Modern SMBs Are Not Just Adapting, They’re Leading
For decades, small businesses were expected to follow where big tech led. Today, that script is flipped. Thanks to automation, AI agents and cloud marketplaces, small and midsized businesses (SMBs) are not just catching up, they are often outpacing larger competitors. But transformation does not happen all at once. It follows a roadmap. Modern SMBs are getting ahold of that roadmap, and evolving quickly.
Pax8 has identified five key phases in the evolution of modern, intelligence-driven SMBs. Known as TBBSM (Transform, Buy, Build, Sell, Manage), this framework helps businesses navigate the shift from traditional infrastructure to agent-powered operations. At PCtronics, we are helping clients move through each stage with clarity and purpose.
Want to see where your business falls on the TBBSM roadmap? Schedule a strategy session with PCtronics today.
Phase 1: Transform
The transformation phase is all about rethinking operations. This does not mean automating for automation’s sake, it means identifying where intelligent systems can drive the most value. Through strategic process mapping, ROI modeling and change management planning, businesses uncover high-impact areas that are ripe for automation.
At PCtronics, this is where we start with every client: understanding your workflows, your goals and how AI can make your operations leaner, smarter and more scalable.
Phase 2: Buy
Once high-value processes are identified, the next step is acquisition. This phase focuses on sourcing the right digital agents through vetted marketplaces. These are not your typical software licenses: they are modular, often industry-specific agents designed to perform a task or workflow with autonomy.
Think of it like hiring an expert that never sleeps, learns continuously and integrates seamlessly with your existing tools. PCtronics helps you select, validate and configure these agents based on your vertical, security needs and compliance standards.
Phase 3: Build
Off-the-shelf tools can take you far, but the real power lies in customization. In the Build phase, businesses create or extend agents using their own data, business logic and operational knowledge. This could include automating unique reporting functions, developing proprietary bots for niche tasks or orchestrating workflows that no single app can handle alone.
PCtronics provides low-code tools, developer integrations and agent frameworks to help your team build intelligently, even without a full software department.
Phase 4: Sell
Once digital labor is in place, businesses can scale in unexpected ways. Agents do not just support operations, they enable monetization. Whether it is white-labeling your custom agents for others in your industry, offering outcome-based service models, or embedding automation into new offerings, your business can create entirely new revenue streams.
PCtronics supports clients in crafting agent-as-a-service models and bundling smart services that deliver measurable outcomes.
Phase 5: Manage
Finally, there is management – not of devices, but of intelligence. The Manage phase is about governing, tuning and continuously improving your fleet of agents. It includes monitoring performance, updating models, ensuring compliance and bridging your old systems with new workflows.
As your Managed Intelligence Provider, PCtronics ensures your digital workforce runs as smoothly as your human one: securely, ethically and with measurable impact.
Transform Your Business with PCtronics
Becoming a modern SMB is not about overnight change, it is about moving intentionally through each phase of transformation. Whether you are starting at step one or optimizing step five, PCtronics brings the tools, expertise and strategic support to help you lead.
Ready to take the next step? Book a discovery call with PCtronics and explore how we can guide you through the five phases of growth.
