Do you suck at wearing white, or does the cheese stand alone here?
My love of white clothes is the most one sided relationship I’ve ever had (house plants are a close second). It’s maddening and I refuse to learn my lesson. Every single piece of crisp white clothing I’ve worn, I have managed to stain or soil in the most obvious places and colors that diabolically stay longer than my will to remove them.
There’s the sauced chicken I spilled on my expensive white jeans the first time I wore them – and forevermore had a weird brown stain on my inner thigh that rendered them unwearable. There’s the MUD/WTR (with turmeric!!) that I spilled on my white tank that refuses to leave. There’s the makeup stains that inevitably end up on my cute white sweaters (cause layering is a life skill in Chicago) that I’ve just come to live with and hope no one notices. And still, my love continues unrequited with at least two shirts and one dress hanging in my closet that will get worn and inevitably stained in the weirdest, most unexplainable, and stubborn ways.
Sometimes, the costs of owning something are more than you bargained for when you made the purchase.
There’s the sticker cost of buying white garments, and then there’s the real cost of owning and maintaining white garments: being exceptionally good at living your life without sweating and spilling (waaaaay harder than it sounds) or being willing to deal with the messes you make all over your new, crisp, white garment while just trying to exist.
And that’s the thing: everything has an initial sticker cost, and then an additional real cost of having or doing the thing.
Also – not all costs are equal. Occasionally, the real costs of our choices are precious on their own (like time, joy, or peace of mind).
Sometimes – paying a higher sticker cost that saves you valuable real costs is completely worth it when you stop to consider what you’re really paying.
This concept has been most evident with time and our travel to see family. We used to drive because it was cheaper and we had so much time. Now, as our parents are aging, it has become imperative to spend as much time together as possible. These days, the time saved by flying is worth so much more than the extra cost of the tickets because it means more precious time together with loved ones. Time that we can’t ever get back.
When it comes to your systems, data, and reporting this real vs sticker cost idea is amplified because systems and data (or lack thereof) are a critical component of business operations.
Let’s imagine you have a super affordable, but inflexible system that doesn’t allow you to customize or use it in a way that fits with your business, so you’re forced to make several compromises and accommodations to use this sticker price cheap system.
Here are the real costs you’re likely incurring by saving some cash:
Innovation: Inflexible systems are rigid and don’t allow for new processes or new ways of running your business – so you’re stuck doing the same old. This can be a huge red flag of a cost if your business needs to adapt with changing environments and it’s your system that’s holding you back.
Speed: If your system doesn’t accommodate new processes or change easily, you’re also likely missing out on timely responses and changing conditions. You probably have to go slower to adapt to your dinosaur of a system.
Missed Data Capture: Some systems won’t let you capture important pieces of your process or business – and if you don’t do the work of tracking that, you’re missing out on vital data that could be leveraged to make decisions down the line.
Now, let’s examine a system that’s more expensive but more modern or flexible to adapt to your business or integrate with your other systems.
Here are the real costs you’re saving by spending more on a system that’s a better fit for you:
Innovation: When your system can be customized to fit how you work, there will be less friction and time spent on compromising – instead – you’ll have time and energy to focus on making your system and business better!
Speed: Using a more flexible system will likely allow you to respond to changing conditions and business processes faster – saving you critical time when it matters most. Instead of having to explain to frustrated customers why you can’t meet their needs, you’ll be able to make changes and keep it moving.
Missed Data Capture: Well designed systems will allow you to add new fields and customize how things get done – ensuring you can capture the data elements that matter to you and your business. This is incredibly important as you grow in sophistication in your data journey.
The good news is that it’s never too late! Don’t ever feel like you’re stuck with a cheap system that isn’t working. In tech, nothing is ever that permanent because systems and tools are ever changing. You’re always able to change when you’re ready (despite what some vendors will try to tell you). And who knows, changing your systems might prove to be less stressful than keeping your new white shirt clean.
