What? You don't have time to track all the latest developments
in software? For an entrepreneur, researching changes in
infor-mation technology often takes a remote back seat to the
day-to-day tasks of running a business. And that's probably the
way it should be. But believe us-it pays to take a hard look at the
software your company is using.
In this year's "Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to
Software," we've examined software products in 16
different categories. Some of these products won't change the
way you do business. If antivirus and utilities software programs
are doing their jobs, for example, you shouldn't even notice
they're there. However, a number of these categories include
software that has the potential to improve client relationships,
streamline finances, replace expensive hardware or revamp your
data-handling. In short, these products are designed either to give
a nice push to your company's productivity or just to save you
money; in some cases, you'll get the best of both worlds.
Small companies have to make the most of their resources, and
sometimes that means people have to focus on areas in which they
have little knowledge. From accounting to Web site design, software
packages can eliminate the need for training or experience. The
right software could be your com-pany's best friend.
Exciting, isn't it? But before you rush off to buy a bundle of
software, keep in mind that you have several factors to consider
other than just the capabilities and costs of the software. Your
selections should be based on your company's size, industry,
internal organization, computing environment, technical expertise,
and, of course, the ever-important user interface. Even a -great
product can end up being a nuisance if it's not intuitive to
you as a user.
Mie-Yun Lee is the founder and editorial director of
Buyer Zone, the Internet purchasing hub for small
businesses.
Where Do I Start?
First, re-evaluate your company's staple software. For each
program, draw up a wish list of features or enhancements that would
make using the package easier. Often, the solution may be as simple
as an upgrade to the latest version available. If not, consider the
options in our listing.
Second, take a good look at your business and pinpoint those
activities that take more time than you'd like-the ones that
make you mutter to yourself "There must be something
out there that can do this quicker than I can." No doubt,
there probably is. For that matter, think about those activities
you never seem to have time to do. From tools for creating Web
sites to time-billing software, new products could provide
brilliant solutions to problems you haven't yet resolved. Make
sure, though, that the solutions are worth the money and time
you'll have to spend to implement them successfully.
Then it's time to try and buy. Check out the Web sites for the
software companies we've listed on our software chart-often,
they'll let you download demos that can help you better gauge
how easy their products are to use. If a demo version isn't
available, there's usually a detailed online tour that gives
you a lot more information than a paper-based brochure. And before
you buy the package outright, check with the software company to
see if it's bundled with other software or equipment that you
might be in the market to buy anyway.
Get ready to dive in-a host of products awaits you . . .
Good As Gold
To get something out of software, notes Lauren Leifer, president of
Compdisk Inc., you usually have -to put something in. But as Leifer
knows, what usually needs putting in is time-a precious commodity
for any entrepreneur.
When Leifer realized the employees at her media replication,
product fulfillment and distribution company needed a better way to
share client information, she definitely didn't want to suf-fer
through a lengthy set-up process. -She picked GoldMine as her
contact-management software with that concern in mind. "We
could jump right into it and use it the way it was," says
Leifer.
At Compdisk, a $4 million Chicago company, Leifer has everyone from
the production crew and the sales -team to the technical staff
using Gold-Mine. "We use it for all our internal e-mail, and
we use it to e-mail out," says Leifer. "It links our
e-mail to whatever documentation we want." Through GoldMine,
Compdisk organizes all its documentation for clients and vendors in
the same file, maxi-mizing the com-pany's ability to share and
link information.
By now, Leifer has successfully encouraged her partner company in
Canada and several of her client companies to purchase GoldMine as
well. Using the software's remote-synchronization features,
Leifer and the companies she communicates with can share any
information stored on the system.
Leifer seems assured that she made the right choice. And why
shouldn't she? She's found that perfect balance between
making the most of her software and making the most of her
time.
Add It Up
For years, Grace Jordan relied on bookkeepers to manage the
finances for her now-10-year-old firm, Sonic Image Ltd., a Carol
Stream, Illinois, manufacturer's representative for a company
that creates equipment to add audio to video products. When her
most recent bookkeeper moved to another state, a client gave her
some invaluable advice: "You should try MYOB
Accounting."
Five years later, Jordan is delighted she listened to that advice.
With the help of MYOB, the tasks that used to require a full-time
employee now use up just a small fraction of Jordan's workday.
"MYOB doesn't leave any blanks," says Jordan. "I
fill in the amounts and it's done, it's down and it's
printed."
A rather blasé approach to accounting for someone who's
never even taken a book-keeping course. In fact, Jordan, who spent
almost 40 years working in advertising before moving on to the
audio industry, didn't even need training to figure out how to
customize the MYOB software to her needs. The product's
features allow her to do such accounting tasks as billing clients,
tracking sales, doing year-end taxes and paying bills with--out
much hassle at all. "The -computer does the thinking for
me," she notes. "Now I can get on with doing what makes
me money."
It seems Jordan is doing just that: Her company's sales are now
at approximately $6 million, and showing no signs of slowing down.
"For the record," Jordan adds, "I've got a lot
to learn-and I'm enjoying every minute of it."
It's A Print
When Cliff Carle heard his friend's hilarious homemade
answering machine message back in 1983, he decided to one-up him
and create a funny message of his own. The competition that ensued
ended only when Carle and his friend decided to turn their
messaging fun into a collection-and to start a company to publish
it. CCC Publications was born in Chatsworth, -California, when it
printed its first book: No Hang-Ups: Funny Answering Machine
Messages.
No Hang-Ups met with nationwide popularity, and Carle and
his partners decided to expand the company. CCC now publishes 30
titles a year, mostly humor books.
For covers and interiors to the books CCC publishes, Carle works
closely with graphic designers. And the key to those relationships
is flexibility-which Print Shop Pro, Broder-bund's desktop
publishing software, affords him in spades.
"I need to be able to make instant changes-larger images,
smaller images, different colors, take something out, put it back
in," Carle says. Print Shop Pro gives him the speed to make
his changes in a flash, but not at the expense of advanced imaging
capabilities. "The easy-to-use gradient tool lets me create
images that seem three-dimensional."
Print Shop Pro can print right to film format, so Carle doesn't
have to fuss with a complicated process. The former stand-up
comedian would rather be finding the next book to make people
laugh.
Automation For The Business
Mike Buzzie is all about automa-tion: "If I have to do
something twice, I want the computer to do it." As president
and founder of Northern Computers Ltd., a computer hardware store
in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Buzzie knows computers like the back of
his hand-and he knows what he wants from them.
After 10 years of kindly doling out morsels of advice to those who
sought his technical expertise, Buzzie decided to open his own
computer hardware store in 1993. He tried a number of products to
manage his data, but none met his expectations for power and ease
of use. Finally, he discovered Corel's Paradox.
"I found I could get up and moving on it very quickly,"
he says. "I can bring up a form, go to the next, and do a
look-up without having to write any code." The user-friendly
interface was crucial for the product that would be the backbone of
Buzzie's company. "The database is probably our number-one
tool," he says. "It's crucial for the day-to-day
operations of our business."
Northern Computers has used Paradox throughout the firm's
expansion over the past few years. Now heading up a team of 15,
Buzzie attributes his success to two main factors: an exclusive
focus on computer hardware and an exhaustive attention to customer
service.
He plans to continue using Paradox. "I can grow with
Paradox," he says. "Whatever I want to do on a higher
level, I'm able to do." And given what Buzzie expects from
his software, that's no small feat.
With This Site . . .
Mike Budowski and his wife, Susan, run a Web-based company that
dreams are made of. OurBeginning.com, an Orlando, Florida, firm
that sells wedding stationery, took the Budowskis only seven weeks
to launch and is look-ing at projected sales of $7 million in its
first year.
Mike has no qualms about giving due credit to the product that
fa-cilitated the site's quick development.
"Net-Object's Fusion has tremendous power," he says.
Our-Beginning.com's development team selected Fusion after
evaluating the the company's projected timeline. "Fusion
integrated extremely well with Lotus Domino-giving us both
scalability and performance."
Every one of OurBeginning.com's several hundred pages was
generated with Fusion, which includes e-commerce enabling as part
of its features. "The site speaks for itself," Mike
asserts. "It's high-end e-commerce. We were either going
to do it right or not at all."
It certainly seems they're doing it right. The friendly
interface, which allows users to preview stationery options, is
constantly expanding. By year-end, OurBeginning.com even plans to
offer its site in several languages. The Budowskis will continue to
rely on Fusion as their business grows. This is, after all, only
the beginning.
Contact Sources
CCC Publications, (800) 248-5233, cliffcarle@earthlink.net
Compdisk Inc., (800) 752-4371, http://www.compdiskinc.com
Northern Computers Ltd., (807) 623-7771, northern@tbaytel.net
OurBeginning.com, http://www.ourbeginning.com,
mike.budowski@ourbeginning.com
