A family-owned business reached out a while back for what they thought was a simple cleanup.
They were interested in working with us on long-term accounting services—and a cleanup is typically where I start.
Nothing major — just a few inconsistencies between their project management and accounting systems, both of which were dated.
But as I started digging in, I realized this wasn’t just a bookkeeping problem or a technology problem. It was a people problem.
Their entire project management and CRM setup had been custom-built years ago — back when the business was smaller and simpler. And when technology wasn’t as advanced.
The good news was that it had worked beautifully for decades.
The bad news was that it was incompatible with modern business and automation systems.
Worse yet, the integration kept breaking, reports were incomplete, and every time the system hiccupped, someone had to spend hours fixing it manually.
Still, the older generation insisted, “It works fine. We’ve always done it this way.”
And there it was. That one sentence told me everything.
This is such an important topic that I wanted to make sure to cover it on Your Numbers Are Talking.
Some of the key takeaways / things to watch for are:
1. What looks like a technology problem is often a people problem
2. “It works fine” is sometimes the most expensive sentence in a family business.
3. Timing and buy-in matter as much as the right solution.
Want to get the full details? Head here to read up.
See something that resonates? Get in touch so my team can show you how we can help.
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Your Number are Talking is my LinkedIn Newsletter, published 2x a month, where I share some of the most important things I wish business owners knew about along with real-world scenarios I see.
Your Numbers are Always Talking… but do you know what they’re saying?
That’s exactly what I break down.
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