Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

AI is a journey, not a destination

By Wes Trochlil | April 15, 2026

AI is a journey, not a destination Lately I’ve noticed a lot of associations talking about AI like it’s a moon shot. “We need an AI project.” “We’re rolling out AI in Q4.” That language suggests AI is something you implement once and then check off the list. It isn’t. AI is a journey, and […]

Action produces information

By Wes Trochlil | April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do anything, even if it’s the wrong thing. This will give you information about what you should actually be doing.” – Brian Armstrong, co-founder of Coinbase This is the great thing about data and why I’ve been in this business so long. […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

By Wes Trochlil | March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is the “single source of truth.” As I like to characterize it, when someone asks “Where is the data about X?” everyone knows the answer and everyone gives the SAME answer. One of the most common challenges I hear from my […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

By Wes Trochlil | March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well over 37 years now. And one of the things I’ve always loved and appreciated about association staffers is their willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done. But the problem is this “Yes, we can!” attitude can also […]

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful

By Wes Trochlil | March 4, 2026

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.” – (Borrowed with permission from Intellidata’s Slice newsletter.) In my experience, many associations hold themselves back from cleaning up their data, because they are overwhelmed with where to start, and they also think success can only be achieved […]

Older Posts

When calculating ROI, be sure to annualize the savings

May 23, 2011

We all know that ROI = return on investment. When considering any investment, we should consider what the return on […]

"Why do we need this position now?"

May 20, 2011

I was speaking to an association executive recently about the idea of adding a database manager to their staff (I […]

Compliance vs. Commitment

May 19, 2011

The difference between compliance and commitment is simple; compliance means one is doing something because they have to, for fear […]

Amazon continues to set the standard

May 17, 2011

I’ve owned a Kindle 3 since last October and have really enjoyed it. I don’t read it every day, but […]

New Article Posted – Get Lazy! Understanding Workflow Automation and Scheduled Tasks

May 17, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. One of the reasons I’ve always been attracted to technology is because I’m […]

PayPal Pleasantly Surprises Me!

April 28, 2011

I recently had to process a refund through my PayPal account (first time ever!). The account I was refunding from […]

New Article Posted – "Why can't we just buy Access?"

April 18, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. For any association staffer who has been through the process of trying to […]

Manage Expectations By Establishing Them Clearly

April 14, 2011

I ordered a hand exercise product online last week. It was from a website that I stumbled across, and the […]

Are your lousy systems affecting staff retention?

April 12, 2011

I was working with a client on the selection of a new data management system. In one of our early conversations, we talked about the “costs” involved with maintaining the current database. The usual costs came up: direct costs like…

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