Being Tech-Savvy Helps With Business Growth

Yesterday over at the Small Business Trends blog Anita Campbell wrote about a fascinating study of small business owners and business growth. The technology products company CDW conducted a survey of the owners of mid-size companies to identify which factors helped small businesses succeed and grow.

The most interesting point of the survey is that the fastest growth were from company owners who describe themselves as "total geeks". The vast majority (73%) of these total geeks reported double digital average annual growth over the past five years versus 57% for the survey as a whole. There were plenty of other statistics that support the idea that business owners who are comfortable with technology grow their business faster than average.

Given today's business environment, I don't think these findings are surprising. When I graduated with a computer science degree 20 years ago there were very few small businesses that even had a computer. Today there are so many technology tools to help in every aspect of running a business, that you not only need a computer, you need to utilize it effectively. I can tell you that growing Lightning Labels as fast as we have would not have been possible without an intimate knowledge of today's technology.

Today you can buy the latest PC and laser printer and still get change from $1,000. You can get high speed internet access for $50/month. There is even plenty of free software out there now to help you run your business. Every small business owner should be leveraging this technology. You don't need to be an expert, but you need to be willing to learn. Spend just half an hour each week teaching yourself some new technology and you will be rewarded many times over.