Fortunately for entrepreneurs who prefer to run their businesses far from frenetic population centers, the Internet has rendered the world flat.
Laramie, Wyo., population 26,000, sits 7,200 feet above sea level between the Medicine Bow and Laramie mountain ranges.
“This is a big state with 500,000 people,” says Jonathon Benson, CEO of the Wyoming Technology Business Center at the University of Wyoming, a nine-firm business incubator. “There’s no longer any need to live next to population centers to grow your business. All my clients sell nationally and it wouldn’t be possible without the Internet.”
We see thousands of entrepreneurs in our community at StartupNation, some trying to start a business and some trying to grow. In today’s world, there’s no excuse for not having a Website. Whether you need a brick-and-mortar storefront, well, that's not always as clear. Sometimes it pays to have both; the key lies in knowing your market.
A Website Saves Money, Expands Market
IDES, a plastic materials information company, began in Laramie 20 years ago with a catalog. When IDES stopped printing the book and moved its information exclusively online, it not only slashed overhead by two-thirds, it expanded the company’s visibility.
“The neat thing about the Internet is your customer finds you,” Benson says. “How cool is this? Before, we were all trying to find our customer and make him aware of what it is we have.”
Still, a strong online presence doesn’t mean you sit ba...
Author: Lynne Meredith Schreiber
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