Digital Darwinism

No Fear

BY Craig Richardson | February 1, 1999|

Comment

Mari Trosclair, 43, owner of by word of mouth catering in the tiny coastal town of Oriental, North Carolina (population: 800), has good reason not to worry about Internet competition. She's in a remote location, and her mouth-watering cuisine and exemplary service have a signature quality that is known for miles around. In addition, her menu is unique for her area. (Unlike Trosclair, her competitors aren't shipping in grilled swordfish from New Jersey.)

But her business's location was making it difficult to relay information to a multitude of people. So Trosclair decided to develop a Web site for her company. "I use it as one leg on the table of my marketing/advertising plan," she says. "If someone sees my card or Yellow Pages ad, they also see my Web site address. At the Web site, they're able to get much more information than they ever could in a print ad."

She contends that not being afraid of competition from the Net doesn't have to mean not participating in it. Indeed, as a marketing strategy, it's only helped business.

"The information and skills someone needs to go into business are out there," says Trosclair. "The factors that make a difference in real competition--the management team, people skills, capitalization and product, can't be stolen from my Web page."

Contact Sources