Do managers have to be busy?

What a strange question!!

I really mean it, and the real question is:
"Should a manager deal with huge number of email? reading email during the night and during weekends and holiday??"
One day I get an answer from somebody: "Yes he does, that the price to pay to get a privilege to be Manager"

What the HELL!! Believe me that's true!!

What you think yourself about this? Is it necessary to be busy?

Let's sum up the thing

Why we have managers? I think that because we are so focused on our tasks to not have a clear vision on the whole system! so managers are here to have a larger vision and make the right decisions to lead the work of the team!

Do you agree?

If yes, than, I guess managers should have free time to think and to observe.. than make the right decision, because a busy manager will never bring a new to the team, but will deal of a day to day tasks

And that's against the target of having a manager.

What's the solution

I think the missing point here is that managers want to show that they are not lazy, they are always involved, they are in the action.. This why they keep control of the situation.

What if this manager will be sick and in hospital for 3 days? probably the whole business will stop, only if there is wireless access in the hospital .. Grrr

The solution is to delegate, not tasks only, but positions.. and give power of decision to others.

DO YOU AGREE??

IT is the engine of your startup

What role the IT is using in today businesses? We agree that it's very important reducing costs, saving time and more..

But what's the case for startups where money to invest on IT is limited? No time organize the IT?

Startup is a business with few people working usually at the same place, everything is shared manually, woking around the same table.. so few computers is all your IT.

But think closer, startup guys need sometimes to be working else, having different work hours frame, than you better think about automatize  you work and keep it in a well-share.

I talked before about tools that you can use like Google Apps, BOX, Dropbox, Apptivo.. and many more. And depending on your nature of business, you may need one or more of those, with a really reduced costs and sometimes for free.

Google Apps
How if you work with Google Apps? It's $50 per year per account.. and it will enables you to work in the cloud, work everywhere and never loose a document or a meeting (Google Calender with notification by SMS). What's very important too, is that your computers needed will be cheaper are no powerful devices are needed.

Apptivo
Apptivo is a suit that I compare to an ERP for small businesses. You're very flexible, so this tool will help you much for free (some options a not free which requires tiers-part). And even if there is some special option that it's not supported.. Don't forget, you're flexible, and you can adopt a procedure of work easily..

Remote team members
I already read on a book called ReWork.. a team working in a startup where member are not in the same state, sometime not in the same country or a continent. How that could be possible without IT systems??

remove all obstacles for you to be flexible, and enable all your potential with an effective IT system..
But don't keep the IT leading you.. inverse it, you should lead it to help yourself.. Heavy IT procedures are the enemy of flexibility and innovation.. NEVER FORGET THAT

Reduce your business software bill with Apptivo

I discovered by chance a new software platform that will be the center of most of small business owners.

You usually was trying to find out what kind of software or tools you should use to mange your products? track your expenses? manage payrolls? manage your warehouse? and more, and more.. and sure the biggest problem is how to put that in one direction and make all work the same way!!

Big question and I was very happy when I saw that with Apptivo!!

If you want, specially if you are already asking the previous questions, don't continue reading and go take a look, you'll never regret it.

If you still not convinced, I'll explain to you why I'm so excited talking about this even that I don't like making Ads but only because I'm finding it very attractive, and almost free.

This application is cloud based, so you have to be sure that all your employees will have Internet connection where they are supposed to work. And Apps are classified in categories:

Project Management
A project management tool that can manage tasks, milestones, team members. It's not very powerful as PM tools, but believe me, as a small business you'll enjoy it as simple and integrated with all other Apps.

Human Resources
HR needed tools as recruitment, candidates, payroll for employees and holidays dates. Pretty attractive for a small business with only one not so well experienced or even no HR-guy where not yet hired one so you have to do the job. Easy tools to keep track of everything.

Marketing
Tools for Ads, promotions, surveys. I would appreciate if that can include kind of social media marketing where you can automate your tweets or Facebook page. You can easy than spread the word about any promotion, reply to customer questions.

Sales
You can manage customers, contacts, sales reports and even more with many applications. It can be a way to attribute applications by department. as each profile will enable the App that he want to use, and disable the others.

Financials
Great tools are available, and same as all, integrated with others. You can find Apps about customers payments, supplier payments, employees expenses and invoices App.
Some Apps can belong to other categories as employee expenses that can be HR also.

Product management
You can manage your product list and details and check inventory.

Customer service
The cool thing that I found here is the RMA where shipped goods can be returned and an App will manage that. So no problem to keep your inventory correct and up to date.

Supply chain
Managing shipments and freight. And all is related to warehouse, customers and expenses.

Sourcing
Apps that works with suppliers, and manufacturers.

Website management
You can integrate it with wordpress. And also can be used with your website, domain or even Google checkout integration. Sounds great, and I'm eager to test this tools. (I think that it would be much more interesting if it can be with PayPal too).

Fundraising
Mainly about dealing with your investors and communicating documents with them.

Innovation management
Contains cool Apps about how to create and track new ideas internally, than getting patents and manage all.

Asset management
As it sounds, you need this App to manage your assets.

Employee services
You can find here Apps that manage payroll, vacations, employees evaluation and more Apps.

More
There some other payed services as eCommerce hosting, shipments and payment gateways.

After seeing those tools, I think that as I did and will do, don't look for tools that would help me or try to do mines with hundred bugs software.

What I noticed that the whole Apps would need speed enhancement, but it stills not bothering you if you are not running a big business as it saves you thousands of dollars! I would just hope that it would be little more optimized.

CAN WE FOCUS ON THIS FOR THE LONG RUN??

It's the real question I was asking from the beginning as no one want to put all his effort to use those tools to find out one day that it will stop to develop because some failures of the company building it!!!
And the reply is related to Apptivo itself if it's able to keep business running, and if its business model is going to succeed.. So you'll be sure of making the right choice.

Without looking for much details about it, I'm guessing.. If I'm using many of the free application with Apptivo and I would require an SMS gateway to notify customers of shipments for example? Would I buy a service from other than Apptivo? Same for web hosting and development, banking services, shipment and the list is long.. It's up to them to find out what value they can add so the customer is willing to pay for it rather than looking outside.