Sizing up Small-to-Medium Business (SMB)

January 12, 2010 By 12 Comments

As we enter 2010, and we here at SMB Research begin to focus on the technology advisory needs of the small and small-to-medium business, it is worth taking a fresh look at “small business”, and “SMB” (or “SME”) – and, indeed, what these terms even mean.

The confusion around these terms have been addressed before elsewhere before, most notably by Anita Campbell Editor in Chief of the terrific Small Business Trends website, but by others as well. (You will find below references to several other discussions about the challenge of defining SMB and small business.) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Best Practices, Business, Small-to-Medium Business (SMB / SME), SMB Research Tagged With:

SMBs: Get Influence Working With Large Vendors; 7 Guidelines to Ease the Process

December 14, 2009 By 2 Comments

We find it amazing how often large vendors in either  ERP, Supply Chain, or some other category of software, come in to a deal and do not offer the prospect the best information to help make a decision.   References are not provided or slowly given, prices are kept at a premium, and in some cases the prospect is mislead on the functionality of the software.   While vendors do need to use their references wisely, users do need to know where to turn when they are not getting answers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Best Practices, Small-to-Medium Business (SMB / SME), Software, Technology Tagged With: , , ,

Welcome to The SMB Research Blog

December 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Welcome to SMB Research’s blog, a new blog by Miles Prescott and Bob Eastman. The goal of this blog will be to offer some ideas and insights from our combined 25 years worth of experience, and continuing work, advising enterprises large and small on matters relating to enterprise IT and technology, as well as to highlight ideas, trends, insights that we find particularly interesting and relevant for the small-medium (sub-$1B revenues) market.

This blog holds no ambitions as a news portal.  The SMB Research Blog will instead report on and discuss ideas, trends, advice, and yes, some news,  that we think you should take a closer look at.  Consider this blog to be a journal of sorts of the work that we are doing as SMB Research.  Needless to say, our rigorous observance of any nondisclosures that we work under, and our trusted client relationships are paramount, and so there will be much that we are not at liberty to write about.

Great insights and ideas, however, comes from many places, and if there is one thing that we have learned, it is that there is no limit to the great things that can happen, the great value and ideas that can be created, from the value chain of our network of end-users, software and technology providers, service providers, analysts, research firms, and our network-at-large.

We will strive to create value for you in this blog, and we would appreciate any opportunity to work with you as a client to create value for you. Please visit SMB Research.  Please visit here often.  Please contribute to the discussion here.  Let us know how we are doing.

Filed Under: Best Practices, Business, Information Technology, Small-to-Medium Business (SMB / SME), SMB Research, Social media, Software, Supply Chain, Technology Tagged With: