May the 4th, known as “Star Wars Day”, is an annual celebration of the space fantasy saga, and a cheeky excuse to crack out the popcorn for a movie night. This year is particularly special for lightsaber-wielding fans as it aligns with the release of Andor on Disney+ and the 20th anniversary re-release of Revenge of the Sith in cinemas.
It is also an opportunity to embrace some of that creative energy and consider an out of the box approach to reflecting on potential problems you might be facing, such as with maintaining control of your financial processes at your construction firm.
Sage Intacct for Construction is a vital piece of financial management software that could revolutionise your company. It could be key to helping you to assert the level of control over various aspects of your business required to unlock consistent, long-term growth.
The issue of maintaining control is one that the Jedi are all too familiar with. It defines their very way of life and played a big role in their downfall. This Star Wars Day, discover three clever ways the Jedi Order can teach you about the importance of maintaining control over your business processes.
1. As Master Yoda once said: “Control, control, you must learn control!” – it is key to effectively managing your business
It is a point that the diminutive green Jedi Master reiterates to Luke during his training in The Empire Strikes Back. To gain mastery over the force, a Jedi requires control – over themselves, their surroundings, their view of the universe.
As a business, maintaining control is crucial when trying to ensure:
- Projects go off without a hitch
- Cash flow is strong and carefully monitored
- Potential issues are tackled proactively and not reactively.
At your construction firm, you may be faced with many challenges, especially if your business is spread over multiple sites, numerous ongoing projects, and different corporate entities.
Sage Intacct for Construction is a cloud-based software solution, designed specifically for the construction industry, and built with core accounting tools that could allow you to keep your finances and projects on track.
It could provide your business with a beneficial boost by helping you to:
Gain real-time visibility into project details and profitability
Track costs and revenue across multiple projects and business entities
Manage supplier relationships and your payment schedules
Stay compliant with UK construction regulations, such as the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).
The knowledge that you have the necessary data and information, readily available and at your fingertips, to confidently manage your business could be key to controlling your firm’s long-term future.
2. “Fear is the path to the dark side” – losing control can quickly lead your business the wrong way
For many a wayward Jedi, losing control of their emotions quickly led them down the path to the dark side. After all: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”. It is a domino effect that spirals out of control.
For Anakin Skywalker, it meant whipping out the Youngling Slayer 3000 and storming the Jedi temple as the newly anointed Darth Vader. For your construction firm, it could mean a series of cascading issues across your business that lead to far greater problems that may impact your financials and long-term prospects.
There are so many variables when managing a business that relies on multiple contractors, suppliers, and materials, potentially spread across locations nationwide (or for even larger firms, internationally).
A simple error somewhere along the way can very quickly spiral into a much larger problem.
You want to ensure you are in a position at all times to confidently say to yourself and others: “Don’t panic! Everything is going to be okay”.
The added visibility and control that a cloud-based software solution – such as Sage Intacct for Construction – offers, could help you track down and resolve potential issues proactively before they even have an opportunity to arise.
3. “The legacy of the Jedi is hubris” – just assuming you have the level of oversight and control needed could leave you blindsided by unexpected issues
It is a slightly condensed version of the quote, as in The Last Jedi, the older, more bitter Luke Skywalker condemns the Jedi Order in more detail. The point made is that the Jedi Order’s downfall was largely of their own making, the Emperor and Vader just seized the opportunity.
The Jedi Order lost control and became complacent. They allowed their hubris, their overconfidence, to blind them to issues.
It is important to avoid falling into complacency and ensure that your business is constantly taking steps to stay apprised of the latest trends and remain as technologically savvy as possible – so you don’t end up being blindsided by the competition.
As Anakin’s mother once told him: “You can’t stop the change any more than you can stop the suns from setting”. Progress is going to happen, so make sure your business is set up to be at the forefront of any changes.
Adopting a cloud-based solution, such as Sage Intacct for Construction, that allows you and your team to access information in real time, from anywhere and at any time (provided there is internet access), could be the answer.
Read more: Journey to financial success – Here are 5 clever ways Sage Intacct helps your construction firm
A Jedi, a princess, a smuggler, a Wookie, and some droids – sometimes it takes a motley crew to get the job done – get in touch today
Every young Jedi padawan has a master, someone to rely on for advice, training, and support.
As you start your journey to modernise your construction business with a cloud-based product, such as Sage Intacct, you may find it helpful to have an expert you can trust to guide you along the way.
Our resident specialists and technicians are here to answer your questions, provide demos, and ensure that when you are ready to make a change, you can do so confident in the knowledge you’re making the right decision.
To find out more information about Sage Intacct for Construction, get in touch by email at enquiries@solutionscloud.uk or give us a call at 0115 840 5075.
In the words of Old Ben Kenobi: “You’ve taken your first step into a larger world”.
