Information Management

Staying informed via information management resources has become a daily practive for many successful small business owners.

The Information Age we now live in has changed our society greatly, possibly even more than the Industrial Revolution changed the farming society of the 1800s.

Today we live in a fast-paced, "wired" world, with news flashing around the globe almost instantly; e-mail and instant messaging connecting individuals and business associates in the blink of an eye. Information is now almost limitless - bombarding us from all sides.

Unfortunately, too often the information we receive is not information that can help our businesses thrive. We must learn to cultivate our own methods for staying informed of developments in our particular field - and we must learn toignore information we can't use.

Where to start? The following list of suggested resources is just that - a starting point. We hope you will use these ideas to develop and move on to your own, more sophisticated, network of information resources that works for you to stay on the cutting edge of your industry.

Ten Ways to Stay Informed via Information Management

• Subscribe to industry or trade publications that focus on your business - or the business of your clients and customers. Information management refers to proactively choosing what small business information is allowed in, and what information stays out.
• Join a professional association, chamber of commerce, or network with other entrepreneurs in similar industries.
• Look for information on the Internet. Watch for opportunities to interact with business or industry experts in "chat room" interviews. Put the interviews on your appointment calendar and be sure to show up. Information management depends on your organizational skills - plan well and plan ahead.
• Subscribe to Internet newsgroups that focus on your industry.
• Read newspapers - local and national - to track business trends.
• Talk to your customers and clients. What issues are troubling them? What is their mission? What factors do they think will affect their business in the future? Ask yourself, "How might this affect my business?"
• Invest in training: attend a conference or seminar on a subject that affects your business. Once there, don't be a wallflower: Part of successfully managing information is taking full advantage of these types of opportunities to learn from quality training. Strike up conversations with other participants. If a session is particularly helpful, go up to the speaker to thank her... or ask as more detailed question. Ask for her business card. If she agrees, you'll have a resource who's just a phone-call away. Most people are flattered to be consulted - but remember, their time is valuable, so don't waste it. Ideally, information exchange should be a two-way street. Do you have information that might benefit your source? Share it with her.
• Visit or call your city library - or check out the library at a nearby college. Find out what resources - periodicals, newspapers, reference materials - they offer for someone interested in a business like yours.
• Recognize that at some point you may not be able to know everything about your business. Learn to use consultants or hire employees who can compensate for the gaps in your knowledge.
• Cultivate your curiosity. Don't be afraid to try new things. The most important skill you can develop for improved information management is not the ability to remember information, but the ability to seek out and find the information you need, when you need it, and then use the information for the benefit of your business.

Many small busines owners make the mistake of thinking that they must know EVERYTHING there is to know about their business. Ideally, the leader is very knowledgeable. But the fact is that almost everyone has a learning curve of some sort. This should not derail you from moving forward.

As long as you possess enough knowledge to know what and where your resources are, you don't need to be an expert in all areas of the business.

This is why information management is so important - so begin to identify and organize your information resources today!

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