It’s impossible to run a business without technology, but founders often aren’t tech experts. As the business grows, needs grow. And as each year (or month) passes, new technology emerges that can change your operations, making them more efficient, productive, or helping your business evolve in a new direction. That’s hard to do when you’re locked into a software contract or your business is changing in ways the software can’t support.
We asked our Inc. Leadership Forum members how they think about technology and make decisions. That locked-in concept is one founders think about a lot. They’re less willing to sign on the dotted line for a better rate if they lose flexibility. Find out the approaches taken by 26 of our Inc. Leadership Forum members in how they ensure their technology choices remain flexible in this changing environment.
1. Modular systems and best-in-class tools
We treat technology as a living layer of the business, not a fixed stack. The media and marketing landscape evolves quickly, so we’re constantly evaluating new tools that improve how we analyze influence, measure outcomes, and support clients. The key is avoiding over-engineering. We favor modular systems and best-in-class tools that integrate easily so we can adapt as our business—and our clients’ needs—change. Flexibility in your tech stack ensures you can evolve your strategy without rebuilding your infrastructure every time the market shifts. — Ali Winkle, Just Drive Media
2. Continual review and shorter contracts
Our chief of staff has a SMART goal about staying on top of our tech stack. This means she’s constantly evaluating our options, looking for synergies between tools, and keeping us in shorter-term contracts so we have the flexibility to pivot during our rapid growth. — Sandy Fiaschetti, Lodestone People Consulting
3. Integrate or import information for fast setup
Having flexible terms is key, not just in terms of monthly versus annual, but being able to add and remove seats easily. Choosing new platforms that easily integrate or import the information for a fast setup is important. — Lauren Raimondi, All Aces Promotional Staffing and Poldit
4. Every three to five years
Two key factors in making technology choices are the age of the system and the scale of the business. With fast-moving SaaS tools, the incumbents are often outpaced by newer, better options in three to five years, so we’ll start looking for a new platform when we notice one of our tools getting stagnant and not innovating. Tools are also an area where Rakuten founder Hiroshi Mikitani’s “rule of 3 and 10” often crops up: At these multiples, a company’s systems and tools tend to break. So at 10, 30, and 100 people, the organization’s needs and tools shift and need rebuilding. — Rob Kischuk, Bellwood
5. The gold standard
Choosing the gold standard option in any technology, even when you’re not at enterprise level, is important for remaining flexible as you grow. Buy the best thing you can afford. The cost of switching systems (monetarily as well as training users) is typically far greater than buying the tier of service you can grow into. Look for solutions that can serve your current and future needs. For example, when choosing a CRM, we went with HubSpot even though there are plenty of lower-cost solutions aimed at smaller businesses. We took advantage of their three-year startup discount to make it affordable and not have to switch systems as we scale. — Esther Kiss, Born To Influence
6. Start with mindset
As an entrepreneur building multiple businesses across different industries, I’ve learned that flexibility starts with mindset, not software. We choose cloud-based, integration-friendly tools that can evolve with us, avoid locking ourselves into rigid systems, and keep shared services centralized so we can scale or pivot efficiently. Most importantly, we invest in people who can adapt and improve the systems we use. If you assume change is constant, you build a tech stack that bends instead of breaks. — Brad Burns, Burns Companies
7. Decision-making clarity
Our team evaluates tools for their amplification of clarity in decision-making and ability to adapt to evolving operating realities. Technology should follow a strategy aligned with choosing systems that reveal patterns and support judgment as a company changes. — Paul L. Gunn Jr., KUOG Corporation
8. Test and enhance
It starts with choosing tools that not only solve today’s problems, but can be adapted to tomorrow’s needs. In customer service, for example, chat systems and strong CRM platforms create a solid foundation: chats handle quick, straightforward questions, while the CRM preserves a full history of interactions so agents or AI can respond efficiently and on time. Our team regularly tests new tools to see what can help improve the processes. After trials, we keep what proves valuable as a complementary enhancement, so we can improve performance without rebuilding everything. — Michael Podolsky, PissedConsumer.com
9. Open to anything
Believe it or not, we take cold emails and have demos. You have to be open to leveraging technology as much as you can these days, with the emergence of LLMs and generative AI. — Steven Perlman, Syfter
10. Modularity
I never invest in tech for where we are today. I look for where we’ll be in five years. The trap most leaders fall into is “all-in-one” platforms that eventually become cages. We prioritize modularity. If a tool doesn’t have a robust API or a clear data export path, it’s a no-go. You want a best-of-breed stack where you can swap out the CRM or the billing engine without the whole house of cards collapsing. Keep your core data layer independent of your front-end tools. Flexibility means ensuring no single vendor owns your ability to pivot—not just having the newest gadgets. — Adam Povlitz, Anago Cleaning Systems
11. Constant evaluation
Staying flexible with technology requires a commitment to constant evolution—continually testing new initiatives, adopting emerging methods, and refining practices along the way. Without this ongoing adaptability, business risk quickly increases as the landscape continues to change. — Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising
12. Interoperable systems that can evolve
We treat tech as an enabler, not an identity. That means choosing modular, interoperable systems that can evolve as the business does rather than locking ourselves into rigid platforms built for yesterday’s model. We prioritize tools that can be integrated or replaced without disrupting the core operation. Most importantly, we make tech decisions to serve the operating model we want to become, not the one we happen to be in today. — JD Hayes, Traverse Group, Inc.
13. Business value and people impact
We keep our technology flexible by continuously reviewing it through the lens of business value and people impact. We ask whether it makes our work easier, more efficient, and more profitable, and whether it integrates with the systems we already use. Agility is one of our core values, so we avoid rigid, long-term commitments that can slow us down as technology evolves. Instead, we treat technology as an ongoing investment. We’ve seen this firsthand in our survey department, where adopting UAVs and advanced scanning tech significantly expanded capabilities and efficiency. Staying flexible ensures our tools evolve with our business, not against it. — Carolyn Stanworth, BL Companies
14. Integration and evolution
We avoid technology that locks us into one version of the business. As our model evolves, our systems need to evolve with it. We prioritize widely used, modular platforms that integrate easily with other tools, allowing us to swap components without rebuilding everything as we grow. We’re cautious about over-customizing systems unless they directly impact the guest experience. We also revisit our tech stack regularly. In such a fast-moving environment, the tools that worked three years ago may not support the next phase of the company. Flexibility is often more valuable than perfection. — Andréa Vieira, nailsaloon
15. A temporary solution
I try not to fall in love with software. Founders sometimes treat tools like permanent infrastructure when they’re really just temporary solutions. We design our workflows first—how decisions move, how projects are tracked, how accountability works—and then choose tools that support that. If the process is solid, swapping technology later is just an upgrade, not a painful company-wide surgery. — Fabien Reille, Steady Solutions
16. Allow for growth
In construction management, rigidity kills projects, and the same is true for technology. We prioritize cloud-based, integration-friendly platforms that can scale with us rather than locking us into a single ecosystem. Before adopting any new tool, we ask one question: Will this still serve us at twice our current size? That mindset has kept us agile through 22 years of growth and an industry that is finally embracing digital transformation. — David Delancy, One Day Came Inc.
17. Could it be replaced with AI?
Historically, we would have signed long-term contracts for software like Salesforce, but given the advances in AI we have shortened our renewal periods significantly. We don’t want to be locked into any legacy platform that we could ultimately replace with agentic AI. — Chris Younger, Class VI Partners
18. Know how you’ll get out before you get in
Ask “how do I get my data out of this?” before you ask how to get it in. Platforms get acquired, sunset features, and reprice—usually on a Tuesday with three weeks notice. Build processes a human could explain on paper, so when the software changes, the operation doesn’t collapse. — Susanne Norwitz, Maya Chia
19. A system that can adapt
We choose tools that play well with others and avoid platforms that lock us into rigid workflows. Also, we review our tech stack regularly to make sure it still supports how we serve our clients and how the PR industry is evolving. I believe flexibility comes from building systems that can adapt as strategy grows. — Emily Reynolds, R Public Relations
20. Build a foundation that can absorb change
Flexibility starts with admitting one thing up front, especially when we’re talking about websites and the technologies behind them: Your business model is going to change. Offerings evolve, teams grow, compliance expectations tighten, and what began as a simple marketing site can turn into a product channel, recruiting engine, partner portal, or the front door to a much more complex organization. So we try to make web technology choices the same way we make design choices, by building a foundation that can absorb change without forcing a full rebuild every time strategy shifts. — Goran Paun, ArtVersion
21. Avoid vendor lock-in
We avoid vendor lock-in at all costs. Every critical system must be modular, API-driven, and exportable. In cybersecurity and media, business models shift quickly, so architecture must prioritize adaptability over convenience. Flexibility is an insurance policy against strategic regret. — Kevin Leyes, LeyesX
22. An enabler, not a constraint
I approach technology as an enabler of mission, not a constraint. That means prioritizing modular platforms, scalable systems, and partners who value innovation as much as we do. When your infrastructure is built to adapt, you can evolve your products and impact without rebuilding everything from the ground up. — Christina Rahm, PhD, DRC Ventures
23. Digitize what is working and make it smarter
Every company is, at its core, a technology company. When you build with that mindset, flexibility becomes foundational rather than reactive. We developed a centralized operating system across our family of companies. It creates a single point for onboarding and offboarding, integrates our native operating procedures, and provides real-time visibility into what work is actually being done—and where the opportunities are. Rather than layering disconnected tools, we digitized what was already working operationally and made it smarter. That approach ensures our tech isn’t starting from scratch each time; we can pivot, scale, and refine smoothly. — Lea Wiviott Boracchia, Boracchia Wiviott Wealth Partners and Wealth Partners Real Estate
24. Look for intuitive systems
I use multiple EHR systems, so I prioritize tools that are intuitive on both the clinician and client side. Flashy features don’t impress me if they disrupt workflow or create unnecessary mental load. Flexibility comes from choosing tech that supports clarity and efficiency, not tech that demands constant workarounds. — Ari McGrew, PhD, Tactful Disruption
25. Best-in-class and proprietary solutions
We build our technology stack around a dual approach: adopting best-in-class external tools while simultaneously developing proprietary solutions through in-house AI developer agents. This ensures we are never locked into a single vendor or platform. By maintaining internal capability to build custom automation—from document generation to pre-sales intelligence—we can rapidly adapt our technology as client needs and business models evolve, rather than waiting for off-the-shelf solutions to catch up. — Burcu Bree Manay, Manay CPA
26. Design for adaptability
Adaptability is underrated in technology strategy. CEOs get pressured to optimize tightly for the model in front of them, but over-optimizing for the present can make a company fragile when the world shifts. None of us predicted COVID, and now AI is forcing another step-change. The lesson is to avoid decisions that lock you into yesterday’s assumptions. Designing for adaptability can feel inefficient in the short term, but it gives you the ability to evolve when the next change arrives, and sometimes you realize you were already built for it. — Brian Klais, URLgenius
The final deadline to apply for the 2026 Inc. 5000 is Friday, April 24, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply here.
