CM2 Software - Blog #Custom Features

The Future of StartUps

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:44:52 -0500

The world faced a catastrophic change when the COVID 19 pandemic hit in early 2020. Governments scrambled for resolutions, while businesses looked for short and long term staffing solutions. Many companies chose to send their employees home to work remotely, while others fought to remain open. Unfortunately for many Americans, a large number of businesses began furloughs and layoffs. All in all, the year 2020 was turbulent and has changed the work landscape forever.

As businesses have recalled workers back the office, they have faced backlash and disgruntled employees who have seen the advantages of working from home. Many did not want to return to the office and chose to end careers in favor of starting out on their own. According to the US Census Bureau startups rose from 3.5 million in 2019 to 4.2 million in 2020, equaling a 24% increase.

Here we are at the end of 2021 and the startup trend is not slowing down. Millions of people are continuing to turn away from traditional careers and focusing on their own success. As the business world continues to change and adjust to the new climate the pandemic has created, startup trends have emerged. I recently read an article, Startup Statistics (2021): 35 Facts and Trend You Must Know, by Artem Minaev (https://zurl.co/QCFa ), which has some interesting statistics and facts about startups across the globe.

Some statistics that stood out to me include:

19% of startup leaders agree that competition is the greatest challenge when starting a business
The vast majority of companies need at least $50k in annual revenue to be sustainable for a long period of time.
No-code startups reach a 100% increase in searches in 2018
60% of entrepreneurs agree that AI is currently the most promising innovation technology.

To me these statistics show clearly that the world needs more small businesses, and those businesses need support that fosters their technology needs while supporting their financial status. We all know that 9 out of 10 startups fail within the first year, 20% of those fail the following year, with 30% failing in the next year and so on. Reaching the 10 year mark is an accomplishment, but one that is hard fought as the roadblocks are many.

Finances will always be a struggle for small businesses as they navigate the difficult decisions of re-investing in the company and driving business. It is becoming more and more clear that technology needs to be at the forefront for small businesses. Investing in these technologies has to be important for growth and sustainability, especially when these businesses are fighting against the conglomerates with the resources to out-compete small businesses.

However, no code and low code software continues to be the shining light in this fight for dominance. Small businesses have a greater ability to pivot and change direction quicker with the use of technology. Giving them an advantage as the needs of consumers change over time. Low code makes this easier by giving these businesses tools that are affordable and easy to use. Small businesses now have access to the same tools that the larger enterprises are building themselves. Low code offers the framework of software that is customizable and dynamic for each individual business. Simplicity in software is important, so is cost – especially for small businesses working to be part of the 1%.

As time continues and more startups enter the marketplace, these businessmen and women need to consider how they will invest their capital. Technology HAS to be a main focus for businesses to compete. The technologies available make it easier for these small businesses to succeed, but they cannot be afraid of the investment costs of software. The long term solutions that they offer can be the difference between success and failure. Further, the initial cost is less prohibitive than it has been in the past. Low code software tools have everything that small businesses need to ensure that they have a place in the market.

Source

US Censes Bureau https://www.census.gov/econ/bfs/about_the_data.html

Minaev, Artem, Startup Statistics (2021): 35 Facts and Trend You Must Know (Oct 13, 2021) https://firstsiteguide.com/startup-stats/

Demand Custom Software

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 15:56:51 -0400

I recently read an article that argues that you should purchase a software solution that gives you most (not all) of what you need and then use add-on software programs to get the rest of the features that your business specifically needs. In other words, you should purchase software A because it fulfills 80% of what you need, and then return to the software hunt for software B, C, D, and E which give you the rest of the features that you really need (and a bunch of features that you don’t).

The article compares this type of purchase with buying a car. Stating that a car has one basic function (getting you from point A to point B) and then you can add additional features that you might want (air conditioning, seatbelts, rear-view camera, etc.). Their argument is that you will be purchasing the car for its nuts and bolts because it fulfills that basic need and that alone is a sufficient enough reason. However, now that you have the car you can add air conditioning, rear-view camera, and all of the other features separately to customize the car to your specifications.

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think that this is such a preposterous (and outdated) way of looking at software. Why would I buy something that only does part of what I want? Could you imagine buying a car that did not have seatbelts and having to buy them separately? No? Me either. Although seatbelts are not the main feature of a car, they are an important safety feature.

However, a feature like air conditioning is only considered essential for some people and unnecessary for others. For example, someone living in Alaska might not need AC in their car, but for me, living in Florida I would die in the heat without it. However, that same person in Alaska would want heated seats, which I would consider unnecessary. (Although they came standard in the last car I purchased). Why would we be purchasing the same car when it doesn’t fully fit the needs of either of us.

Now I hear you saying, “who cares about extra features, just don’t use them?” And I agree with you to a point. In the car scenario you are right. I never turn the heated seats on, and I never turn my AC off, not a huge inconvenience and definitely something I can live with. But software is a different thing. Especially when the number of unnecessary features becomes overwhelming, or they interfere with the features you really want to use. There is software where you can’t even use the feature you want without using the features you don’t, or you can’t easily access the features you want because of all the extra clutter. Further adding to this difficulty, is that you have to add additional software to the original solution. If each added software has five unnecessary features and you need five additional software, you now have twenty-five features that are not being used.

Taking this analogy further, have you ever bought a car with every feature that you wanted? In most cases the answer is no. There is always some compromise somewhere. Maybe it is not the right color, maybe it doesn’t have automatic headlights, or maybe it’s not as fuel efficient as you would like. Somewhere along the sales journey you have made a compromise on your purchase and got 90% or less of what you originally wanted.

I can’t help the car industry, but when it comes to technology, we as consumers and developers need to stop compromising and demand software that gives us everything we want. Stop settling for software that only does part of the job, or that has so many useless features that it becomes cumbersome and impossible to use. In the long run you are creating more of a headache and nuisance for yourself and your employees.

Instead, we need to demand all of what we want by utilizing custom software solutions. Businesses need software that is going to separate them from the competition by engaging their customers, empowering their employees, and most of all making their lives easier and more productive. The only way to fully achieve this is through software that is built specifically for that business. Software that is straightforward and efficient.

This includes small and medium size businesses who have limited resources to begin with. Imagine spending a hefty amount on software thinking that it will make your small business more efficient and prosperous, then you find out that it doesn’t do everything that you need it to. And the only remedy is to spend more of your hard earned money on additional software that will supplement the one you have already purchased. At what point do you compromise and settle for software that is incomplete? When do you step up and demand software that is built for your business needs?

Technology trends, including the increasing availability of low-code software, APIs and Web Services have given businesses of all sizes the ability to re-evaluate their software solutions and to fight for software that does 100% of what they need 100% of the time. This is the new trend, we as business owners need to focus on. We need to stop settling and fight for what we need.

If you are struggling to find software that gives you what you really want, then you need to reach out to a software consultant and start a discussion about your needs. Software developers live for the challenge of developing software that truly solves a customer’s problem. Customized software is the future and businesses need to grab a hold of these solutions and revolutionize the way we all do business. Reach for something more by partnering with experts that can deliver the software that you really need.

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Small Business, What Next?

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 15:00:00 -0400

What Next?

As a small business owner, you have overcome the biggest hurdles, you have carved out a unique niche in the market and raised enough capital to survive those beginning years. Pat yourself on the back because you deserve it. Many small businesses fail within the first five years of entering the marketplace, and you have survived. This is a great achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated.

As your business continues on its journey of success, it is important to think about what comes next. Even though you are established, and your clients are satisfied with your offerings, you need to look to the future to determine where your business can go and how you are going to get there. Having future plans is the key to success, as you must continue to grow and find new offerings to keep your customers coming back and to identify and interact with new customers.

So, what next?

There is no shortage of answers to this question, and the right path will be different for each unique business. However, technology has to be one of the avenues that every small business pursues. The possibilities of technology are only limited by our imaginations and our goals. For this reason, goal research should be the next step.

Set Goals

Having one year, five year, and ten year goals can give you and your team the motivation they need to keep heading in the same direction. Goals keep the team on the same page and allow for celebration when the goals are achieved. Team unity and goal creation go hand in hand in this next business step. Identify targets that you know your team can reach and then work together to get there.

You should also identify some goals that may be a little harder to reach. Goals that appear too difficult or impossible, may be the best goals you ever set. Once you have identified that impossible goal, have your team brainstorm how to get there. Their ideas can be the foundation of your success, and their buy-in will help keep the goal in the fore-front of their mind.

Identify Solutions

Do your research. Google is a powerful tool, and one that can really help you to identify the possible solutions to reach your new business goals. Look into the varying options for solving your business challenges and growth opportunities as a company. Talk to experts, network with other professionals, and read customer reviews. There is so much information out there that can help your business grow.

Once you have a list of possible solutions, it is time to weigh the pros and cons, and do some real world research. Try out the different solutions and see how they will work for your business. Go back to your team for input about the solutions and re-evaluate your goals.

Does the solution bring you closer to your goal? Does it give value to your employees? Is it beneficial to your customers? All of these aspects should be evaluated to determine if the solution works for your business.

Implement

Now that the right solution has been chosen for your business, it is time to implement! Put that solution to work and use metrics to gauge its success against your needs. The more data you can generate regarding the impact of the solution, the better off you will be. You will be able to fully understand its impact on the business, your customers, and your employees.

Start Over

Now that your goals have been reached, it is time to start all over. Identify new goals and challenges and work towards reaching those goals.

CM2

Here at CM2 Software we believe in the iterative life cycle of development. Just like goal setting, we identify a need, brainstorm solutions, develop a prototype, implement, and then start all over. This system allows us to provide software solutions that solve challenges while also leaving room to develop additional features that can easily be added to the deliverable.

We want you to reach all of your goals and we are here to help you do just that.

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Low Code Software is Taking 2021 by Storm

Mon, 24 May 2021 12:19:28 -0400

There is no doubt that businesses need software tools to help them compete in today’s marketplace. We need to be faster, smarter, and more efficient in everything we do to compete in this global market.

But software is expensive, and it doesn’t always work the way we want it to. Often times, out-of-the-box software can give us solutions that come really close to being helpful, but they don’t always give us the functionality that we want or need.

However, today there is a new trend, No Code and Low Code software. These platforms offer drag and drop solutions that allow customers to create software applications that perform the way they want them to. They are customized to fit a single business. You can send automated email messages to customers, add new sales data to third party solutions like Quick Books or Salesforce, or track invoices and purchase orders. All of this and so much more can be done with no code and low code software.

The biggest benefit of this new trend is that anyone can do it. You do not need to be a software developer or have any coding experience at all to use these applications. (I might work for a software company, but I have 0 coding experience, and even I was able to use low code software.)

Drag and Drop is the biggest component of these platforms. Simply identify the field you want, drag it onto your form and away you go. Forms are what holds your data and where you put all of the information that you will use to create your reports and other data tracking methods. Typically, you can import data from a spreadsheet, or you can manually enter the data yourself. You can create workflows that are designed to initiate tasks after data is entered, edited, or deleted. You can create reports and dashboards that display this data in helpful ways, all without writing a single line of code. The low code or no code platform, holds all of the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or other programming language that defines the layout and functionality of your software application.

All of this is pretty simple, and something that I would highly recommend to any business that is trying to simplify their processes. Use these platforms to give your business better access and flexibility to your data. It is worth it. On Google, you can find plenty of reviews and commentary on the different no code or low code platforms available, at CM2 Software we use and recommend Zoho.

However, there are limitations, especially if you are not a programmer. If you have never written a line of code in your life, you are limited by the drag and drop capabilities and pre-written workflows of low code or no code platforms. You will be able to create beautiful reports and collect all of your data in one place. But you might be missing out on the added benefits that a software consulting service would be able to offer.

For example, data gathering from outside sources. What if you wanted to know the exact traveling distance from one location to another, would you use Google Maps? What if you wanted to know the current day’s exchange rate for USD (US Dollars) versus GBP (British Pound Sterling), would you know where to find this information without manually updating the data daily? How would you be able to incorporate this data into your new application? If I told you that you could use an API to find this information, would you even know what that means?

I don’t ask these questions to belittle because the truth is, that I don’t know the answers either. But CM2 Software has software developers who do.

There are many consulting services (CM2 Software included) that use low code software and take it to the next level by integrating APIs and developing code that allows the application to talk to itself and outside sources in new and dynamic ways. They are able to create reports that dynamically change based on inputs, search the web and gather data from all different sources, integrate applications across multiple platforms, and customize all solutions to your business’s specific needs.

Could a developer do all of this without using low code software? Yes. But it is significantly more expensive and time consuming.

They would need to create all of the back end code and structure for the application before they even begin the process of customization. Think of a simple application like MS Word (yes, I picked this example as I write this post on Word), a developer created code that defined the size of the application, created the blue header, defined the tabs, created all of the buttons that change the formatting, view, and design. Someone developed code to identify how many lines can fit on one page before moving to the next, how large the font is, the style of font used, and how each change would effect the entire document. The scroll bar was designed to be dynamic and grow with the page as you write. All of this and so much more had to be visualized, designed, and written in multiple programming languages before anyone could write a single line on a word document. Further, one tiny error in the thousands of lines of code (as small as a missing period, or capitalization of a word) could cause the entire application to fail.

Low code removes all of this back end work for the software developer. Now they can focus solely on your application, on the customizations that you need to be successful, and do it all in a timely and cost effective manner. To me, it is a no brainer, low code platforms work – and if you are willing to invest the time into learning how to use it, you can have great success. Consulting services and programmers make low code even better, faster, and more intelligent. The possibilities of software are only limited by imagination.

I recommend that you take the time to look at low code software platforms, sign up for a 30 day trail, and see how easy they are to use. Get creative with your ideas of how software can solve your biggest business problems. See how it can help you to grow and be more successful, and then tell us about it. We want to hear how software has changed your business.