In the world of economic development, sometimes the last thing thought about is the technology needed for startups, small businesses and medium businesses to grow.

It is fascinating to see entrepreneurs do really well without leveraging technology, and we can only imagine what they could be doing if they did utilize the technology available today.

While we don’t believe there is right or wrong - that is, whether you do you bookkeeping in a spreadsheet, or in software such as Quickbooks, or anything else - we do believe that having systems in place can help you do even better.

Many times, entrepreneurs and small business owners are only thinking about the cash they have in hand. They’re not thinking about what needs to happen 5, 10, or 20 years from now, because the bottom line is they want to get the job done.

Economic development organizations can help boost the technology for small and medium businesses by incentivizing or providing the tools needed for them to grow and succeed.

We’ve noticed that some people make things complex, or feel they need to make things so perfect that they never get around to implementing the basics. Sometimes we have to take baby steps, such as going from paper and pencil to a spreadsheet, then on to a software program, and eventually to a database or app - just one step at a time

While I understand the frustration of those in economic development who say, “But we want them to be in the apps today!” it might take more than just a push. Maybe there needs to be a collaboration or integration between the workforce development of today and the actual work needed tomorrow.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

What tools do you use to move your business forward?

What tools do you offer, as an economic development agency, that support small and medium business growth?

What other tools have you leveraged - beyond technology - to make your business grow?