Back Office for a Tech Startup

They started a tech company because they love coding and developing applications that solve a problem or do something really cool; they love deconstructing the problem and finding the solution, staying up all night to code a demo by dawn.  They love creating cool code; they don’t love all the other business stuff.

As a fractional consultant I handle all the back-office activities like bookkeeping, web page content, and publishing training materials because I have the skills and passion to handle business tasks that can be frustrating and time consuming for software developers.

Financial impact for the company includes on-time invoicing of customers each month, on-time payment of credit card bills (no more late fees), and up to date reports to manage cash flow.  Startups with a great product must stay on top of these tasks to remain a viable business.

In addition to QuickBooks and balance sheets, I help with branding by developing web content for their company websites and artwork for their social media and marketing materials.  I work with vendors to create company hats, shirts, and business cards.  I developed a logo and documented a brand book to ensure their colors, fonts, and logos are consistently used across all websites, printed materials, and team apparel.  I manage “to do” lists that ensure marketing happens at regular intervals, bills are paid on time, and required business documents and taxes are filed.

Having someone on staff who more closely emulates their users (non-software developers) ensures their marketing and training materials can be understood by the intended user.  I evaluate and edit their materials to ensure that they and they are not written from a software developer perspective; I review their company and training websites to ensure they can communicate with their customers.

As a tech startup they cannot afford a full-time back office yet but by hiring a fractional consultant now they will be around to hire a full-time team in the future.