Successful business owners tend to be hands-on people. They know the value in having a working knowledge of all their systems and equipment, and also like to save money where they can. As a consequence, many are involved in the process of installing, maintaining, and upgrading their own business software.
Sometimes, however, this DIY approach to technology can be counterproductive. It can lead to costly mistakes and because an owner to neglect tasks where their input would provide a higher ROI. Most of the experienced entrepreneurs we work with understand that. And so, the question they ask us is: how much of my own IT work should I be doing?
There aren’t any hard and fast rules, of course, but here are a couple of points you should keep in mind…
It’s Good to Have a Working Knowledge of Your Company’s Technology
When you know what your business is running, and why, your IT strategy can be coherent. You’re aware of the possibilities and limitations of the set up you have, and have a good sense of what sort of value you receive for your budget.
All of these are important for business owners, especially when a company is small or growing. The hardest part about managing IT in those situations isn’t checking error messages or keeping firmware up-to-date – it’s making good strategic decisions about vendors, expenses, and service offerings.
A business owner can get by without having much knowledge about the technology they and their employees rely on, but it’s far from ideal.
Be Wary of Handling Detailed Repairs or Installations
While it can be beneficial for business owners to be plugged into their companies IT, so to speak, it’s not generally a great idea for them to actually be involved in technical IT maintenance installations. For one thing, most business people aren’t fluent enough with these disciplines to do a great job. By handling things themselves they can botch installations or create more follow on work.
The second and more important reason business owners should be hands off with bigger jobs is that they simply can’t do them efficiently. What might take a professional a couple of hours could eat up a week of an entrepreneurs time. That can be very problematic if there are more pressing projects that need attention, such as payroll, bookkeeping, or sales and marketing strategy.
As a business owner, your time is extraordinarily valuable. With IT, it’s almost always cheaper to pay a professional than it is to waste your schedule working on the job yourself.
Want an IT Partner Who Can Adapt to Your Approach?
Whether you want to technical support team you can call on in emergencies, or a vendor who will look after all your systems round-the-clock, we can help. Contact The Fantastic IT in Southern California today to schedule a free consultation or get a quote for your customized level of service.