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I’m never surprised when I sit across from a business owner who’s fed up with technology. Whether it’s the nightmare tech failures they’ve endured over the years, the constant news of new cyber threats, or losing hours on a random Monday morning trying to complete something that should’ve taken 30 minutes, the frustration is real. I completely understand the desire for tech to just work and stay out of the way. But this mindset can limit your business’s potential. Unfortunately, many IT providers reinforce this belief by setting up only the bare minimum, which means less for them to support. Sticking to the basics and avoiding frustration makes sense, but what if there was a way to get more out of your technology without adding complexity? What if technology could simplify your team’s daily work, streamline processes, and unlock new possibilities for your entire business?
Work with an IT partner that understands your industry
Creative teams thrive when they’re equipped with intuitive systems that take care of the boring parts and create consistency they can easily follow. In this industry, the biggest cost is always talent, and the one thing always in short supply is time. Time-saving strategies not only boost productivity but also reduce costs. The right IT partner will already have a solid understanding of your industry and recognize the importance of investing time to learn the nuances of your unique business. Only then can you access technology that truly transforms your business and supports your goals.
Don’t Be Afraid of Change
As a business owner, one of the first things I had to learn was how to calculate the cost of taking time off. Realizing it’s not just about delaying current opportunities, but also missing out on new potential ones, was a major revelation that motivated me to plan vacations that were truly worth taking. Sometimes, I meet business owners who rely on tools or processes they’ve used for years but haven’t done the math to understand the true opportunity cost of holding themselves back. While adapting to new ways of doing things can take time, and poorly planned changes can be painful, avoiding change altogether is not an option—especially in business. When others in your industry are running 20% to 50% more efficiently, the true cost of not evolving could be the difference between elevating your brand and becoming irrelevant. Start by evaluating where your business might be holding back, listen to your team’s input, and don’t be afraid to explore new ways to evolve and stay relevant.
Integrate and Save Time, Automate and Reduce Errors
As a task manager, we use Asana and built an integration that automatically creates tasks for everything that comes through our client support platform. This means that whether it’s a client request or an internal project, every to-do item is in one place where we can sort, organize, and track them. In addition, we created an automation labeled ‘snooze’—with a single click, it pushes back the due date of a task, moves it to a future task folder, and removes its priority, all in one step. These integrations and automations have helped our team reduce errors caused by manual processes and save us hours every day. When you look at your team’s workflow, you’ll likely spot areas that could be better integrated and low-value tasks that can easily be automated. This could include everything from onboarding a new team member to spending hours composing emails, setting up folders, and gathering information when a new project starts. Seek out and prioritize replacing manual work with integrations and automations to reduce human error and free up your team for more creative, high-value work. Your IT partner should be your greatest ally in helping you through this process.
We all have our beliefs and mental maps about how things should be set up and function. After all, we can’t keep questioning and changing everything constantly. Plus, every system that’s contributed to your success was likely put in place by you with great care and attention to detail. But as the world continues to evolve, your most important responsibility as the leader is to ensure that you, your team, and your business adapt and grow with it. Stay curious and open to change, and you’ll find new opportunities for growth and success in places you never expected.
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
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