This month, I want to share some observances made on a recent business trip. First, it’s a long drive from Red Wing, MN to Sheridan, WY, but the landscape and sites along the way are something everyone should experience at some point, and the destination is breathtaking.

Several speakers shared their experiences on how their businesses are structured and how they use financial information to manage decision-making processes in their operations. It was refreshing to see so many Red Wing Software users, and users of other software, take advantage of the capabilities in their choice of products to really analyze their situation and make sound decisions to improve profitability.

It was clear our hosts for the meeting held everyone that worked at the company to a very high standard, and likewise treated everyone in the organization like family. We should all strive to live up to the standards that were exhibited by their management team.

Finally, as part of the meeting, we attended a rodeo. When I see the physical condition that these cowboys and cowgirls must be in to execute their chosen profession, and the danger they put themselves in, it makes me feel fortunate to be in the software business. About the only time someone at Red Wing Software gets hurt is if they slip on the ice between their car and the office.

I want to congratulate Chad in our sales department on the arrival of their newest addition to their family. A beautiful baby girl.

- Ken Hilton, President

With the relatively recent heavy rain storms and flooding in the southern and eastern United States, and the wildfires in the west, it is a reminder of how important it is to be prepared for a disaster. I sincerely hope all of our customers are getting through the unexpected events and/or recovering from the effects safely.

I have previously mentioned the importance of having your business information protected by storing data backups off-site and in places the data would be available to restore if the need arises. In the event of a disaster, Red Wing Software will do everything we can to help get your business back up and running by helping reload programs, etc., but we can’t help recover your financial information if you don’t have access to a good backup. Please don’t hesitate to call on us when you need disaster recovery assistance. One way to eliminate worrying about storing data backups off-site is to use the Red Wing Cloud Service which gives you access to your CenterPoint program and financial information in the cloud so it can be accessed anytime from anywhere.

I’ve heard the recent “Brexit” vote described as an “Independence Day”. As we enjoy Independence Day in the United States, and Canada Day in Canada, we wish the best of outcomes for our friends and allies in Europe. Please celebrate safely.

- Ken Hilton, President

This month I had a number of topics for this newsletter floating around in my head, but, after this weekend, only one seemed important.

On behalf of myself and the entire staff at Red Wing Software, I have a short and sincere message to all the men and women who have served, do serve, or will serve their country in the defense of freedom: Thank You.

- Ken Hilton, President

Mark, our New Business Development Manager, was talking to me the other day about a customer that had stopped using our software in favor of another company’s software. It seems this customer was in need of some new functionality, so he started looking for software that had those capabilities. He found new software, made the switch, and proceeded to set up and re-enter a lot of the data that had already been entered into the Red Wing Software product.

As you can imagine, starting over with new software is a very large task. Once he got started, he discovered he was missing much of the functionality he was taking advantage of in the Red Wing Software product previously used. So, he called Mark and wondered what it would take to move back to Red Wing Software, and mentioned the reason for the original switch. Mark explained that the functionality he was looking for was actually already available in the Red Wing Software product, and could have easily been implemented with a quick call to our staff.

This is just one example of a case when it is a good idea to talk to your current supplier when you are looking for something that is related to a product you are using and already comfortable with. This happens to be a software example, but it could apply to almost any product or service. Keep in mind you have been working with this supplier for some time, likely trust their opinion, and if what you are looking for is not available, your current supplier might be able to help you find a solution.

- Ken Hilton, President

Spring is here, at least on the calendar, and it’s a great time to do a little spring cleaning of your financial records. You are likely either going through the data for your 2015 tax return, or have recently completed it, so all of the information should be fresh in your mind. What a perfect time to review those things that took a little longer to figure out than they should, and fine-tune your system to make it easier for next year.

Maybe it’s a tweak to your chart of accounts. For instance, let’s say you have information spread across multiple accounts, and you now realize they could be combined into one account. Did you know there is a function in CenterPoint that will combine one or more accounts and all of the history into one account?

Or just a small change in the way you collect information or enter transactions could greatly reduce the time it takes to maintain the detail you need for reporting. In any event, take a few minutes and maybe even talk to others in your organization who deal with financial and other important data, and look at ways to make your business more efficient and profitable.

- Ken Hilton, President