. I’ve spent more time doing digital as opposed to analog photography mainly due to the fact that I’ve made it a habit to incorporate technology into as many aspects of my life as possible. The advantages in digital photography make up an almost endless list. The old argument of film being of higher quality is fading out as newer models of digital cameras are developed and it is now virtually impossible for the average viewer to identify whether a photo was shot digitally or with film. I’ve successfully tied in my photography business with a rock solid MacIntosh OS-based computer and have created an exciting recipe for success.(The MacOS choice is another story for a future post).
Strange enough, I’m not particularly impressed or fascinated by technology. I’m fascinated only when that technology can solve a problem for me. Before getting myself a DVD player, the laptop was the only choice I had to catch a movie at home. I hated the idea of having to be right there in front of the screen when displaying photos from the day’s shoot or adjusting movie volume. I used to wish and hope that somehow, Apple would create some iPod functionality to allow the iPod to double as a remote control for the computer in music and video applications. The company never did this but they recently created a cute remote that does exactly what I had hoped for over 2 years ago. Imagine the look on my face upon learning about this remote. MY PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. When a business solves a problem, it succeeds.
I have similar energy about organisation and scheduling. I cannot imagine what scheduling would have been like in today’s busy world WITHOUT my Palm Zire PDA to help me out. I can make references on the go as fast as I can jot down something on paper. When I get back to the office (my computer) a simple sync feature duplicates/backs up whatever info I created on the road and it can further be archived or shared with little or no headache.
In closing, let me advise every business person to embrace technology. Do not embrace because something may seem cool to you. Embrace to solve and alleviate problems or just make life easier for your day-to-day running of business. Do you have lots of paper work for example? Filemaker Pro is an excellent database tool for business. How about running a convenience store and inventory and stock management takes up a lot of time, try POS-IM or MYOB. If everyone on your staff is not computer literate, step on it and Get Them Trained or at least have them introduced to the world of computers because it can help you earn a lot more money in business in a lot less time.