Consistent and rapid changes are impacting the economy, and the small businesses that create approximately two-thirds of the nations new jobs. These changes are all around us and envelope all areas of business. The most obvious changes range from: telecommunications, manufacturing, distribution and natural resource management to evolving consumer needs and demands. Thus we see a tremendous growth in worldwide competition and making the road to success much more complex and difficult, especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
In a century that moved our transportation from horse trails to interplanetary trajectories, changed our communications tools from quill pens to computers, and took our culture from bacon and beans to sushi and burritos, some people think theyve seen it all. Futurists say, the winds of change witnessed in the 1900s are a summers breeze compared to the hurricane that lies ahead. The 21st century, they claim, will bring unprecedented transformation to the world in which we live.
In the last decade alone, computers, fax machines and modems have brought the office into homes, cars, airplanes and hotel rooms. Future advances will unite...