OnStartups

Today marks the launch of a new blog I’m kicking off called “Small Business Hub”.

The website is here:  http://www.smallbusinesshub.com/

The blog will be written for small business owners and managers with a focus on how they can use the right technology to survive and succeed.  I’m hoping to intersect my passion for technology with a fair amount of experience working with and within small businesses.  As is the case with any new site, it’s going to take some time to find the right rhythm and build a readership.  The good news is that I have a couple of colleagues that will be helping me write the content for Small Business 2.0.

In case you’re wondering why I felt the need to start a different site for this new blog instead of staying focused on OnStartups.com, here are my reasons:

Reasons For Starting A Different Blog For Small Business Hub
 

1. Different Audiences:  Though most startups are small businesses, not all small businesses are startups.  I think most of the readers of OnStartups.com are interested in software startup topics.  The target for Small Business 2.0 is a bit broader focusing on many types of small businesses:  professional service firms (lawyers, consultants, design firms, etc.), technology companies (both hardware and software) and basically any non-retail small business (i.e. no shops, hair salons). 

2. Staying Focused:  The reason for the success of OnStartups.com is that I’ve remained true to the original goal of serving software startup entrepreneurs.  Over 90% of the content on the site is useful to that audience.  Rather than mess with the success I’ve already built (and irritate my current readership), I thought it would be better to start a different site to focus on the new audience.

3. Leveraging Experience:  My current startup is working exclusively with small businesses.  I’m learning a lot through this process.  I’m hoping to leverage this experience and write on topics of interest to small businesses.  

4. There’s A Need:  Though I’ve found lots of good blogs on the web focused on small businesses, I have not found any that really tackle it from the perspective that I’m interested in.  My area of passion is taking some of the newer technologies (and yes, some of them that are part of the whole “Web 2.0” thing) and figure out what is relevant for small businesses.  My hope is that my tech-geekiness combined with a somewhat pragmatic nature will create something of value for all the small businesses that are sitting on the sidelines and not really getting into the game.

So, if you’re a regular reader of OnStartups and know people that are involved in a small business, please spread the word.  Getting started is the hardest part and it’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with having only a handful of people read my articles.  I’m hoping that the same devotion and passion for a subject that attracted readers here will attract them to SmallBusinessHub as well.

Thanks, as always, for your support.