# Improving my business operations...looking for tech solutions



## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

Sorry for the long post. 

I feel like it’s time to level up my business and start focusing on improving the operations side of the business. 

Ever since I started my business 5 years ago, I’ve focused all my energy on improving the quality of my work, production rates and spending as much time as possible in the field. In all honesty I’ve been doing the bare minimum when it comes to the operations side of running my business.

Currently, I use InDesign for creating estimates, Quickbooks for invoicing and bookkeeping (at a very basic level), Expensify for mileage tracking and T-sheets for time tracking. 

It seems like there must be a program out there that can help integrate more of these processes into one program and help my business run smoother and more efficiently.

I was watching a YouTube video from a GC name Matt Risinger and he was showing some screen shot of a program called Builder Trend. It looked impressive and got me thinking about my business and the current tech I’m using.

Sooooo...does anyone have any advice on what programs might be helpful???? Or that you’ve had success with.

Here’s a link to the video, which is all about mistakes the GC made when he started his business. It’s mostly about change orders, but I think it’s worth watching.







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I don't run a business, but I do have to collect, record and communicate a lot of data. I find the more information I process, the more time it takes me away from actual work. 

At what point does a painting business get so complicated that a sophisticated software management program (requiring management and maintenance itself) needs to be incorporated to help automate the management, scheduling, and employment process of a business. And when is a business software program the best solution for automation verses an actual office assistant that may be better at real time cognition than AI?


----------



## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

CA, you’re right that tech solutions can sometimes be burdensome or take longer compared to more old school methods. 

At this point I’m trying to find a balance. Rather than using various platforms, it would be great to find a program that integrates much of what I’m already doing in one platform.

The Builder Trend program I referenced is very cool. It’s also very expensive and way too complex for what I’m doing.

Who knows, maybe I just need to spend more time learning Quickbooks.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

PNW Painter said:


> CA, you’re right that tech solutions can sometimes be burdensome or take longer compared to more old school methods.
> 
> At this point I’m trying to find a balance. Rather than using various platforms, it would be great to find a program that integrates much of what I’m already doing in one platform.
> 
> ...


I get the appeal of a software program that can sort and communicate data. But if you're looking for true automation that allows you to simply drop client names, numbers, estimates, schedules, invoices, payroll, inventory, and maintenance records in a box and have it sort itself out without much effort on your part, it sure sounds like a warm blooded assistant would be a good bet. Easier said than done I'm sure. Especially if a spouse isn't involved in the business.

I wonder if there's room for part time office assistants in this era of small trade businesses. It seems the emphasis is always on trade help rather than the business end help. As appealing as running a business has appeared to be for many here at PT, at the end of the day, I wonder how many would rather apply their craft than constantly feed the computer with data.


----------



## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

What's the old saying about computers? Garbage in, garbage out. https://techterms.com/definition/gigo


----------



## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

As a business owner you have to think about efficiencies throughout all your businesses tasks. Even if a task takes slightly longer to input on the front end, you might save a lot of time on the backend if it helps with your accounting and tax prep.

It seems like there are a few programs tailored to painters, but it seems like they’re focused on the estimating side of our businesses. That’s my impression of PEP Cloud.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ElegantPainting (Aug 25, 2014)

Why not design your own. How good are you with word or apple pages? An original template takes some time to build but it will put you above the rest. Dunno how much time you have but Technical writing is a class you can take to write proposals that get yeses far more than your typical standard templates


----------

