I Tested 12 ERP Systems: What I Learned as the Business Grew

In the early days of a business, most systems feel manageable. That was true for us as well. The ERP we started with handled the basics billing, inventory tracking, simple reports and for a while, that was enough. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t slow anyone down, and that mattered more than polish.

That sense of comfort didn’t last.

As the business expanded, the cracks became harder to ignore. What once felt “good enough” began to feel limiting. Processes became more complex, teams grew, and expectations changed. The system stayed the same.

Over several years, I worked closely with 12 different ERP systems, covering finance, operations, inventory, and internal reporting. Some were well-known platforms used by large companies. Others were smaller, specialized tools suggested by consultants or industry peers. Each one solved certain problems well. None of them handled growth seamlessly.

This isn’t a comparison of products or a guide on what to buy. It’s simply a reflection based on real experience inside a growing organization.

Where Standard ERP Systems Start to Show Strain

Most ERP software is designed to appeal to as many businesses as possible. From a development standpoint, that makes sense. From an operational standpoint, it often creates friction.

As teams expanded and responsibilities became more defined, similar issues surfaced again and again:

• Workflows that didn’t match how people actually worked
• Features that added complexity but weren’t truly needed
• Small changes that required long approval or support processes
• Reports that looked accurate but didn’t fully reflect reality

At first, it was easy to blame setup or training. Maybe the system wasn’t implemented correctly. Maybe teams just needed more time. Eventually, that explanation stopped holding up. The same patterns appeared across different platforms.

The issue wasn’t effort. It was fit.

Systems designed to work for everyone tend to struggle when a business starts moving quickly or changing how it operates.

Moving Toward a Different Way of Thinking

The decision to move toward a custom ERP approach didn’t happen all at once. It was the result of repeated friction small delays, workarounds, and compromises that added up over time.

What stood out wasn’t a single dramatic improvement, but a steady reduction in everyday friction.

Processes were mapped around how work was already being done, instead of forcing teams to adapt to predefined system logic. Features that didn’t serve a clear purpose were removed. Adjustments that once took weeks became easier to handle.

Slowly, the system stopped being something people worked around and started becoming something that supported the work.

Customized vs. Custom-Made ERP Systems

This is a distinction that often comes up, and it’s worth clarifying.

A customized ERP system usually starts with an existing platform that’s modified to fit specific needs. A custom-made ERP system is built from the ground up.

Both approaches can be effective. What matters far more than the technical approach is alignment. Systems tend to work best when they reflect how a business actually operates, rather than how software designers assume it should operate.

The goal isn’t complexity or uniqueness. It’s usefulness.

Why Growth Changes Everything

Small teams can compensate for imperfect systems. People communicate informally, decisions happen quickly, and gaps are easy to patch.

As businesses grow, that flexibility fades.

At a certain point, shared visibility, reliable data, and consistent workflows become essential. ERP systems stop being background tools and start shaping how work gets done across teams.

When those systems don’t adapt, the cost shows up quietly in manual work, duplicated effort, slower decisions, and growing frustration. That’s often when businesses begin looking for more tailored solutions, not because they want something advanced, but because they want something that fits.

Final Thoughts

After working with multiple ERP systems at different stages of growth, one conclusion became clear.

ERP systems should adapt to the business, not the other way around.

For organizations navigating growth, increasing complexity, or long-term planning, customized ERP software isn’t about upgrading technology. In many cases, it’s simply about choosing a system that supports how the business already works rather than asking the business to work around the system.