SAP Small Business: Busting the 4 Most Common SAP Myths

Think SAP is just for large enterprises? Think again.

While SAP is known as a leading provider of ERP software for Fortune 500 companies, they’re also a leader in the small to mid-size market.

SAP’s mid-market solution, SAP Business One, allows small businesses to streamline operations, improve financial management and boost efficiency by connecting various functions - like finance, supply chain management, production and sales - in a single system.

Yet, despite this, as an SAP implementation partner for over 18 years, we’ve heard it over and over again – ‘SAP is too big for us’. This is simply not true. So, we’re dispelling the most common myths we hear about SAP to demonstrate how it works for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).

Myth #1: SAP is only for big companies

SAP is often associated with large enterprises, but it can also be beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses. Some 80 percent of SAP customers are small to mid-size businesses. In fact, they have a dedicated ERP product for the needs of SMEs. SAP Business One offers a range of features including financial management, sales and customer management, and inventory and production management.

SAP Business One isn’t just a ‘dumbed down’ version of their large enterprise software. It's been specifically designed to include the features and functionality that SMEs need, without the added complexity. Which leads us to…

Myth #2: SAP is too complex for small businesses

SAP Business One ERP is designed to simplify your business, not make it more complicated. How? Integrating your business data into a single system eliminates a lot of the complexity that comes with running multiple systems.

With your data stored in a central database, your entire team has access to the most up-to-date information and can make more informed decisions.

Not only that but SAP Business One is designed to streamline workflows based on industry best practices, reducing the manual effort in your processes. Speaking of effort, you can get your team up-to-speed quickly. SAP Business One has an intuitive interface that makes it simple to navigate and easy for your team to use.

“SAP Business One really does have all the tools that we need and is very easy to navigate.” – Katherine Kalen, SUNPAN Modern Home.

Myth #3: SAP is slow to implement

There’s no doubt, large enterprise ERP implementations can drag out for well over a year. But the SME space is different. On average, an SAP Business One implementation only takes about three months. That’s 90 days to have your team up and running in your new ERP system.

And with SAP Business One’s built-in flexibility, you can implement functionality in stages to speed up the implementation and spread out the costs. During the initial stage of your project, you'll work with a certified SAP partner to prioritize your business needs and design the software to meet those needs.

“ProjectLine helped us bring all of our teams together quite quickly, kept things very simple for us and helped us onboard the system in bite-size pieces so it actually felt manageable.” – Liam Ellis, Lumenix.

Myth #4: SAP is too expensive for SMEs

SAP Business One is an affordable solution with a well-defined cost of ownership for small and mid-size businesses. While the costs of your implementation project can vary based on several factors, you can generally expect to spend between one and two percent of your annual revenue.

If your business is on the smaller side ($3,000,000 or less), you’ll be closer to two percent of annual revenue for the software and services project. But as your revenue scales up, you’ll get closer to the one percent range, maybe less.

“ProjectLine was able to provide clear and concise numbers in regards to cost. The year over year cost is what finalized our decision [with SAP Business One].” – Crystal Howat, Apollo Management Solutions.

The bottom line – SAP Business One is built for small companies

With 70,000+ customers worldwide, SAP Business One is a leading ERP solution for small to mid-size companies. It’s a flexible solution that offers robust functionality to support your growing business on a single platform. Connect the data from every department in your company to streamline operations, gain visibility into performance and make more informed decisions.

In addition to the core ERP functionality, SAP Business One can be integrated with third-party solutions that extend the capabilities of your solution, including more advanced manufacturing and distribution functionality. It’s a flexible solution that you can expand and customize as your business grows.

As one of the top Canadian SAP Business One partners, ProjectLine knows the system inside out. We’re here to guide you through the process – right from evaluation, through implementation and beyond.

Book a demo with our team today to learn the benefits of SAP Business one for your business.