We’ve always loved the line from Codexx our innovation partner: “Business is a Bit like Juggling”. When things are going a bit mental around you, try saying this to yourself in a slightly sarcastic and wry tone. It always cheers me up!
We’re on a major quest right now to find a studio management system to help us juggle more smoothly. It’s a huge task just evaluating all the options and working out what we need. On the current list is Studiometry, Copper Project, Studio Manager, Streamtime, Function Point, Microsoft BPOS, Mamut amongst others. Our aims are to:
- Get more organised in planning and tracking our increasing workload
- Better measure how we’re doing.
- Reduce the 5 or 6 different places we have to keep client/job data to ideally 3 well integrated ones: (email clients/our Studio Manager/QuickBooks).
Thus our quest for the “all-in-one” OR “as much-in-one” solution. It seems so obvious doesn’t it? All service type businesses have basically the same needs, and the same data single data set, surely there must be a good single solution to pull all this together? Well applications are developing but it’s fraught with complications. Do you run web based or locally hosted? Subscription or one off purchase? Does it “integrate” with Quickbooks (anyone who’s tried this knows what a hilarious idea that is)… and these questions are just the tip of the iceberg.
Anyway, as part of the research I found this review of Studiometry, where I discovered a new turbo version of “Business is a bit like Juggling”. In John Brandon’s view… “Operating a business efficiently requires stamina and a keen organizational sense. You’re essentially herding cats while spinning plates and juggling bowling pins.”
Hmmm yes “Business is a bit like herding cats while spinning plates and juggling.” That about sums it up! Now if we can just find software to help us do that.
