WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textThe industry4.0 initiatives offer significant opportunities and require executing large transformation projects with success. If not planned well, the changes could cause substantial disruption and become a bottleneck to your growth. Such projects require careful planning and a phased approach to ensure these projects’ success and meet your growth objectives.In today's episode, we have our guest Dave Griffith who discusses why manufacturers must look for low-hanging fruits when exploring the path of industry4.0. He also explains what industry4.0 means to different manufacturing verticals and how they can take phased approaches to make these transformation projects successful. Finally, he shares several stories of his recent successes using the phased approach.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textGrowing a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand is uniquely challenging. Not only will you need a product that consumers are willing to pay for, but you will also be required to win over your distributors and partners. Even if you succeed in developing your customer channels, you might still fail if you can't figure out how to manage your supply chain and cash flow. In today's episode, we have our guest Aman Ailani from SAH.OL Cold Brew who discusses the unique challenges and important metrics for a consumer brand and a food and beverage company. We also had a chance to discuss the secrets behind his company’s exponential growth in the Boston market. Finally, we touched on how LinkedIn has helped him raise awareness about his brand in a space where he competes with powerful brands like Starbucks.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textInternal communication influences the culture of an organization, and culture typically is the biggest driver of growth? But what exactly is the culture? Is it about hiring employees from diverse backgrounds? Is it about creating the culture-buzz that most startups create? While every company might claim that they have the best culture, the culture that differentiates a fastest-growing company from the rest is hard to build.In today's episode, we have our guest Ben Baker who starts describing how internal communication influences growth. He also touches on the cultural differences between VC-funded startups and traditional manufacturing and distribution lifestyle businesses. Finally, he discussed what industrial executives could do to enable the culture with internal communication tools and processes and how they can grow with a great culture.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textInventory management and warehouse processes are the backbones of your operational effectiveness. Defining standards for your key inventory processes from the get-go can help with scaling without going through operational chaos. Non-standard processes cause bottlenecks to other areas of the organization and could become an impediment to your growth. In today's episode, we have our guest Kevin Lawton from the New Warehouse Podcast, who discusses why standardization plays a key role in inventory planning. He also discusses how to perform root cause analysis for any inventory issues and how manufacturers and distributors can plan their inventory as they scale. Finally, we also had a chance to discuss some basic warehouse planning terms.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textWhile a retail business might seem straightforward, it has its nuances, which is probably why it's often referred to as a labor of love. Either you love it or hate it. With COVID and changing consumer behavior, the lines keep blurring in the traditional retail supply chain with the ever-increasing complexity of business processes and evolving need for better digital systems to provide the customer experience needed for the modern and ever-changing retail industry. In today's episode, we have our guest Paul Sklar who takes us through the retail industry's deep dive. He also walks us through how the industry operated in the past and what retail executives need to know about the changing landscape for the retail industry due to changing customer expectations and increasing need for a better and comprehensive customer experience than siloed thinking.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textWithout adequate planning, growth could fire back with chaos and confusion. As you navigate each stage of growth or inflection points, you will have an enhanced need to document your processes to discover bottlenecks and find areas for improvement. The accounting processes may also differ among manufacturing organizations and across geographies. Understanding these nuances and the need for process documentation will help manage your growth.In today’s episode, we have our guest Randy Johnston from K2 Enterprises, who discusses why process documentation is essential to manage growth. He also touches on different manufacturing organizations and how process changes in those organizations with straightforward examples that anyone could understand without an accounting or manufacturing background. Finally, he touches on some of his secrets on what makes Randy so efficient to be influential in the accounting and ERP community.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textTraditionally, B2B businesses have been relationship-based. However, in the modern, digitally-centered buying process, 70% of buyers are now fully defining their needs on their own before engaging with a sales representative.  B2B businesses need to critically review their go-to-market strategy before it's too late. COVID has further fueled the rise of e-commerce. Also, with Facebook buying Kustomer, we are going to see ​a convergence of B2B and B2C. And marketplaces such as Amazon will play a key role in the success of B2B businesses. In today’s episode, we have our guest Brian Beck from Enceiba, who discusses key trends in B2B e-commerce, including the rise of Amazon's prominence in B2B product research and buying, and why manufacturers and distributors should be paying attention and acting now.  We also touched on the digital transformation landscape for B2B e-commerce businesses, and how CEOs can begin their journey of e-commerce enablement. If you are looking for research-based insights from an industry expert, long-time practitioner, and author who spent 4 years interviewing your peers and competitors, this episode is a must-listen for you.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textGrowing companies are obsessively efficient with their smart business processes. When it comes to making a manufacturing plant smart, there are limitless options available whether you talk about making your existing machines smart, or replacing your old machines. The smarter your plant is, the more efficient are likely to be your manufacturing processes, and the more cost-effective will be your operations. In today’s episode, we have our guest Chris Luecke from Manufacturing Happy Hour, who discusses several case studies where he has been involved in improving the manufacturing processes and making the plants smarter. He also touches on the basics and key advantages of smart manufacturing. Finally, he discusses the core challenges SMB companies face in growing their businesses For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textTraditional manufacturing organizations are typically sales-focused. Even with complex products and longer sales cycles where research-based content would be crucial, manufacturing organizations rely on relation-based sales. With 70% of buyers fully defining their needs on their own before engaging with a sales representative, manufacturing finance executives and owners need to understand the value of content marketing. In today’s episode, we have our guest Greg from Winbond, who talks about why manufacturing organizations need to adopt the approach of Digital Twin to augment their sales teams. He also touches on several stories where he has made a significant impact on the organization’s growth with his Digital Twin approach. If you are looking to learn how to grow with innovative marketing methods while having a good laugh, this episode is a must-listen for you.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textWhen it comes to growth, personal branding and social media play a huge role. While most companies might be present on social media, only a few understand their algorithms' nuances and have mastery in creating viral posts. Among other social media platforms, LinkedIn is the most powerful when it comes to marketing for B2B brands targeting executives. LinkedIn is also equally powerful for personal branding and positioning yourself as an expert in a given field.In today's episode, we have our guest Cory Warfield from ShedWool, who discussed how he became a popular LinkedIn Influencer with nearly 250K followers through his authentic content and personality widely admired on LinkedIn. We also got a chance to discuss what finance and operations executives need to do to start their LinkedIn journey and why it's important to be present on LinkedIn. Finally, we discussed the nuances of LinkedIn algorithms and how to create content that will give you high visibility on LinkedIn.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.