{"id":18711,"date":"2021-03-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/"},"modified":"2022-04-04T13:23:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T18:23:58","slug":"service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Service Businesses: Balancing Profit and Innovation Isn\u2019t a Pipe Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- .post-meta --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a professional service business, profit is the bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With high profit margins, you can grow your business and serve new customer demands as you please. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without profit, you\u2019re in a constant fight to stay afloat. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, you also can\u2019t afford to have tunnel vision. Alongside profit, you must maintain high service quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we\u2019ll look at some of the factors that prevent service businesses from balancing these factors effectively \u2013 and what you can do to turn things around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mkt.clarizen.com\/a-modern-approach-to-service-delivery?\/utm_source=events-page&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=wbn-service-delivery-03182021\"><img class=\"lazyload\" title=\"Service Businesses\" alt=\"Service Businesses\" height=\"683\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2021\/03\/iStock-904829764-1024x683.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#The_True_Cost_of_Inefficient_Processes\" >The True Cost of Inefficient Processes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#Curse_of_the_Million_Spreadsheets\" >Curse of the Million+ Spreadsheets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#Its_Not_Just_About_Revenue_Recognition\" >It\u2019s Not Just About Revenue Recognition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#How_to_Make_Faster_Better_Decisions\" >How to Make Faster, Better Decisions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#Technology_that_Helps_Not_Hinders\" >Technology that Helps, Not Hinders<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/#The_Secret_to_Profitable_Service_Delivery\" >The Secret to Profitable Service Delivery<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_True_Cost_of_Inefficient_Processes\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The True Cost of Inefficient Processes<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a service business, time equals money. Your ability to increase revenue is directly proportional to your ability to work more billable hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time recording and invoicing \u2013 i.e., revenue recognition \u2013 are essential components of your business. So naturally, having robust processes for these components is a top priority. But here\u2019s the thing. Robust revenue recognition will only get you so far if your other project management capabilities are weak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ineffective project management, often due to managing the work in disconnected silos, opens your service business up to serious risks, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overcommitting or underutilizing key resources\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inconsistent service levels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wasting billable time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using guesswork to drive decisions instead of data<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsatisfied customers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026and other generally undesirable outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">effective<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project management provides a host of benefits:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Helps you assign the right level of resource to each task or project<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensures your team\u2019s time is spent efficiently<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frees up time to focus on project <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> business performance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saves client managers from having to argue over project scope<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eliminates those end of project surprises by keeping everyone on the same page<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also ensures your teams have more time to spend on things that make the client happy. What could be more logical than that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, for many service businesses, one huge barrier stands in the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Curse_of_the_Million_Spreadsheets\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curse of the Million+ Spreadsheets<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average service business is saddled with a mess of disparate spreadsheets, timesheets, siloed task management systems, and goodness knows what else. These processes waste precious time and resources on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">every<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> customer engagement. Imagine what that adds up to over a year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We worked with one global professional services business that discovered it was using over ONE MILLION spreadsheets to manage client projects. For perspective, that was <\/span><b>over 1,000 spreadsheets per employee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you think that affected their ability to deliver high-quality and efficient service? Or to know when they hit key milestones so they could bill clients as early as possible?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not an isolated incident. Your service business might not have a million-plus spreadsheets, but do your internal systems and processes serve you? Or do they slow you down and hinder your growth?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many service businesses, it\u2019s the latter.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_Not_Just_About_Revenue_Recognition\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s Not Just About Revenue Recognition<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a question for you: If time is money (and let\u2019s face it, it <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), how much do inefficient processes cost your business?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It depends on the process. It could be a lot. It could be hardly anything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you repeat that process for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">every<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> client engagement \u2013 perhaps even <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">multiple times<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> per engagement \u2013 that adds up to a very real financial cost to your business. If it\u2019s a process that\u2019s completed every day\u2026 by every person in your organization\u2026 that cost could be <\/span><b>huge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The obvious candidate for improvement is revenue recognition because that\u2019s where the rubber meets the road. The better your time tracking and billing systems, the more easily you can make money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it\u2019s easy to OVER focus on these factors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well-constructed systems and processes can help your business boost efficiency and effectiveness at <\/span><b>every stage of service delivery<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just revenue recognition. These systems can help you optimize resources and maximize project performance while also balancing upcoming demand with work already in progress \u2013 avoiding the danger of overcommitting key resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, judicious use of templates and automation can help you improve the quality and consistency of your work. This helps you maximize customer satisfaction and (hopefully) repeat business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, to really get the benefits \u2013 not just the promise \u2013 of these systems, you need one more thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Make_Faster_Better_Decisions\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Make Faster, Better Decisions<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among the greatest challenges posed by inefficient project management systems is the effect they have on visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your resourcing and financial data are tied up in siloed systems (or heaven forbid the data is in hundreds or thousands of spreadsheets), there\u2019s simply no way to know how client engagements are trending until <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the engagement is completed. And by that time, there\u2019s nothing you can do about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s also no way to know where and when key resources are committed. Without this basic information, you can\u2019t make informed resourcing decisions and feel confident about managing new client commitments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, consider the alternative. How much more streamlined and effective could your business be if you knew the exact status of every client engagement at any point in time? How about if everybody from the project teams to senior leaders could calculate the financial implication of each and every project decision based on accurate, real-time data?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Real-time visibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of financial and project performance data can help your business:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Respond quickly to changing conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure work is aligned with objectives \u2013 both your\u2019s and the customer\u2019s<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See the status of all customer engagements, including budgets, progress, and potential issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure project work and resources are aligned with budgets and business objectives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proactively plan for the future<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quickly and accurately answer questions, e.g., <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat can we commit to next month based on existing commitments of key resources?\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhere could we reduce our costs without negatively affecting customer outcomes?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Technology_that_Helps_Not_Hinders\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology that Helps, Not Hinders<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The TL;DR of what we\u2019ve covered so far is simple. Service businesses need to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Report on their time and bill clients accurately<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize their entire service delivery process<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emphasize real-time visibility to inform better, faster decisions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s great. But how do you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that? We talked earlier about the damage caused by inefficient systems, but what\u2019s the alternative?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is simple. You need technology that facilitates the three imperatives listed above. Specifically, technology that is flexible enough to allow your teams to work the way THEY want while benefiting from automation, process improvements, and real-time visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that global service business we mentioned before? The one with over a million spreadsheets?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They <\/span><b>transformed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> their business \u2013 and outperformed <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ALL<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> industry KPIs, including profitability \u2013 by implementing technology and processes that enabled them to make data-driven decisions about every customer interaction\u2026in real-time. In fact, they have over 40,000 users logging into Planview AdaptiveWork daily to make this possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can do the same for your service business. With a modern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/products-solutions\/solutions\/professional-services-automation\/\">Professional Services Automation<\/a> (PSA) solution \u2013 one that supports the entire service delivery lifecycle \u2013 your business can delight its customers <\/span><b>and<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ensure every engagement is profitable.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"content-cta\">\n<div id=\"content-cta-text\">Increase your business agility with Planview AdaptiveWork\u2019s project management software<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-cta-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/resource\/product-tour\/\">Take a Product Tour<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Secret_to_Profitable_Service_Delivery\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Secret to Profitable Service Delivery<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article has covered the basics of balancing profit with innovation as a service business. But in reality, we\u2019ve barely scratched the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a full rundown,<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/mkt.clarizen.com\/a-modern-approach-to-service-delivery?\/utm_source=events-page&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=wbn-service-delivery-03182021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">register for our upcoming live webinar<\/a> <\/strong>on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">March 18th at 8:00 am PST<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to learn:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why managing project costs in real-time is essential to maximize customer profitability \u2013 and how to pull it off in the real world.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How technology can help your business boost efficiency and effectiveness at every stage of service delivery \u2013 not just revenue recognition \u2013 by optimizing resources and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">maximizing project performance while balancing upcoming demand against existing work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How integrating your PSA solution with your CRM, HR, finance, billing, and other systems can provide total, real-time visibility across every area of your business<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mkt.clarizen.com\/a-modern-approach-to-service-delivery?\/utm_source=events-page&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=wbn-service-delivery-03182021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Register Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"client-logo\"><a title=\"Siemens Energy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Siemens Energy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/08\/siemens_energy-200x100.png\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"IIROC Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"IIROC Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/07\/IIROC_logo-200x100.gif\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Financial Services Institution\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Financial Services Institution\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/04\/FINANCIAL-SERVICES-IMG-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"M Squared\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"M Squared\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/03\/m-squared-logo-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Aliancys Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Aliancys Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2019\/12\/aoc_aliancys-logo-800x400-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Bonfiglioli Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Bonfiglioli Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2019\/11\/bonfiglioli_logo-800x400-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a professional service business, profit is the bottom line. With high profit margins, you can grow your business and serve new customer demands as you please. Without profit, you\u2019re in a constant fight to stay afloat. However, you also can\u2019t afford to have tunnel vision. Alongside profit, you must maintain high service quality, innovation,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":5,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[521,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lean-agile","category-pmo-project-management-organizations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Service Businesses: Balancing Profit and Innovation Isn\u2019t a Pipe Dream<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As a professional service business, profit is the bottom line. For a service business, time equals money. This article covers the basics of balancing profit with innovation as a service business. Here we\u2019ll look at some of the factors that prevent service businesses from balancing these factors effectively.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/service-businesses-balancing-profit-and-innovation-isnt-a-pipe-dream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Service Businesses: Balancing Profit and Innovation Isn\u2019t a Pipe Dream\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a professional service business, profit is the bottom line. For a service business, time equals money. This article covers the basics of balancing profit with innovation as a service business. 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