Joe Ricketts built Ameritrade which merged with Toronto-Dominion and is now TD Ameritrade. Back in the 80’s he was frustrated with the clunky PC’s and floppy disks that customers had to install on their own to process stock orders. So he did something different – Ameritrade built a software system that would allow customers to call in orders via keys on a touch tone phone.  For example, to generate an order for Brown Forman “BF” stock, users would press the “2” key twice (for the letter B) and the “3” key three times (for the letter F).  As it evolved, customers built software that automatically played all the tones to send in an order increasing throughput and never having to use the keypad again. Not following the status quo proved to be a significant win for Ameritrade and it’s growth.

QuickBooks may be the default accounting system for most start- ups, as it’s very common to follow the herd. But in the case above, going against the grain and thinking different can be the best strategy. Sage Intacct is the best long term solution for a growing company as it can scale to meet unexpected growth for your company. This operational mindset allows entrepreneurs to focus on growing the business, not get stuck with a limited tool set to run your financials. A good way to look at your company is to ask this question: Do I want to depend on Excel spreadsheets to run my business or do I want real time, interactive dashboards to help me drive?  

To learn more about how Sage Intacct can help your business, please contact our Sage Intacct Manager, Barry Coyne.