Running Lean Finance Before You Need an ERP
Written by Harry Prabandham
Curated by Rubric Financial
Last updated
1 / 5
When an ERP Is Premature
- An ERP earns its cost when transaction volume, entity count, and process complexity outgrow simpler tools.
- Most early venture-backed SaaS companies run cleanly on cloud accounting plus a few connected apps.
- Adopting an ERP too early buys implementation cost and rigidity you do not yet need.
- The right question is not whether an ERP is better but whether your current pain justifies the switch.
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About the author
Harry PrabandhamFounder & CEO
Founder and CEO of StartupCFO. MBA from Wharton, MS in Computer Science, and decades of experience building and advising venture-backed startups.
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