Business mentor: Big companies join forces to help the small get bigger

Q. As a small business owner, I often have large companies trying to woo me into buying their products and services. But can they relate to the realities of running a small business? Is dealing with my small business that important to them?

A. Jan Ferguson from Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, replies:

All businesses have similar issues, whether large or small. The only difference is that small and medium businesses have fewer resources and less time to cope with ever-changing business demands.

With this in mind, HP, Telecom and Microsoft, with the Chamber of Commerce, have joined forces to provide an inspirational forum designed to help SMEs (small and medium enterprises) grow.

And it's coming, free, to a town near you.

The Business Club, held in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, is open to all business people and gives opportunities for small and medium-sized business managers to share ideas, network and learn more about business and technology trends.

The Business Club is taking its message to 12 centres nationwide - in Auckland on June 26 - as a free service to people who want to know more about succeeding as a small business.

Guest speakers and business owners - such as Jeremy Moon from Icebreaker and this month's SME guru, Sarah Trotman from Industry New Zealand - will profile local success stories and give tips about where the best, and often free, business resources can be found.

The Business Club also gives great go-to-market strategies and supporters view the series as an opportunity to give something back to the local business community.

Corporate sponsors of initiatives like The Business Club know that small business growth means big business growth in the long term.

For example, if HP and our partners inspire, motivate and educate SMEs, growth is almost sure to follow.

As SMEs grow, so do their requirements for more sophisticated IT&T and that is where we and our competent local resellers channel can support your business.

The Business Club for small business owners is a great way for large organisations like HP, Telecom and Microsoft to support NZ's small -usiness sector, the life blood of the economy.

* Jan Ferguson is the SMB marketing manager at HP New Zealand.

www.businessclub.co.nz

www.businessmentor.org.nz


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