Introduction

Maor Aharoni is a marketing and communications expert who specializes in helping small businesses streamline their finances through clever use of technology and customer experience. As a product marketing manager at vcita, Maor supports small businesses in their transition to the digital era, helping them adopt new tools to boost their business. Passionate about technology and storytelling, he loves finding new ways to use tech to streamline everyday life. 

What You’ll Hear

• [1:24] About Maor & his background 
• [2:00] How Maor got started empowering small businesses 
• [2:45] What vcita does 
• [3:32] How vcita has evolved 
• [7:08] vcita’s research into business owners’ mindsets 
• [9:10] Mindset statistics 
• [13:03] The rise of digital transformation & tools 
• [14:17] Automation for scalability 
• [16:30] A tool is only as good as its user 
• [17:09] Tips for digital transformation 
• [21:48] Keeping that human touch through automation 
• [22:37] Maor’s advice to someone starting out in business 
• [24:57] The most interesting place Maor has visited 

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About Maor & His Background

Maor has been in the marketing & communications field for around 12 years. He’s provided support for many tech companies, but he’s more passionate about helping entrepreneurs with the tricky task of creating stories around technology. Maor is currently working for vcita, a comprehensive business management app. 

How Maor Got Started Empowering Small Businesses 

Much of Maor’s career has been about supporting small businesses. It started with helping tech-minded entrepreneurs become good at telling stories about their business, but has morphed into providing easy-to-use tools for small businesses to thrive. 

He has found that supporting small businesses & entrepreneurs is more important than ever since the pandemic. 

What vcita Does 

vcita is an all-in-one software solution for small businesses that’s designed to take the complication out of managing your own business. It covers everything from managing clients, money, time, & marketing. 

Everything can be managed from one platform, & there’s an app too which can be utilized on-the-go. It’s designed to automate much of the work involved, freeing up your time to spend with clients or do the work you want & need to be doing. 

vcita’s Research Into Business Owners’ Mindsets 

vcita surveyed 10s of thousands of small businesses at the end of 2021. They discovered that 96% of businesses surveyed have implemented some types of digital tools. 

42% have invested between 100 and 500 dollars per month in digital tools, which is a real investment in the success of their business. 71% of SMEs are using newer forms of payment, which is significant. 

Mindset Statistics 

Businesses are still adopting digital tools and dealing with the challenges that go along with it. However, 83% of businesses stated that they’re confident about how technology can help them overcome challenges in their business. 

Although many of these businesses have been pushed into digital transformation by the pandemic, they’re optimistic about how these tools can help them in the future. 

Maor is also of the opinion that there’s no going back, so making the transition is a hugely intelligent move. 

The Rise of Digital Transformation & Tools 

Maor believes that business owners who have survived the pandemic (and thrived) are more open to digital tools and processes as they’ve seen the value that these tools can provide. 

Many of them have watched as non-digital businesses closed around them, and they can attribute their success directly to their acceptance of digital transformation. 

Automation for Scalability 

Maor understands that businesses are still challenged by pain points like retaining customers, streamlining the payment process, and managing their business effectively. He believes that automation is a huge piece of the puzzle and a step towards overcoming these challenges with ease. 

He also understands how automation can contribute to growth. Both semi-automation (where the business owner is still involved to some extent) and full automation (where clients interact with only digital platforms) are important. 

A mixture of both of these allows space for growth. But the goal is full automation, which will allow the business owner more time and space to spend on providing their services to clients, find new opportunities, and so on. 

A Tool Is Only As Good As Its User 

As Maor points out, automation is not magic. You still need to learn how to put processes and systems in place and understand how they work in order for them to be effective. 

Nor does it replace the human touch that’s such an important part of business. Learning how to automate can help you to clear space for spending time on what truly matters, but the human touch is an important part of the business. 

Tips for Digital Transformation 

Maor’s top piece of advice to business owners who are looking into digital transformation is to ease into it. Use automation tools that are user-friendly and transparent, allowing you to monitor the full process as it goes. Understanding what the system did, how it happened, and what the client received is important in order for you to trust the system. 

Lilach points out that learning the ins and outs of a digital tool can help, rather than simply using it for one small thing without exploring what else it can do for us. Maor agrees, and also correctly points out the impatience often leaves us without a proper foundation in these tools and processes! 

vcita is constantly looking for ways to improve and launch new features often, although a lot of users don’t even realize that they’re there. 

Keeping That Human Touch Through Automation 

Maor firmly believes that automation is not about losing the human touch in business. It’s about letting tech handle the tedious stuff, so you can use your time better being in touch with clients and doing outreach. 

Automation is simply a tool that helps you free up time on tasks that don’t require that human touch, so you have more of it spread around when you do interact with your clients. Embrace it! 

Maor’s Advice to Someone Starting Out in Business 

Research, research, research! Understand the market and your own USP, so you can stay ahead of competitors. Know the value you provide to potential clients. 

Lilach adds that research is a never-ending thing! It’s not just something you do in the beginning and then drop it. vcita also provides research tools and data which help business owners with research. 

Both add their favorite quote to help new business owners. Lilach: “If you can’t measure it, don’t do it”. Maor: “In God we trust, all others bring data”. 

The Most Interesting Place Maor Has Visited 

Maor’s most interesting place he’s been in Kenya, which was one of the first countries to adopt digital payments! They use their own software and pay for everything through their phones. It was a business trip though, so his most fun spot is Lisbon, Portugal. 

Find Maor Online 

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