www.Starting a Business in BRITAIN.com / eBusiness

Start with the problem, not the technology.
David Coleman, software newsletter editor

e-Business

Although somewhat out of favour at the moment, there's no escaping the potential impact of eBusiness. Start-ups have a great advantage in starting with a clean sheet and should capitalise on the opportunity.

The points you should consider include:

Some of the hype about the Internet and e-Business has been extremely positive, some very negative, although e-Business and the power of the Internet have significant benefits to offer small businesses. As with all things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

You need to be clear what you want to achieve with the Internet and e-Business. Is it to be for:

Communicating with your customers?
Promotion on-line?
Selling on-line?
Communicating with your suppliers?

and to what effect:

Quicker?
Easier?
Cheaper?
Promotion?
Sales?

and at what cost in terms of:

Up-front investment?
On-going costs?
Time commitment?

The Internet and e-business can fit within your business model in three key areas:

Marketing
Production
Administration.

Don�t get bogged down with, or put off by, the technology. As any techie will tell you, it is not the technology that is the key to success, but how you use the available technology.