Entrepreneurs believe in innovation and invest in technology

This article was posted by big4.com

E&Y Surveyed top Entrepreneurs to understand their current plans in this rough patch and their answers are clear - stay focused, innovate, invest, serve customers. business is no different in tough times.

Ernst and Young"s Top Entrepreneurs Keep Their Vision Despite Tough Conditions

Entrepreneurs are hardy folks. Undeterred by current circumstances, they are entirely focused on their vision and a rosier tomorrow.

And in this deep and difficult recession, Ernst & Young found that entrepreneur-driven companies are still looking for growth and opportunity in these tough times by adapting their operating methods to set themselves up for market leadership when the economy does turn to the upside.

Ernst & Young surveyed the 250 winners of the 2009 Entrepreneur Of The Year program, and came up with these valuable findings from respondents:


Growth remains number one. Despite the downturn, 78% are still pursuing growth opportunities.

Clearly customers are always right. 78% have increased their focus on customer satisfaction and loyalty. 75% have plans to expand into new customer segments/ geographies.

Cash is king. However, only a fourth were still seeking to secure their cash position.

Maintaining innovation is critical. 60% wish to implement technology for higher business efficiency or accelerated growth.

Some M&A in the offing. 49% are thinking of purchasing distressed competitors, and 55% think the reason for such transactions would be to add strategic value as well as business growth.

Risk is being scrutinized. 37% place higher emphasis on geographic risk exposure

Act now. 45% are increasing the how quickly they are making decisions since the economic downturn.

Employee motivation. 57% are pushing their communication and transparency harder to retain employees. 46% are using the downturn as an opportunity to fill key strategic posts.


Entrepreneurs are some different as E&Y finds from other mature multinational firms in having higher emphasis on growth and acquisitions.

"This survey confirms that, even in the worst times, future market leaders are looking for growth…. Such trailblazers will be vital to the world"s economic recovery." said Greg Ericksen, Global Vice Chair, Strategic Growth Markets, Ernst & Young.


We can recall hearing of many studies which indicate that the fastest-growth companies are born in a recession. Tough economic conditions provide the breeding ground for innovative, cost-focused, nimble and niche-focused companies. Why? Recessions mean lower competition, recessions means more focus on cash flows and recessions mean creativity to secure niches and gain revenues from demanding customers. Its not easy at all, since demand dries up totally and it calls upon guts and will to keep going in the face of current depression and hopes for a better tomorrow.

But E&Y"s selection of visionary entrepreneurs do stand out for a key reason. They seem to look past the cloud of economic downturn and to the silver lining. Growth and customers are the lifeblood of any business, and by staying focused on what brings in the cash into the door, this mindset lays out a good game plan for all business owners to survive and thrive.

When things do turn around, look for these terrific companies run by E&Y Entrepreneurs of the Year to show the path to success.

What do you think are the impacts of the recession on the supply chain? - PODcast interview with Tracey DeLeeuw

Recently, Dustin Mattison of LogiPi interviewed me on one of my favourite subjects - digital supply chain - and the impact of the recession on trends in the industry. Perhaps it was living in Winnipeg - an up and coming intermodal hub and tax free zone - or the origins of the City as a hub for transportation - but eBiz and supply chain are tightly coupled and value causing in my opinion.

Here is the podcast: http://logipi.pubclip.com/u/n/bMSM8vMjM9d

Here is the article: http://logipi.com/public/item/245186


As you may know - this is a family business. Bizdrive_jenna - our twitter bug on all things organic, sustainable and green is my eldest beautiful Daughter (my youngest beautiful Daughter is Bizdrive_carly twitter bug of marketing, promotions and communications).

In news that only could happen now to make a Mom proud - Bizdrive_Jenna was named in the Twitter Community HOT CHICKS follow Friday list! http://tweepml.org/HOT-CHICKS-Follow-Friday/ ----- quite an honour for a beautiful mind!

So today - she tweeted with her new found status: "My Mom was interviewed on digital supply chain logistics and green footprints - http://logipi.pubclip.com/u/n/bMSM8vMjM9d "

And while we are at the bragging game - Darren has shot to video FAME with his video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTz4DTGegEo -- about anti-virus, anti-spam and firewalls - what they are and how they work. Tracking at 620 views today - up from 35 views 3 days ago - due in part by association with a new catchy Cisco video - CONGRATS Darren! More to come from Darren on trust, security and reliability!!

Have a great weekend!

Tony Crescenzi VIDEO of Twitter Q&A - State of the Small Business Economy

Bizdrive.biz - low barrier to entry for small business selling online!

Bizdrive.biz recently interviewed Tony Crescenzi of PIMCO - who provided insight and commentary on the recently released NFIB Small Business Trends - Nov 2009.

Tony shares his recommendations on what a small business should do to survive and thrive in these tough times. He has great insights on what should be the small business recovery plans - and suggests models such as HTTP://www.BIZDRIVE.BIZ are perfect for small business!

Two videos cover the interview with Tony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lij7mf5K050

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGuRz1eh0VM

Tony Crescenzi Commentary on NFIB Small business Economic Trends

Part ONE of the two part interview with Tony Crescenzi - held live on Twitter, copied here and captured on video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00k__o1f-uY


Tony Crescenzi - Interview - NFIB Small Business Survey Commentary
on youtube.com/bizdriveTV

Tony is specifically commenting on Small Business and the Economy and in part, some references are made to findings and statistics by Dr. William Dunkelberg and Holly Wade of NFIB.

http://www.nfib.com/Portals/0/PDF/sbet/SBET200911.pdf

Transcript: Interview with Anthony Crescenzi of PIMCO

November 10, 2009

TWITTER interview: Anthony Crescenzi, PIMCO SVP and Portfolio Manager, Esteemed Author, Regular Special Guest and sited expert on CNBC, Bloomberg and WSJ



Follow us on twitter: @bizdrive, @bizdrive_Darren, @bizdrive_carly, @bizdrive_jenna, @bizdrive_guest


Q 1 The October NFIB index increased a tad, to 89.1 from 88.8 in September. What led the increase?
A 1 More small businesses said that they expected a better economy and their hiring plans improved.



Q 2 Why is it important that small businesses feel confident about economic prospects?
A 2 Job creation. Census Bureau data show that about 80% of net new jobs created from 1990-2003 were by small businesses.



Q 3 Aside from direct job creation, what else about the small business sector is important to economic activity?
A 3 For one, note that SBA data indicate that small businesses apply for 13-14x more patents per employee than do large firms.




Q 4 What can government do to help the small business sector to rebound?
A 4 Boost immigration of technology experts, commercialize academia, give tax benefits to those that lend to the sector, and boost govt help.






Q 5 What is worrying small businesses these days? Why is their confidence lower than for big businesses?
A 5 Small business owners worry about new healthcare costs, expiring tax cuts (2011), credit availability, immigration laws, and more.





Q 6 What is one way the small businesses can do more to be ready for a recovering economy?
A 6 Invest in technology and gain a presence on the Internet. It can help cut costs and attract new customers from around the world.





Q 7 What are barriers to success for small business these days?
A 7 Cost, time and knowledge – unless you choose innovative website such as Bizdrive.biz where costs are minimal compared to the benefits of expanding market share.




Q8 How soon before the small business sector begins operating on all cylinders again?
A8 It could be around the corner because of massive monetary and fiscal stimulus. Business owners need prepare now to capitalize.




Q9 How does the “New Normal” play into the outlook for small businesses, in particular as is relates to the consumer?
A9 Following a big loss of wealth, consumers are apt to be more thrifty and save more. Consumers are likely to become choosier about the services they buy and the prices they pay.




Q10 How might the US economy regain its vigor and return to the old normal of robust economic activity?
A10 With its financial and economic system broken, new industries such as the green economy must supplant the old ones.
A10 (more) This has always been the case in the U.S., the only question usually over its timing. The green economy is now.



From Tracey DeLeeuw @bizdrive

Anthony Crescenzi @bizdrive_guest - Thank you so much for your candid answers and the insights and ideas you've shared with us today.

Anthony Crescenzi @bizdrive_guest: I'll put the transcript of this interview at http://bizdrive.blogspot.com and hope you'll take questions?

The video version of this interview with Anthony Crescenzi of Pimco @bizdrive_guest will be available on www.bizdrive.biz and youtube soon!



From Anthony Crescenzi @bizdrive_guest

@bizdrive @bizdrive_carly @bizdrive_darren @bizdrive_jenna - Thanks for the great questions on the small biz outlook and success to Bizdrive

Highlights from the Video Interview will be published to YouTube and BizdriveTV shortly.

Questions for Anthony Crescenzi may be submitted as comments to this blog and he will answer them for the next several weeks.

**************************************************************

Bizdrive.biz and Bizdrive TV wish to extend extreme gratitude to Anthony Crescenzi for his participation in this cross channel interview.


Join http://www.bizdrive.biz and be apart of something new

Twitter Interview with Anthony Crescenzi Nov 10 2009 - 8pm est

Anthony Crescenzi has agreed to answer questions on Twitter!

Bizdrive.biz is a small business marketplace for service providers and a great foundation for a small business recovery plan for any small business.

Anthony Crescenzi will provide insight and clarity on current economic news as it relates to and impacts small business and entrepreneurs.

A podcast, blog Q&A with links and video coverage from the interview will be available. A cross media interview!

Join in! Follow bizdrive on twitter or follow along here and post questions in the comment area. Questions may also be emailed to info@bizdrive.biz over the next two weeks.

Tracey DeLeeuw
CEO, Bizdrive.biz

TWITTER! Following 7000+ and no longer a virgin!

Ha!

Bizdrive.biz is carving out our place on twitter. I have recruited my savvy Daughters Jenna and Carly to help reach our small business target audience.

Bizdrive_Jenna is an environmentalist, sustainability advocate, a Buddhist and a fan of organic gardening, holistic health, new energy sources and entrepreneurship. She follows and is followed by people of the same ilk - who we hope will help her spread the bizdrive.biz message to 'green' businesses. http://twitter.com/bizdrive_jenna

Bizdrive_Carly is a communications and marketing natural who is succinct, dialed in and innately innovative. She spits our inventions, sassy slogans and sound bites like the rest of us do sunflower seeds. She is focused on getting young entrepreneurs, small business service providers, consultants, new media, bloggers, journalists and other related and interest groups in the small business world to help spread the word. http://twitter.com/bizdrive_carly

I did my first tweet today to my 700+ followers - putting my stake in the ground. Carly announced mine and Darren's new 40 marketing and growth tricks video series to her 800+ followers. It is a very interesting social experiment to see how far reaching twitterville is.

Check out the video series at


or visit our BizdriveTV channel on Youtube here - start here with tip # 1
http://www.youtube.com/BizDriveTV

Please tell your small business friends!

Small Business Stats - our market!

Small Biz Stats & Trends

The small business marketplace changes rapidly. The information included on this page represents the most current information. When discussing a “small business,” this site uses the definitions provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Read their FAQ sheet.

Small Business Impact on the Economy
The estimated 29.6 million small businesses in the United States:

Employ just over half of the country’s private sector workforce
Hire 40 percent of high tech workers, such as scientists, engineers and computer workers
Include 52 percent home-based businesses and two percent franchises
Represent 97.3 percent of all the exporters of goods
Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms
Generate a majority of the innovations that come from United States companies
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, September 2009


Small Business Survival Rates
Small Business Openings & Closings in 2008:

There were 627,200 new businesses, 595,600 business closures and 43,546 bankruptcies.
Seven out of 10 new employer firms survive at least two years, and about half survive five years.
Findings do not differ greatly across industry sectors.
Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, September 2009
Survival and Longevity in the Business Employment Dynamics Database, Monthly Labor Review, May 2005. Redefining Business Success: Distinguishing Between Closure and Failure, Small Business Economics, August 2003.


Trends in the Small Biz Marketplace
General Trends

The number of self-employed workers in June 2005 fell 3.1 percent or 303,000 from the month before, Labor Department data showed. Self employment tends to fall as the economy grows. That's especially true among laid-off workers who start tiny companies after failing to find work in slow times. (Source: USA Today, July 17, 2005)
During 1979-2003, self-employment increased: 33 percent for women; 37 percent for African Americans, 15 percent for Latinos, 10 for White Americans and 2.5 percent for men. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
Where do small business owners go for advice? 52 percent from individual mentors; 51 percent from social networks; 44 percent from trade associations; 36 percent from business advisors; 31 percent from the Internet and 27 percent from Chambers of Commerce (Source: American Express)
Women in Business

Women represent more than 1/3 of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity. (Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2005 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship)
Between 1997 and 2002, women-owned firms grew by 19.8 percent while all U.S. firms grew by seven percent (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
Women-owned firms accounted for 6.5 percent of total employment in U.S. firms in 2002 and 4.2 percent of total receipts. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
The number of women-owned firms continues to grow at twice the rate of all U.S. firms (23 percent vs. 9 percent). There are an estimated 10 million women-owned, privately-held U.S. businesses. The greatest challenge for women-owned firms is access to capital, credit and equity. Women start businesses on both lifestyle and financial reasons. Many run businesses from home to keep overhead low. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy and Business Times, April 2005)
Women are more likely to seek business advice—69 percent women vs. 47 percent men. (Source: American Express)
Minority-Owned Businesses

Black-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment, up 45 percent between 1997-2002. Revenues generated by the nation's 1.2 million black-owned businesses rose 25 percent between 1997 and 2002 to $88.8 billion in 2002. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
The number of U.S. businesses with Hispanic owners grew at three times the national average from 1997 to 2002 to 1.6 million businesses in 2002, a 31 percent increase from five years earlier. (Source: MSNBC)
Seniors in Business

Entrepreneurship among seniors is growing. In 2002, the rate of self-employment for the workforce was 10.2 percent (13.8 million workers), but the rate for workers aged 50 was 16.4 percent (5.6 million workers). Although those age 50 made up 25 percent of the workforce, they comprised 40 of the self-employed. Solo business formation in the future will be driven by people who take early retirement or whose jobs just disappear. (Source: AARP/Rand Corp. "Self-employment and the 50 Population")
Veterans in Business

In 2004, about 22 percent of veterans in the US household population were either purchasing or starting a new business or considering purchasing or starting a business and nearly 72 percent of veteran entrepreneurs planned to employ at least one person at the start of their venture (Source: US Census Bureau)
Hot markets for small businesses:

eBay drop-off sites
Search engine optimization and Internet marketing
Performance apparel
Niche health and fitness
Technology security consulting
Services/products for Hispanic-market
(Source: Entrepreneur magazine, "Newest Trends & Hottest Markets," January 2005)

This article appears on the SCORE.org website

We are RECRUITING for Small Business Consultants and Agents.....

We seek Business Partners to help us go to market! Know anyone fabulous?



We are looking for network-savvy business agents to represent us in the USA - who will also provide consulting and start-up services to the business they recruit into http://www.Bizdrive.biz.

We have an amazing commission system embedded in our platform that ensures business agents can track sales, earn residual income from sales generated by the businesses they bring on (we pay - not the seller) and grow their customer base quickly and easily.

We need people with sector experience (professional service, natural resources, supply chain, real estate and automotive, home and lifestyle, health and wellness, technology, green tech, freelance, and more) and people who know the internet (we can help teach this). Training and on-going support is provides. Revenue generation is immediate.

In these tough times - we hope to be able to attract some aggressive and accomplished agents who have a strong network in their region and who 'get' the issues facing small business.

Please chat with us if you know anyone.

Tracey and Darren

required link

BrowseBlogs.com

Hanging out in the CLOUD!

We put up our first few pages to the roaring applause of ---- our own team and close friends. Cool none the less. 6 years of hard work. http://www.bizdrive.biz

So - we have an intro page with a pre-registration, a first cut at BizdriveTV - small business content programming from user submitted content and guest notables like Anthony Crescenzi speaking on economic trends impacting small business. We also have our 40/40 video series up.

The BIG news is that thanks to our amazing partners Mike, Paul, Ed and Ty at CIRRHUS9 - we are now flying high in the cloud. The server cloud that is. We can grow to millions of users instantly - as we expect we'll need to.
http://www.cirrhus9.com/

The other big news is that the site content - the thousands of pages and 14 modules of outrageous functionality - is being spit and polished and soon - hard core final testing and then - well - nothing will be the same again for small business :)

Our Linkedin Groups are kicking into gear. Our PR gals - Carly and Phoebe are getting us in the swing. Phoebe is our Chief TWIT. Who knew we'd have a Twit on purpose - never mind a Chief Twit. Carly is a marketing guru in training with such a natural knack we can't wait to see what she does.

The only thing puzzling is why we continue to stay committed to a low cost of entry ($ 25.00 annual membership fee) when those around us offering FAR less are charging $ 20+ per month. I thought we were in tough times - not make it tougher on entrepreneur times. Maybe they just aren't frugal irish girls raised on deals.

Please - if you have ideas on pricing for success without hosing the little guy - I'd love to hear about them.

We are on the critical path now. Stay tuned.

Please tell all your entrepreneurial friends, small business owners and startups about our pending service.

I will post an entry on 'What is Bizdrive' that can be forwarded around.

See you online!

Tracey :)

Bizdrive.biz

WOW!

This is the eve of our pre-launch.

In the end, it became as it began. "Tracey - this would be perfect for small business." -- Harry De Leeuw, Chairman, Bizdrive.biz (August, 1993, Lake of the Woods, on the deck at the cottage).

6 years to get here. 10 developers. 1000 lessons. 1000 mistakes. One Trevor. One Tracey. One Gus. One Darren. One Steve. One Harry. One Jane. One belief - the value for small business was off the charts if we could pull it off.

One vision and goal- Let's match people who need service, with people who provide it; and facilitate service delivery tracking and collaboration for the buyer and seller, over and over again. Let's make it secure for both the buyers and the sellers throughout the whole deal. Let's help build relationships - not just transaction processes. Let's give small business the tools the big company uses so they can compete. Let's make the sellers the ads. Let's help the buyers be able to buy from many - and sell if they wish. Let's make sellers buyers and buyers sellers. Let's bring in the staff and teams. Let's help sellers deliver outstanding quality service easily to buyers in real time. Let's personalize everything. Let's integrated every single thing together. Let's build for the weird and changing workforce. Collaboration and communication are the two things that ensure on time and on budget delivery for projects - let's bring that to day to day business. Oh there's too much here! Okay - no problem. Every business is completely different from one another. They can just use what they need. Every business will use the tools differently. They can remain unique and competitive - as they are.

Tactics get considered and tossed. Morphed and remain tethered. Every angle. Every scenario. Pitches are made and refined. Pitches get tweaked. Site tweaks. 14 modules tweaked. Processes tweaked. Our mantra became - "Make that process happen auto-magically!".

We dreamed it. We made it. And so was born bizdrive.biz.

Welcome to a new way to buy, sell and grow online. Made by entrepreneurs in small business for entrepreneurs in small business.



Tracey De Leeuw:)
CEO,
http://www.bizdrive.biz


PS. Check out our videos and learn all about bizdrive.biz and pre-register!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9427dhvcMY

PPS. Sell online!
Join our Service Marketplace for American and Canadian Small Businesses at http://www.bizdrive.biz - tell your friends!

PPPS. Learn some FREE marketing tips with great return on investment!
Curious about how to market and sell a small business online? Check out our video series - 40 ways to sell online for FREE (or under $ 40). You can watch the series on BizdriveTV!


Stay tuned. There is so much more!

Welcome to the 'Next Level' for your Biz

We have a name!!

Our Commerce Community Platform (CCP) is being launched under our new Small Business brand: BizDrive.Biz

Coming Soon!

All about BizDrive.Biz -- Blog and Video Tutorials


-- Payment processing and Accounting for Members and Management
by Darren Jones - President

-- Marketing your Biz online (Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Kijjii, Craig's list, Google Ad words, local classifieds) and closing the DEAL on BizDrive.Biz
by Tracey DeLeeuw - VP Marketing and Business Development, C.E.O.

R U Ready to drive your Biz to the next level?