Small Business Recognition, The Economy, & High Speed Internet

"American small businesses are key drivers of innovation, economic growth and job creation. Small businesses employ more than half of all private sector workers, and they have generated about two-thirds of net new jobs over the past fifteen years. And small businesses drive innovation. Small firms produce 13 times more patents per employee than large ones."

"Broadband and information technology is increasingly important to the success of our economy, to jobs and to the future of small business. Broadband connectivity and online business tools enable small businesses to grow and jobs to be created anywhere. They allow small businesses to market their products and reach customers in the next neighborhood, the next city, the next state, and even overseas."

"A recent study found that having a broadband connection makes a $200,000 a year difference in median annual revenues for businesses, by helping them reach new markets and increasing productivity."

That's straight from the FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski last week.  We agree with those statements, which have been incorporated into the vision of our company for years.  We are pleased to participate, be a part of that success, and help others achieve success.  As the broadband network and technologies evolve, we want to seize opportunities that help improve your business's bottom line.  Spread the word... start a conversation...  tell the stories of what our local small businesses can do!

The Diminished Value of I.T. ?

The rules and technology changed! Many are saying all I.T. and communications companies are the same. Seen one … seen them all. Is that true today? Given the choice between Provider A and Provider B, there is no differentiating value? Are you about to make an I.T. commitment to a new server, a new phone system, or cloud computing? And you think all of these choices provide about the same value? 

Not knowing your true costs in this economy could lead to lost opportunities!

With thousands of VoIP, Hosting, and I.T. companies in North America, getting a tech business started is easier than ever!  Numerous reseller programs exists that require no training.  Direct Mail Campaigns, prepared by equipment manufacturers, could be headed to thousands of potential customers today - all with your new logo on them.

True story: I received the same postcard from six different companies last week.

If I.T. and Next Generation Communications present little or no strategic value to your business, I would agree that all companies and vendors are equal.  The real answer, of course, is that many I.T.  and Next Generation Communication Companies put in the hard work, time, and effort to provide your business with useful evaluations and information based upon years of experience and education.  Your business can then, in turn, continuously improve decision making related to processes, communications, and productivity knowing the underlying knowledge was created from a credible source.

Is your trusted adviser sufficiently motivated to find the right solution for your business?

A talented and experienced technology company will be able to help business owners and decision makers choose the best solutions for the needs of the organization.  If your technology adviser lacks experience, training, financial stability, and accountability – what does the conversation sound like when you are faced with a capital expense solution of $120,000 versus an operating expense solution of $1,200 per month?  Shared versus Dedicated?  Premise versus Hosted?  What kind of financial impact exists over the next three to six years? 

In most organizations, capital investment is limited.  All companies want to direct their limited  investment opportunities towards revenue generating projects.  A wrong move leads to lost opportunity.  (Be prepared – shameless plug coming up)  Since 1995,  Georgia Business Net has been advising and providing trusted solutions to organizations large and small throughout nine states in the southeast.  We want to work with you and your partners with a goal of being your LAST technology solution provider.

The New Economic Value

 In the old economy you wanted "value" from all of your vendors, right?  In the old economy, we all said we wanted value, but did we really mean it?  Now, more than ever, I am finding that many small businesses are looking for better ways to do business with vendors.  Seemingly for the first time, I am seeing innovative thinking applied to every aspect of small business, including the purchasing process.  

What specific change precipitated us all to take a second look at value?  In our industry, I believe massive layoffs at larger companies changed the overall value of their products and services.  I have not concluded if the value change was intentional.  Would you intentionally "layoff" a valuable asset?  Regardless of the strategy, I believe in most cases value declined, while the cost of the product remained the same.  (That leads me to believe: the results were strategic and intentional - the bottom line staying the same and/or increasing was the ultimate goal)  Have you found that you are receiving less service, doing more work, and yet the costs remained the same?  If you lead an organization or run a small business, have you started asking questions like:  How does this organization become more valuable?  What is stopping us from setting the standard of becoming the most valuable ________ (fill in the blank of your product or service)?  Georgia Business Net's vision is to be your LAST Phone & Internet Solution Provider.  If we are going to be the LAST, we had better be valuable.  I hope that with this vision that we have inherently woven the idea of maximum value into our business culture.  There is certainly room for us to improve, however I think we are on the right track.  I hope some of my vendors are listening to this!  Will they take this information and use it?  Will you?
Like many small businesses, there is a customer service gap we fill as your Telecom and Internet vendor.  Roles we play like purchasing agent, your turnkey solution provider, your project manager aren't new to our business model.  Ten years ago those roles weren't nearly as valuable as they are today.  Why?  Much to my disbelief, those key roles with our competitors and some of our vendors were some of the first subjected to downsizing.  Change is awesome, and all of these changes have led to great innovation and opportunity.  I hope your company is taking advantage and seizing the current "gap" opportunities.  Maybe I lack logical reasoning, but if you layoff the value, won't your results include a less valuable bottom line?

Small Business Advice: Efficiency Tip of the Day

At every level of life and small business, the details can slow us down.  None of us have the time to dig into every aspect of our business to discover the advanced warning signals to prevent problems.  What if there was a quick litmus test that would send off early warning signals of business problems?  This recent article, by Dan and Chip Heath, tells the story of an unlikely character developing a litmus test for his business.  Your small business success story will one day be filled with the details that didn't slow you down.  Take time each day to figure out what the most important details are for your life and your business. 


Over the past year, I've enjoyed the Heath Brothers various columns and their best selling book.  If you would like to learn more about them, click here.  In a world full of massive amounts of information, they are standing out... which is the premise of their first book.