There are a number of generic software packages available that are both diverse and easy-to-use for a startup or very small business. However, the very reasons that make them suitable for a startup become the reasons why they ultimately become a hindrance to your business growth. As your business grows, your needs change to support processes specific to your business or industry.

Generic solutions are limiting in three main areas:

1. AUTOMATION OF DAILY PROCESSES: As your business grows you will need to automate daily processes. As an example, you may want to electronically purchase from your main suppliers to save time and avoid errors.
2. MARGIN-BOOSTING FEATURES: Having a good understanding of your costs and flexibility in customer pricing are key to profitability. Generic solutions often lack detailed reports to give you insight into your business. Also, they often provide very limited flexibility when it comes to pricing strategies for your customers.
3. E-COMMERCE: A web presence is becoming increasingly important and there are many off-the-shelf solutions available. Selecting a fully integrated e-commerce platform will reduce the amount of time you need to dedicate to ongoing maintenance and will facilitate real-time customer ‘self-serve’ functionality.

As you grow, you have more data, more employees, more complex transactions and industry-specific processes. All of these contribute to a need for greater business intelligence and insight that will increase efficiency, improve accounting, integrate all areas of your business.