How fast can you read this column? How quickly can you apply these thoughts to your business model? How soon does it take for your jaw to clench when business pundits hammer home the idea that you have to go faster, faster, faster?
When I think of what it takes to make it in the Internet economy, an old Steve Martin joke comes to mind. Martin has the secret to making a million dollars: " 'First,' he tells his audience, 'take a million dollars ... ' "
To B2B or not to B2B That is the question. Just when you thought you'd seen the height of B2B madness, along come a few new players eager to cash in on the hottest business model since, well, Crossworlds CEO Katrina Garnett.
For a small business, competing against Amazon.com Inc. on its own terms today is as much a lost cause as fighting Microsoft Corp. was a decade ago. The bookseller-cum-retail ecology has deftly leveraged its size, speed and "first mover" position into a runaway lead.
