E V O LV I N G
WITH THE TIMES
This is the first article in our new series about what businesses
should be anticipating to help them be wildly successful.
seems like everyone’s “to do”
lists grow longer by the day
and, for many business owners,
it can be hard to know where to
focus your attention. Unfortunately,
this mindset can paralyze you to the
point of allowing your competitors to
emerge as a dominant force in your mar-
ket – leaving you in the dust.
One of the best things you can do for
your business is to become a master of
anticipation.
ANTICIPATE how government regula-
tions may impact your business and
customers.
ANTICIPATE how generational differenc-
es will shape your employee base.
ANTICIPATE if and how chang-
ing work environment expec-
tations will evolve.
ANTICIPATE how you
can leverage technol-
ogy to influence your
business and its
processes.
The list goes on
and on.
Things are con-
stantly changing
and in order for
you to stay ahead
of the curve, it’s
important to know
what to expect (or
at least anticipate
what’s coming down
the road).
There are lots of reasons why staying up-
to-date on technology trends is essential
to the future of your business.
The right technology
will help you:
1. Attract better, more relevant tal-
ent for your business – especially
younger employees. If you’re looking
to grow and sustain your business –
long after you retire – it’s important to
look at your employee base and de-
termine the types of people you want
to hire to help your business succeed.
You’ll likely want to attract younger
talent, and since this generation of
employees is tech-savvy, if your busi-
ness isn’t up-to-date on the latest
technology you may be missing out
on hiring great candidates.
2. Improve your business processes
and become more efficient – saving
you time and money. Everyone is
searching for better ways to operate
their business. Incorporating tech-
nology into day-to-day operations
is a great way to help save time and
money. Are there daily processes that
you can think of where technology
would help you and your employees
gain efficiency? There are hundreds,
if not thousands, of tech applica-
tions and software that can help you
run your business better. Just Google
whatever it is you’re looking to stream-
line. Chances are good that you’ll find
numerous solutions – within seconds.
By Annie Yoder,
CPA, CFE, CFF, principal,
[email protected]
(New Philadelphia office)
ers. Depending on the type of busi-
ness you own, you may specifically
be asked about the technology and
software you use to interact and serve
customers. For example, manufactur-
ers are often asked about the types of
technology they use in their manu-
facturing processes. If you use a
more antiquated system, that may
be a turn-off to prospects who
want to work with forward-thinking
businesses.
4. Better promote your business.
Thanks to technology, you are able to
promote your products and services
better than ever before. Study after
study shows that consumers are more
likely to purchase items or services
based on what they see on social
media – whether that be from
businesses directly or from their
peers. You’ll certainly want to evaluate
your target audience to see what
technology and social media plat-
forms they’re using. But once you
have determined that it makes sense
for your business, social media could
be a great way to promote your
business and gain new business.
If you find yourself overwhelmed at the
prospect of anticipating the next big
thing in the world of technology, reach
out to us for more information. Our team
is happy to share with you what we’ve
uncovered in our day-to-day work.
3. Acquire new customers and
business. Your use of technology
may be important to your custom-
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