Business Intelligence refers to the use of data to get valuable information that guides smarter decisions for an organization. It involves the implementation of software tools to gather, compile, visualize, and interpret data for actionable insights. Even as it sounds like a big word, BI isn’t only meant for enterprise. Small businesses and even startups can leverage the technology to drive growth with better decisions.
But you will probably have some concerns as a startup owner when implementing complex tools and dashboards. It is easy to be overwhelmed about the budget, personnel, and know-how to utilize them as a new business. But you can still derive the BI benefits provided you take the right approach. Here are some tips to help.
Stick with high-quality and valuable data
The data generated by a business is often huge, and the volume can be massive even for a startup. When you gather data, make sure that you pick only relevant and accurate pieces of information. Collecting irrelevant ones will only increase your expense and overload your team with extra work. Similarly, not focusing on accuracy means you cannot trust your data and any insights you derive from it. It is equally important to organize and store every piece of information correctly and safely. Startups often go wrong with this aspect of business intelligence, and privacy breaches can cause trouble.
Stick to Simple BI Solutions
Even as big names such as Power BI and Tableau rule the business intelligence landscape, they may be too complex for your non-tech team. Further, they are expensive, so fitting them into your startup budget can be a challenge. Look for simpler alternatives to power bi to ensure that people need not struggle with the learning curve. You may have to give up on a few features and add-ons with them, but these solutions often suffice for startups. Pick the one that works for your needs and you can save money and avoid complexity for your team. The approach also helps you cut down the training expense.
Prioritize Scalability
Prioritize scalability while selecting your BI tool so that it grows with your business. A minimum viable approach keeps you in a good place. You can start with basic features that do not press your tight budgets. At this stage, it makes sense to think for the short term. But remember that the data you process will grow in volumes over time. You can even expect it to increase exponentially at some point. A scalable tool keeps your business future-ready by ensuring that it can handle and analyze growing data volumes over time.
The final piece of advice for startups going the BI way is to avoid data silos. Even the best tools and strategies can fail if the business data is siloed in different applications. The analysis is incomplete and fragmented when you do not have a complete picture of the data. A successful BI strategy for startups requires a lot of work, but it can take you a step closer to success. The sooner you get started, the better.
