If I were less stupid… I would have quit Excel sooner.
But like many entrepreneurs, I persisted. Because we all love Excel. It’s been our companion since the beginning: we built our first dashboards, our prospect lists, our budgets, our growth models in it. We did almost everything in it.
And that’s exactly the problem.
In this post, taken from the series “Ah si j’étais moins con” that aired on the belgian TV LN24, but also on podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts), we’ll discuss a topic that’s both practical and strategic: Why Excel is holding back your company’s growth, and how to build a real information system that’s efficient and scalable instead.
No fuzzy theory. Just real experience, shared mistakes, and simple solutions to stop cobbling things together and finally take control.
The Excel Trap: why your business needs to evolve beyond spreadsheets
Let’s face it: Excel has been your trusted companion since day one. Like a Swiss Army knife, it’s versatile, familiar, and always there when you need it. From tracking sales to managing HR, it seems to do it all.
But in fact, here lies the trap
“Excel is like using a kitchen knife for screwing. It’s not made for it, but we do it anyway. It works. Badly, but it works.”
Arik Azoulay
When you build your entire business infrastructure around Excel, you’re essentially creating a house of cards that might stand, but far from stable.
Doubling down on the kitchen knife metaphor, let’s continue “screwing” but this time with different tools:
- 🔪 The Kitchen Knife (Excel): Your trusted all-purpose tool, but with clear limitations
- 🪛 The Wrong Screwdriver: A step up, but still not quite right
- ⚙️ The Perfect Tool: Purpose-built solutions that require initial investment but deliver long-term value
- 💣 The Overkill Solution: Over-engineered systems that create more problems than they solve
5 critical ways that Excel is holding you back
Before you defend your spreadsheet dependency, consider these fundamental limitations:
1. Silent Errors That Cost You Money Our audits reveal that 90% of Excel files contain errors – errors that often go undetected until they impact your bottom line.
2. Version Control Chaos We’ve all been there – a folder full of files named “final_v2_FINAL_ACTUALLY_FINAL.xlsx”. This isn’t just annoying; it’s a recipe for disaster.
3. Relationship Blindness Modern business data is interconnected. Excel’s rigid structure forces you to maintain these connections manually, leading to inconsistencies and errors.
4. Security Vulnerabilities In an age where data is currency, Excel files are like leaving your vault door wide open. No real access control, no audit trails, no true security.
5. The Hidden Time Tax Those “quick” Excel searches add up. Ten minutes here, fifteen there – multiply that across your team, and you’re losing weeks of productivity annually.
The story of e-maprod
When Stéphane Benaym, founder of e-maprod, came to us in 2014, he was feeling trapped. His 3-person real estate company was almost entirely running on Excel spreadsheets, which had become a major liability. With significant investment amounts at stake, a single formula error could put the entire company at risk.
But Stéphane had a bigger vision: transforming his family business into a prominent real estate player in Europe. To achieve this, he needed to break free from Excel.
After implementing a custom ERP solution built on Odoo (affectionately named e-madoo), everything changed. The system streamlined their operations – from project tracking and feasibility studies to financial monitoring and automated invoicing. The result? Teams became fully autonomous, with clear processes and zero calculation errors, ensuring both efficiency and financial security.
Today, e-maprod has grown from 3 to 15 people, and every team member relies on e-madoo as their single source of truth.
Want to know more about our collaboration with e-maprod? You’re just one click away!
The solution: building a modern information system
The System-First Mindset
Success in today’s digital landscape requires thinking in systems, not sheets.
*”An information system is just a collection of information, connected to each other, updated in real time and talking to each other”*Arik Azoulay
Arik Azoulay
Think of your business like a Formula 1 car – you need real-time, accurate data flowing seamlessly between components. A stack of Excel files is like trying to win a race with a paper map.
Investment vs. Cost: reframing the discussion
*”Stop being so cheap. Spending €100/month on a well-configured CRM will save you time, energy and deals.”
Arik Azoulay
Modern tools like Airtable, Pipedrive, Notion, Monday.com, and HubSpot offer sophisticated solutions at accessible price points. Even their free versions can revolutionize your workflow.
Creating a living system
Your business data should flow like a living ecosystem. This means:
- 🔄 Seamlessly connected tools through APIs and native integrations
- 🎯 Process-driven architecture rather than tool-driven solutions
- 🏗️ Structured, consistent information flow across all systems
Embracing modern solutions
Excel remains excellent at what it was designed for: calculations and data analysis. But running your entire business on spreadsheets is like using a calculator to write a novel – technically possible, but why would you?
It’s time to evolve. To embrace tools that grow with your business, and there are plenty.
At 26lights, we specialize in helping businesses make this transition smoothly and effectively.
Ready to transform your business systems? Let’s talk – the first consultation is on us.
