Show : IsThis a Good Time to Start a Small Business?

Guest :SMB Connects' Rieva Lesonsky, Jason Fried of 37 Signals, Peter Corbett of iStrategyLabs

Aired :September 22nd 2008 

We are smack dab in the middle in the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. And if we're not technically in the throes of a recession, you'd be hard pressed to explain that to the many people facing foreclosure, job loss and rising gas prices.  But as bleak as things seem right now, could it actually be the right time to start a small business?

Two small business experts share their take on this subject, as we welcome SMB Connects CEO Rieva Lesonsky, and 37 Signals cofounder Jason Fried.  They discuss why both feel now is a great time to start a small business despite the current economic climate.  They also touch on the growing importance of technology to small businesses, particularly in a sluggish economy.  Rieva touches on the importance of creating a marketing plan, while Jason shares how his company uses blogs and sites like Twitter to communicate directly with customers and prospects.  Rieva stresses the importance of negotiating with vendors as a way to get the best prices.  And Jason talks about how to use Software-as-a-Service applications to cut down on hardware and software costs.  All in all these two pack a whole lot of great information into a short amount of time, and gives those thinking about starting a business excellent advice on how to start a business in tough economic times.

We also are excited to have Peter Corbett join us.  Peter, founder of iStrategyLabs, is an expert in creating online videos that captivate viewers and lead to conversations, collaboration and meaningful relationships.  He shares with us the importance of video in your content creation strategy, how small businesses can get started with online video, some tools you can use (Ustream.tv, 12seconds.tv, Qik.com, etc.) and a few best practices to keep in mind.  

Rieva Lesonsky is the CEO of SMB Connects, the leading provider of information, data, decision support tools and research for and about America's small and midsize businesses (SMBs). SMB Connects helps corporations, government agencies, and other organizations identify, understand, and connect with SMBs. It provides information, products, services, and resources to help SMBs build their businesses. Prior to co-founding SMB Connects, Lesonsky was editorial director of Entrepreneur magazine. Under her editorial leadership, Entrepreneur grew to a monthly readership of 2.4 million people and became the nation's leading authority for and about entrepreneurs. 

Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of 37signals, a privately-held Chicago-based company committed to building the best web-based tools possible with the least number of features necessary. 37signals' products do less than the competition - intentionally. Jason believes there's real value and beauty in the basics. Elegance, respect for people's desire to simply get stuff done, and honest ease of use are the hallmarks of 37signals products. 37signals products, used by over 2,000,000 world wide, include Basecamp, Backpack, Highrise, Campfire, Ta-da List, and Writeboard. Their latest book, Getting Real, has been called the Bible of Web 2.0. Ruby on Rails, another 37signals creation, is the underlying technology driving thousands web apps.

Peter Corbett comes to iStrategyLabs with a breadth of knowledge and experience perfectly suited for his role, which focuses on producing marketing campaigns that marry the online and offline worlds. In prior roles, Peter has been a TV producer, art director, international content licensing executive, documentarian, concert producer, and digital strategist. He has a degree from Emory University's Goizueta Business School with a focus on operations, management and entrepreneurship. He is also an alumni board member of the Goizueta Business School and Greater DC Cares. 

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