What are they and why do you need them?
This is a simple question that we get all the time. Managed digital tools are essential for small businesses. You won’t know their true value until you are actually running your business. And when I say run a business, I mean dealing with the marketing, sales, conversion, fulfilment, nurturing and the list goes on and on… on.
After a while, you will find yourself doing 80 hours a week and never getting anywhere. More projects are coming in, your business is growing quickly but you still can’t deliver. Why is that?
That is because you are working for your business instead of the business working for you!
Trust me, I have fallen for this trap over and over again with all the businesses I have set up over the years. It’s also the number one complaint I always get from clients when I first get involved in growing their businesses. I have attributed this to three surprisingly simple and obvious factors:
- Lack of delegation – You know that saying “If you want something done right you have to do it yourself.” well not anymore in 2022.
- Lack of systems – If you feel like you are running your business off the top of your head and making decisions off the cuff, then you, my friend have no systems and you need to stop and reflect now!
- Lack of Digital Tools – We are living in the 21st century and in this competitive market where everyone is taking advantage of any tools they can get their hands on. The good old-fashioned pen is mightier than the sword, but I’m not so sure if it’s a match for those new clever AIs and tools your competitors are using.
So, the problem is simple and rather obvious. But that is not the issue. 90% of entrepreneurs who are aware of these problems think that systems and tools are not business necessities and they can deal with them later down the track. Wrong again! As much as I love developing new businesses, starting a business is like jumping into quicksand. You need the right tools and patience to get out of it. The more you move and struggle, the more it drags you in. So, if you want to get dirty it’s best to jump in prepared and with the right tools.
The same principle works in business. It is crucial to be prepared and to have the right foundations set up correctly when you start a business. Here are a few examples,
- Designing a Standard Operating procedure (SOP)
- Writing your micro-processes to ensure you have a standard and unified way of doing things ( LIke training material for your future team).
- Enough digital tools to automate repetitive tasks – but don’t overdo it.
- And try to delegate as much as you can, right from the start – Develop a network of trustworthy subcontractors if you don’t have the capital to hire.
That is where managed digital services come in handy.
Digital managed services are B2B services that can be offered to small businesses remotely through established digital service providers. You get what you need for the fraction of the price, and the service providers do the same thing for many small businesses through automation and make a profit through economy of scale. It is a win-win for all parties.
Managed services are very different from DIY tools. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
For example, as a small business owner, you have three options to develop a functional website for your business:
- Use web builders to design your own website.
- Use a local developer to do that for you.
- Or use a managed Service provider.
While doing your own website may save you money at the beginning, it will distract you from what you are supposed to do for your business. Always focus on the end product! Additionally designing a website requires skills that are usually completely different from those that you need to be focusing on to improve your business. and while you may be able to design a beautiful website using advanced web builders today, you might find yourself struggling through hours of video tutorials and complicated technical jargon to make it compatible with today’s web standards. Some of these are
- Mobile responsiveness.
- SEO friendly.
- Set up active conversion tools.
- Content and media optimization.
You may get a website up and running after spending many, many, hours learning and doing it yourself to achieve mediocre conversion results. Or you could get a professional to do it for you. Plus you always want a skilled objective third party designing your marketing material to ensure that you are not sacrificing your financial goals over an obsession with an aspect of your product that you think is better than it is. This is a mistake that many small business owners do. While you may care, many of your customers don’t and that can cost you in the long run.
The second option is hiring a dedicated developer which could cost you thousands of dollars. It is unnecessary and in my opinion a wrong business decision. While you may (or may not) get a state-of-the-art website, you just burned a big part of your start-up capital that could be used for marketing such as SEO or Google ads.
Instead, you can get a local agency with managed website design services to design and manage your website. They can design your website using an industry-proven Layout and customise it to your branding. They can also manage your cloud hosting, security, software updates and even manage your Website contents to ensure you don’t have to do anything as far as the website goes. Most agencies offer all of that for a small monthly fee so you can free up your time and focus on what you are good at.
The above is just an example – This applies to many other daily business tasks.
here are a few examples,
- Admin Work – (You can hire a virtual assistant to look after your day-to-day administration)
- Task Management – ( Get a task management tool that can organise your business instead of trying to remember everything)
- Customer relationship management (To manage your leads, customers and estimates)
- IT services ( web development, software development, cloud services etc…)
The above is 80% of all small business day-to-day operational challenges that can be fixed with a small investment in managed digital tools right from the start.
For more info set up a time with a small business expert from our team and ask your questions. This is an obligation-free session and an opportunity for you to take your business to the next level.
