[dba-Tech] consulting thoughts

[Susan Harkins]

https://acctivate.com/industries/nursery-inventory-management-software/

 

Hi everyone. A dear friend of mine runs a native plant nursery here in
Kentucky. She moved recently and I've been working for her part-time to get
things back to normal. The other day I asked her about inventory - she
doesn't also keep track of what she sells, and I have no idea how she
includes plugs that come in and get repotted and added to inventory. So, I
asked. She laughed and I said, "Oh, it's all in your head!" 

 

No, it isn't. She does spend time in and out of the plants making sure she
can fulfill an order before accepting it. 

 

So, now we're trying to get some technology going to help her grow her
business. Right now, she handles it all manually, and she does okay. But she
can't grow - she says she can't keep it all straight if the business grows.
Physically, she has plenty of room to grow - she has a few acres sitting
empty. 

 

She wants to use Quicken to keep her books and help keep her taxes straight,
which she's doing manually right now. That's her priority but inventory
management and maintenance will be next. By maintenance, I mean a component
that allows her to customize her tasks. For instance, she mentioned that she
missed a few seed starts this spring because they just fell off the radar.
Her choice now is to supplement with plugs purchased from a larger nursery
or simply telling customers she doesn't have that plant. Neither is the best
option when she can grow the plants from seed herself. So, she needs a
component that lets her customize her planting/growing needs. Something that
says, "Plant these seeds this week," "These seedlings should be ready to pot
up this week," and so on. I can build this for her if it's not available
through the linked service (above). They do mention using SQL Server

 

The above link seems to customize the nursery business and integrate with
Quicken. 

 

My problem is this is a huge amount of information to wade through - I tried
to watch some of the videos but guys. I'm a linear thinker. I need an anchor
- if I don't start from the beginning and add to what I'm learning, I'm a
bit lost. 

 

However, even though small right now, I really think she needs the full ERP
experience - if not up front, but eventually. I can see her adding
components as she gets one going and grows familiar. On the other hand, what
she doesn't need, she doesn't need, and I can't in good conscience,
recommend a route that's going to be costly when she will see little routine
for bells and whistles she's not using. 

 

I just need a place to start. I'm a small-solution person and this is all a
bit over my head. I can build a simple desktop solution for her right now
but I don't see the point if there's already something out there that she
can just plug into and I can then input and customize. 

 

Looking at all the possibilities I am overwhelmed. 

 

Susan H.