I have always loved that song by the Barenaked Ladies, “If I Had a Million Dollars.” Call it nostalgia, the sometimes comedic aspects of the lyrics, and of course the sense of wonder—what would I do if I had million dollars? In fact, that song is not so different from lottery commercials, ones that play on the “what if” dreams of virtually unlimited cash flow.

So, what if we applied the same sentiment to business? If you had an extra million, or maybe even billion dollars, what would you do to grow your business? For instance, if all reality constraints were gone—no budgets to adhere to, no shareholder expectations to manage, no board of directors to report to—just all-out spending knowing that it will come back four-fold, where would you begin?

In today’s highly competitive retail market, the need to push the proverbial envelope—yes, I just said that—is imperative to success. And all bad business clichés about envelopes aside, in this case, it is very true. And not just in terms of the digital marketing plan, as many think of it. I’m talking about the reality of needing highly robust infrastructure to compete and be relevant to your customers in the modern, connected world. It’s everything from data center hardware, to SaaS infrastructure, and so much more. In short, everything needs to talk to one another.

So, again, where would you start?

Knowing that data is the epicenter of all business, perhaps amalgamating all your data would be a good place to start. But that comes with consequences; there is the cleansing, preparation, and implementation phases, how it connects with everything from point-of-sale to marketing automation, to things like scan-and-pay and scan-and-learn, to mobile apps, and keeping it all secure—the list is endless when pursuing the grandest of dreams.

With that list then comes the peripherals. For instance, I mentioned mobility and all it entails—apps don’t design and connect themselves. What about automation tools? Email, social media, direct mail—they all need to work as one. And let’s not forget the connectivity needed for e-commerce—need I go on?

However, with limitless funds, all of this can be done in a heartbeat. Limitless resources, including developers, infrastructure, subject matter experts, and strategists—teams of people that work 24/7 just for your success.

Ok—enough? Back to reality?

The reality is that even without limitless resources, people, and boundless spending, all of this can still come to fruition. And though it may not be as instantaneous as one would dream about, having the right partner in all of this can make things happen at the right pace, the right budget, and for the right ROI, ensuring that all of these types of endeavors pay for themselves.

The issue in all of this is the perceived complexity versus the reality of the situation. I’m the first to admit that our own industry is awash in acronyms, buzzwords, and terms that are lost on even the best professionals. Perhaps now you get the inside joke of “pushing the envelope” above. And, full disclosure, yes, it’s super-complicated stuff for some retailers to build. But for the right partner—like omNovos—it’s not complicated at all. And that’s how it works in all industries; it would be hard for me to design my dream house, but for an architect, not so much.

In the case of big business dreams, it’s not about having millions of dollars, and it’s not about taking precious resources away from daily business to embark on building a new business unit inside the one you already have so you can tackle big customer engagement initiatives.

At the end of the day, the right partner will make you feel like you have a billion dollars—ensuring your business dreams become reality. The rest is up to you to dream.