Choosing the right technology and getting it implemented.

It’s overwhelming!

So let’s not kid ourselves.  You’re doing hard things often when you make technology choices.

But you’re an entrepreneur which means you’re smarter than the average bear and understand how to make trade off decisions.  Which is ultimately what choosing and implementing a technology comes down to.

When you feel like you’ve finally got all your systems in place, don’t get comfortable.  Something will change or a bright shiny object will tempt you.  And for good reason because technology is a game changer for entrepreneurs today.

We’ve never lived in a time with access to better, faster tools for someone to start their own business.

In 1995, I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Computer Engineering degree and the only reason I had an email address was because I was an engineering student!  My senior project was to convince the Columbus Zoo they needed a website and design it for them.  Crazy!

In the early 2000’s, it still took a really techie person to make you a website.   But now almost anyone can whip out a website in an hour.

I say this not to date myself but to give you perspective as to the power of technology that’s in your hands.

But where to begin?   There are so many choices!  I give you permission to be overwhelmed.   The technology market for entrepreneurs is a hot mess!

So now we know what we’re dealing with, we start with goals.

It’s never about the technology tool.

Did you read this?   Don’t let the tool selection lead any decision.   It’s first about your business goals and needs.  

Here’s a simple framework so you can see exactly what tech tools you need to have in place:

Now that we understand we are working from goals, let’s look at a tiered roadmap for various stages of your entrepreneurial venture:

Now, clearly this is a bigger discussion than one blog post can handle (even an epic blog post which I personally find overwhelming.)   You really need some “thinking and processing” time.

Here are some quick hints for now. To keep things short, this is the “I’m going to trust you on this” list without the heavy explanations:

• Always choose WordPress (over Wix, Squarespace, etc).
• Divi is hands down my favorite WordPress theme that will take you for MILES – landing page design, membership site pages and more.
• Ontraport is your best all-in-one solution for Email Marketing + Sales pages + Membership management and even fulfillments, SMS messaging, postcard sending and more.   All-in-one.  That’s the key.  No integrations AKA breakage points.

So this barely covers the tip of the iceberg BUT you aren’t in the business of being a tech expert.  All you need to know is how to frame up a good tech decision for you.

All my favorite tools are listed here.

For more on that decision making, I invite you to listen to my Technology Roadmap for Entrepreneurs video as a next step.