A new business needs five things working before anything else: a way to get paid, a way to record what happened, a way to be contacted, somewhere customers can check you are real, and a backup. Everything beyond that can wait until a specific problem justifies it, and most software bought before that point becomes a subscription nobody opens.
Buy for a problem you already have, not for a category you feel you should occupy.
Getting paid comes first
Invoicing that goes out the day work is done, and a way to accept payment that suits your customers, whether card acceptance, mobile payment or transfer. This has the most direct effect on survival and is commonly the worst-run system in a small business.
A business bank account in the company name is required for this to work properly, and it requires registration at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.
Records, then communication
Accounting software rather than a spreadsheet, from the first month. Reconstructing a year later is expensive and inaccurate, and lenders and buyers need statements that survive scrutiny.
For communication, a business email address on your own domain rather than a free consumer account. It costs very little and it is one of the first things customers use to judge whether you are a real business.
A presence customers can check
A simple site with what you do, where you are, how to contact you and proof you exist. A complete free local business listing with reviews often produces more enquiries for a local business than a website does, and costs nothing.
Keep it light. Heavy pages exclude customers on expensive data, which is a commercial decision rather than a technical one in this market.
Back up, and check the backup restores
Accounting data, customer records and anything you could not reconstruct. Then restore one to confirm it works, because most people discover their backup was broken at the worst possible time.
Customer information carries obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act, overseen by the Information Regulator: collect only what you need, secure it, and be able to say what you hold.
Frequently asked questions
What technology does a new business need first?
A way to get paid, accounting records, business email, a basic online presence, and a tested backup.
Spreadsheet or accounting software?
Accounting software from the first month. Reconstructing records later is expensive, inaccurate and fails scrutiny by lenders and buyers.
Do I need a website immediately?
Something customers can check, yes. For a local business a complete free business listing with reviews often produces more enquiries.
Why keep the website light?
Because heavy pages exclude customers paying for expensive data, which costs you sales rather than only speed.
What is the most overlooked step?
Testing that the backup actually restores. Most people find out it was broken at the worst possible moment.
Originally published in July 2018. Updated September 2026 into a practical guide to the technology a new business actually needs.
