Digital Transformation: Sharing Business Concerns in the Era of Strong Digital Transformation at the Business Club
- In an era where technology changes every minute, the term “digital transformation” has gone beyond the scope of large technology corporations. It is a survival imperative for every business, from nationwide companies to family businesses. The strong development of digital transformation, digital platforms, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and automation has reshaped how businesses operate, serve customers, and develop internally.
- At the thematic meetings of the Business Club, which brings together many small and medium-sized business owners, the phrase “adaptation” appears with considerable frequency. This shows that entrepreneurs are not indifferent to the digital transformation trend; on the contrary, they are very interested in digital transformation and want to take action. However, reality also shows that: To truly adapt to the digital transformation era, businesses need more than just management software or a few skills training courses.
- Sharing business concerns is not simply about listing difficulties. It is a journey to delve into the nature of the problem, identify invisible barriers from thinking to action, from management to technology. Therefore, the role of the Business Club is not limited to creating a business network but also becomes a place to listen, accompany, and inspire reform.
Entrepreneurial Thinking and Invisible Barriers in the Digital Transformation Journey
Traditional Thinking in a Modern Technology Environment
- One of the biggest barriers preventing many businesses from breaking through on their digital transformation journey is conservative thinking. At many seminars, business owners have shared their concerns related to management thinking that has been deeply ingrained over time. Managing with paperwork, controlling work through direct observation, or making decisions based on personal experience rather than data are the clearest expressions of traditional thinking.
- Even though they know that the business environment is changing, many businesses still feel “out of place” when approaching concepts such as ERP, CRM, KPI, or Cloud solutions. Not because they lack capacity, but simply because they do not have enough trust and a specific roadmap to completely change the way their business operates.
- A businessman once confided: “I know digital transformation is necessary, but to be honest, I'm not even used to using business email, so how can I lead employees to digitize every process?” This is a very real and common business concern in the digital transformation era.
Personnel Not Ready for Technology and Digital Transformation
- Human resources are the core element to operate a modern business model. However, a reality that is highlighted many times in Business Club meetings is the shortage of personnel who understand technology and digital transformation in a systematic way.
- Many small and medium-sized businesses do not have enough budget to recruit IT specialists, not to mention building a separate digital transformation department. In addition, most current employees are not used to using work management software, CRM, or automating processes. They are still loyal to books, Excel, or manual reports, causing internal “resistance” when starting to implement digitization.
- One of the business concerns that is repeated frequently is that “leaders are not familiar with technology, and employees are afraid of change.” This makes digital transformation only half-hearted or fails right from the start. Many businesses have to temporarily suspend digital projects because they cannot reconcile the human element with technology.
Training and Changing Mindsets in the Digital Transformation Era
- The solution is not just about hiring good people, but building internal capacity. Businesses need to have a strategy to train their teams in stages, from basic to advanced. More importantly, the head of the business must also directly participate in the transformation process, acting as an inspiration rather than just issuing orders.
- The Business Club has been organizing many practical training programs, inviting experts to share common mistakes, as well as a specific roadmap for each business to start from small steps. As a result, sharing business concerns is no longer a lament but the first step to unlock awareness and action in the digital transformation era.
Fragmented Technology Infrastructure and Many Potential Risks
Internet Infrastructure and Software Not Suitable for Vietnamese Businesses
- While businesses in major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have accessed many advanced technology solutions, in localities and suburbs, digital transformation still faces many difficulties.
- One of the common business concerns in the digital transformation era is unstable Internet connection, which greatly affects the use of online management software. Many systems are interrupted midway, causing data to be incorrect or lost. Not to mention, the use of foreign software is sometimes not suitable for domestic operating models, both in terms of language and processes.
- Some businesses invest tens of millions in inventory management software, but then leave it unused because it is “too complicated to install”, “reports are incomprehensible”, or “employees refuse to use it”.
Free Software is Convenient but Unsafe
- To save costs, many businesses choose free software or trial versions. However, this is a double-edged sword. This type of software often does not guarantee data security, does not have a periodic backup mode, and lacks technical support when problems occur.
- Some notable business concerns relate to the loss of customer data, disappearing orders, or the inability to retrieve documents when needing to do audit reports. These situations not only affect reputation but also cause significant financial losses.
Data Security and the Urgent Security Problem
- Digital transformation not only brings opportunities but also comes with many information security risks. When all data is digitized and stored online, the risk of cyberattacks, data theft, or system sabotage is entirely real.
- In discussions, many businesses have shared concerns surrounding incidents such as: Being hacked website, losing access to company emails, or worse, customer information being leaked to competitors. Some small companies don't even know about periodic backups or firewall systems, leading to the loss of all data due to a broken hard drive.
- The solution here is not only to invest in security technology but also to build a scientific data management system: clear access authorization, specific incident handling procedures, periodic backups, encryption of important information, and frequent software updates.
- Most importantly, it is necessary to train all personnel on security awareness: From setting strong passwords, not sharing accounts, to detecting fraudulent emails. Because in an organization, just one weak link is enough to cause serious consequences.
Digital Marketing: Great Opportunities but Not Easy to Grasp in the Digital Transformation Journey
Online Advertising Competition in the Digital Transformation Era
- In the digital age, consumer behavior changes rapidly, which means that the way businesses approach customers must also change continuously. Previously, businesses only needed to hang advertising signs, distribute leaflets, or participate in fairs to attract customers. But today, if they don't have a strong presence in the digital environment, businesses are almost “invisible” in the eyes of potential customers.
- The explosion of platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, Zalo OA, YouTube, along with SEO tools, content marketing, influencer marketing... has created a rich but also extremely complex digital communication ecosystem. For many small and medium-sized businesses – especially those without experience, this is a challenging technology battle.
- In a seminar at the Business Club, a business owner in the commercial sector shared a real story: “I boldly invested more than 50 million VND to run Facebook ads for 2 months, expecting a breakthrough in revenue. But in the end, there were no orders. The problem is not the tool, but the wrong strategy and lack of understanding.”
- That story touched the emotions of many people present at the meeting, because it was not an isolated case. In fact, digital transformation in marketing not only requires businesses to know how to use advertising tools but also to understand how to develop appropriate strategies, choose the right target audience, know how to measure effectiveness, and continuously optimize based on real data.
- Many businesses have entered the digital environment but do not have a map or a guide, leading to the consumption of resources without bringing real value.
Lack of Dedicated Marketing Team
- Another prominent issue in the digital transformation process of many businesses is the lack of dedicated personnel in the field of digital marketing. At many small and medium-sized companies, only 1 or 2 people are in charge of all communication activities, from brainstorming content ideas, writing articles, designing images, shooting and editing videos, to running ads and tracking performance. Even, in some places, leaders act as both managers and “part-time marketers.”
- Therefore, the quality of communication campaigns is often inconsistent, lacks creativity, and does not keep up with market trends. Many internal marketers are not properly trained, do not know how to use data analysis tools, or cannot assess the real effectiveness of a communication campaign.
- As a result, businesses do marketing in a perfunctory manner, without a clear brand strategy, leading to a situation of “burning money” without bringing corresponding results. This makes many business leaders lose faith in digital transformation and think that “technology is not suitable for their business model” – a wrong and unfortunate perception.
- At the Business Club's sharing sessions, many people have emphasized the importance of investing in the right people – the right position – the right technology in the early stages of digital transformation. They affirmed that transformation cannot be done without the right people to implement and operate effectively.
The Problem of Cost and Return on Investment (ROI) in the Digital Transformation Strategy
Limited Budget
- Most small and medium-sized businesses in Vietnam operate with limited budgets, having to juggle many fixed costs such as rent, employee salaries, importing goods, and operating costs. In that context, digital transformation is often not prioritized for investment or is only done “cautiously”, patchwork style.
- At many Business Club meetings, sharing business concerns about budget is easily seen. Many entrepreneurs confide that they understand the benefits of digital transformation but do not have enough resources to implement it properly. Investing in a management software system, building a website, optimizing SEO, or hiring a professional marketing team... becomes a headache.
- Many businesses choose the solution of “doing it themselves” or assigning it to a cheap third party, but then have to “pay the price” for being ineffective, even causing risks to data, brand reputation, and wasting time.
Investing But Not Seeing Immediate Results
- Another problem that discourages many businesses when transforming digitally is the expectation of immediate results. They think that just by making a website, running ads, or applying a software, they can increase revenue immediately and reduce costs immediately. But the reality is very different: digital transformation is a long-term journey, requiring perseverance, continuous adjustment, and it takes time to see results.
- Not seeing results after a few weeks or months makes many business leaders impatient, thinking that “technology is just for show”, “digitization is a waste of money”, or “the other side can do it because they are big”. These thoughts create a “defensive mentality”, preventing businesses from going further on the path to digitization.
- In a recent sharing at the Business Club, a businessman in the export sector said: “I used to give up midway when investing in CRM because I didn't see any results. Later, I realized it was because I didn't have the right person to implement it, didn't prepare enough data, and wasn't patient.”
- This is a practical lesson, showing that the effectiveness of digital transformation does not only depend on tools but depends more on the implementation strategy, internal team, and the ability to persevere in following the roadmap.
Success Stories from the Business Club Itself: From Concerns to Actions that Create Value
From worried sharing to actions that create clear change
- In the context of a rapidly changing global economy and the wave of digital transformation becoming an irreversible trend, many Vietnamese businesses – especially small and medium-sized businesses – are still struggling between theory and practice. At the Business Club, which brings together hundreds of members from different fields, the story does not only stop at theory but is also proven through actions and specific results.
- In hundreds of sharing sessions, discussions, and thematic training on digital transformation, many businesses have boldly shared seemingly insurmountable difficulties: lack of understanding of technology, fear of wasteful investment, concern that personnel cannot keep up with changes, or simply do not know where to start.
- An inspiring example comes from a mechanical enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City. Initially, the director of this company frankly admitted: “I'm afraid of technology. I don't know anything about ERP software and used to think that only large businesses need digital transformation.” However, after participating in many sharing sessions at the Club, listening to people in the same situation recounting their journey, directly experiencing technology tools in workshops, he decided to take the plunge.
- After only 3 months of testing the ERP software in warehouse management, order coordination, and controlling raw material costs, the business reduced operating costs by more than 30% thanks to optimized processes. Not only that, when they started to know how to analyze order data and customer behavior, they also increased new orders by more than 20%, mainly from returning old customers thanks to significantly improved services.
- Another story comes from a furniture company in Dong Nai. Previously, they only relied on traditional relationships and familiar customers to maintain revenue. After the pandemic, sales plummeted because customers shifted their product search habits to the digital environment. The manager shared: “I used to think that running online ads was a far-fetched, costly, and ineffective thing.” But after participating in a digital marketing training course organized by the Club, they learned how to build a professional fanpage, improve brand image, use chatbots to respond to customers 24/7, and regularly update useful content.
- The result is very clear: after only 2 months of implementation, the company doubled the number of potential customers each month without increasing advertising costs. This is a typical example of digital transformation in marketing activities, leveraging existing tools to create real value.
- These cases are no longer rare exceptions. Each success is clear proof that digital transformation is not only for big businesses but is an opportunity open to everyone as long as you are willing to start.
The Guiding Role and Value Spreading of the Business Community in the Digital Transformation Era
Not just sharing but also accompanying and connecting solutions
- The Business Club is not simply a place to meet periodically, exchange business cards, or listen to market reports. In fact, this is where a dynamic community is formed, supporting each other with sincerity and a spirit of progress. Especially in the era of rapid digital transformation, the collaboration between businesses becomes more necessary than ever.
- At the Club, each member not only comes to “complain about concerns” or listen to empty theories but is actually approached and tests practical digital transformation solutions. Typical activities include: Organizing in-depth seminars by industry, inviting technology experts to provide direct guidance, building sharing groups by topics such as digital human resource management, digital marketing, accounting software, warehouse management...
- Businesses also have the opportunity to experience trial versions of management software (ERP, CRM), be guided on how to analyze business data, how to protect data in the digital environment, or simply how to build a Facebook fanpage and attach an automated chatbot. This is practical knowledge, helping businesses gradually approach and become more confident when implementing digital transformation internally.
Connecting to overcome difficulties together is the true power of the community
- In the digital transformation journey, what makes many businesses give up easily is not the cost but the feeling of loneliness. They are afraid of failure, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of being ridiculed if they invest in technology but do not produce results. But when they step into the Business Club, they realize that they are not the only ones facing difficulties.
- Each business in the Club carries a separate lesson: some have invested in the wrong software, some have failed because they did not train employees before transforming, some do not have enough data to analyze... But all of them are standing up, learning, and sharing with the community. Real experiences, real stumbles, and real recoveries are invaluable assets that no consulting unit can bring.
- It is the openness, the spirit of continuous learning, and the supportive connections that have created a strong ecosystem. There, digital transformation is no longer a lonely concern but a collective journey, with people leading the way, people going together, and even people who have overcome to inspire newcomers.
Contact Information
- MIMA Trading Service Company Limited
- GPDKKD: 0318672839 issued by the Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2024
- Address: 31/3B Thoi Tu 1 Hamlet, Dong Thanh Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Phone: 0909 035 333
- Website: https://mimadigi.com
- Email: info@mimadigi.com
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