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End of Financial Year: Here We Go Again

End of Financial Year: Here We Go Again

It’s that time of the year again, when the pressure mounts for many CFOs and financial teams. The End of Financial Year (EOFY), which falls within the June/July timeframe for many companies, brings with it the challenges of reporting, forecasting, and consolidating financial data.

Mark Culverson, General Manager with Klugo, having been an accountant in an earlier life, knows first-hand that when working with a frustrating collection of independent systems and add-on tools, “Accountants tend to spend too much of their time just pulling numbers together, when the real value they provide is understanding the impact of those numbers and looking at the lead measures which impact the business.”

If you’re tired of struggling with entry-level systems like Xero and MYOB, accompanied by an ever-growing number of external, disconnected bolt-ons and apps, manual processes, and an EOFY rush of long working hours, it’s time to consider becoming a data-driven business and upgrading to a more powerful enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform. In this article, we explore some common problems faced during EOFY and how a centralised system like NetSuite can provide solutions to streamline your financial processes.

 

1. Budgeting & forecasting

One of the major challenges during EOFY is budgeting and forecasting. Entry-level finance systems often have limitations that force finance teams to rely on manual calculations and API integrations with external forecast applications. This leads to excessive importing, exporting, and collating of reports in spreadsheets, consuming valuable time and increasing the risk of errors. NetSuite offers a centralised data management solution that provides accurate, real-time budgeting and forecasting capabilities. There’s no need to duplicate or compare data across different platforms and extensions. With NetSuite, you can make informed decisions based on reliable data, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual processes.

 

2. Reporting limitations

Reporting limitations can cripple finance teams during EOFY. Entry-level systems that lack centralised data require cumbersome import and export processes between various applications. This manual-intensive task consumes valuable time and resources, leaving your team exhausted and prone to errors. It also results in staff frustration; as Mark notes, “Staff don’t want to spend their time crunching numbers. They want to spend their time adding value.” NetSuite provides a centralised system that eliminates the need for importing and exporting data. With NetSuite’s customisable reporting capabilities, you can generate reports efficiently and effortlessly, saving time and reducing the risk of mistakes.

 

3. Cash-flow challenges

Managing cash flow can be a challenge, especially for businesses with multiple subsidiaries. Many entry-level systems struggle to support the consolidation of financial statements and cash flow between companies. NetSuite seamlessly manages cash flow across multiple subsidiaries, providing real-time visibility and empowering businesses to make data-driven financial decisions. With NetSuite, you can consolidate your financial statements quickly and accurately, gaining a clear picture of your company’s financial position at the end of the year.

 

4. Cost accounting

Entry-level systems often have limited reporting capabilities for cost accounting. This can result in slow itemised billings and inconsistencies caused by imports from different warehouses and billing applications, which may even be using different terms for the same thing: closed invoice or received invoice? Closed sales orders or shipped goods? With NetSuite, everyone is using the same names for the same purpose, eliminating duplication, improving efficiency, and offering your business accurate insights into your cost accounting processes. NetSuite’s customisable reporting, powered by Australian data centres and Oracle database technology, ensures fast results even with large amounts of data.

 

5. Stocktake struggles

Managing stocktake with entry-level systems can be chaotic, and severely tax warehouse staff at year’s end. Tracking materials, stock levels, and managing purchase orders between different platforms often involves exporting and importing data, leading to complications and inefficiencies, not to mention the struggle to make sure all the information is properly updated in each system to coordinate closing off at the same time. This can result in poor customer service and difficulties in tracking real-time inventory. NetSuite’s inventory management system seamlessly integrates with your financial operations, providing real-time visibility and streamlining the stock management process. With NetSuite, you can effectively track your stock, manage purchase orders, and ensure smooth customer service during the busiest time of the year.

Why FSM matters

Given the speed of today’s businesses and market, having an efficient and integrated ERP platform is crucial for smooth operations. When coupled with an on-platform field management service (FMS) system, the benefits are even more pronounced, particularly during the end of the financial year.

Companies heavily reliant on manual data capture, especially those with field service operations, often struggle to connect diverse systems during this critical period. User input in these systems is typically delayed until the end of the day, and in some cases, it can be up to three days behind schedule. This delay triggers a chain reaction that disrupts essential processes such as inventory management, billing, cash flow, and reporting. The delayed data in each system then needs to be reconciled, adding further complexity and room for errors. Recognising the significance of tackling manual data input alongside connecting disparate systems is crucial.

With an integrated solution like Next Service, businesses can automatically and instantly transfer all aspects of field service into the accounting modules of NetSuite, eliminating delays and ensuring real-time accuracy. This integration empowers companies to navigate the end of the financial year with ease, optimising efficiency, reducing errors, and ultimately achieving greater success in their financial processes.

Plan now for an easier EOFY next year

“Now, when you’ve just been through year-end and you’ve got all that information at hand, it is a perfect time to start planning for the next EOFY. Start the process of engaging with stakeholders across the business and a delivery partner such as Klugo to understand the investment and value adds NetSuite can bring to your business,” advises Mark Culverson.

Taking control of your financial reporting and consolidations by investing in a centralised system like NetSuite may require some addition to this budget, but it will pay off with a much quicker EOFY process in future. It will also give you the scope to spend less time crunching numbers and guiding colleagues through the mess of a patchwork system, and more time reading the data and planning for your business’ future success. Mark reports that July and August are popular months for CFO and accountants to book a meeting with Klugo to discuss the steps they need to take to ensure a successful transition to take them to the next EOFY and beyond. 

Conclusion

By investing in NetSuite, you can eliminate the pain of disconnected systems and reap the benefits of real-time data and streamlined processes, empowering your business to accelerate its growth, and as Mark points out, “NetSuite’s architecture means it can keep growing alongside your business. Your company will not outgrow a NetSuite solution because it’s an endlessly scalable solution.” Make the switch and join the growing number of businesses that are embracing the power of NetSuite. Say goodbye to the frustrations of entry-level systems and welcome a new era of efficiency, accuracy, and data-driven decision-making for your EOFY and beyond.

 

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Need a specialist’s free advice?

Feel free to call an expert in operational excellence today. Find out how cloud-based technology can support and quickly adapt to your growth strategies.

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Inventory Management Cuts Costs and Improves Efficiency for Medical Device Suppliers

Inventory Management Cuts Costs and Improves Efficiency for Medical Device Suppliers

Medical device manufacturers and suppliers face significant challenges with inventory and asset management. Keeping track of healthcare equipment, medical supplies, and other inventory items while servicing customers can be complex and time-consuming, and these challenges have only increased following the arrival of COVID-19 and the supply chain issues it has brought with it.

    But an effective inventory management system, such as the one built into Oracle’s NetSuite ERP, is also crucial for a business’s success. Improved inventory management can help track inventory levels, monitor usage patterns, and detect discrepancies, saving time and money while improving customer satisfaction in a number of ways, including:    
  1. Reducing inventory shrinkage. That is, the loss of inventory due to theft, damage, or human error. A reliable inventory management system can help you track inventory levels, monitor usage patterns, and detect discrepancies in real-time.
  2. Increasing first-time fix rates. By tracking the inventory used during medical equipment servicing and repairs, you can ensure that the necessary parts and supplies are always in stock, avoiding delays and building a reputation for reliability and efficiency.
  3. Automating manual tasks. Such as barcode and RFID scanning. Automation increases the speed and accuracy of stock-taking, receiving, and fulfilment.
Your return on investment is further boosted by managing your operations with a field service management system built onto your NetSuite platform. Next Service works seamlessly with NetSuite’s inventory functionality, eliminating data duplication and unlocking a suite of new tools, including:    
  1. Improved scheduling and dispatching for medical equipment suppliers. By using Next Service’s advanced scheduling and dispatching board, you can streamline your operations and provide timely service to your customers.
  2. A mobile app that enables field technicians to access all the information they need from anywhere at any time on any device. With the Next Service mobile app, field technicians have visibility into each job’s date, time, and location. And the mobile app automates the flow of information from field to office. Data collected via customer checklists and forms is immediately available to back-office personnel.
  3. Lifecycle asset management provides full visibility into asset hierarchy, history, usage, and maintenance. This increases productivity and enhances data transparency – both in the office and in the field – and helps ensure regular maintenance activities are completed, and warranty requirements are met.
Paragon 28 Medical Equipment Manufacturers create new and improved solutions to the challenges faced by foot and ankle specialists. The company took their operations to a new level by working with Klugo to implement NetSuite in their business.
“Klugo is very responsive. They were able to understand our business needs and personalise NetSuite for us, deploying an implementation that works even better than SAP, which is what our global brand uses. I’ve personally used Xero and Myob before, and I can say that NetSuite is by far a superior system.” Kate Tomlinson, Finance Manager at Paragon 28
Kate’s experience highlights the importance of selecting the right enterprise resource management system for your business and working with the right partner in that implementation. Klugo are experts in enterprise resource management systems and optimising workflows in inventory management. Above that, Klugo are experts in the medical supply and repair industry, with a deep and broad understanding of the sector’s challenges and opportunities. For example, take anesthetic machines. An anesthetic machine check is a routine inspection to ensure the machine functions correctly and safely. The machine must be checked before each use to minimise the risk of equipment failure and patient harm. An efficient asset management system tracks equipment history, making it easier to ensure maintenance is up to date and anticipating repairs that need to be made before the equipment breaks down. An effective inventory management system implemented with support from Klugo helps ensure necessary machine components are always in stock and available when needed. This can improve the overall efficiency of servicing and repairs and enhance customer satisfaction.

Ecolab Healthcare, a top medical equipment, chemistry, and services provider, has achieved new efficiencies after adopting NetSuite and Next Service. Ecolab worked with Klugo to implement NetSuite and Next Service. With expert guidance from Klugo, Ecolab Healthcare centralised all its software requirements into a single solution. The implementation enabled Ecolab Healthcare to achieve a 100% reduction in paper usage and provide visibility over their entire business.

“Our previous systems were quite manual, and we had no service management capability. With NetSuite and Next Service, we now have visibility over our entire business, and we can schedule our technicians efficiently.”
Chris Vat, Ecolab Healthcare’s Operations Manager

 

Conclusion

Post-COVID, medical device manufacturers and suppliers have experienced supply chain issues. Inventory and asset management have become even more critical as a result of these challenges. Companies can reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and enhance customer satisfaction by implementing an ERP system that includes inventory management, asset management, and efficient field service management tools. Selecting NetSuite + Next Service can make a significant difference in a business’s success.

 

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

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Simplifying ERP Data Migration: Avoiding Risks and Pitfalls

Simplifying ERP Data Migration: Avoiding Risks and Pitfalls

Are you considering implementing a new ERP system for your business? The process of migrating your data to a new system can be daunting.

The ERP is only as good as the data inside, so how do you get vast amounts of information into that system without a massive, error-prone effort? We will explain how. 

 

What is data migration?

Data migration is the process of transferring your existing data from your current system to a new one. This might sound simple and even boring, but in reality, migrating data can be complex and time-consuming – and it’s also crucial to the success of your ERP transition and ongoing business success. If not well managed, data migration can delay your implementation deadlines, leading to unexpected costs and complexity.

It’s common to underestimate the preparations needed for that critical day when old systems are switched off and operations start in the new ERP. Success hinges on historical data. The weight of critical transactions, vital customer interactions, and all orders to the last minute cannot be overlooked. Organisations should carefully plan for this transition, ensuring their teams can continue operations from day one. The nightmare scenario of duplicating work in both systems after go-live should be avoided at all costs.

With careful planning and execution, the data migration process can be smooth and predictable, saving both money and time.

The goal here isn’t simply migrating data. The goal is migrating the right data in a consistent and predictable format, to ensure maximum efficiency and usefulness of your new ERP. Key stakeholders must come together to agree on:

  • Which data to migrate,
  • How much of that data to migrate, and
  • What that data should look like.

Working through this challenging process delivers a single, agreed understanding of what your business’ important data is and how it should be presented, breaking down silos and increasing alignment across departments.

Common Challenges with Data Migration

Smaller manufacturers, especially those with field service operations that generate vast amounts of data, may face bigger challenges in data migration due to their small IT and administrative staff. Limited resources in terms of time, staff, and skills make data migration a burdensome task. Working with experts to address these challenges will make all the difference to your ERP transition. To avoid common mistakes during data migration, it’s important to address the following issues:
   

  • Bad Data: The biggest problem is when inaccurate, redundant, incomplete, or improperly formatted data ends up in the ERP, either from the old system or during migration.
  • High Cost: Data migration requires time, staff, planning, and resources, which can become problematic if the process takes longer than expected, doesn’t follow best practices, or lacks proper budgeting.
  • Minimal Support: Managing day-to-day operations while migrating data can create friction between managers and the ERP team. It is crucial to gain buy-in from all levels of the organization to ensure a successful data migration.
  • Compliance Problems: Field service providers, bound by regulatory or contractual requirements regarding data storage, face the risk of compliance issues and their associated consequences when moving data between systems.

Planning for Data Migration

While the challenges outlined above are common, they are also avoidable. Knowing where other data migrations have stalled or taken a left turn makes it possible to plan around those problems. Develop a plan that addresses these key steps:
   

  • Appoint adata migration representative: They will determine what and how to migrate, manage the process, and take responsibility for the results.
  • Take inventory: Map data locations, and address redundancies and inconsistent formats. Craig Jessup, one of Klugo’s data migration experts, notes that different departments often use different terms for the same thing: “Is it Customer Name or Company Name?”. Use the map to guide automated data import in the ERP.
  • Ditch bad data: Not all data should be migrated, especially if it is outdated or irrelevant. Do you really need to import sales data from years ago for products that are no longer? “Deciding what to exclude from the ERP can save time and money, making sure you meet your go-live date” advises Craig.
  • Migrate and modify: Once the data is migrated into the ERP, don’t assume the system is ready for immediate use. Validate and test the migrated data in the ERP. Ongoing input and adjustment is essential to achieve a clean and accessible format for users.

Best Practices for Data Migration

Field service providers and manufacturers adopting ERP systems can benefit from proven practices. While each migration is unique, the following principles are always relevant:
   

  • Recognize the importance of data migration: Data migration is vital and resource intensive, so invest in sufficient effort and planning. Start early, allocate resources, and standardize data extraction and cleansing.
  • Support the business case: Data migration isn’t just populating the ERP. Strive to make data more accessible, integrated, intuitive, and insightful. Consider user needs for maximum value. This process brings value beyond the data migration. Craig points out that this discussion process “Breaks down silos and encourages the whole company to work as a single unit, sharing information in agreed formats and ways”.
  • Prioritize data governance: Data governance is crucial before and after ERP adoption. Define roles, policies, and security measures before you transition to the new ERP and continue to adapt as your needs evolve.
  • Emphasize quality: Focus on quality, relevant data. Migrate essential information first and refine it as needed. Other data can be migrated later, or possibly never.
  • Seek data migration support: Partner with experts who understand the importance of best practice data migration, ERP implementation, and your industry. Look for providers such as Klugo, who provide not only CSV import templates, but guidance specific to industry practices in NetSuite and Next Service. “Your data is an important business asset,” cautions Craig. “Let’s make sure nothing threatens the quality and timelines of your ERP transition.”

Conclusion

Partnering with Klugo takes the worry out of data migration. Unlike some other ERP providers without industry experience, Klugo will help you manage the entire process with focus on optimising relevant industry data and workflows. Our experienced team understands the unique characteristics of the field service and manufacturing industries, as well as the intricacies of both NetSuite and Next Service, ensuring your data is migrated efficiently and accurately. Using this expertise, Klugo will guide you through the migration process, drawing in key stakeholders to clearly understand all requirements, and the implications of those requirements.

 

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Need a specialist’s free advice?

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Australia’s green energy industry is about to take off.

Australia’s green energy industry is about to take off.

Automation in industrial processes, such as sheet metal manufacturing and field service management for installation, maintenance and repair, will play a critical role in the future success of businesses in the value chain for the Australian clean energy industry.

 

Does your business have the right technology in place?

Australia has been hard hit by climate change. In recent years we’ve been battling bushfires, droughts, and floods of increasing intensity. The Albanese government is taking climate change seriously, calling for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower and mandating a 43% emissions reduction target by 2030.

This presents a massive business opportunity for the clean energy sector and creates demand for new and innovative products and services. In NSW alone, the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap projects $32 billion in private sector investment as well as other major initiatives in areas such as transport and community infrastructure over the next 20 years as the state’s energy transition steps up. It’s time for the Australian clean energy industry to prepare for an uplift in demand.

The green energy supply chain comprises several different industries, including solar panel servicing, solar repair, wind turbine maintenance, and power turbine services. A key challenge for these industries is that many of the components required for these systems are currently being produced offshore. This creates logistical and financial challenges for the businesses that rely on these components.

Peter Ceeney, General Manager of PFG Victoria, is one industry leader who’s embracing the opportunity to work closely with more local companies. PFG has reported “a surge in customers looking for local bespoke design and manufacturing. Concerns about supply chain security, delays and freight costs have reignited interest in Australian-made engineering and production.”

Onshoring, or bringing the production of these components back to Australia, could provide a significant boost to the clean energy sector. It would help businesses reduce their administration costs, improve supply chain management, and create new jobs. It would also make it easier for businesses to manage quality control, with more oversight of the production process. According to the Future Batteries Industry, “Diversified battery industries in Australia could now contribute A$16.9 billion gross value added (GVA) and 61,400 jobs to the economy by 2030.” Wind blade manufacturing is another high-value opportunity, accounting for 15% of total wind farm project costs.

Automating business operations is critical to scalability.

Automated industrial processes, including field service management and sheet metal manufacturing, also play a critical role in the future success of the Australian clean energy industry. Manufacturing automation can help to reduce costs and improve efficiency. This is especially true for automation suppliers and engine parts suppliers, which rely on consistent and efficient manufacturing processes to deliver high-quality products.

This is the space where Klugo’s service offerings can help medium-sized businesses in the clean energy supply chain improve their processes with an integrated digital solution. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, like Oracle NetSuite, can help businesses manage their finances, streamline administration processes, and automate tasks such as payroll and production planning. When you include a field service management (FSM) system such as Next Service on the same ERP platform, sending technicians and crews into the field to perform installations, repairs, and maintenance tasks can become more profitable while improving cash flow. By automating these tasks, businesses can reduce the time and resources they spend on non-core activities and instead focus on their core business functions.

In addition, Klugo is the sole distributor of Lantek sheet metal manufacturing solutions in Australia and New Zealand. The combination of NetSuite + Next Service + Lantek, supported by Klugo’s expertise in the manufacturing industry, enables manufacturing companies to achieve operational excellence and grow their businesses.

Many businesses in the clean energy supply chain have a series of disconnected digital infrastructure and systems that are clunky and require follow-up. Investing in Klugo’s integrated service offering, which brings key functionalities into one integrated system, is an investment small to medium-sized businesses need to think about making as demand increases in the clean energy sector.

The Australian clean energy industry needs to prepare for an uplift in demand now in order to be ready for our greener future. Beyond Zero Emissions’ research shows that “Australia could generate $333 billion in green exports by 2050.” Onshoring, automated industrial and manufacturing automation, and the right ERP and FSM systems can all play a critical role in the success of this sector. By using Klugo’s service offerings, medium-sized businesses in the clean energy supply chain can improve their processes and be better positioned to take advantage of this opportunity.

Conclusion

Australia’s push towards renewable energy presents a huge opportunity for the clean energy sector, creating demand for new and innovative products and services. Onshoring, or bringing the production of components back to Australia provides a significant boost to the clean energy sector, as it would help businesses reduce their administration costs, improve supply chain management, and create new local jobs.

Automation in industrial processes, such as field service management and sheet metal manufacturing, will play a critical role in the future success of the Australian clean energy industry. Klugo’s integrated service offering, including NetSuite ERP, Next Service FSM, and Lantek sheet metal manufacturing solutions, can help businesses improve their processes and be better positioned to take advantage of this opportunity.

 

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Need a specialist’s free advice?

Feel free to call an expert in operational excellence today. Find out how cloud-based technology can support and quickly adapt to your growth strategies.

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Australia’s green energy industry is about to take off.

Having too much confidence in yourself can often be at odds with reality. Set effective objectives, goals and targets to avoid falling off a cliff.

Overconfidence will destroy your business

Having too much confidence in yourself can often be at odds with reality. Set effective objectives, goals and targets to avoid falling off a cliff.

Vision and mission: how to grow your business the right way

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Soaring Costs + Economic Slowdown = Out of Business. What can SMBs do?

Escalating costs plus economic slowdown creates a major opportunity to focus on our strengths and become as lean as possible to build up our capability.

Overconfidence will destroy your business

Overconfidence will destroy your business

Set effective objectives, goals and targets to avoid falling off a cliff.

Having a deep sense of confidence in your own judgment and abilities can often be at odds with reality. Just as a lack of confidence is a problem, too much confidence leads us to only focus on the good while ignoring the bad. This often leads to poor decision-making and sometimes catastrophic errors.

Take Elon Musk, for example. Would you describe him as being overconfident in his abilities to manage Twitter? If yes, how would you recommend he set boundaries and objectives to manage his confidence levels?

We often mistakenly equate confidence with competence. In many cases, a person is confident because they are extremely competent. However, this confidence can be conveyed in a number of ways. Leaders who are self-deprecating, slow to decide and open to new data and points of view tend to be quietly confident and simply exude confidence through their very presence in a meeting.

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Vision and mission: how to grow your business the right way

Vision and mission: how to grow your business the right way

You have heard it all before, it’s time to hear it again: to give your business a competitive advantage, stop selling products and services and sell your vision and mission instead.

If you have ever started a business, you may have agonised over your vision and mission statements. The prevailing opinion seems to be that your business will fail if you don’t make powerful and world-changing statements to live by when running your business.

The web is littered with posts on “the most inspiring mission statements of all time”, “15 vision statements to change the world”, or my personal favourite: “1,550+ best company vision and mission statements”. It’s clear that the bar for “best” seems to be set fairly low.

With so much attention placed on vision and mission, why do so many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) post these to their About Us page, never to be referenced again, yet they still succeed? Are vision and mission statements even necessary and are they essential to success?

Yes, but not for the reasons you may think.

An SMB that doesn’t have a vision or mission statement will often succeed off the back of its founder leading the charge. Great founders impart their personal vision and mission onto their staff through action, role modelling and coaching. Founders encapsulate why we exist, what our purpose is and how we can role model the values that build team culture.

However, what happens if the founder is no longer available? This situation raises issues about who the team will look to for their ‘why’ and what they will do without their leader to guide them.

This is when vision, mission and values come into play. They are the glue for the business to continue and exist past a single leader’s contribution. Or, as the business grows, they are a way for the founder to communicate the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘how’ of the business.

Vision – what and why

We are a pragmatic bunch here in Australia. While inspiring rhetoric can be fun, not all businesses are built to save the world. Keep it simple and state what you see as the future version of the business. Visualise the end game and what it will look like when you have achieved all your objectives. Hold that vision in your mind, and then state why you put in all of that work to build your future business.

For example, your vision could be:

“To help customers transition to renewable energy as our contribution to lowering carbon emissions.”

Let’s break it down:

  • Our future self: “We help customers transition to renewable energy”
  • Why we do it: “Our contribution to lowering carbon emissions”

 

Taking another example:

“To make the tastiest pre-cooked meals for adolescents that are both healthy and convenient.”

Let’s break it down:

  • Our future self: “We make the tastiest pre-cooked meals for adolescents”
  • Why we do it: “both healthy and convenient”

In both of these examples, we are describing what we will do in the future and why we do it so that others who are aligned to the ‘why’ can jump onboard.

 

One final example:

“To unlock the full operating potential of our customers and maximise their business value.”

Let’s break it down:

  • Our future self: “To unlock the full operating potential of our customers”
  • Why we do it: “maximise their business value”

Don’t get hung up on whether or not you are achieving your vision right now. This is about informing the team and the world what your business will look like in future. The gap between the current and future state of your business informs your execution plan.

 

Mission – how

Personally, I think there is some confusion regarding mission statements, as many organisations use them as a target or goal. Once you achieve your goal, do you then have to change your business?

Here is an example of a poor mission statement:

‘Our mission is to be the market leader in renewable energy solutions.’

It reads well, and it sounds good to stakeholders, but what does it really say about your business other than that you will do anything to climb to the top? In addition, who benefits from you being the market leader?

I prefer mission statements that complement the vision statement with an explanation of how we are going to achieve that vision. Let’s take a look at some examples below:

Vision:
‘To help customers transition to renewable energy as our contribution to lowering carbon emissions.’

Mission:
‘Develop leading-edge renewable energy technology guaranteed to lower carbon emissions.’

When read together, we now know the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ for the business.

Other examples are as follows:

 

Vision:
‘To make the tastiest pre-cooked meals for adolescents that are both healthy and convenient.’

Mission:
‘Use organic ingredients and prepare meals with recipes from industry-leading experts in nutrition.’

Vision:
‘To unlock the full operating potential of our customers and maximise their business value.’

Mission:
‘To help customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite and NextService.’

Vision and mission are a decision-making tool

Together, the vision and mission set the stage for ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ your business operates. Making it the core of your marketing, sales, and operating plans will ensure that your organisation is always working towards realising that vision.

Every now and then, a stakeholder or opportunity comes along that tempts us to deviate from our original vision and mission. When making a decision, assess whether it fits within the vision and mission statement.

If it doesn’t, disregard the opportunity or re-evaluate the vision and mission. There is nothing wrong with a pivot, as long as it starts from the top and the entire business is aligned with the new direction.

 

Conclusion

People like to be part of a team. A shared vision, mission and culture are critical to creating well-functioning team dynamics.

Whatever your vision and mission may be, write it down and share it with all stakeholders. Make these a part of your decision-making process to build momentum in your desired direction. With momentum comes growth and efficiencies as your entire business is working towards the same goals.

Hopefully, we’ve provided you with some valuable takeaways from this post. Please follow or subscribe to receive more Klugo Briefing Posts in future.

 

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

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