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Oregon runs on small businesses. According to Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins, 98 percent of Oregon firms are small businesses, and more than half the state’s workforce is employed by a small business. Even with Oregon’s success stories, small businesses face a lot of challenges. Many stretch their staff to handle tasks outside their skill sets, particularly where accounting and finance come into play, to cut costs and keep overhead low. Luckily, there’s technology that can help your small business fill these gaps.
Use Online Technology to Handle Routine Business Tasks
It can be easy to put off or overlook routine business tasks. They often seem like they take up too much of your time or like they can wait until later, but many of these tasks are important to your bottom line and day-to-day operations.
For example, your payroll must be on time and accurate. Expenses and sales receipts have to be promptly recorded, and bills have to be paid on time. If you don’t keep up with these tasks, you risk damaging your business’ credit or missing out on opportunities like early payment discounts.
If your business can’t hire or outsource an accountant or bookkeeper, use online technology to handle these tasks. For instance, Sage Payment Solutions lets you view, manage, process and control the money flowing in and out of your business. It also provides a full range of payment processing, including mobile payments, for your customers. The best part is that you can access it through the Internet from anywhere your work takes you.
Other online services provide backup, security, file storage and project management. These services can be highly customized to fit your business’ needs. For example, American Express likes GoSuite for small businesses and shops, Aptivo for inventory and customer relationship management, and Apps on Cloud for records management.
Check Your Current Technologies for Overlooked Capabilities
If you’re using Microsoft Office, which most businesses are, it offers tools that can save you time and money. For example, you can use built-in templates to create customized letterhead, emails, presentations and spreadsheets.
If you upgraded to Windows 10, be sure to check out these capabilities recommended by How-To Geek:
• A PDF printer in the standard print menu (this means no more document converting)
• File access from anywhere through OneDrive
• Settings adjustment to let you install universal apps without going through a long setup process
• A sidebar with quick access to see recently-used files
Now take a look at your smartphone. Are you using it to its fullest?
• Rearrange the screen to reflect your needs. Make your email box and calendar front and center, and put Siri, Cortana or Google Now a little further down. Drag in tools you use often, such as a calculator, wallet, maps and social media.
• Use the voice recorder to make quick memos to yourself.
• Take advantage of cloud storage apps to conserve phone memory.
Check Out Oregon’s Small Business Training Services
Because Oregon is so dependent on the success of small businesses, the state sponsors free and low-cost training through the Oregon Small Business Development Center.
Many of the training sessions cover financial and business organization topics. Other courses focus on marketing technologies, such as social media, WordPress and search engine optimization (SEO). There also are courses for startup businesses and those interested in government contracting or international trade opportunities and processes.
