Why Are Technology Costs So Vague and How Can You Get Clarity?
🚨 The Wake Up Call
Do any of these sound familiar to you?
What is a reasonable number to spend on a computer for CAD work?
What must have email and cloud services do I actually use, and how much is each one costing me—per person, every month?
Is there anything I am paying for that I do not need, so I can save some money on tech and invest it elsewhere?
What should I anticipate in one time and recurring costs for my next hire?
This year I welcomed several new design driven firms as clients, and nearly every conversation started the same way:
"We highly depend on our tech; it just has not been working the best. Having someone we can talk to in plain English and get simple questions answered in a way we can understand could really help us nail the root cause of most everything."
Every single time, those words hit home. Business owners come to me because technology feels like a big dark number on the expense sheet. They know it is necessary, but they have no idea if it is too much, too little, or simply out of place for their company.
It never gets better or easier. In fact, the feeling of being lost and confused grows with every purchase. The feeling grows: no control, no clear answers. Everything about tech spending seems like a gamble. 💸
Sometimes it is just a random Adobe or AutoDesk renewal on a forgotten card. Other times it is the laptops that need to be replaced, always at the worst moment for your team and your budget.
It is like captaining a large cruise ship without sonar. You cannot see what is lurking beneath the water, and every mile forward feels risky. 🚢
🙈 Why It Matters
The Cost of Flying Blind
We all know it is important to budget because that is the only way you can ensure the waters ahead are calm and not rocky. However, it often feels very challenging, if not impossible.
You cannot manage what you do not understand.
Trying to budget for technology without clarity is like steering into thick fog with no instruments. You see new invoices come in and they all feel random. There is a knot in your stomach every time the subject comes up. Over time that lack of clarity erodes trust. Not just in your technology partner, but in your own ability to lead.
Here is the truth. This confusion and tension is not your fault.
Most technology gets delivered by people who love machines more than conversation. Jargon piles up. Everyone nods politely and hopes someone else understands. But if nobody has explained things in plain English, how can you possibly feel in control?
It is a language problem. Not an intelligence problem.
With the series I am starting this week, I am going to change that reality for you.
🔭 What Changes When You See Clearly
But something shifts when you finally see where your money goes.
Instead of talking endlessly about costs, you and your tech partner start talking about progress and possibility. The temperature in the room drops. Decisions get easier.
It is like finally looking through your own personalized binoculars from the captain’s bridge and seeing everything ahead with vivid detail. 🧐
You can make decisions from confidence instead of tension. Suddenly you are not reacting, you are steering.
🧭 The Bigger Picture
Why This Series Exists?
I have seen it over and over. When business leaders learn to see technology costs clearly, they gain something bigger than just insight into technology. They learn the discipline of clarity. That same clarity can change how you budget, how you hire, and how you plan for five years out. Not just for tech, but for any part of the business.
When you know how to read the gauges from the bridge of your ship, you can plan your route with confidence. You know what it takes to get to your next destination without running out of fuel or having anxiety over a million other things that can happen along the way.
Here is my promise. In this series, I will break technology into plain English. No jargon, just the simple categories every business owner can understand:
🖥️ Computers, the stuff you buy once
☁️ Cloud services, the tools you rent
🌐 Network and Internet, the plumbing that connects it all
🙋♂️ IT Support, the people keeping it running
By the end, you will have a formula to forecast and manage tech costs so you can stop reacting and start steering. 🔎
🎲 The Core Truth
When you are in the dark about any part of your business, it becomes a gamble. And even if you are the best gambler in the room, remember, the house always wins. It is best never to roll the dice.
Let us turn on the lights, together.
👉 On the next chapter of our mini series, I will break down how to manage the costs of computers, the things you buy once.
Stay tuned for the next episode, and in the meantime, feel free to reach out and share your frustrations. I am always happy and curious to listen.