Technology for Small Business: Why It’s Worth the Upgrade

Key takeaways

• Recognize that outdated back-office tasks, like paying vendors by hand, quietly slow your business down.
• Start small by upgrading the one task that drains the most time, then add tools one at a time.
• Use digital payments to keep paying vendors on time, even when disaster disrupts your business.
• Prioritize upgrading early, since waiting to digitize often costs you both time and money.

A business owner’s worst nightmare

For many small business owners like me, the last two years have been full of hurdles—from navigating the Covid-19 pandemic to lower demand for the goods and services we work so hard to sell.

And, to add to the financial hardship, one year ago my business almost lost everything.

On December 12, 2020, the North Country-based bakery and headquarters of my pretzel business burned down in a fire. Martin’s Handmade Pretzels has been in my family for four generations. When I woke up to see flames surrounding the building, I feared for what this would mean for our future.

I’m proud to say that just one year later, my pretzel business isn’t only back, but thriving. We still sell pretzels nationwide and across New York—from farmer’s markets in Syracuse, Watertown, and Old Forge to New York’s Greenmarkets. We also recently opened our new bakery in Moira, northern Franklin County, to the public.

Two things that helped us get back on our feet

Two things helped my small business rebound while others struggled:

• Community support: loyal customers and generous suppliers
• Technology: a willingness to embrace innovative tools

First and foremost, for small businesses like mine, a base of loyal customers is essential. We don’t have the resources of larger businesses, so we mainly rely on word of mouth and social media to attract new customers. We’re also lucky to have faithful customers who have eaten Martin’s Handmade Pretzels for years.

When my bakery burned to the ground, our customers overwhelmed us with their generosity. They chipped in through a GoFundMe page, which helped us raise enough money to get back on our feet. Some of our suppliers also offered to delay their payment terms and donated services for free.

But rebuilding after unimaginable tragedy was also made easier because we hadn’t shied away from innovation.

Why outdated technology holds small businesses back

Outdated technology holds a small business back by keeping back-end tasks, like paying vendors, slow and manual.

When I took ownership of the business, I knew our outdated technology was holding us back. It wasn’t in how we made our pretzels, but in our back-end operations.

I turned to Latitude Bookkeeping Services in Plattsburgh for a better way to track cash flow, margins, cost per product, and overhead. They recommended Melio, an online payment platform that lets small businesses send and receive payments digitally.

This played a critical role in helping my business bounce back. When the bakery and headquarters burned down, we also lost all of our business’s paper checks. That may seem like a small loss, but we needed to keep paying our vendors each week. Luckily, we sent out all of our payments on time.

Digital payments cut my administrative time in half. Instead of ordering new checks and writing them by hand after the fire, I paid every vendor on time. I spent the hours I saved growing the business.

How technology helps small businesses recover and grow

Technology helps small businesses save time, protect cash flow, and keep running through disruption. Many owners still hesitate, worried they won’t see a return on the investment. In my case, I wish we’d started sooner, because it would have saved us both time and money.

Through a year of immense challenges, I was grateful to have the tools that kept my business on track. If you’re on the fence, start with one back-office task that eats your time. The right tool pays you back in hours, and in peace of mind.

Ready to spend less time on paperwork and more time growing your business? Sign up for Melio.

Where to start when upgrading your technology

You don’t have to change everything at once. Start with the one task that eats the most time, then build from there.

1. Find your biggest time drain. For many owners, it’s manual bookkeeping or paying bills by hand.
2. Ask a trusted advisor. A bookkeeper can point you to tools that fit how you work.
3. Adopt one tool at a time. Measure the time you save before you add the next one.

Taking small steps makes the change feel manageable, and each win builds your confidence to keep going.

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