How cloud solutions are helping small businesses get time back

Thanks to our relationship with Small Business Saturday, for the second year in a row we’re preparing to hear how the cloud is helping small businesses punch above their weight in the corporate world.

Having met some amazing small business owners last year, this year we want to celebrate the new wave of entrepreneurs using digital to grow and scale their business.  In truth, it’s a story we’re hearing more and more often as small business owners cotton onto the fact that affordable, scalable technology exists that can help them simplify processes from the outset.

Someone who started her business on the right foot is Jane Stammers.  After a career in home economics and a spell helping food producers bring products to market, Jane stepped out on her own – and out of her comfort zone – to create Tipple Tails, a boozy fruitcake business.

Having used file sharing and collaboration software in previous jobs, she wasted no time in signing up to Dropbox. “I set my digital systems up from Day 1 because I knew it would help me work smarter,” she says. “Dropbox, along with cloud based accounting has helped me streamline processes and save time.  As I’m running everything myself, these tools are essentially for reducing the time I spend on admin, which means I can focus on what’s important – making and selling cakes”.

And it doesn’t stop there, Jane believes digital is helping her grow her business too.  “In many ways I see technology as fulfilling part of the marketing role in running my business.  I don’t employ staff, so it can be hard trying to do everything yourself. Tech helps hugely.  I can send out branded invoices automatically from my accounting software, and through Dropbox I can share product images and collaborate on marketing resources – all these things help me reach new customers, retain existing ones, and ultimately help me grow my business.”

Jane is adamant that the foundations of a successful start-up begins with digital. Her advice to other small business owners is simple: “Get to grips with CMS, Mail services, accountancy packages and file sharing tools before you launch because you’ll see the value in them time and time again.”

If, like Jane, you have a digital transformation story to tell please get in touch by emailing us at bloguk@dropbox.com. We’d love to tell your story on our blog.