Attending events such as Smart Business Moves' Expo & Conference is crucial to getting new ideas and contacts, said Patti Kemble, owner of Pet Sitting by Patti in New Fairfield since 2006.
"They're important," said Kemble, who also attended a seminar on digital advertising by Grace Gonzales of Hearst Connecticut Media Group, one of the event's sponsors. "By the end of the day, I should have more ideas."
Such gatherings allow for immediate connections with the right people, said Dan Lagstein, a representative for Shustir.com, a New York City-based online marketplace for small businesses.
"Any place where small businesses are, we go too," he said.
"The Internet is allowing people who always wanted to dabble in something to pursue it after hours," said Shu Kim, co-founder of Shustir.com, an online marketplace for small businesses. "Many platforms, including social media, can be used for free. You can educate yourself very quickly online about your business and industry. And you can get involved in Meetup groups where you learn from people who've done this all before.
As the economic climate continues to be stormy, Shustir.com wants to be your weatherproofing. The site, which launched earlier this year, has been providing thousand of small businesses and independent entrepreneurs with powerful e-commerce technology. Now, after a site redesign and improved social networking tools, Shustir doesn't just want to change the way the 29 million small and independent endeavors in this country do business online; it wants to start a revolution.
