The other day I was talking to a friend who runs a fast-
moving consumer goods company, or what the experts call an
"FMCG" company. He was surprised when I said to him, "I
also consider myself to be in the FMCG sector; I discourage
my people from seeing our business as a ‘technology’
business.”
"I don't understand what you mean?" my friend said. "I
thought you were in the telecoms business; isn't that
technology?"
"We sell fast-moving consumer goods. Our products and
services (things like ‘airtime’) are for the mass market
consumer. We’re no different from Coca Cola. We’re chasing
the same consumer dollars."
Then I added, "Now if you’re a consumer goods company
selling bread, you must begin to see yourself as technology
company if you want to succeed in today's digital world."
A technology company that sees itself only as a "technology"
company will end up losing sight of the customer. And yet
almost all businesses must so embrace technology in
everything they do that, for all practical purposes, they’re
"technology" companies:
__The most successful businesses today (big or small) are
those that see themselves as "technology" companies,
irrespective of what business they are in!
Confused?
Imagine an entrepreneur who’s running a small supermarket
at a busy business center. Her business seems simple
enough: she buys fast-moving goods like bread and meat,
and sells them to her community, and perhaps to people who
travel through it, like tourists or visitors.
How can we turn her business into a "technology business”?
How could she use technology to make herself more efficient,
attract more customers, be more profitable, and grow --
perhaps into a franchise? What advice would you give her?
# She needs to have a smartphone for starters. Through her
smartphone she can buy applications (Apps) readily available
on the Internet to help her with things like inventory
management, payroll management, record keeping and
accounts.
All this is technology.
# She can use the Internet to link up with wholesalers and
other suppliers to order goods and compare input prices.
# She can research the retail price her competitors are
charging for the same items.
# She can bank using her cell phone. She can be part of a
savings scheme.
# She can invest in a credit card terminal to attract new
business and larger orders.
# She can advertise her goods on the Internet using
everything from Facebook, to Instagram, etc.
# She can even set up her own website. There are so many
young people who can develop a website for her at very little
cost. Whatever business you’re in, even the informal sector,
you must begin to have a presence on the Internet!
Technology matters in your business. Take the time to look
for creative ways to leverage it to make your business more
visible, efficient and profitable!
__Don't think you must wait until you’re “big” before you learn
to harness technology. You’ll become big by harnessing
technology! Even if you’re running a rural trading post or sell
goods at an informal market, technology can give you
information, efficiency and competitive edge to help you
succeed and prosper.
In this series I’ll talk about how technology can transform
even the smallest business, in any sector. As the great
inventor Thomas Edison said, “There’s a better way to do it -
find it!”
To be continued. . .
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