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# Email Is Not a System
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/email-is-not-a-system/
- Published: 2025-12-09T12:37:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-21T22:42:49.000Z
- Description: A few thoughts on inertia and tech based on three decades in the trenches.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Email, Enterprise Systems, ERP, Smallbiz, The New Small, CRM, Data Management, Low-Code/No-Code

As 2026 approaches, an interesting ~~scary~~ fact recently occurred to me:

I have been working with enterprise systems for three decades and building smaller, bespoke ones for nearly as long.

The word *harrowing* comes to mind. These days, I'm painfully aware of the fact that I'm no spring chicken. 

## New Tech, but Same Issues

I no longer work with the same enterprise applications and systems as I did in 1995\. ERP stalwarts Lawson and PeopleSoft don't even exist anymore as standalone entities. 

Forget enterprise systems for a moment. On a smaller level, I haven't touched [Microsoft Access](https://www.philsimon.com/why-microsoft-access-2007-sucks/) in years. Instead, I develop bespoke solutions for myself and others in [Notion](https://www.philsimon.com/services-notion-development/). Thanks to artificial intelligence, we can now ask questions of our data using natural language—a pipe dream a decade ago.

The specific technologies change, but one thing never does: imperfections. No system is perfect. Ask different people about their shortcomings, and you'll receive divergent answers. Yeah, many new systems [continue to fail](https://www.philsimon.com/book-why-new-systems-fail/). Change management is challenging, even when everyone is ostensibly on board. Software vendors' priorities [sometimes vex us](https://www.philsimon.com/priorities/). Their salespeople often exaggerate what their wares can do—although [they occasionally underpromise](https://www.philsimon.com/ai-product-feature-amnesia/).

And yet…

What's the alternative to using proper systems to track essential enterprise data?

Email, I suppose. Blame inertia, aversion to change, or whatever you like. 

## Travails of a Notion Developer

Over the past few years, a few small organizations have flirted with me about building a better mousetrap. (I'll focus below on the ones that said *no*.)

A publishing group, [a VC firm](https://www.philsimon.com/notion-vc-investments/), and a prominent ghostwriting agency come to mind. Neither one employed more than a few dozen employees. “No thanks,” each told me in so many words. “We'll continue relying on employee inboxes to manage key business processes.” 

> No system means no answers.

These firms didn't reject Notion in favor of another solution. Ditto for me in favor of another developer—at least as far as I can tell. Rather, they spurned the very idea that they needed a system at all.

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As a result, I'll bet my house that these firms cannot easily determine:

- Their current pipelines.
- Where all their existing projects stand.
- Why their different efforts succeeded or failed.
- How much time they have wasted on duplicate efforts.

You know, *little things*.

[AI Book Settlement TrackerThis new Notion template lets authors track key information about their pirated works.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/icon/newlogo-2-176.png)Phil SimonPhil Simon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/thumbnail/judge-1.jpeg)](https://www.philsimon.com/ai-book-settlement-tracker/)

## Simon Says

Perhaps the new year will convince hidebound folks at laggard firms that it's *finally* time to embrace the 21st century. Just because you *can* work from your inboxes doesn't mean you should.