IF WE TOLD YOU THAT QUICKBOOKS REALLY COSTS $30,000 WOULD YOU THINK WE’RE CRAZY? BEFORE YOU JUMP TO ANY CONCLUSIONS ABOUT OUR SANITY LET’S DO SOME MATH ON A NAPKIN.
So a subscription “only” costs $100 a month and that’s $1200 a year or $12,000 over ten years if the price never goes up. That’s not the whole picture when you factor in the hours you spend learning and using it. Oh, and what about fees for good technical support? Oh, and what about fees for add-ons like payroll?
You’d be lucky if QuickBooks only cost you $30,000 in time and money over 10 years and we’re just getting started. Take a moment to consider how many magic tools the average service business needs and the math will stop you in your tracks.
For communications:
- Phones (Ring Central $90/mo)
- Text & chat (Podium $409/mo)
- Direct messaging (Front $99/mo)
- Email (Google Workspace $48/mo)
- Plus the time and training to use it all correctly.
Hang on we’re just getting started.
For marketing:
- Website (Squarespace $25/mo)
- Social Media Creator (Canva $200/yr)
- Post Scheduler (Hootsuite $50/mo)
- Social Media Ad Tool ($50/mo)
- SEO Tool (MOZ $100/mo)
- Reputation Management ($50/mo)
- Directory Listing Manager ($50/mo)
Did we mention that every few years you’ll have to learn the new versions of all these tools?
How about human resources?
- Scheduling (Schedule Base $50/mo)
- Benefits Administration ($50/mo)
- Background Checks ($50 per person)
- Training (Loom $15/mo)
- Performance Reviews ($50/mo)
- Employee Manuals ($50/mo)
DID YOU REALIZE THAT FOR EVERY DOLLAR YOU SPEND ON SUBSCRIPTION FEES, YOU’LL SPEND BETWEEN $5-20 LEARNING AND USING EACH TOOL?
How about human resources?
- Project Management ($50/mo)
- CRM (Salesforce $80/mo)
- Customer Service (ZenDesk $55/mo)
- Document Storage (Google $40/mo)
- Tax Compliance ($99/mo)
- Bookkeeping (QuickBooks $100/mo)
- Payroll (ADP $29/mo + $5/employee)
Almost forgot we haven’t paid our accountant or any lawyers yet. Let’s leave those calculations out for now because the math is bad enough already.
And don’t worry, we’re counting. That’s 24 apps to install, 24 programs to learn, and 24 bills to pay every month. Wait there’s more. Are you ready for the real cost of using those magic tools for 10 years?
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE…
HOW DOES $250,000 SOUND? SERIOUSLY.
If we stay with the QuickBooks example you’ll also see that they offer a whole marketplace of consultants that will train you and even use it for you at an average cost of $100 an hour. We left that part off the napkin because there was no more room.
The sad truth is that buying tools is a waste of time and money. The tools are always changing, new ones are constantly cropping up, and you or your staff will never master any of them. Going down the rabbit hole of buying tools is a never-ending bill that only grows year after year.
Now take a moment to consider the chances of you hiring and being able to afford staff that knows these tools front and back. How would you even know what right looks like if you don’t know how to use the tools yourself?
When an employee leaves all that training you paid for leaves with them. Technical support? Lost password? It’s just more money, more time, and more headaches the moment you step into the quicksand of tools.
If you were a plumber and I told you I bought some tools to do my own plumbing and watched a few videos you’d probably laugh to yourself and wish me luck. Then I’d spend twice as much later after I screwed everything up and had to call you to fix it.
At Right Hand, our strategy is to help your service business grow by getting you off the hamster wheel of buying tools and getting you focused on what matters like doing what you’re good at and leaving the rest to somebody else. We’d like to be that somebody.
Don’t worry, we’ll bring our own tools. 🙂
