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I’m always amazed that no matter where a SME is from, the challenges are global and their aspirations are the same. Dreamforce 2012 brought this to life for me again with the first ever SMB keynote where we heard inspirational stories of complete transformation from successful small & medium business owners. 

 What struck me was this was not just about business transformation – it was far more personal  that.  

Sure, some  of the challenges for SMBs are common -  limited IT resources , disconnected systems , lack of automated business insight,  lots of pen and paper, and spreadsheets acting as pseudo databases.  

But often what’s not told is the feeling of frustration, the sensation of being out of control, and the fear of being left behind. Or, the excitement when you can actually tackle these problems head on using technology as the transformation agent, and the excitement of being able to leapfrog ahead.  

Take, for example, the story of Buddy Valastro from  Carlo’s Bakery (who’s now the star of a worldwide hit US TV show, Cake Boss). If you know the show, you wouldn’t think of Buddy as a typical small/medium business owner. However, his problems will probably sound very familiar.

The spotlight cast by the show’s instant popularity overwhelmed the business’s ability to keep pace.  Orders flowed in and were being taken on pieces of paper over the phone, and no way to manage that order effectively throughout his supply chain and staff. Chaos reigned! 

Buddy told the story of how his business went from 100% paper to 100% digital in under 8 weeks – and everything has transformed as a result. And he’s also far better connected with staff and customers by using social media.

Watch the video of the keynote with Salesforce.com's SMB Business Unit President, Hilarie Koplow-McAdams who interviews Buddy after she speaks with  the CEO of Trunk Club.

You can also read the story for more details.  If you are a small to medium business, tell us what your challenges are and how you go about fixing them.