Insights from the field on small business

Zia Daniell Wigder | June 13, 2007, 03:43 PM

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d had an incredibly positive experience ordering from Saffron Marigold, a site that organizes imports from India. In corresponding with the folks behind the site, they offered some insights into their success factors:

"The internet (cheap hardware and hosting, 24/7 connectivity and Google primarily) and open source software (osCommerce shopping cart in our case) has been all powerful in commoditizing internet advertising and web site building, which has dramatically reduced the $ investment required to start an online business.

In addition…the killer application seems to be mobile phones and reliable global shipping. In my experience, we have never experienced such easy virtual access to remote parts of India."

It’s easy to assume global small business requires Internet connectivity on both ends, but metrics such as cell phone penetration and Internet kiosk usage can be equally important in determining how “connected” people are. Indeed, it may be IT outsourcing in India that makes the headlines, but small businesses are taking advantage of technology in myriad other ways to expand their markets and globalize their businesses.