I will share a story with ironic twists of business life—a story that evokes laughter, but only in solitude. It's a reminder that sometimes, getting too smart can backfire. Jim Madwel(name changed for privacy) was growing a home improvement business, he needed reliable management data. This included operational KPIs, sales data, cash balances, backlogs, and the works. The initial solution? A CRM-based approach. “Hubspot should handle this, right?”
Wrong.
Even after investing time and money, the businessman was not able to achieve the data he required. Flaky salespeople, shifting deal stages, and evolving processes hindered the efforts. The custom inventory system built in Airtable fared no better.
In retrospect, the rapid growth was part of the problem. The needs were a moving target, making it impossible to stabilize and automate a dashboard. After countless hours and disappointments, the entrepreneur stumbled upon a simpler, more affordable solution. It was right under their nose all along.
An offshore remote assistant was hired to pull data manually from the CRM , accountant, and operational records. This person provided the data needed, drawn from diverse data sets, and visualized exactly the way it was wanted.
This process was not only flexible but also adaptable to the company’s evolving needs. If data was missing, an explanation was provided. Rather than depending on complex, heavy software, the "data assistant" carefully collected the necessary data, formatted it flawlessly, and supplied it on a regular basis.
Finally, Jim Madwel had the data needed in the form wanted, despite losing $50,000.
So, what's the moral of this story? Don’t let this $50,000 mistake be in vain. Sometimes, especially in the SMB sector, software isn't flexible enough to solve problems. Many times, a low-cost human solution is much better than a software.
Jim Madwel's $50,000 lesson highlights the pitfalls of over-relying on software. Don’t repeat his mistake. Instead, hire a remote administrative assistant from RemoteOneTeam, a trusted global staffing service provider. Experience flexible, human-centric solutions tailored to your business needs. Check out candidates at no cost by filling out the contact form today.
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