There’s nothing like having boots on the ground every day to get a clear understanding of what a business needs. Small business owners and team leaders have particular clarity about what needs to change and how to change it. However, knowing what needs to be done and finding the time to do it are two different things.
Socrates said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” Business success requires being open to change and innovation, and also encouraging those forward-thinking individuals who can rise to the task.
These change agents are ideal candidates for coming up with new solutions to improve business operations. One way this is being accomplished for many teams and small businesses is through custom apps.
The idea of creating custom app is daunting to most people. That’s because they assume it will require extensive time, training and development of coding skills. But that’s not the case. With low-code and no-code app development platforms, anyone can learn to create a custom app. A tool like this hides the complexity and reduces the cognitive and technically challenging aspects so the creator can essentially point and click their way to business transformation.
Platforms like this enable people without developer experience or skills to get comfortable with the software while performing simple processes. The more comfortable they become, the more complex they can make the design itself. It’s an exciting time for anyone who wants to embrace technology to transform their business.
The likeliest place to find these change agents is right in the trenches, in the lines of business. These are the individuals who are intimately involved with and exposed to daily operations, who are uniquely positioned to see opportunities for problem-solving. Taking a fresh perspective on the mundane tasks that are performed every day can inspire creative solutions using custom apps.
Here’s a real-life example of an individual who put this experience and perspective to good use. Never one to do things conventionally, Pete Tucci was a pro baseball player with Major League Baseball. When a career-ending hand injury cut his dream short, he founded the Tucci Lumber Bats Company, producing custom baseball bats. The fact that he had no woodworking experience didn’t deter him; he was determined to figure out how to make world-class bats. In short, Tucci was a change agent.
Tucci underwent a trial-and-error process with business management and manufacturing options, as many businesses do. In an effort to run his business more efficiently, he automated his entire business using a custom app platform, creating a custom app running on his mobile device. Today, every order entered into the system is tracked using QR codes. From when the bat is lathed to when it is painted and engraved, every bit of information is stored on a server and made available on the mobile device.
Tucci has experienced 45 percent growth year over year since he introduced the platform. In addition, the company has become a leading supplier of custom bats for more than 150 major league hitters. Additionally, he has since expanded his company to provide athletes with a full selection of quality baseball gear. Not to mention the fact that it allows him to fulfill his childhood dream of being involved with MLB and pursuing his love of the game.
The entrepreneurial spirit that enables people to see a need in the market and fulfill it is the same spirit that enables them to see processes and procedures that need improvement and find a solution. Pete Tucci is a prime example of small and medium-sized business owners who take on new challenges to effect change. No matter the size of the organization, its change agents can beat their own path to success by addressing specific business needs via a custom app. As Tucci’s example shows, this kind of change enables the digital transformation that today’s business environment requires.