Is it Time for your Small Business to Go Mobile?

Fred Wilson is one of the baddest tech investors on the planet. His investments include companies like Twitter and Zynga. Here is a quote from his top notch blog 'Web is flattish. But mobile is growing like a weed.'

So if you are just now developing a website you are BEHIND.
You are developing a new product in a semi-mature industry.

Why would you do that?
You want growth.
You want to be early to the party not late, right?

If you are just not getting a website up, I have one piece of advice: Don't put all of your time, money, and resources in one digital basket.

Focus your energy on your Facebook page. What I have seen working with lots of business owners over the years is that they focus too much on something like a website. Inevitably they spread themselves too thin and all their tech ends up being mediocre. Creating a fantastic small business website is damn hard.

When industries or technologies mature on the product life cycle entrepreneurs need to recognize this change and act accordingly. So what am I doing about it and what can you do about it?

Well, for me I have pivoted my focus and my business to be 100% mobile focused. We are currently in the process of developing several iPhone apps. My online business was not working so it was an easy decision.

If you are small online business you can take several steps to improve your position in this new mobile world.
Here are a few steps you can take:

1. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile.

If you have a good developer this should be a relatively straightforward process. How one optimizes your website for mobile is beyond the scope of this piece. So here is a killer resource to help you get your site mobile ready.

2. Look into making an app.

Depending on what type of business you have, a mobile app may exceed the usefulness of a mobile optimized website. There are lots of places to help you create apps for your small business, but I like this one.

3. Learn about the mobile industry.

If you're considering taking your business mobile, you have to be familiar in with the space. Buy an iPhone and/or Android device, if you don't already have one. Start looking at the app store weekly. Sites like TopAppCharts help you see the trends in the store. Understanding the mobile space and what apps are working is a great way to better understand what is working in mobile.

This is a solid start.

Remember the more things change the more they stay the same. The things that worked on the web can work on mobile. But the device is different so the design and content must be optimized.

Think about how you can develop a simple app or a simple mobile site to supplement your business. Invest time in learning about the mobile space and you will be ahead of the game.