I was listening to my parents arranging to meet up after Mum had done some shopping. It got fairly complicated and I wondered (out loud) whether some sort of portable telecommunication device would have helped so that they could contact each other whilst they’re out and about.
Of course they both actually have mobile phones, but old habits die hard and sometimes it doesn’t make you wonder how we managed without them. It’s about 25 years since affordable mobile phones became generally available (at the beginning of the 90s less than 2% of people had one). For anyone who can’t remember that far back, just imagine, we arranged to meet and that was that. No way of checking if someone was running late or being able to tell your friends if you were. The effects of mobile phones go far beyond the ability to just make a phone call outside.
It’s easy to giggle, but I am still doing some things because that’s the way I have always done them and I’ll bet you are too. It’s a reminder to check in to our habits and make sure that they are still appropriate and still useful. Or if we should be developing new ones.
There are very often profits to be made in shaking up the status quo. Think Uber, Tepilo, airbnb etc. Or just changing the methods. I ask new clients to pay in installments which not only helps my cash flow but also helps them budget with no surprise bills at the year end. And unlike a lot of accountants I work on value added rather than an hourly rate (which makes people scared to pick up the phone and ask a simple question).
What could you be doing that’s different (and useful)?