Fishbowl Inventory is a small business solution that handles inventory management. But growing businesses can quickly outpace Fishbowl Inventory, which begs the question—is there an inventory management solution that’s easy to learn and use and will grow with your business? 

Five Signs You’re Outgrowing Fishbowl Inventory 

For small businesses still getting their feet off the ground, Fishbowl Inventory is a great solution. It’s affordable, cloud-accessible, and flexible enough to handle basic ERP needs. However, if your business has experienced any of the following symptoms, you’re likely starting to outgrow Fishbowl Inventory’s capabilities: 

1. Your software isn’t flexible enough. Are you looking to dive deeper into custom dashboards and reports for all your users? Fishbowl Inventory’s rigid structure isn’t always capable of displaying data how you need it, even with the software’s custom capabilities. 
2. You want to ditch QuickBooks. Fishbowl Inventory is built to sync with QuickBooks, but if you aren’t happy with your accounting software, it might be time to move past both solutions. 
3. Its current features don’t cut it. Inventory management is a complex aspect of business, requiring a significant feature set to handle. As your warehouse operations evolve, you’ll need software that grows with them. 
4. You don’t like the one-time user license model. Each new Fishbowl Inventory user pays a one-time perpetual license fee. While this means user licenses last indefinitely, it also means a high up-front cost for new users. 
5. The software isn’t modern enough. Your competitors are investing in top tech to keep pace with market demands. If you’re struggling with an outdated UI and a lack of contemporary features, it’s time to invest in a new solution.

Why Microsoft’s Business Central Is the Best Fishbowl Inventory Alternative 

Business Central is Microsoft’s cloud ERP software for growing and mid-size businesses. As part of the Dynamics 365 suite, it works in tandem with other Microsoft solutions to give a complete view of your business, your inventory, your projects, and more. Business Central is the antidote to the most common qualms businesses have with Fishbowl Inventory: 

1. Business Central is flexible. User-defined layouts are one of the most powerful features of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 solutions, as they make it a breeze to build reports from scratch. 
2. Business Central syncs with Microsoft’s library of software. Microsoft produces countless solutions for productivity, sales and marketing, operations management, and more, which means you can pick the solutions that matter most and rest assured they will communicate. 
3. Business Central has broad features. Business Central is designed to handle all your ERP needs, managing HR and accounting tasks, as well as projects, assets, distribution, and more. 
4. You pay for the functionality each user needs. Business Central users pay each month based on the level of software access they require. 
5. Microsoft is forward-thinking. Business Central is a cloud version of one of Microsoft’s most popular ERP solutions, Dynamics NAV. Microsoft is always at the forefront of the latest and greatest new business technology, and the company shares its knowledge with users. 

Additional Benefits of Switching Fishbowl Inventory for Business Central 

A switch from Fishbowl Inventory to Business Central introduces a slew of new features. Business Central goes beyond tracking inventory to give a complete view of your business, with modules that include: 

• Financial management features to automate and consolidate general ledger, accounts receivable, and accounts payable data 
• Inventory management features to track orders, manage pricing, and easily report and reconcile data across all your locations 
• Production management features to handle all your assembly and distribution needs 
• HR management features to record employee payrolls and time and expenses more easily 
• Reporting and analytics features that let you mix and match up-to-the-minute data however you want, view historical information, and budget and forecast for the future 
• Integration features to pair Business Central with countless other Microsoft solutions and third-party partner applications 
• Collaborative features to view data and share the most relevant information with teammates and other stakeholders 

Because of its swath of features and strong automation capabilities, Business Central is a logical next-step solution for businesses seeking a Fishbowl Inventory alternative. With the time and resources you save, you can invest more in running and growing your business without fear of outpacing your software.