This week, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of asking the right questions—rather than obsessing over the right answers.
Do you ever procrastinate over important decisions, only to realise later that the answer didn’t matter because you were asking the wrong question? I do.
The Lesson of the Tides
This summer, I’ve been enjoying swimming in the sea again—despite being a terrible swimmer. A few weeks in, I realised I had been focusing on all the wrong questions: How far should I swim? Is my breathing OK? But the most important question—the one that really mattered—hadn’t even crossed my mind. When is high tide?
I see the same thing happen in business all the time. When business owners start exploring technology, they tend to fixate on questions like:
- What CRM should we buy?
- How much will it cost?
These are valid, but they’re not the right first questions. The more important question is:
“What am I trying to achieve with my customers?”
And that often leads to an even deeper one:
“What changes do I want to make in my business?”
The Question That Matters Even More
Increasingly, I’ve found the most critical question is actually:
“Who is going to help us with this?”
Unless you have both the time and aptitude to learn a new system—inside and out, including best practices—you’ll need guidance. That doesn’t mean outsourcing everything to an expert. I’m a strong believer in business owners and internal teams having a solid grasp of their own technology. But getting it right means making sure you don’t reinvent the wheel.
So how do you avoid that?
It could be as simple as taking a course or getting an expert to explain things. Or it might mean finding the right partner—someone who understands both the technology and your business goals—to help set you up for long-term success.
Two Real-World Lessons
I’ve worked on customer-focused digital transformation for businesses of all sizes—from solopreneurs to large organisations. And time and again, I’ve seen that the right support makes a bigger difference than the right software.
Case 1: A Solopreneur in Software Chaos
One client had so many different tools in her business that it was confusing even for me—never mind for her. Different people had set up individual funnels, web pages, automations, and sales processes. No one had a clear picture of how it all worked.
By eliminating redundant software (saving money in the process!) and creating clear guidelines, she now has:
✅ A streamlined tech stack she understands
✅ The ability to handle tasks herself or delegate them effectively
In this case, I was her learning partner, helping her make the right choices, explaining why, and documenting the setup so she could own it going forward.
Case 2: A Larger Organisation with No Tech Team
Another client—a growing business—was undertaking digital transformation with zero in-house technical staff. There were thousands of tools they could use, but instead of asking, “Which tool is best?”, we started with, “Who can support us?”
By prioritising the right partners over the right software, they’re not just ensuring a smooth implementation. They’re building long-term relationships with experts who can:
✅ Help them choose the right licences
✅ Provide ongoing support
✅ Work in partnership with their team as they build internal knowledge
The Takeaway
In tech, my work is often called business analysis, architecture and program management. But what I really do is facilitate and translate—helping business owners and leaders understand how technology can work for them.
You don’t need to become an expert in the technical details. But you do need to ask the right questions.
And if you’re ready for expert guidance without the confusion, let’s talk. Book a call with me here.
