You’d be embarrassed (or even ruined) if your customers learned the specifics of how you use their data.

You didn’t get consent from your customers for you to use their data in the way that you are.

You’re collecting data you don’t actually need to either provide your products/services, or to meet regulatory burdens.

Optimise your ordering to minimise waste.

Optimise scheduling, to balance resources sitting idle with being able to provide quick service.

Optimise your prices, so you aren’t leaving money on the table.

Optimise your marketing, so you’re not wasting money on unprofitable advertisements.

Optimise your products and services, so you’re providing the most helpful experience to your customers at each price point.

Optimise your processes, saving your time for what’s most important in your business.

Optimise your supply chain, so you aren’t paying more than you need to for the quality you require.

Optimise your accounts receivables, so you aren’t letting customers get away without paying you (this is more common than you’d think).

Optimise your strategic planning, so you’re focusing on the important projects that make sense for your business now.

Perhaps your finance team thinks you’re optimising for final accounts that simply balance, but the software should take care of automatically. You could miss all sorts of opportunities, like:

Maybe you want them to optimise for supplier prices by keeping a close eye on changes they spot on invoices, and what prices are available in the wider market.

Or you could want them to optimise for prompt customer payments by keeping a close eye on customers’ debts.

Or you might even want them to optimise for the big picture, and watch macroeconomic indicators like interest rates, to tell you when the right time is to buy land for your new warehouse.

Maybe your middle management thinks you’re optimising to reduce staffing costs (because that’s what they’re used to optimising for).

But if you’re really trying to optimise for brilliant customer service ratings, you’ll likely fail. Your strategy will suffer a setback.

Your marketing manager of your new venture thinks you’re optimising to find the luxury client market, so he’s only trying to get you into a few, select publications.

But at present, you’re really aiming to optimise findability, so what you really want is to be in all the places, at least at first, to establish your brand in this domain.

Links & Inspiration

If you’re manually updating your CRM when a customer buys something from your website, or creating every invoice by hand, or missing opportunities because an email fell through the cracks, you should consider automating your business processes.

The FSB has put together a practical guide to business process automation for small businesses, which is clear and easy to read, and a great place to start.

And if you need more support with this, I’m here for you.

Companies House will require identity verification for company directors, people with significant control, and those submitting documents on behalf of a company from 18 November.

You can either do this through the free gov.uk One Login service, or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (some accountants, solicitors, company formation agents, etc).

The preview of the One Login service that I saw a couple of months ago was straightforward and simple to use.

IPSE has an easy-to-read writeup of what you need to do and when on its blog.

On leadership, Robert Glazer’s recent Substack piece had a real gem:

“You don’t have to play the game. But if you choose to play, learn the rules, and play to win. … there is rarely an objectively right or wrong path. However, it’s important to understand what you are signing up for when you make a decision and be willing to commit to everything required to make your chosen course successful.”

The full post is well worth a read. It’s also worth weighing it against:

Robert Glazer’s piece is assuming you’ve already decided that status is what matters to you, so then you need to play to win – that is, compare yourself favourably to others.

It’s worth considering whether that’s what you’re after before diving in.

There are no affiliate links in this or any of my emails or blog posts. I simply enjoy sharing resources that could help move your business forward.

Using your numbers to help make your business better

Do you wish you understood how to use your data to make decisions more confidently?

That's what I'm here to help with.