Internet entrepreneur comments on growth of small business opportunities in Internet commerce.

March 28, 2007 - While the origins of the Internet are based in the connection of information-sharing networks, and information exchange continues to be the Internet's primary purpose, it may be a bit more difficult to make that determination these days, as the Internet becomes more and more commercial. Starting in the late 90's, studies revealed the increase of people surfing the Internet seeking to make purchases. Today, with increased consumer confidence and broadband access, the number of Internet purchasers continues to multiply. A fact hardly lost on the owners of small business.

In 2005, it was estimated that there existed approximately 26 million small businesses in the United States. (Source: Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy)

“Small business has long been the foundation and backbone of the economy in the United States,” says Kimberly Clay, Internet business entrepreneur and promoter of wealth building through online entrepreneurship (www.GetMyWealthNow.com). “As the popularity of the Internet has grown, so has its relationship relative to small business enterprises.”

Initially, a key attraction of the Internet for small business was the perception of a more level playing field for business. A web presence, established with a professional and polished look, is harder to discern as that of a small business rather than a large one. The benefit; consumers less often perceive the smaller business (however incorrectly) as having less quality, resources or capacity than that of a larger competitor. That, and the fact that start up costs for establishing a business presence online can be far less expensive when compared to establishment of a “brick and mortar” location, are very attractive for small business. In addition, some small businesses have chosen to include both a physical location as well as a web presence in their development, to take advantage of the business opportunities provided by a larger pool of potential customers on the Internet. This is especially true of enterprises located in rural areas.

As small businesses have become more prominent on the Internet, others have worked to develop products and services specifically designed to appeal to the small business market. A case in point is the collaborative partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Postal Service announced earlier this month. The partnership features a new Internet tool, Delivering Success, that is a video-on-demand service providing business solutions to small business entrepreneurs. Delivering Success features interviews with successful entrepreneurs, detailing information and resources relative to business plan development, small business financing, business research, promotion and more.

“This is an innovative and exciting tool for entrepreneurs. An unfortunate challenge for many people just starting their business, is that they have no one to model after. The advantages of having the insight of experienced and successful entrepreneurs is invaluable to the beginner,” comments Ms. Clay.

A key demographic within small business is women. Women represent more than 30% of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity. Accordingly, early last year, the SBA launched a new website, MY BIZ for Women, designed to provide women business owners with the most recent information and resources for starting and growing small businesses. The site features information on issues of women in business, statistics relative to women-owned businesses, tips, success stories and more.

Even the mega-corporations are courting the small business niche. Companies like Microsoft are continuing to develop products and offer services as a means to appeal specifically to small business enterprises.

So as more people flock to the Internet to make purchases of a growing variety of products and services, small business entrepreneurs will continue to search for and develop money making enterprises online.

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Kimberly Clay is a businesswoman and entrepreneur with considerable experience in small business and community development spanning over the last 20 years. GetMyWealthNow.com offers subscribers essential information to research, begin and develop online business enterprises. The site offers up-to-date information on business opportunities, entrepreneurial insight and tools for starting an online business.

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