dc.internet.com/news/article.php/379611
By Roy Mark May 24, 2000 Small businesses are using the Internet in a big time way according to survey by Dulles, Va.-based EqualFooting.com. Increasing by 25 percent from two years ago, the survey reveals 72 percent of the small business leader respondents use the Internet for business purposes. More than half of those Internet users currently purchase business products and services online. EqualFooting.com surveyed the 53 winners of the Small Business Administration's 1999 State Small Business Person of the Year Contest winners. The survey was conducted in May and had a 74 percent response rate. The survey was designed to study the reasons why small business leaders use the Internet and how they are using the medium. Seventy percent of the small business leaders surveyed believe it is easier to make business purchases online than any other purchasing method, while two-thirds of the individuals surveyed believe purchasing online saves time and money. The top three factors influencing their decision to purchase online are convenience (60 percent), price (46 percent) and selection (34 percent). The survey results were announced at the SBA's "eSm@llBusiness Challenges and Opportunities Forum" by Angie Kim, president and chief customer officer of EqualFooting.com. "Options are unlimited, information is abundant and there are countless small business solutions to help put these companies on 'equal footing' with large corporations," Kim said. "The Internet has an equalizing effect on businesses of all types and sizes." EqualFooting.com) is a marketplace establishing purchasing and financing power for small businesses. With a comprehensive and price-competitive maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies catalog, the company offers small businesses financing, leasing, and deeply discounted shipping services. The company, located at http://www.equalfooting.com, will also announce the catalog's integration of office supplies in the near future. EqualFooting.com's customers can buy, finance, and schedule delivery immediately--or save even more later, using the Request-For-Quote (RFQ) system. In an effort to improve opportunities for small businesses nationwide, the founders of EqualFooting.com are reaching out to members of Congress to help raise awareness about the impact of small businesses on the economy. As a result of this outreach, EqualFooting.com executives have spoken at forums sponsored by Congressional members where they have discussed the numerous ways the Internet empowers small businesses. Most recently, Kim appeared before the Senate Small Business Committee to discuss the emerging e-frontier for small businesses. EqualFooting.com is also partnering with leading advocates of small businesses, including associations, corporations, and online companies to extend its support for small businesses across the country. For example, EqualFooting.com and the SBA developed two online courses for small businesses, one about small business purchasing and another about purchasing geared toward women. The company has also partnered with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to offer SCORE's on-line business counseling program to EqualFooting.com members. EqualFooting.com's seed money came from Capital Investors, whose partners include Steve Case (chairman and Chief Executive Officer of America Online), Marc Andreessen (co-founder of Netscape), Daniel Akerson (chairman and CEO of NEXTLINK Communications), John Sidgmore (vice chairman of MCI Worldcom), and Jim Stewart (former CEO of WingspanBank.com). First round financing was provided by New Enterprise Associates, FBR Technology Venture Partners, Draper Richards and former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Reed Hundt. |
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