“Industry standard” is a term that a lot of people throw around because they love to be hip. They think that if they use the same tools as the professionals, then they’re suddenly qualified to have the same opinions or think they have as much experience as others. This is something that happens a lot in real life. For instance, you’ll see amateur artists buy expensive paints and brushes just to try and imitate the professionals they long to become, but when they try to paint it turns out the exact same or in some cases, even worse than their usual work.
Your personal skill matters a lot more than your equipment, and business is no different. If you invest ridiculous amounts of money into equipment that you don’t actually need or doesn’t fit your current business size, then you’re simply just wasting money.
Scale down
There are times when you need to scale down in order to get the best deal for your company. There are expensive versions of equipment and software that are sold to businesses because they need multiple license keys, they need equipment that is rated for constant use, or they need to buy equipment that can meet their demands.
For instance, if you want to create your own products and start up a small manufacturing line in your office, then you can do so with universal robotic systems. Buying a small programmable and flexible arm that is easy to setup and install is a lot more cost effective than investing in an entire production line, such as the ones you would see in a factory. You can practice with the smaller tools, it will fit your budget and fill the role you need it to, and you don’t have to worry about wasting your investment because it will always find some use. In short, scale down and don’t assume that you need to copy the big brand names or try to beat them at their game because you simply won’t.
The cheaper option
Let’s assume that you have old computers that operate on Windows. There are very expensive versions of Windows that sell for over five times the price of a normal copy of Windows and they are made for business applications such as servers. If you saw these products and you owned a business, then you might think that you need that version for some arbitrary reasons. However, you’d soon find that in most applications, these expensive versions of Windows actually operate slightly worse than a consumer version of Windows and they only really give you and advantage in a high-end business scenario which you probably aren’t in.
In most cases, the cheaper option is usually easier to implement and manage than an industry-grade solution. Even if you’re growing into a moderately sized business, that doesn’t mean you have to focus on expensive versions of software and tech just because it has a “for business” label on it. Do your research and find what advantages business grade solutions offer, and if they don’t seem worth the extra cost, stick to consumer or cheaper versions.
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