Power Surge
Internet access is up - way up - among small-business owners. But that doesn't mean all electronic avenues are being explored.
If it wasn't for technology, Richard Pollock's company might be out of business. Software for managing inventory and an online connection to customer credit reports have turned International Neon Products Inc., Pollock's Chicago sign-parts distributorship, from a firm struggling with outstanding client debts and poor customer service to one enjoying robust growth and profits.
"Every employee here has a PC--the guys in the warehouse, the receptionist, the salespeople--even I do," says Pollock. "Now when somebody asks for credit, we dial in to the computer system and give them an immediate answer. That's gotten rid of the bad debt."
Continue reading this article - and everything on Entrepreneur!
Become a member to get unlimited access and support the voices you want to hear more from. Get full access to Entrepreneur for just $5.
Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
-
These Co-Founders Are Using 'Quiet Confidence' to Flip the Script on Cutthroat Startup Culture and Make Their Mark on a $46 Billion Industry
-
My 7-Year-Old Daughter Started Selling Eggs. Here's What She Taught Me About Running a Startup.
-
Why You Need to Become an Inclusive Leader (and How to Do It)
-
Career Transitions You Can Make in Your 40s and 50s
-
Billionaire Naveen Jain Is an Expert at Disrupting Fields He Has No Experience In. His Secret Sauce for Building Multi-Million Dollar Companies? 'You Have to Come as Naive.'
-
4 Principles to Develop Next-Level Leadership at Your Company
-
This Filipino American Founder Is Disrupting the Beverage Aisle by Introducing New Flavors to the Crowded Bubbly Water Market