Financial Times

Climbing the eLadder: Trawling the web for small businesses
Last week we began climbing the eLadder. The first rung is to get familiar with using e-mail. Today let us climb a bit higher, like all beginners discovering what other small businesses look for on the Internet and how they benefit.

For this you obviously need an Internet connection on your office or home computer. And if you have not yet invested in a computer, still you can use the Internet by dropping in at an Internet Café or kiosk. Any small town will have a dozen or so places where you can browse the Internet this way. And some places offer you help if you are not so familiar with browsing.

And the costs are very cheap indeed. You can browse the Internet for an hour for less than Rs. 60 an hour. Some places offer even cheaper rates. And you can use it for half an hour and pay half that, if that is your requirement. So, not having a computer, being a novice or not having bags of money are really not valid excuses for not making use of the Internet. If you actually visit one or two cafes, you will see teenagers, housewives, retirees and little old ladies browsing the Internet and sending and checking their e-mail. So why not you? And what do entrepreneurs look for on the Internet?

Most begin by seeking market information. If they are thinking of launching a new product or are still planning to get started with a new business, they will look for product and market information, seek potential markets and seek to learn about competitors on a local and international level. Or they might seek information on production processes or suppliers of machinery and equipment.

They might also hit the Internet in search of technology. They might seek opportunities for building relationships with foreign buyers and suppliers through the Internet and therefore, visit those corporate websites. They can also make use of trade and industry portals, business chamber websites and government websites, both local and foreign trying to develop such relationships.

Just like foreign buyers visit the EDB or the business and trade chambers, foreign small businesses will visit these organization websites seeking to develop relationships with local exporters. So, small businesses everywhere are visiting such websites to develop their business networks. Srilankabusiness.com is one such site that a foreigner seeking information on purchasing goods from Sri Lanka might visit. It is maintained by the EDB.

Then again, entrepreneurs might also visit websites to improve their business know how. There are many business websites that help small businesses. For an example, you might visit www.smallbusiness.lk, the corporate web of the Athwela Business Journal. It contains many articles that will help the visitor improve his attitudes, knowledge and skills for starting, managing and developing a business. It also contains many articles published in the 'Business@Home' column.

There are also articles that will help you make the best use of the Internet. There are also some articles on business opportunities and on positive thinking. I cannot comment on the quality of articles because I have written some of them and edited almost all of the others. So, visit and judge for yourself.

Then there are international small business websites such as Microsoft's bcentral.com or the Small Business Centre to be reached through the Microsoft.com home page. Besides information on software and their products and services, you will find a lot of useful articles and free downloads tailored especially for small business.

And there are many other useful sites which will help small businesses. You must realize that small business is big business indeed. Even mammoth corporations like Mircrosoft think so. And hence, there is so much information online, and most of it free, for the small business. Only if you know where to go.

If you still have not figured out where to go, at least begin by visiting a search engine like Google.com or a search engine like Yahoo or MSN and do a web search for key words. If you are not so competent on web searching, visit smallbusiness.lk's eworld section where you will find a few articles I have compiled on web searching tips.

Some small businesses at this stage also order and purchase goods and services on the Internet. However, I do acknowledge that many Sri Lankans are still hesitant to purchase things online using credit cards. Let us look into this issue in a future article. Next week we will look at how a small business can establish a web presence.

Please let us know your problems and concerns as a small business seeking opportunities on the Internet. You can contact us on ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk.

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