204 | HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN
How Will You Use a Computer?
Any of the following business activities
will undoubtedly be easier when done by
computer:
• maintaining a large customer base
• carrying accounts receivable or
accounts payable
• stocking many inventory items
• ordering products frequently
• advertising through the mail
• tracking customers’ buying habits
• frequently writing letters, reports,
articles, or other literature
• making catalogues, brochures, or other
marketing materials
• writing a large number of payroll
checks (unless you plan to use an
outside payroll service), and
• engaging in extensive financial
analyses that would require the use of
spreadsheets.
It’s important to keep in mind that using
a computer won’t improve your efficiency
one bit if what you really need is a change
of management philosophy. For example,
if you’re having problems keeping financial
records, a new or upgraded computer or
cutting-edge software won’t automatically
solve your problem. You’ll still need to
get organized and make sure the data is
entered correctly.
What Software Do You Need?
Since the main reason to have a computer
is to use various software programs, a
good way to start figuring out which
computer to buy is by defining which
programs you’ll use.
Computer stores and software distri-
butors can boggle you with the vast array
of available software programs. Do your-
self a favor and start by answering this
simple question: What tasks do I want a
computer to handle? Once you’ve made
a list of tasks you want your computer
to perform, you can go online or visit a
computer store to see which programs
have the features you want.
Before buying software:
• Consider user reviews posted online,
for example, customer reviews at
http://www.cnet.com or http://www.amazon.com,
or read professional reviews at PC
World (www.pccworld.com), CNET
(www.cnet.com), or ZD Net (www.
zdnet.com).
• Talk to a business that’s already doing
the same computerized tasks that you
want to do. They’ll probably be happy
to show you how well—or poorly—
their system works.
• Look at computer magazines (for
example, PC World or PC Com
puting), that generally devote a large
portion of every issue to a side-by-side
comparison of specific programs, such
as accounting or payroll software.
• Comparison shop for the best prices
using a “shopping bot” such as Yahoo
Shopping (http://shopping.yahoo.com/
search) or Google Shopping (access by