Business Automation and Software Blog

Common logic would suggest that if a new business is successful in its first year, it has cleared the most difficult hurdle. However, the failure percentages for small businesses actually increase as time passes: 70 percent of small business owners fail in their tenth year.

As we close in on April 15, taxes are high on most peoples’ minds, but businesses have been thinking about sales taxes—and how they’ll be affected—for a long time.

As you might recall, 2018 was the year the Supreme Court of the United States overruled the physical presence rule that for decades kept states from taxing remote sales. The court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. (June 21, 2018) allows states to now require a remote seller with “economic and virtual contacts” in the state (economic nexus) to collect and remit sales tax, even if it has no physical presence in the state.

According to one study, U.S. adults spend an average of 11 hours per day staring at screens, watching videos, browsing social media, and swiping left and right. It should come as no surprise then that business systems have followed social media platforms, creating instant messaging programs and real-time feed sites full of work chatter and collaboration.

While the end of the first quarter may not seem like the time to be preparing for year-end cycle count, it’s actually one of the better times to get going with inventory control. In fact, we recommend scheduling it as often as possible: The more often you perform cycle counting, the better inventory accuracy and lower inventory write-offs you’ll have. Cycle counts should be done at least once per quarter, putting you in good position to have a quick and easy inventory count at year-end.

The future seems to come sooner than we expect: It was only twenty years ago that we were singing “Party like it’s 1999” and reminding each other to shut our computers down before midnight on December 31, 1999 in advance of Y2K. Now we’re staring down the barrel of 2020, trying to figure out what that means for the future of technology and how that affects our businesses.

Knowledge has long been quoted as a vital form of power. From Francis Bacon’s writings to NBC’s “The More You Know” public service announcements, knowledge is referred to as a form of power currency. This is especially evident in business leadership, as leaders need knowledge for informed decision-making to direct the future of the company. That power to drive forward, then, is fueled by knowledge.

It may only be February, but it’s never too early to start thinking about spring cleaning. According to one survey, 66 percent of adults practice spring cleaning. But 54 percent also admitted to finding it hard to get motivated or figure out where to start.

Roselle, IL – February 6, 2019 – PositiveVision, a consulting firm specializing in the implementation and support of business management software for small to medium-sized businesses, announced today that Carter Paper and Packaging has selected PositiveVision to implement SYSPRO ERP and CRM.

Often, the word “automation” brings to mind machines and modern technology. We think of our automatic thermostats, scheduled bill pay, and calling “Hey Siri.” While automation actually dates back to the early 19^th century at the Portsmouth Block Mills, which boasted 22 types of machine tools for making the parts of rigging blocks for the Royal Navy, today we are talking about modern technology automation. More specifically: the two types of automation that you’ll find in top ERP software, such as SYSPRO and others.

Debuted in 1913 by Henry Ford and improved on by a team at Toyota in the 1930s, lean practice has made a big impact on the automotive world by minimizing waste, teaching companies to create more value with fewer resources.

It’s not just car manufacturing that can benefit from lean, though. Lean’s focus on continuous improvement and doing more with less resonates with every facet of business, from logistics to retail, construction to government, and yes, especially manufacturing.