Running a business is no easy feat. The reality is stark—only around 10% of businesses survive the long run. Many fail because they struggle in one or more key areas. While businesses might make several small mistakes, failure typically boils down to the "big three":
- Sales – Difficulty attracting new clients
- Operations – Struggles in delivering products or services effectively
- Finance – Challenges in managing cash flow and finances
Even if a business is strong in one area, falling short in sales, operations, or finance can spell trouble. It may limp along for a few years, but eventually, the cracks will show.
For instance:
- If you're bad at sales, you'll eventually run out of customers.
- If you're bad at operations, you'll lose clients faster than you can replace them.
- If you're bad at finance, you may find yourself running out of cash or unable to retain employees.
While certain factors, such as monopolies or government contracts, might help businesses get by for a time, these advantages are often temporary. When external conditions change, an unsustainable business is left exposed.
Most small businesses begin with just one or two people. At this stage, the main priority is straightforward: invoicing clients. Odoo Invoicing handles this with ease. As customer volumes are manageable, you might be able to track everything manually. But soon, growth brings new challenges.
Phase 1: Centralizing Information
As the business expands, keeping track of customers becomes harder. You need a central location for all your client data, which is where Odoo Contacts comes into play. Next, the realization hits that growth means more potential clients, and you need a system to manage follow-ups—enter Odoo CRM.
Phase 2 : Managing Suppliers and Projects
With more clients and business comes the complexity of managing suppliers and deliveries. Scheduling and keeping track of suppliers eats into your productivity, making Odoo Purchasing and Projects essential. Around this time, billing for time spent with clients and generating accurate quotes become key concerns, so Odoo Sales and Timesheets become part of your workflow.
Phase 3: Expanding Your Team
As business operations grow, you can no longer do everything yourself. It’s time to hire employees. Now, you need to store personal and legal information and track attendance and performance, making Odoo Employees, Planning, Attendance, and Payroll vital.
Phase 4: Scaling Operations
Managing a growing team introduces new challenges. You need systems for approvals, managing expenses and time off, as well as handling recruitment and employee training. Odoo provides all the tools needed to streamline these processes.
Phase 5: Integrating Finances and Gaining Insight
With multiple systems in place, it becomes crucial to integrate everything with your financial operations. Odoo Accounting connects all areas of your business, while Odoo Dashboards give you real-time insights into your company’s performance. By this stage, you’ve built a fully functional business ecosystem, and Odoo helps you stay on top of it.
At IvyWeb, we understand that businesses need to focus on all three pillars: sales, operations, and finance. But as a small business owner, you don’t have the luxury of learning through trial and error or managing everything manually. You need solutions that work from day one.
The reality? Achieving a perfect balance instantly is impossible.
The good news? Odoo can help you get close. With IvyWeb as your partner, Odoo becomes a powerful tool that grows with your business.
The scenario outlined above is exactly why Odoo is designed for you. It grows alongside your business, allowing you to implement solutions in phases. You start with the basics, such as invoicing and CRM, and as your business evolves, Odoo’s modular system helps you tackle new challenges as they arise.
At IvyWeb, we believe in building long-term partnerships with our clients. We understand that the demands on your business change over time. That’s why we conduct monthly evaluation meetings to assess where your system stands, the problems you’re facing, and when it makes sense to move additional functions into Odoo. This phased approach ensures that your business grows steadily, without the stress of learning everything at once.