{"id":2812,"date":"2017-09-20T09:57:48","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T09:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-collaborative-working-can-help-small-businesses\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:47:36","slug":"how-collaborative-working-can-help-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-collaborative-working-can-help-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"How collaborative working can help small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow collaborative working can help small businesses\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-09-20T09:57:48+01:00\">20 September, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How collaborative working can help small businesses\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-collaborative-working-can-help-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ashleyhindsmansage\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ashley Thompson\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/02\/Ashley-Thompson.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ashley Thompson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can be scary opening up your system to multiple people within your business. So what&#8217;s the best way to do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-collaborative-working\">What is collaborative working?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By sharing your business information and having a single source of data for your sales and accounting functions, you can save time and make it easier to keep customer information up-to-date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-in-it-for-your-accounts-team\">What&#8217;s in it for your accounts team?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the accounts team, they need to reduce the amount of time it takes getting information for other teams. By sharing data through your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/size\/small-business\/\">small business software<\/a>, you can minimise requests, allowing you to focus on the more in-depth parts of the job. If sales teams can create orders and invoices in the system, this also means less admin work for the accounts team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sales teams can also be a help in ensuring customers pay on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-in-it-for-your-sales-team\">What&#8217;s in it for your sales team?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the sales team, having real-time access to information makes their job easier. They can access information about customers, products or prices themselves on the go, instead of bothering others. With the right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/accounting-software\/\">accounting software<\/a> you can manage your own sales pipeline, from quotations to invoices, ensure data is up to date, making it less likely to use another system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-collaborative-approach\">A collaborative approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Clarify what your employees want and need <\/strong>It&#8217;s important to share ideas upfront about what you&#8217;d like to get out of joint working.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set boundaries <\/strong>It&#8217;s also important to know what information should be ring-fenced and protected. Establishing these boundaries up front will help you to avoid issues later on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decide how you will manage data <\/strong>Once you know what you need and what&#8217;s to be avoided, it&#8217;s time to discuss how you&#8217;ll keep the data up to date. You may need to involve the IT team for these discussions. If you have Sage Accounts software, we can also offer advice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ensure data is backed up <\/strong>It&#8217;s an important rule regardless of whether you share access. Having data in the cloud often means that back-ups are automatic. For desktop software, talk to the IT team and make sure you have a back-up schedule and there&#8217;s a process in place for retrieving and reinstalling missing information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong> Meet regularly <\/strong>Because sales teams are on the road, it&#8217;s important to schedule time to catch up regularly. If there&#8217;s an issue, try to address it as soon as possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/cloud\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCloud technology\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/productivity\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProductivity\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-29806 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-trends-insights tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-customer-stories tag-data-analytics tag-grow-business tag-midsized-business tag-need-to-know tag-productivity tag-reporting business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media card-post__media--video\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/Tranmere-Rovers-Sage-Advice-header.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A man walks across the on-field dugout of a football pitch. Sage promotional banners flank the background.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/Tranmere-Rovers-Sage-Advice-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/Tranmere-Rovers-Sage-Advice-header.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/Tranmere-Rovers-Sage-Advice-header.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__play-video\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"card-post__play-icon svg-icon\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 33 36\"><path d=\"M3.947.936C1.889 1.016 0 2.661 0 4.878v27.11c0 2.956 3.36 4.896 5.999 3.463l24.965-13.555c2.715-1.474 2.715-5.451 0-6.925L6 1.416a3.96 3.96 0 0 0-2.052-.48Zm.032 2.6c.232-.001.475.058.713.187L29.66 17.28c.986.535.986 1.774 0 2.309L4.692 33.144c-.952.517-1.999-.088-1.999-1.155V4.878c0-.533.261-.95.642-1.17.19-.11.411-.171.644-.172\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M5.25 3C3.74 3 2.5 4.24 2.5 5.75v12.5C2.5 19.76 3.74 21 5.25 21h14c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75V5.75C22 4.24 20.76 3 19.25 3zm0 1.5h14c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v12.5a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25h-14A1.24 1.24 0 0 1 4 18.25V5.75c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25m.25.75a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-8.25 2.751A1.248 1.248 0 0 0 9 9.251v5.5c0 .442.231.849.613 1.074.389.231.846.237 1.239.021l5.001-2.751c.396-.219.646-.639.646-1.094s-.25-.876-.646-1.095l-.001-.001-5.002-2.751a1.25 1.25 0 0 0-.601-.153zM5.5 8.25a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-8 1.423L14.731 12 10.5 14.328zm-5 1.577a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-13 3a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-13 3a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-24T09:52:02+01:00\">24 April, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">2 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tranmere-rovers-fc-sage\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhat does it mean to be an anchor institution? Tranmere Rovers on caring for its community\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tBehind everything that happens on the pitch of Prenton Park is a tight-knit team dedicated to Tranmere and the community around it. In this interview, Greg Clayton, Matt Houghton, and Debbie Quaile highlight how resilience, drive, and Sage software all work in tandem to make the decisions that matter, both on and off the pitch.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-24978 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates tag-business-finances tag-finance tag-grow-business tag-start-business tag-need-to-know tag-productivity business_type-small-business 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class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-01T12:00:00+01:00\">1 April, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">13 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow much does it cost to open a gym?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-29142 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-cash-flow tag-cloud tag-financial-education tag-payments business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-an-invoice\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-645973033-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-645973033-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-645973033-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-645973033-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-17T14:23:48+00:00\">17 March, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is an invoice? Definition and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-29118 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-business-finances tag-cloud tag-finance tag-make-receive-payments tag-payments business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-purchase-order\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1313131450-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Working on business finances\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1313131450-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1313131450-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1313131450-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-16T16:54:06+00:00\">16 March, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is a purchase order?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-28851 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-technology-innovation tag-ai tag-business-performance tag-create-business-plan tag-grow-business tag-midsized-business tag-productivity business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-to-try-ai\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Woman-calculating-capital-employed-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Working on employee tasks\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Woman-calculating-capital-employed-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Woman-calculating-capital-employed-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/Woman-calculating-capital-employed-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-02-27T12:07:50+00:00\">27 February, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to try AI without breaking your business: A practical 5-step roadmap\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It can be scary opening up your system to multiple people within your business. So what&#8217;s the best way to do it? What is collaborative working? By sharing your business information and having a single source of data for your sales and accounting functions, you can save time and make it easier to keep customer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":281,"featured_media":2933,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,9],"tags":[51,47],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[354],"class_list":["post-2812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-cloud","tag-productivity","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Ashley Thompson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-649659629_super.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}