WHEN THE WORLD PASSES YOU BY

               It's not easy being a dinosaur. It can be a little lonely, especially when you're on the verge of extinction.

               I thought about this when I dropped by our corporate office the other day, where I once ruled the roost, and technically still do.

               We're a family business that owns and operates multiple stores and restaurants in tourist areas, and we have a few hundred employees. My four children and one son-in-law all work in the business, and everyone gets along swimmingly. Everyone also has their own niche.

               It's wonderful to have the kids around and it ensures the business will continue with the next generation. And I am clearly getting closer and closer to passing the torch.

               That realization is banging on my office door every day. And that's pretty much the only thing that's banging on my door. Everyone else is too busy barreling into the future.

               The world is getting more and more complicated every year. Technology has taken over our lives and continues to take over business. If you don't keep up, you lose. And I don't want to keep up, personally speaking.

               Fortunately for me, my children do. We're currently transitioning to NetSuite, the Oracle owned operating system that integrates all business operations into the cloud in one software platform, combining accounting, human resources, payroll, purchasing, sales and much more. It's called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and I want nothing to do with it.

               We've been "transitioning" for almost six months, and we still haven't implemented the new system. There are multiple Zoom calls every day developing different parts, and everyone participates except me. Dinosaurs don't transition.

               Everything used to be so simple. When I started in business 47 years ago, we still used cash registers in our stores. It was a big deal to separate items into departments, because the new cash registers had that function. I was on top of it.

               When the computer age hit, I was ready. We moved into the new era of point-of-sale technology seamlessly, and there were indeed benefits. I was a modern man.

               No longer. I've had it. I know there are lots of older people out there who embrace every advancement in business technology, but I'm not one of them. Somewhere along the line I hit the wall, and I'm not going through.

               My executive expertise is reduced to the following conversations, which I have practically every time I see someone who just got off a Zoom call with NetSuite:

Me: So how did it go?

Daughter: Horribly. We're getting nowhere.

Me: Will it work?

Son: Eventually

Me: Good.

               I'm so happy I'm not on those calls. While I know it's imperative that the company evolves in order to grow and compete, it's for the next generation to pursue. I'm done with that part of the business.

               The same holds true for marketing. I sit in on the meetings and long for the days when we'd talk about a print ad. Now it's Google ads, Facebook posts, Instagram hits, search engine optimization, algorithms and data analysis.  So complicated and boring for dinosaurs.

               Of course, all of this unwanted complexity clearly means it's time for me to step down and gently be put out to pasture, leaving the business to evolve in the hands of the next generation.

               Nah.

               I looked it up. Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for about 165 million years, so I figure I'm good for a few more. They were a hardy lot and didn't just walk away when things got a little tough. So neither will I.

               Instead, I'll watch as we finally implement the new system in the next couple of months, and then sympathize with the new generation as they deal with the chaos that will surely ensue as they stressfully try and fix all the glitches.

               Then, when everything settles into a sleek, fine-tuned machine, and the business is running smoothly and more efficient than ever----that's when I'll take full credit for orchestrating our move into the future.

               I may be a dinosaur, but I'm not stupid.

Contact Nick at nickhoppe61@gmail.com. For archived issues, visit www.hoppecolumns.com