smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Reliance on the internet for client and customer communication amongst young entrepreneurs could damage their business prospects, an entrepreneur has claimed.

The co-founder of Coffee Republic, Sahar Hashemi, argues that while the internet has had big benefits for small business, especially for research, an entrepreneur cannot hope to conduct all their business contact online.

And she believes that the most important factor for small business start ups is to get out and establish face-to-face contact with potential clients and customers.

Ms Hashemi says: 'I doubt any entrepreneur is able to stay solely online. All those young kids who stay online will probably never be entrepreneurs.

'Business people much favour meeting people face to face, it’s all about face to face contact,' she adds.

Research recently published by Vodafone revealed that the telephone is still the most popular networking tool for small businesses, with only a third of managing directors having secured business using e-mail alone.

For the interview with Hashemi, go to www.webchats.tv by clicking here.

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