This week marks the 50 e anniversary of National Small Business Week, dedicated to recognizing critical contributions of American entrepreneurs and small business owners. With about 27.2 million small businesses in the US, creating 60-80 percent of new jobs each year, small businesses play a crucial role in the US economy.
But what does it take for a small business to succeed our current mobile era? Small businesses from today face the harsh reality that 50 percent will close down within five years, according to the Small Business Administration.
Definitely a great business idea and talented team are important, but history shows they are not the only path to success. To leave a winner, a company must clearly offer the best service or technology and must leverage technology and services that help to win the hearts (and wallets) of customers, build operational efficiency and the market "more strong "competitors.
to win today, you should embrace mobility, applications and devices. These technologies to small businesses and others increase their reach and competitive advantage. For example, almost one in five small businesses (18 percent) in the United States, Canada and Australia are to achieve productivity gains of more than 30 percent by embracing mobility, according to a recent YouGov study commissioned by Citrix. The YouGov study reveals that flexible workstyles improve collaboration, increase retention, recruitment drive and improve organizational effectiveness.
In my mind, there are some very simple steps small businesses can use immediately to capitalize on mobile technology and drive success in this difficult economy:
- sales drive face-to-face: face to face does not mean in person, especially in today's global economy. The majority of small businesses (52 percent) use some form of videoconferencing for meetings more attractive, no matter where the participants are located. At Citrix, we practice every day, and our sales team ShareFile has seen excellent results using videoconferencing technology
- Embrace the "bring your own" trend :. It really is not just about devices but more applications and services that are ubiquitous in business today. BYOD, as it is commonly called, is here to stay. So embrace it, and obtain formal strategy in place to help manage personal devices on the network. Sixty-eight percent of US small businesses say their staffs already using personal communication devices, and executives believe the smartphone as the most important feature in the workplace. But only 26 percent have formal policies in place. BYOD can significantly improve satisfaction and productivity of the employee if well managed
- Use integrated tools for business :. BYOD, file sharing and remote access tools are a set of risks that can have direct consequences for small businesses. In addition to network protection in place, it is imperative that employees use integrated tools for companies and approved by your company. "Free" is good, but to protect your business, it is necessary to evaluate the applications and services and their (read: recessed) for integrated business security settings. Following an integrated model for trade reduces the risk to your data business and your customer information. . Be transparent with your workforce producing company "blacklist", or, stated positively, a "white list" of approved enterprise applications
- recruit the best, not not the closest : embrace skills not close. The concept that all employees must be at the same location opens up a wealth of options. More importantly, you can hire the best talent rather than just the candidate closer. Collaboration technology today is easier, more efficient and accessible. For example, conference and meeting technology now includes HD video quality that works on smartphones and tablets. These tools eliminate the geographic boundaries for small businesses and to significantly expand the talent pool basin
- untether your workforce to improve business continuity :. In addition to attracting talent, retaining a talented workforce can be achieved with mobile services and cloud. According to studies, employees work more effectively when they have a choice about where and when they work. A flexible approach helps to retain staff, keeps the most committed and ultimately more productive. And with the approaching summer vacation rapidly - the YouGov survey shows that over 30 percent of companies expect a decline in productivity -. The implementation of a flexible mobile strategy can greatly reduce the impact on small businesses
This week the small business administration highlights the crucial role of entrepreneurs and small business owners to create jobs, stimulate innovation and enhance the overall competitiveness of America. To thrive and excel, small businesses need to capitalize on new economies and advantages offered by emerging mobile technologies. They must fully embrace mobility to encompass and satisfy a range significantly expanded clients and workers. If they actually do, I think their innovation and continued competitiveness will provide a landscape of a successful small business for the next 50 years.
(click below to see full size infographics)
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