Bellwether - A Blytheco Magazine | Quotable Business by Blytheco

Quotable Business

BELLWETHER Volume 5 | Issue 2 | Second Quarter 2014

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Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

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sections

“The study of great quotations is worth more than a college education.” – Vikrant Parsai

Letter from the Editor

Leadership

Corporate Finance

Cover Story

Industry News

Human Resources

8 16 24

32 bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

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LETTERFROMTHEEDITOR

BELLWETHER

A Blytheco Magazine Volume 5 Second Quarter, 2014 www.blytheco.com www.bellwethermagazine.com STAFF EDITOR Apryl Hanson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Greg Went CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Anne Alario Devin Ambron Donna Baeza Joe Bisaha Jeff Blomstrom Stephen Blythe Urs Bockli Brian Dunn Warren Glick Joni Girardi Jay Mercedes Joanna Pfahler Lori Seal Ron Shepard Steve Showalter Phil Sim Andrew Thorn Dan Waldschmidt Bill Wiersma David Winterhalter Paul Ziliak ADVERTISING SALES Ginger Kittinger SUBSCRIPTIONS www.bellwethermagazine.com Or contact Ginger Kittinger (800) 425-9843, Extension 2501 ginger@blytheco.com Bellwether Magazine is published by Blytheco with principal offices at: 23161 Mill Creek Road Suite 200 Laguna Hills, CA 92653 If you wish to be removed from the mailing list or to add names to the mailing list, send your request, including name, business name, and mailing address to the above address or to ginger@blytheco.com This is a copyrighted publication and all articles herein are covered by this copyright. Any use of the content for commercial reasons or other form or reproduction of material herein is strictly prohibited without prior, written approval of Bellwether Magazine.

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Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

LEADERSHIP

About Warren Buffett and ERP Systems by Paul Ziliak, co-founder – xkzero

hat a great theme by Blytheco for this issue of Bellwether – Quotable Business. I find inspiration from a great many sources for both personal and business. No doubt I enjoy a number of quotable business people, but I look to the arts and to sports too. Steve Jobs, John Wooden and Leo Tolstoy are three whose works I always keep nearby for those moments when I need to “phone a friend.” Warren Buffett is another. I was particularly struck by an article in Bloomberg published February 17, 2011 and written by Andrew Frye and Dakin Campbell. The title of the article was ‘Buffett Says Pricing Power Is More Important Than Good Management.’ Here are a couple of quotes from the article and I hope you will indulge me as I relate these back to Sage ERP systems. “The extraordinary business does not require good management”

“

“The single most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power” “If you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by 10 percent, then you have a terrible business.” Taken separately each statement is pretty jarring. Taken in deeper context it’s not that difficult to see what he is driving at.

So here is how Mr. Buffett’s line of thinking relates back to Sage ERP. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, while most famous for being the largest shareholder for Coca-Cola and IBM and other global titans, is also owner of a vast array of small and mid-sized manufacturing companies, many of whom use Sage to manage their ERP needs. (We’ve had the pleasure to serve a number of them).

If you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by 10 percent, then you have a terrible business.”

“The extraordinary business does not require good management.” I wonder if they teach it that way in MBA School. I love this quote because it reminds me what makes a transformative business special. The unique product or the unique service that no one can – or will – deliver to a clearly defined set of customers. “The single most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power” and “If you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by 10 percent, then you have a terrible business.” The best management team in the industry will not be able to save you if your business lacks that distinctive product or that distinctive service that only you can deliver.

Without violating any nondisclosure agreements, what I can tell you is that Berkshire Hathaway has a very clear culture of not over-investing in ERP systems. In a sales process with a Berkshire Hathaway company you will notice that the system influencers (almost invariably the managers) have clearly documented exactly what they need to automate their processes, with a strong bias for established, proven solutions. (It’s starting to make sense why Berkshire Hathaway always has Sage on the short list, isn’t it?)

No one ever became an innovator and an industry leader because they purchased a bunch of modules that anyone else could buy and implement. No one ever became an innovator and an industry leader because their management team selected the ERP system with the most features or flexibility, or with the best report writer, or because they could run it on the cloud or on their phone or wristwatch. They became industry leaders because they focused on making the best products and services to serve the needs of very specific groups of customers. They selected just the right amount of management software to support their mission.

About the Author Paul Ziliak is co-founder of xkzero, developers of mobile and web commerce solutions for small and mid-sized B2B manufacturers and distributors, specializing in Sage ERP. Connect with Paul on Twitter at @PaulZiliak.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

Failure: Enabling It to Be a Springboard to Business Success

“

Want to learn something useful about failure? Go talk to the most successful person you know.”—Lewis Schiff, author of Business Brilliant by Bill Wiersma

ost of us aren’t anxious to spill the beans about our business failures. But whether we’re a serial entrepreneur or a corporate veteran, we all have them—failures and fiascos, that is. But failure is rarely fatal. Lewis Schiff, Executive Director of Inc. Business Owners Council speaks to failure in an especially instructive way in his latest book, Business Brilliant. His emphasis is especially geared to those in the entrepreneurial space. Schiff’s message? Failure provides the seeds for success. Substantive success is often realized after several attempts. Consider multimillionaire David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue, whose own board kicked him to the curb in 2007. The firing marked Neeleman’s third in the travel industry. Today, he is the founder and CEO of Azul Brazilian Airlines, Brazil’s third largest domestic carrier. Examples like Neeleman’s abound, namely, headline-making success is rarely achieved without setbacks, often significant ones. The setbacks or failures associated with entrepreneurial ventures shouldn’t really be a surprise; after all, there’s always plenty of risk involved. Angel investors know that many of their investments will fail. Yet hope is ever high that one or two of those investments will eventually hit it big. Still, even when the odds are long against success, failure is painful. Angels bet on people as much as they bet on technology or the next big idea. Failure definitely carries a stigma, often a self-imposed one. But in terms of our learning on the job, there are gems that are often

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

LEADERSHIP missed when we are stymied by failure. Whether we quit and vow never to venture into any entrepreneurial waters again or become frozen, perhaps prompted by a crisis in confidence, it doesn’t much matter. Either way, our learning dividend is null and void because of our attitudes, beliefs, or emotional frailties. I was struck by the parallels between Schiff’s insights via selfmade millionaires and a middle-class control group and the seven mind-sets laid out in my latest book, The Power of Professionalism. It illustrates the unique way professionals think and how they conduct themselves. There are three points I’d like to make about those parallels. 1. Eighty percent of self-made millionaires see failure as important in becoming wealthy. But only 20 percent of Schiff’s middle-class control group saw failure as important. In other words, for the two groups, failure was as different as night and day. Learn from it or run from it—those seem to be the two fundamental choices. Results are tremendously important to self-made millionaires. This is analogous to professionals having a bias for results. Folks with this mind-set (Mind-Set 1 in The Power of Professionalism) embrace the learning that comes from setbacks. No, they’re not thrilled by setbacks, but they certainly welcome the education they provide. New insights help them to push the limits and enable them to invent as they go forward. Throw in the perseverance that comes as a by-product of an entrepreneur’s passion, and you’ve really got something! 2. In order to benefit from bad business decisions (or outcomes), 70 percent of self-made millionaires said that looking inward was the most important thing they should do in order to learn from the experience. In other words, they keep focus on themselves. They attempt to gain insights by examining what they’d do differently the next time. Only 2 percent of self-made millionaires said they’d try to change their partner’s behavior. This parallels precisely with how a professional believes that “things get better when I get better.” This captures what Mind-Set 3 is all about. This admirable trait is apparent when professionals ask themselves, What was my contribution to this failure? This is the first thing they do rather than assign blame at the first sign of trouble.

Professionals know that realizing what’s possible starts, first and foremost, with them. It’s about leading themselves first. Do that and you’ll naturally attract followers. And that’s exactly what the entrepreneurial process requires. 3. After a serious setback or failure, 80 percent of self-made millionaires indicate they would “try again in the exact same field.” Contrast that against Schiff’s middle-class control group: 50 percent indicated they would give up and focus on other projects, and 30 percent indicated they would “try again, but in a different field.” In other words, 80 percent of the control group would give up in one way or another. They’d avoid taking another bite of the proverbial apple. Sticking with something, whatever form that takes, is an indicator of someone who is emotionally stout. Psychologists have found that failure undermines self-confidence and selfesteem in most people, because failure brings uncertainty and a lack of control. Most people feel uncomfortable with even trivial levels of uncertainty. We’re naturally wired to avoid pain and maximize pleasure. By mastering our emotions (Mind-Set 6: specifically overcoming our flight instincts), professionals live to fight another day, to systematically work toward seeing their dreams realized. Consider this excerpt from Jeff Stibel’s recent article on Linkedin: “As a young man, Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job for a lack of good ideas. Then he started his first animation company in 1921 but quickly went bankrupt and ate dog food to survive. If you were subsisting on dog food because of the failure of your first animation company, would you start another animation company? Probably not. But that’s exactly what Walt Disney did. In fact, he had to restart several more times after that before finally becoming successful.” Many of the greatest business success stories were seeded from previous failures. Disney and Neeleman are only two examples. When faced with failures or setbacks, will we feel like failures ourselves? Will we succumb by disengaging? Or will we apply the learning that comes from failure as a means of mitigating the inevitable ambiguity and uncertainty associated with the high-wire act known as entrepreneurism? One can not only hope it’s the latter, one must believe it’s the latter if success is the goal.

About the Author Bill Wiersma is the Principal of Wiersma and Associates, LLC, a consultancy that helps leaders create cultures based on professional ideals. Bill is the author of two critically acclaimed books. His expertise has been featured in numerous media outlets--including the New York Times. The Power of Professionalism, Bill’s latest book, was a finalist for Soundview Executive Book Summaries 2011 Book of the Year. Follow his weekly blog posts at: www.wiersmaandassociates.com/blog/.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

bellâ&#x20AC;˘wethâ&#x20AC;˘er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

The Fear of Fear Among Business Leaders “Fear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human actions.” Albert Einstein to E. Mulder, April 1954, Einstein Archive 60-609

How much does fear play into the decisions that most leaders make? How aware are you of the level of fear impacting you on a day-to-day basis in your decisions? We see fear impacting most businesses and leaders today and it is stifling their growth. When we are afraid, our flight or fight system takes over. Animal instincts aren’t creative or problem solving – they fundamentally cause us to act without reason and often barbaric. In this mode, we may not even realize that we are being reactive instead of proactively thinking. Panic sets in and we look to save ourselves. This doesn’t help progress. It is the ideal leader who not only maintains his own lowered anxiety but possesses the ability and calm to assist others in doing the same so that they can continue to creatively problem solve and fulfill their responsibilities. Assisting others to become less reactive will increase productiveness and collaboration in your work teams.

by Apryl Hanson

Fear can also show up in other ways, like the fear of making a decision. This fear is another common issue that we see diverting leaders from their goals. Successful leaders have learned that firmly making decisions and failing is better than making no decision at all. There is no bravery in avoidance! In fact, the time it takes you to correct a bad decision far outweighs the time spent “drifting” if you are unable to make a decision.

Keep yourself moving forward. Identify your own fear and the fear in others and conquer them! 12

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

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When trading partners institute new rules, you will be ready. MAPADOC provides a user-friendly way to map to and from Sage ERP fields, preset variables and user-defined fields (UDFs). With MAPADOC, you will be able to: • Receive inbound documents • Process orders • Send out the necessary outbound documents

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Register here! https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/774709369 For more information: sales@mapadoc.com | www.mapadoc.com bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

LEADERSHIP

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You by Steve Showalter

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is often referred to as the Golden Rule and is a common theme in everything from psychology to philosophy, sociology, and even religion. The basis of this idea is that all relationships are reciprocal or a two-way street. A successful company is one that embodies this ideal in every facet of their business operations. Businesses with sustainability are the ones that care more about their clients than the traditional assumptions of business motivation. Without your clients and partners, a business cannot be sustained, much less experience growth. Here are 5 principles that you should keep in mind when practicing the Golden Rule in business that will ensure long lasting relationships with your clients.

Build a Strong Foundation To build a strong foundation, a company’s employees need to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, and most importantly customer relationship driven. You want to treat each client as you would expect to be treated by everyone you encounter in your daily interactions. It does not matter how big or small a client is; each client should be treated with the same level of importance. To treat each and every one of your clients as though they are one of your own staff or family members will ensure that you build a strong and lasting relationship. 14

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

Always Put the Client’s Needs First Taking the time to respond to a client’s needs and providing assistance to them on a timely basis is a very important aspect of building a strong client relationship. This will help ensure that your clients will learn to trust you and respect your opinions. You will be known as the company that listens to their clients and provides solutions for their problems or questions. Putting your client’s best interests at the forefront at all times will help establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

Handle Conflict with Integrity Integrity is a virtue we should all hold true as well. It is easy to get caught up in who is right and who is wrong when faced with an adverse situation. No one wins in those situations, so it’s best to put yourself in the proverbial shoes of your client. It is best to focus on resolving a situation rather than pointing out who may be at fault.

Always Provide the Best Customer Service When reviewing a company, candidates look for a very solid track record on the company’s products and services as well as client reviews. To stand out from the competition, companies should ensure that they treat every client experience equally, efficiently and with the utmost care. You must always provide the best customer service to your clients and never lose sight of the fact that each and every one of them could be your next referral source for future clients. This carries through to product support. It does not matter if a client caries one of your products or all of them, each client should receive the same level of support and assistance.

Be Proactive with Your Client’s Needs Lastly, it is important that you never lose sight of what the client’s goals were when they signed on with your company. From day one your mission should be to achieve these goals and provide the best products and services to your clients, and that you are in tune with their changing needs. You must maintain a good rapport with the client to keep up with their growing demands

or any changes in their business. Stay on top of these needs and constantly take action by providing better solutions, whether by adding functionality or improving the features of your product, and your clients will know that you always have their best interests in mind. In our business, it is the application of this principle that allowed us to make an immediate impact in our market. ScanForce is the leading provider of Warehouse and Sales mobile solutions for Sage 100 ERP. Listening to feedback and feature requests from our clients and partners has helped make our solution as powerful and robust as it is today. In our industry, we have two sets of clients – our partners, and the actual end-users. We are proud of the mutual trust that we have built with our partners and end-users, and we are very aware that this has been the cornerstone of our success and will continue to be moving forward.

About the Author Steve Showalter is a Sales Manager at ScanForce, a Gold Development Partner for Sage 100 ERP, in providing Bar Code Solutions. Connect with Steve at http://linkedin.com/in/steveshowalter.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

CORPORATEFINANCE A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned Quantifying Savings from eProcurement by Urs Bockli

Performance Area Requisition-to-order costs Requisition-to-order cycle time

Before

After

Improvement

$51

$26

49%

9.6 days

3.4 days

65%

60% 20%

43% 39%

42% Spend under management Percentage of maverick (off contract) spend 33%

Source: Aberdeen Group

E-procurement cost justifications can build with data from a reputable research organization such as Aberdeen. Annual System Operating Investment Cost

$35,000

$10,000

Cost Annual Savings per Purchases Requisition

$25

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

1200

Annual Net Annual Savings Savings

$30,000

$20,000

Internal Rate of Return

49%

he implementation of purchasing systems can be justified with industry benchmarks that demonstrate the benefits of e-procurement. The Aberdeen group cites results of e-procurement initiatives in terms of processing cost, cycle time, spend under management, and reduction of maverick spend. However, research surveys combine tangible and intangible results. The benefits of a solution may be critical to the success of an enterprise, but difficult to quantify for a specific organization.

A formal RFQ alerts vendors to a competitive bidding situation. More detailed responses allow the purchasing agent to make informed decisions. Measurable savings result from vendors offering discounts or terms.

• Labor savings only add to the bottom line if the work force is downsized, or redeployed to tasks that produce revenue or quantifiable cash savings.

Vendor Contracts: Vendor contracts generally commit to quantity purchases, in exchange for favorable terms. To realize the cost savings from these contracts, eProcurement solutions ensure that

• Spend management actions such as disapproved requisitions, travel requests, and purchases generate increased profits only when net spending is cut. • Delays in approvals only raise spending if the resulting corrections (emergency orders or late travel booking) increase the cost of the eventual purchase.

The following examples address quantifiable spend control and measurable cost savings resulting from specific actions that are supported or enabled by a purchasing solution. Quantifying Savings from Vendor Management Quotation Requests: The automation of the Request for Quote (RFQ) process ensures that purchase orders are awarded for the best price and terms rather than employee preference for a vendor, or simply reordering from the usual supplier. A formalized process: • Sets spending limits requiring formal quotes. • Makes formal quote requests availed to vendors with detailed requirements. • Captures, tracks, and compares supplier responses.

• Qualifying purchases comply with the vendor contract. • Vendor contract commitments are tracked. • Contracts are reviewed prior to the expiration or renewal date. • Blanket purchase orders authorize multiple purchases up to the total PO amount. • Additional approvals are required for items purchased outside of the vendor contract or quantities exceeding the contract. • Bids are received prior to an automatic contract renewal.

Purchasing from Approved Vendors and Catalogs: Real cost savings result from the consolidation of purchases to fewer vendors offering quantity discounts by combining purchases of like items from multiple sources. Procurement systems facilitate this by making items from the preferred suppliers more easily available through PunchOut or Internal Catalogs of approved items. Purchases from non-contract vendors may require additional approvals and justifications. Please refer to the article in the First Quarter 2014 Edition of Bellwether http://www.blytheco.com/bellwether/.

Example: Group of formerly independent clinics. Before

After

Office managers ordered from their familiar suppliers, resulting in many purchases of the same or like items at sub-optimal quantities, and from multiple suppliers.

Office managers submit Requisitions to Central Purchasing, selecting the items requested from an approved supplier. Purchasing establishes negotiated contracts with fewer suppliers, at higher quantities and more favorable prices and terms.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Quantifying Savings from eProcurement – Process Controls Requisitions, Purchase Orders and Receiving: The percentage of “Spend under Management” is a major determinant in how disbursements are controlled. A requisition, purchasing and receiving process ensures that • All requests for purchases are recorded and approved. • Approval workflows are tailored to the purchase type, cost, and organizational structure. • Items are selected from preferred vendors. • Requisitions are within budget. • Purchase agents review requisitions, fulfill from existing stock if available, recommend alternatives, and obtain competitive quotes from vendors for new items. • Quantities received and prices are checked against the purchase order.

Measurable savings result from • The avoidance of unnecessary purchases of items that may be available at another location. • Purchases over budget that can be delayed or avoided. • Identifying products from a different vendors at a lower price. • Corrections for short shipment or billing discrepancies. Non-PO Invoices (Check Request): Despite all efforts to increase spend under management, many organizations receive a large number of non-PO invoices. Examples are emergency spending, legal services, consultants, facility services, and utilities. A Check Request process applies the same discipline as transactions originated by Requisitions and Purchase Orders. Credit notes for discrepancies with work orders, verbal commitments, or hours billed can result in significant cost savings. About the Author

Summary Too often, decision makers reject investments in a purchasing solution when the benefits are not fully understood, or not sufficiently quantifiable to document a credible ROI. The ROI is the bottom line result from the investment in a purchasing solution, including the hardware, software, implementation services, and ongoing maintenance and administrative expenses, or the cost of a cloud (hosted) solution. Cost savings can be quantified by comparing the before and after cost on a consistent basis, for the same quantity and same or equivalent quality of items and services purchased. In the previously mentioned example, the cost of products and services purchased within a time period before and after the implementation of Procurement, factoring out changes in quantities or the type or quality of services purchased. Items Purchased

Cost before eProcurement

Cost with eProcurement

Cost Savings

The investment is offset by cost savings from • Consolidating purchases to fewer vendors with contractual commitments at better terms. • Quote requests to multiple vendors to select the best prices and terms. • Credit notes correcting price and quantity errors for received items not matching the PO. • Overbillings for non-PO items. • Rejected or modified requisitions that can be filled from existing stocks, delayed, or are not necessary. • Extra cost for expediting shipments that delayed due to a cumbersome purchasing process.

Urs Bockli is the VP of Marketing and Business Development at Paramount Technologies, a leading global provider of web-based and mobile Spend Management and Workflow Automation solutions for midmarket and enterprise organizations. Connect with Urs on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ursbockli.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

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CORPORATEFINANCE

by David Freschl

etail suppliers often feel as if they are the victims of an adversarial relationship. They suspect that retailers cut each supplierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue in order to decrease retail operation costs and boost profitability, but suspicious suppliers should take care not to overlook their own inefficiencies. Though there is little doubt that big name stores can enhance product recognition and vitalize sales numbers, the value you gain from placement on their shelves can only help your supply business if you stick to a strict set of rules. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explore what this looks like for your supply business, and figure out how you can work with a retailer to maximize your profits.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

“If you think compliance is expensive, try noncompliance.” - Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty

If you are a supplier in the big-box retail world, it is likely that you have received some type of chargeback due to a noncompliance event. This could mean that an error was made on an ASN, a purchase order went unacknowledged, goods took too long to arrive, or that the wrong goods were sent. Chargebacks can be painful, especially when your sales team is doing well and adding new customers left and right. If you receive chargebacks from your new customers, you can damage your customer relationships before they even begin to develop. Here is some news: most retailers keep vendor score cards, and every time you get a chargeback, your score card suffers. Your score shrinks with each mistake you make, and when that happens, your retailers begin to question their buying relationship with you. As a supplier, you know that keeping your existing customers happy and growing your business drives your profits, but you probably feel that your retailers’ high standards make this no small task. The truth is, however, your retailers are not the bad guys. Just as their requirements frustrate you, they are constantly being challenged by their own evermore demanding customers. Retailers also rest on extremely thin margins. If a retailer wants to remain competitive, they must focus on balancing supply with demand, maintaining longer and more complex supply chains, and keeping prices down. Plus, they are under constant pressure to deliver your products to their customers as fast as possible. Retailers have hundreds or thousands of suppliers just like you, and to them, that one little mistake you were charged for doesn’t seem all that little. Establishing a symbiotic relationship with your retailer is possibly the only proven method to create a larger footprint in stores. High performers on the supply chain side are called upon to become frequent suppliers, and a high status reaps benefits such as new product categories, introductions to new sales channels, and prime shelf space. So, how do you master retail compliance and get stressedout retailers to notice your outstanding performance? It’s easy: spend lots of money on fancy software!

Well, maybe not too much money. In the small-to-medium business space, tech spending, though important, cannot break the bank. A key strategy for companies without huge budgets must be to very carefully review the needs of their customers. These companies must also immediately fix all the holes and issues in their supply chains, and the easiest way to fix holes is by making strong, ROI-provoking investments in technology. The most successful companies learn from other successful companies. Because of this, you should network with executives in your industry to find out what processes and tools they have in place to drive their growth and profits. Successful companies have strong supply-chain systems and good controls in place, and companies with good management, integrated EDI solutions, and dedicated resources for vendor compliance experience the highest levels of success. Other methods you can use to build your business’ strength include: asking consultants to measure and maximize your warehouse and process effectiveness, establishing a coherent system of compliance by training your employees, and attending vendor compliance workshops to get the information you need. Getting your company on the path to compliance success will take care, attention, and an investment, but the benefits compliance offers you in terms of business stability are immeasurable. Noncompliance is too expensive to create a sustainable long-term business model. When you stand up and become fully accountable for your retailer relationships, your supply company will become more successful and more profitable.

About the Author “David Freschl is an Account Executive with MAPADOC, which provides effortless EDI solutions for integration with Sage ERP systems. You can reach David by email at David. Freschl@mapadoc.com.”

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CORPORATEFINANCE

Accounts Payable Automation. Cutting through the Confusion. by Warren Glick

As financial managers, you’ve been bombarded with advertising emails, webinars conference invites and the like regarding Automation and its effect on Accounts Payable. Often times these technology “outreach” pieces present an admirable twist of buzzwords, acronyms and catch phrases that creatively outline the business basics: Saving time & money, cutting costs, reducing effort & paper, faster ROI, increased bottom-line etc. Although persuasive in the outreach, it’s often difficult to align this parade of compelling benefits with your business reality, a.k.a. your individual issues and pains surrounding AP processing, your particular business environment and what your actual requirements are. 22

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

With the above in mind, reverting back to the basic questions of why, where, what and how might serve to lift it up to a more logical discussion. The following is a wonderful example of the exercise and maybe a better way to align the benefits of what AP Automation can actually do for you: • How often are invoices re-issued, misplaced, copied, misrouted or even double-paid? • How many people are involved in recording, validating and approving vendor invoices? • How much time is spent locating information surrounding invoice issues? • How can you best avoid problems in business relations as a result of late payments? • How can you track the full cycle of any transaction from invoice receipt to payment release? • How much do you lose in early payment discounts by paying late? Plain enough questions, so now let’s have a run at tying up some of the benefits and value of AP Automation … and what it can mean for your organization:

What about Manual Processing? Manual processing has its drawbacks. It’s slow. It’s obscure... and you lack control. In short, you probably don’t know exactly where invoices are in the process or what outstanding liabilities may be involved. It takes a lot of resource power, and there’s always a risk for clerical errors. Still, an overwhelming number of companies suffer through traditional accounts payable processing in spite of the fact that well-proven process automation has been available for more than a decade.

Channel Valuable Resources to More Meaningful Tasks Advanced OCR eliminates the need for manual keying. With intelligent automated processing manual input is only required for verification of the few invoices in which the software finds discrepancies.

Improved Bottom Line Redirected or reduced headcount and early payment discounts in combination with the elimination of late payment penalties, double payment and false invoices all make a substantial contributions to your bottom line.

Faster Service, Improved Quality-Immediate Savings By reducing retrieval and waiting times, your company gets a productivity jolt. Better Answers. Faster Business Processes. Satisfied Customers. New ways of handling your documents makes your company more competitive, save time. free up resources, avoid mistakes and motivate employees!

No More Late Payment Penalties Automated accounts payable workflow typically reduces the invoice cycle time by 50 to 80%, which gives you ample time to work within payment terms.

Improved Cash Flow Management Visibility and control, along with timely and accurate reports, support healthy cash flow decisions. Late payments penalties can be avoided while early payment discounts can be capitalized.

Visibility and Control - One Central Platform

Fewer Errors

Imagine having all invoice information at your fingertips: supplier ID, total outstanding liabilities, workflow status and digital invoice images. Your company headquarters can have complete control and visibility of the business processes, documents, and information required to run businesses in real-time. And with one central platform, the control and visibility is maintained without compromise to individual company identities, business rules and financial models.

Automated input eliminates typos. Recalculating the sums will highlight any clerical error on the part of the supplier. A check against the purchase order in your database will pinpoint any deviation.

Reduce Fraud Since every invoice is checked against AP data, no unknown supplier will have a chance to slip by. Invoice number control stops any invoice from being entered twice.

About the Author Warren Glick is the Director of Corporate Marketing for ACOM Solutions, which provides comprehensive solutions for managing the business document life cycle and integrates effortlessly into ERP, CRM and other management systems. Contact Warren by email at wglick@acom.com.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

Quotable Business “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucius A great interview question is ‘If you won the lottery tomorrow would you do?” It will be very telling about their passion for the position for which they are interviewing. All too often, even entrepreneurs start a business, hire a team and paint themselves into a box doing things they hate, but feel they have to do it. Focus on what you love and hire others to do the rest. People that love their work do a much better job.

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” - Woodrow Wilson Ultimately I am driven by my purpose, which is to create and inspire excellence to enrich lives. I love working with people who passionately maximize their gifts and talents for a greater good. Creating excellence, elegance and beauty in triumph over mediocrity, inefficiency and disrepair is incredibly rewarding.

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid” – Albert Einstein The success of our team members is based on how effectively we leverage their natural skill sets – their genius. Sometimes, it is clearly evident – they have wings to fly, fins to swim or ability to climb a tree. But people are more complicated. The genius in all of us can be hard to find and sometimes, we don’t even know what our own “geniuses” are. As a leader, how do we uncover our employee’s inner-genius and leverage it in the organization?

“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” – Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) In the world of finance, we’re always talking about dollars, measuring margins, percentages and comparing results. This quote reminds us that we need to continuously search for the value in our business (and life) so that we can focus on what is most important to help us reach our goals.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

“Shoemaker, stick to your last!” – Peter Drucker What Drucker means by this statement is that businesses that get extremely diversified and overcomplicated suffer in several ways – they suffer in communications, additional layers of management, additional forms and procedures, more meetings and all of that equals delays in making decisions. His suggestion is that it isn’t that you can’t expand – instead find simplicity and repeatability in the way in which you do expand your operations – utilizing things like technology to simplify your processes and procedures. I find that there is great strength in repeatable processes that can be taught across businesses – when we get into “exceptions” and “if then” situations we find that we have built something so complicated that it makes it challenging to hire and develop people. If you don’t have people that can be well educated and easily brought up to speed in the business – customer relationships suffer. I believe the customer relationship is at the center of every business and if you don’t have this – you have nothing.

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” - Norman Counsins The above quote and one similar that states: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” This quote inspires me to always have a bucket list and to remember that no matter what I do, business or personal, never let fear be my compass. Fear causes us to stall and shrink back from our dreams and goals. I remind myself constantly to monitor what is driving my actions and then chose an action that results in forward momentum.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle "Excellence is never an accident. It is always the results of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny." - Aristotle Both quotes give inspiration to the thought that success and excellence in what we choose to do can be achieved with purpose, discipline, effort and a relentless pursuit. They both help me realize that as a leader of the business, coming to play at a “10” everyday isn't an option, it is only the price of admission.

“I don’t know where we should take this company, but I do know that if I start with the right people, ask them the right questions, and engage them in vigorous debate, we will find a way to make this company great.” - Jim Collins Change is constant. It can be hard for some to adapt. ‘A Players’ energetically and rapidly rise above adversity. They search for solutions and create repeatable and scalable processes. ‘Superstars’ find creative ways to succeed and thrive. At their core is a positive attitude. ‘Rock Stars’ never quit striving to be the best in constantly changing environments.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

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Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

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bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

INDUSTRYNEWS

Where Hard Work Meets Smart Work—4 Areas to Improve Field Service with the Right Software Tools

by Joanna Pfahler

“Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be…”

…in field service, easier said than done.

e’ve all heard those motivational speeches and slogans telling us that if we just work hard, success is sure to follow. Be disciplined. Work hard. Dream big. There’s no substitute for hard work. Just do it. In business, there’s no doubt that hard work is crucial, but when it comes to field service, technicians, managers, and back office workers need more than just hard work to exceed customer expectations; they need smart work. Customers today assume you’ll work hard, but they also expect short ETA windows, first-time fixes, quick service, high service quality, and a smiley, educated technician to answer all their questions. Just showing up, working hard, and doing your best isn’t going to cut it anymore if you want to perform “better service than is expected of you.” Can you imagine showing up at a customer site without any tools in your van? You can have all the ambition and drive in the world, but without a wrench, that screw is never coming loose. In today’s service world, showing up without the right software tools is like walking in without your toolbox. It’s impossible to perform as fast, as knowledgeably, and as thoroughly without comprehensive field service software to drive your operations. With field service management software, you can equip your team with the tools they need to work smarter and more effectively in order to provide the best service possible for your customers. 28

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

Here are four ways you can complement your hard work with smart work by implementing the right software tools into your organization: 1. Dispatch work orders faster with more efficient call-taking and better triaging: With improved service dispatching and pertinent call information like customer site equipment assets, service history, and warranty and contract coverage, incoming calls can quickly be converted to work orders ready for assignment. With full visibility into customer and equipment information, dispatchers can diagnose problems and assign the right technician right away, then send that assignment to the tech’s mobile device with the click of a button. 2. Empower technicians in the field: A mobile field service application is the single most valuable tool you can have to exceed service expectations because it empowers technicians with real time customer, asset, inventory, warranty and other call resolution information. Mobile apps help techs perform better service because they’re able to document information, take pictures, sell services, and stay more informed in order to solve problems more quickly and consistently as well as provide customers with valuable advice and resources.

3. Improve workforce utilization with more informed scheduling: Utilizing a field service management app allows schedulers to filter by technician availability, location, skill set, and more. With a visual display that integrates with GPS technology and shows whether techs are available, schedulers can assign work orders based on technician proximity, which gets them there quicker. The skill-set filter ensures the technician on site has the skills necessary to fix the problem the first time. With advanced scheduling technology, customers receive faster, more qualified service while field service businesses increase workforce utilization. 4. Make more intelligent business decisions: When all the pieces of your field service management software work together, you’ll have all the information you need to drastically improve operations. Service portals help display that information in customizable databases for each role in the company, which you can use to guide decisions going forward. Instead of relying on guess-work, improved data collection increases business intelligence and helps service managers and executives make decisions based on proven results. I don’t care how disciplined and diligent your employees are; it’s impossible to beat the speed and accuracy gained from using field service software tools in and out of the field. Time to Render More and Better Service We all want to build our business and exceed our customers’ expectations by providing the best service and acting as valuable resources. Beyond working hard, this level of excellence requires planning, creativity, and an investment in the right tools to set your organization apart. Combine a state of the art workforce management system with a tough work ethic and you’re bound to see improvements in service quality and enable your team to “always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.” Believe me; your customers will thank you for it.

About the Author Joanna Pfahler is the Content Marketing Specialist for MSI Data, a leader in field force automation software, and creator of the enterprise field service app, Service Pro. Connect with Joanna via email at joannap@msidata.com.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

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Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

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INDUSTRYNEWS

t is easy to make simple things complex but a great challenge to make complex things simple. Functionality is important for the software world and is our first area of interest during the development process of Scanco’s newest solutions this year. Historically, warehouse management technology was primitive and only recently has Scanco opened the floodgates of graphical user interfaces with features that raise the bar of excellence and are just plain sexy. Leonardo da Vinci was lesser known for his contributions to the fields of engineering and medicine since his pinnacle works were in the arts. He believed in facilitating a dance between science and art that innovated his creations, which far surpassed the technology available to him at the time to actualize them. Within journals that were unearthed in recent history, these creations were surprisingly functional and some included tanks, helicopters and insights into human physiology. Leonardo remarked in his writing, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Change is no longer an option and Scanco has created an aggressive line of cloud based products to meet the market head on by creating demand for a whole new line of live validating applications. With logistical operations scaling multiple locations, users and server locations, simplicity makes sense for rolling out the next generation of intelligent warehousing.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

by Devin Ambron

At Scanco, we believe that creating innovative products that err on the side of simplicity are easier for our customers to use, professionals to implement and partners to recommend. That is why our entire 2014 product line is tested against our mantra of “simplicity”. Many of our internal strategies are framed around intuitive design. During the development process of Scanco Sales and Scanco Warehouse, a great amount of time was spent asking the questions, “How can we simplify this process? How is this innovating our industry?” We called upon our teams’ 25 years experience developing software along with new-age principles to create our new line of products. Not only has da Vinci’s obsession with simplicity directed our software development process but our internal operations follow the same philosophy. By creating an open and collaborative working environment, the creative and technical departments are able to work

“

together as one, a feat that Leonardo himself would revel in. The Scanco team has enjoyed a reduction in attrition and turnover rates by encouraging individualistic thinking. When our company is charged with determining a vision for each project it naturally leads to the highest level of long term commitment and is evident in the new products we release. Becoming market innovators requires that all of our team pursues all possibilities for business decisions made within our offices that have an impact in our industry, giving Scanco a razor edge advantage. Scanco takes pride in the contributions we’ve made to creating intelligent warehouse solutions for our customers and want our vision to pass on to those we come in contact with so they are freed by the simplicity and innovation we hold so

da Vinci was lesser known for his contributions to the fields of engineering and medicine”

dear to us. Passion is hard to manufacture in a laboratory but by combining masterminds across disciplines of art and science, Scanco bleeds passion with everything we do.

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About the Author Devin Ambron is the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Scanco, which meets the needs of thousands of distribution and manufacturing operations with an extensive line of warehouse management solutions. Connect with Scanco on Twitter at @ScancoLLC.

Quotable Business “A smart person is not a person who knows a lot, it is a person who can find out what they do not know.” Those words from my grandfather I live by and strive for all the time. He always used to tell me: “Every day we are asked questions or put in situations where we may not know the answers. We might even get questions not directly related or our field of work. This should push us to learn and try to understand more.” When one of my customers asks me something I do not know, I make it a point to find it out. At JDB Solutions, we make sure that we run our business in a way that never leaves the customer hanging. We know that not every manufacturing company is the same. Everyone does things just a bit differently than the next. So in order to be at the pinnacle of your industry you have to set yourself apart and live by those words and make sure you do everything you can to meet or exceed your customer’s expectations.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” - Steve Jobs. As the philosophy at Shepard Bros. is to put the right people in the right jobs, I believe that employees are every organization’s greatest asset and the number one reason they are successful. When team members possess a good balance of skills, talents, personality and experience, they will feel engaged in work they are committed to and flourish with a company they wish to help make successful.

“Your legacy is constantly evolving. It is a movement, not a moment. Daily events contribute to it, but it cannot be cemented, finished, or destroyed by one single act. At times it will seem to be growing, and at other times it may seem to be diminishing; this is what makes it a living quality that can never be counted It is not a finite quantity, but an unlimited and continuous reach for your individual potential.” -- From Leading with Your Legacy in Mind: Building Lasting Value in Business and in Life

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

INDUSTRYNEWS

The Hidden Costs of Excel

by Allan Hart

sing Excel for budgeting, planning, forecasting and other finance-related activities is well known to be a risk. Sometimes we’re even privy to the actual price of that risk – Alex Hern of The New Statesman recently asked, “Is Excel the Most Dangerous Piece of Software in the World?” The article discusses Excel’s role in JPMorgan losing $9 billion. But there are hidden costs as well. Costs to your organization, and to you. Budgeting with Excel is a time-consuming process; organizations often cut the time required for their budgeting process in half when they make the switch from Excel to dedicated budgeting software. The hidden risks of Excel go beyond inefficiencies and ineffectiveness. The biggest risk is that the office of finance – and you – can be viewed as “just” the numbers crunchers. This viewpoint goes against the trend of many finance offices. According to Deloitte’s CFO Signals ™ Quarterly Survey, most CFOs are providing more strategic services than just putting together a budget. About the Author

The survey found: •CFOs are heavily focused on influencing and enabling business decisions •CFOs and the office of finance is spending a substantial – and growing – portion of time influencing business strategy and operational priorities •For more than a year the dominant focus for finance has been providing information and tools for business decisions Take a step back and think about what you and your team contribute to your organization. Are you simply working on a budget, plans, rolling forecasts and reporting? Or are you able to influence the business, provide counsel based on real numbers? Are you viewed as more than just the “budget guy or gal?” www.blytheco.com/maestro

Alan Hart is a Principal Consultant at Pacific Shine Group in Portland, OR, with responsibility for business development and hands-on client project implementations around financial planning and analysis. Read more at budgetingexpert.com or contact him at alan.hart@pacificshinegroup.com

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

Scanco Warehouse Who says smartphones and tablets aren't rugged? Meet the future in warehouse automation: Scanco Warehouse. Designed with over 26 years of expertise in barcoding automation, Scanco is bringing you all of the functionality that you need to automate your warehouse — with devices you already have in your pocket! Once again Scanco is breaking the mold and giving you automated tracking from the time your inventory comes in until your product ships accurately out the door.

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Tollbell•weth•er Free: 1-877-722-6261 www.scanco.com -noun: one who takes or leadership | initiative

INDUSTRYNEWS

Less is More in the Analytics & BI World…

by Joni Girardi

“Less is more”: it’s easier said than done. And the world of analytics and BI is no different.

teve Jobs transformed “less is more,” words extracted from a poet’s stanza written in 1855, into a hugely influential “philosophy of everything”, applicable to everything from computer design, to life itself and to business.

The concept appears to be quite simple: “less” = focus on what really matters; “more” = and you’ll actually get more of whatever you first intended or desired, such as more value, or more happiness.

The calm we see on the surface hints that things are simple, yet behind that scene exists an infrastructure of ideas and unknown complexity that in many cases must exist in order to preserve simplicity to the eye of the beholder.

However, “less is more” is in reality an incredibly difficult standard to consistently adhere to. People who have effectively embraced simplicity as a way of life often embrace several common, yet key elements: a holistic understanding of what needs to be done, what options are available to perform whatever the task may be, as well as what benefits may be in store for all interested parties. At the end of the day, it boils down to correctly understanding what ultimately defines what is indeed “less” and “more.”

We’ve seen huge improvements in a variety of ways as a result of having applied ‘less is more’ in the technology realm. For instance, my mom, having never touched a computer keyboard until her late 70s, now uses Skype to videoconference with family members! She’s also engaged with friends and family on Facebook, something that she used to roll her eyes at whenever we kids brought it up. She has challenges keeping track of her grocery expenses, but now that she’s using a tablet, I’m sure she’ll find the right app.

And it gets complicated before it gets simple. In the quest to reach a true understanding of simplicity, complexity often arises at first; more variables are then introduced, and provided you have the right mindset in place, a simple, minimalist solution can emerge. Usually such highly creative work takes time and hard work, but the results are well worth the investment!

In the business world, many technology vendors are also taking great strides towards the application of ‘less is more.’ Nowhere is this more evident than among providers of reporting and data analysis solutions. If you were using one of the mid-market ERP or CRM systems ten years ago, it’s very likely that you’d either be making decisions based on limited “canned” reports.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

If not, you were expending a great deal of time and money asking highly specialized consultants to slice and dice your data to a format that actually provided some value. Given the pace of business many years ago, such a time lag may have been acceptable; not anymore. Fortunately, nowadays there are Analytics and BI solutions that are taking the ‘less is more’ approach to new levels. Take DataSelf Analytics for instance, which claims to simplify and amplify best-of-breed analytics for mid-size companies. Wait- isn’t that exclusive to the big consulting companies? Well, not anymore. The company’s vision is to combine upper market BI solutions to fit the needs of mid-market budgets and business requirements. Historically, such solutions are expensive, slow and costly to deploy and maintain. DataSelf’s approach is to simplify implementation, deployment, and maintenance the ‘less’ focus – by removing programming from

the systems; and then amplify them – the ‘more’ focus – by adding over 2,000 reports, dashboards and KPIs out of the box, plus expertise of over 14 years working with BI for companies using midmarket ERP and CRM systems. According to the Feb-2014 edition of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for BI and Analytics, DataSelf is using best of breed components. Their solutions are powered by Tableau which is the leader in ease of use and dashboarding technology, and an ultralight data warehouse powered by Microsoft, the leader in BI infrastructure. DataSelf even claims that their clients’ business users take care of more than 70% of their own reporting needs anytime and anywhere with no IT assistance. Heck, thinking about my mom’s grocery shopping challenges, I think I should introduce her to DataSelf Analytics.

About the Author

Joni Girardi is the founder and CEO of DataSelf Corporation, an innovative leader in business intelligence and analytics solutions for SMBs. Connect with Joni on LinkedIn at www.linkedin. com/in/jonigirardi/.

bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

bellâ&#x20AC;˘wethâ&#x20AC;˘er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

SAGE SUMMIT

GROW FROM HERE July 28-31, 2014 Join Blytheco in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort for Sage Summit 2014. If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time to get a great deal! $399/person if you sign up by May 16

www.sagesummit.com (After May 16, price goes up to $799/person) If you have already registered or as soon as you do, send an email to summit@blytheco.com so we know you are attending! If you have never been to Sage Summit – you can’t afford to miss it. Reimagine your business Sage Summit is open to everyone who wants to learn and share their ideas, whether they use our products or not. If you’ve ever wondered what partnering with Sage can do for your business, here’s your chance to find out. Power of Conversation Sage Summit is the place to talk about how you want to grow and learn how you can do it. They’ve added thought leaders and industry experts to product session, plus you’ll get to see the latest products available at the Expo.

BLYTHECO CLIENT APPRECIATION EVENT We have a very special, exclusive event planned for our clients on July 30th from 6-9pm. Join us for an evening of food, drinks, fun and some special entertainment, along with awards and prizes as our way of saying Thank You to our valued clients! The Ice Bar is a great place to get a drink and mingle, with faux fur coats and hats to keep you warm and toasty. When you need to get warmed up, you can move into the lodge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a cozy place with fireplaces and food stationed around the room.

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UPCOMINGEVENTS Real Time Excel Reporting by BizNet Software Wednesday, May 7, 2014 | 1pm ET / 10am PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/244770112

Would you like to reduce the time you spend updating your spreadsheets by 80%? BizNetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powerful reporting and budgeting solution enables Sage ERP users to access massive amounts of data utilizing a pre-built integration of functions, templates, and analysis sets specific to their business reporting needs.

EDI: What is it and How Can it Help Me?

Thursday, May 8, 2014 | 2pm ET / 11am PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/124976297 Join TrueCommerce EDI Solutions, the ONLY EDI solution endorsed by Sage, for an informative presentation as they discuss key components of EDI, its place in the supply chain process and how it can help grow your business and meet your growing EDI mandates.

Automate your Warehouse Using Integrated EDI with Pick/Pack Software Wednesday, May 14, 2014 | 2pm ET / 11am PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/774709369

Automate Sage 100 ERP Order Processing with an Integrated EDI and Warehouse Solution. Learn how Scanco and MAPADOC work together to bring you an integrated EDI and warehouse automation solution for Sage 100 ERP

Control Spending â&#x20AC;&#x201C; From One Place

Thursday, May 15, 2014 | 2pm ET / 11am PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/181531496 Join Paramount and Blytheco for a demonstration of web-based and mobile spend management solutions for Sage ERP. Learn how Paramount WorkPlace automates Requisition, Procurement, Invoice Approval and Expense transactions to make processing workflows more efficient, improve employee productivity, and save money.

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

Fix Expense Reporting and Boost the Bottom Line!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 | 3pm ET / 12pm PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/798690465

Are you using a spreadsheet for expense reporting? If so, you know the pains of the manual process: taping receipts, incomplete information and line-by-line auditing. Have you asked yourself if there’s a better way? Well, there is! That’s why we’ve partnered with Concur, to bring the best-in-class solutions to you.

Build Your Budget in Days NOT Months with Budget Maestro Wednesday, May 21, 2014 | 2pm ET / 11am PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/879692952

Typical excel budgeting is time consuming, error prone and inflexible. Learn how world-class organizations are leveraging Budget Maestro to cut their time to budget in half (or better) WHILE increasing accuracy, empowering advanced “What-if” scenario planning, making collaboration and accountability easy!

Leading AP Challenges for Sage ERP and Essential Automation Practices Thursday, May 22, 2014 | 3pm ET / 12pm PT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/399525416

Join us for an exclusive webinar to explore challenges within non-automated AP organizations – from inefficient processes to wasted dollars. Led by David Hay, AP Automation consultant, you’ll discover essential automation practices that will enable you to strengthen operations, use budgeted money wisely and boost productivity.

Universal Search – The One Tool That Makes Sage 100 ERP Easier to Use for Everyone!

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Join us to see how the experience of using Sage 100 ERP can be completely transformed by using GetX Search for Sage 100 ERP by xkzero. GetX provides the user with the ability to search and retrieve virtually any data within Sage 100 ERP from a browser window right within the system.

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bell•weth•er -noun: one who takes initiative or leadership

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

SOMETHING NEW IS ON THE HORIZON A New Product Offering from Blytheco

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HUMANRESOURCES

How to Overcome Excuses in 2014

by Dan Waldschmidt

6 Tips to Gain the Edge & Meet Your Goals “Great people throughout history often fail, quite miserably, before finally reaching their goals,” says international business strategist Dan Waldschmidt. “Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime; Winston Churchill lost every public election until becoming prime minister at age 62; Henry Ford went bankrupt five times; Albert Einstein was a terrible student and was expelled from school; Sigmund Freud was booed from a stage,” says Waldschmidt, author of “Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Achieve Outrageous Success,” (www. EdgyConversations.com). “Ideas, brilliance, genius – they all mean nothing without the guts, passion and tenacity necessary to make your dream a reality. But often, people fall back on excuses and give up on trying toreach their goals.” “Most of us have dreams, and many of us have big ones, but few of us actually see them through,” he says. He offers six tricks for jumping off the excuse train and forging the path to your goals. 1. Avoid the need to blame others for anything. Mean, small-minded people know that they suck. That’s why they are so cranky and eager to point out others’ mistakes. They hope that by causing others to feel inadequate, everyone will forget about how woefully off the mark their own performance is. Don’t blame anyone, for any reason, ever. It’s a bad habit. 2. Stop working on things that just don’t matter. Not everything needs to be done in place of sleep. If you work for a boss, then you owe them solid time. You

can’t cut that out. You can, however, cut out television time, meetings and anything else that gets in the way of achieving your goals. Replace entertainment with activity toward your goal. 3. Refuse to let yourself wallow in self-doubt. You’re alive to succeed. Stop comparing your current problems to your last 18 failures. They are not the same. You are not the same. Here’s something to remember: Your entire life has been a training ground for you to capture your destiny right now. Why would you doubt that? Stop whining. Go conquer. 4. Ask yourself, “What can I do better next time?” And then do it next time. If you spend a decade or two earnestly trying to be better, that’s exactly what will happen. The next best thing to doing something amazing is not doing something stupid. So learn from your mistakes and use the lessons to dominate. 5. Proactively take time to do things that fuel your passion. Exercise is a great example. Living in the moment requires you to live at peak performance. A huge part of mental fitness is physical fitness. A sparring or running partner is a great way to refresh physical competition. Physical activity accelerates mental motivation. 6. Apologize to yourself and those around you for having a bad attitude. Do this once or twice and you’ll snap out of your funk pretty fast. When you start genuinely apologizing for being a bad influence on those around you, you learn to stop whining and start winning.

About the Author Dan Waldschmidt is the author of “Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Achieve Outrageous Success,” (www.EdgyConversations.com). He is an international business strategist, speaker, author and extreme athlete. His consulting firm solves complex marketing and business strategy problems for savvy companies all over the world. Dow Jones calls his Edgy Conversations blog one of the top sales sites on the internet. He’s been profiled in BBC, Fox News and The Today Show, and he is a sought-after media source. Connect with Dan on Twitter @DanWaldo

Bellwether Magazine | Second Quarter 2014

A PENNY

S AV E D IIS S A PENNY EARNED Spend Management / Workﬂow Automation

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