Author: Zang Zhiya, Senior Software Engineer
Small and medium businesses find themselves in a competitive scramble for attention and success, and technology plays a crucial role as more than just a tool – it becomes a vital partner. As Bill Gates famously said, “How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.” This is especially relevant for small businesses as they have left nothing but to begin to embrace technology. But it is not at all a plight. Even though SMBs employ over 61 million Americans (according to Patriot), they often face challenges in competing with larger companies, with 45% expressing the urgent need for stronger tools to excel in the digital space, as reported in the recent survey by Quickbooks. Acknowledging this is a great step towards optimising the business.
In this article, I go beyond the usual advice found in the tech industry. I share my personal experiences from the complex world of technology decisions as a startup. Not only will I offer insights from my journey, but also delve into specific tech stack options that play a crucial role in helping small businesses evolve into successful enterprises. Furthermore, I will explore unique perspectives that are usually ignored but are essential. By the time you finish reading this article, you will have a better grasp on how to customise technology to build a strong foundation that not only sustains but also boosts your business’s growth.
1. Factors to Consider
When starting the process of choosing a technology stack for your small business, it is important to take into account various key factors: these considerations will impact both your current day-to-day activities and determine how effectively your business can grow and respond to the hurdles.
1.1. Objectives & Requirements
The first thing to do when selecting the technology stack for your company is to clearly define your goals and needs. What specific objectives do you hope to achieve with your technology investment? Do you want to better customer service, increase sales through an online platform, or organise internal operations? Once you clearly grasp your goals, you can identify the necessary technology requirements to meet them.
1.2. Agility & Flexibility
What’s more, the technology you choose should not only meet your current needs but also be able to adapt to future requirements without expensive changes or interruptions.
For example, you can consider using cloud-based solutions that offer scalability and flexibility. With these platforms, you can easily add new features or grow as your business expands, without requiring large upfront investments in hardware.
1.3. Cost Saving
Although technology offers many advantages, small businesses have to prioritise cost-effectiveness to thrive, that is to assess the initial expenses and the long-term costs of supporting and upgrading your technology infrastructure.
Seek out options with transparent pricing structures and no hidden charges. Open-source resources can be a budget-friendly choice, for it offers strong features at a lower price compared to commercial software.
2. Making the Right Choice
Having said that, let’s cut to the chase and consider my personal recommendations for small businesses as a Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience in companies of various sizes.
2.1. Front End Layer
The front end of your tech stack is crucial since it is your customers’ primary point of contact. In order to create a seamless user experience that promotes interaction and increases sales, it must not only function well but also look good. These are the front-end technologies that I recommend, keeping in mind the most recent standards and forthcoming advancements.
- Web: React
React is widely regarded as the best web development tool for a variety of reasons. It has Facebook’s backing, so users can expect regular updates and strong community support. Furthermore, React’s component-based structure allows developers to create reusable UI elements, promoting consistency and reducing errors across platforms.
The virtual DOM (Document Object Model) feature of React is especially useful for smaller businesses because it improves rendering speed and overall performance, which is critical for scalability as your customer base grows. Furthermore, React integrates seamlessly with a variety of tools and systems, therefore providing a versatile solution that can grow alongside your business needs.
Using React, you can create a dynamic and responsive website that looks and feels modern. In the long run, it enhances user engagement and facilitates easier maintenance and updates.
- Mobile: React Native
When expanding your business to mobile platforms, it is important to maintain consistency between the web and mobile experiences. React Native in this sense allows you to apply the same design principles used in React to mobile apps. This provides you with using a single codebase for both iOS and Android and eventually saves time and money on development and maintenance.
Not only is React Native inexpensive, but it also performs similarly to native code, resulting in a smooth and responsive user experience. The platform accepts third-party plugins and allows you to add new features as your business grows.
2.2. Back End Layer
The back end layer of your tech stack is where much of the operational logic of your business applications is. Choose the right technologies to allow for performance, scalability, and maintainability.
- Programming Language: Python vs Go
Python is known for its extensive libraries and strong community support — it is ideal for quickly developing data-heavy applications. It also has the best flexibility when it comes to keeping up with the rapid changes associated with business requirements. Go, on the other hand, has less flexibility, but is easy to control code quality and has better performance. It stands out for its ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time while using memory efficiently, which makes it an excellent choice for backend services that require fast performance and careful resource management. You should choose one based on your prediction and goals of further business change, as well as company size.
- Architecture: Microservice vs SOA
Microservices architecture enables the individual deployment of small, modular services and improves adaptability and robustness. In contrast, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is more suitable for larger, intertwined service applications but may require more effort to maintain. Hence, it is typically better suited to larger organisations that require a high level of interoperability among different business units or applications.
- Project Structure: Clean Architecture
Clean Architecture offers several advantages to small businesses by separating business logic from interfaces and external frameworks. This separation makes systems easier to manage and scale because changes in the UI or technology have little effect on core operations. As a result, maintenance costs are reduced, while system stability improves. Furthermore, Clean Architecture simplifies testing and updating processes, which is critical for businesses that need to respond to changing market demands without incurring significant downtime or overhaul costs.
- API: GraphQL vs REST
REST is popular for its simplicity and statelessness, but GraphQL is becoming more popular for efficiently fetching complex data structures, cutting down on network data transfer and increasing response time, which might be important aspects for small businesses as well.
2.3. Infra Layer
Your small business’s digital operations rely heavily on the infrastructure layer of your tech stack. This layer is essential for tasks such as data storage and cloud-based operations, so it is quite important to select the appropriate components for this layer.
2.3.1. Database: PostgreSQL
In this regard, small businesses can rely on PostgreSQL’s robust features and dependable performance. This versatile database system can handle both traditional relational data and modern JSON, making it a good choice for a variety of storage needs. Ultimately, with a dedicated community and extensive documentation, PostgreSQL is an easy-to-use and scalable option for growing businesses.
2.3.2. Cloud Providers
Cloud services provided by major providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are designed to provide adaptable infrastructure solutions that can grow with your business. These platforms grant a wide range of solutions, such as hosting, computing power, AI, and machine learning tools, allowing small businesses to access advanced technologies on a flexible pay-as-you-go basis.
2.3.3. Logs and Monitoring
Proper logs and monitoring are vital for maintaining a healthy IT system. Platforms such as Splunk, Datadog, and Prometheus enable real-time tracking and logging of your systems, which allows you to address issues quickly and make sure there is maximum uptime and customer satisfaction.
3. What I Learned
I have spent many years figuring out the ins and outs of tech setups in different business settings. From all that I’ve learned, I’ve narrowed down some important lessons that I believe will be very helpful for small businesses as they start their technology journey.3.1. Cutting-edge Does Matter
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the latest trends, but adopting cutting-edge technology can give you a competitive advantage. Incorporating tools like GraphQL for APIs or Go for backend services can significantly increase efficiency and capacity. Moreover, it can provide an advantage of attracting programmers who are passionate about technology, which is a great way to enhance efficiency of the team. Nonetheless, it’s critical to decide whether these advanced technologies align with your specific business needs and resources. In this sense, being at the forefront does not simply mean being new.
3.2. Making Things Simple
Nothing is more important than keeping your technology stack simple. It enables your team to maintain and expand the system while minimising complexity easily. For example, using React for web and mobile frontends can simplify development and reduce the learning curve for new developers. Using simple, dependable tools for databases, such as PostgreSQL, can also reduce maintenance requirements and provide the stability that small businesses require.
3.3. Business Model is Architecture
When you are developing your system, make sure that you let your business requirements be the principal guides of your architectural decisions. If you need frequent updates and adaptability, think about implementing a microservices approach—this is where services are split based on business function, ensuring scalability while keeping it simple to switch transitions in the future (such as moving from monolithic to microservices or vice versa). On the flip side, if your company offers a consistent set of services and products, consider starting with a monolithic structure organised around business functions for easy understanding—which can later be transitioned into service-oriented architecture or microservices when needed. Remember: your business model should drive your architecture. It should help—not hinder—your operational capabilities. Your architecture must be what it needs to be and not what others want it to become; it must transform according to its own essence and not bow down due to any external pressure.
