The Power of Technology
When most people think about a company like Sew What? Inc., a small business making custom stage curtains and the like, I am guessing that technology isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Sewing machines, fabric, thread, and scissors – of course. But technology?
One of the things that I am most proud of here at Sew What?, however, is our emphasis on continually finding ways to utilize technology to grow the company. Not to reduce the workforce – we still have real people cutting the fabric and sewing the drapes – but to improve our processes so that we can provide better service and a better quality product to our customers.
Here are just some of the highlights (more detail on some of these in later posts):
- Building our very first website – Megan took a class and built it herself
- Implementing networked QuickBooks to process quotations, order confirmations, invoices and purchase orders
- Retaining a marketing company to build a brand-new website with all the bells and whistles
- Working with a computer programmer to design our own software application to build custom drape sewing plans
- Digitizing our flame certificates, allowing us to quickly e-mail them to clients in rush situations
- Receiving the 2006 Dell Computers / NFIB Small Business Excellence Award for our innovative use of technology
- Outgrowing QuickBooks and implementing Epicor’s Vista software, an ERP system that integrates all systems in our company, from sales management to job management to material management to financial management.
Quite a long list already, and these are just the highlights.
And, oh yeah – this blog! Who would have thought, five years ago, that I would be writing a blog, trying to give people some insight into the world of stage drapes and band backdrops, while throwing in a little education along the way? But here I am – ain’t technology grand?
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Technology sure is grand! It is such a treat to see how har we have come and at such lightning speed. I remember writing orders for stage and concert drapes onto paper scraps and then calling in my theatrical textile cloth orders to the mills and wholesalers without so much as a purchase order.
Things are very different now. I love the fact that we have embraced technological advancements such as the manufacturing system by Vista or our video conferencing sales system by Dell.
Our websites (www.sewwhatinc.com and http://www.rentwhatinc.com) are also examples of us having entered the digital age. Indeed – having a blog was a huge step for us. One that I am really glad we took. I love reading your posts Lynda – stay on line – we really appreciate you!
Comment by Megan Duckett — September 3, 2010 #