Is sustainable scalability is a fancy way of saying “roll with the punches?” Maybe. If so, that analogy presumes two things. First, that all business owners know to expect the punches. Second, that we all know where to look for the punches to come from. Right now we are watching multiple economic indicators so we can scale up or down for a possible recession. The effects of war in Europe—how can younger generations know what those might be? “Unknown vulnerabilities” is a self-defining expression. You can’t know what you don’t know. To me, these are the Big 2 challenges in the ability to scale up or down sustainably.
Unexpected Changes Are Not Necessarily Loud, Dramatic OMGs
Here is one we all know. Your best employee moves on to the next chapter in their career with a new company. You then discover they took years of undocumented expertise with them. This can cause tremendous stress on remaining team members and occasionally lead to other resignations. Do you have mandatory documentation policies in place at your business? Does someone monitor the documentation? Having to track procedures and record your business’ daily history is crucial for every business. Losing employees is not unexpected. Learning there is no record of why and how they were so effective—where to begin to reconstruct? Not your best use of time. Resolve to make part of doing the job tracking what worked, what failed, and who all was involved.
Have You Guessed At How Well Your Technology Systems Are Working Lately?
A good business owner is comfortable wearing many hats. In addition to a passion for the business itself, a good owner is happy to learn other facets of successful commerce like how to recruit and retain good help, how to find new clients, how to bounce back from various normal business traumas, etc. But too many good business owners are content to believe that no news is good news when it comes to the mysteries of their computer systems. An unexpected cyberattack is one of the worst things that can happen to an organization. It could be the result of an undiscovered software vulnerability, a security bug that hackers exploited before the patch was released, or a security flaw where the company released a patch that you missed. Outdated systems expose your network to hackers, lower overall productivity, and could even push your most valuable employees out the door because they are tired of dealing with shoddy systems that make their jobs hard. Out-of-date legacy systems might become your growth story’s saddest chapter — the consequences of which can have a significant financial impact on your organization.
Get Help—Just As You Would For Sales, Finances, Or Insurance Coverage
To avoid repeating these mistakes and to achieve long-term scalability, you’ll need a thorough understanding of the tools and best practices required to address every IT situation, as well as a lot more time and effort than you may have available in your hectic schedule. Working with a managed service provider (MSP) can relieve you of this significant burden. Simultaneously, your IT partner can give you the necessary guidance and expertise to help you navigate unexpected changes and unknown vulnerabilities.
Why look further? Aptica’s years of experience and subject knowledge might be just what you need. Reach out to us for a no-obligation consultation. Honestly—we are happy to answer your questions about a complicated but critical cog in your business wheel. It will be a partnership that pays dividends on your investment. 260.243.5100
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2101, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 20+ years in the region that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo OH.http://www.apticallc.com/problems-we-solve