Expert Insight

I'm a small business coach and consultant. I see two common mistakes being made again and again by small businesses in relation to technology.

1. They fail to stay up on technology trends and usually lag behind larger companies (and even consumers) in adoption. For example, cloud storage utilities like Dropbox and Google Drive. Cloud storage is now commonplace and really inexpensive, yet many small businesses are not using it regularly to easily back all important files up and have easy access.

2. There is an overwhelming reliance on vanilla email for all communication. There are now tech tools like Asana and Trello, which are project management apps, and Yesware, which enhances Gmail and Outlook. However, many small businesses are still sending tons of email to manage projects and adding no bolt-on apps to make email more effective.

I believe this is the case because many small business owners are so busy working in their businesses that they don't spend nearly enough time researching new technology that could really help them increase productivity.