What Is a Microenterprise and Why Does it Matter?

What is a Micro-Enterprise?

Micro-enterprises are defined as a business organization with 9 employees or fewer ¹². These are typically small family-owned businesses. In the context of IT, this can be extended to any organization that lacks a dedicated IT staff. Typically, a small business will only be concerned with the production of goods and services; unfortunately, technology has become integral with the operations of many small businesses. Inventory needs to be monitored, orders need to be shipped, and sales needs to be made–the integration of technology and business is therefore critical to success.

Why IT Matters in Small Business

Information technology can provide many benefits to the micro-enterprise. Some of the advantages include:

Enhanced efficiency Access to global markets Improved customer engagement Cost reduction and optimization Data-driven decision making

All of these factors are important to small businesses.

Barriers

Micro-enterprises may face several hurdles when it comes to information technology. Primarily, cost and complexity are the two largest barriers to adoption of enterprise technology which leads many business to adopt (software as a service) SaaS which cut into revenue and deliver sub-par experiences, often for far too much money³.

Impact

Information technology has provided numerous benefits and transformed the way that small businesses operate. Micro enterprises should have access to the same tools and technologies that larger organizations have access to. I’ve made it my personal mission to assist these small businesses by offering technical assistance and advice.