Creating a small business idea is difficult. Starting a small business is daunting. Maintaining a small business is a feat of herculean strength.
More small businesses are emerging now than ever before, but with 50% of them failing within their first year, maintaining a small business in such an overcrowded market is not a task for the faint of heart.
New technologies are a vitally important element of keeping small businesses afloat, and these ever-changing technologies have many benefits. But if you are a small business, you can be swept away in the tidal wave of new technologies, each of them bidding for your attention and not giving you much in return. Utilizing the correct technology will help to boost your productivity and keep your business thriving. But how do you know which technologies to pick?
Here are some of the technology trends that are predicted to aid small businesses.
- Automation
This could be from whipping your IT department into shape with configuration management tools to ditching your accountant for an app that can do it for you. Automation was once thought of as being too large to affect small businesses, but you will find that those who get on board with automation will be in a better position to view larger businesses as their contemporaries.
- Social media marketing
Social media has proven to be an asset when it comes to marketing, if it is something new to you or your business, then it is worth taking the time to get to grips with it, or, if possible, hire a professional to help you make the most of it.
- Augmented reality
People want to know what is happening behind the curtain, so whether that is a virtual tour of the bakery in which your delicious pastries are hand made every morning, or just a simple introduction to the team that is behind their favorite t-shirt designs augmented reality will play a huge role in allowing customers to interact with small businesses.
- Cloud computing
If an alien came down to earth, you might find it hard to explain exactly what the Cloud is, but you know how to use it. As the security on cloud-based computing systems is tightened, more and more small businesses are utilizing it to their advantage. The primary advantage being one of agility, remote access is such an important commodity in business today, and the cloud can provide that for your small business.
- HR platforms
A key ingredient in a well-run office in 2020 is transparency and using an HR platform can help you with that. An HR department is such an important asset to a business, but if you don’t have the budget or the office space for one, then you can use an HR platform to do the work for you. Through an app, your employees could track their: payroll, remaining sick days, applications for vacations, and reviews of their performance.
Make sure that you chose your technologies wisely, too many, and they could swamp your small business, and it might sink under strain. Too few, and you will be chasing your tail trying to complete endless tasks that technical assistance could do for you.
