An Entrepreneurial Edge: Using Technology to Boost Efficiency and Productivity Featured on Kauffman eVenturing(TM) Site.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Nearly every entrepreneurial company depends on technology to some extent to run the operational side of its business. A common challenge for a rapidly growing company is identifying which technology is just right to accommodate both its current and future needs. This month, Kauffman eVenturing[TM] (www.eVenturing.org), a Web site for growth-oriented entrepreneurs operated by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, features a new collection of articles to help entrepreneurs identify and select the right technology to run their businesses more efficiently.

"Technology infrastructure is clearly an indispensable backbone for nearly all rapidly growing entrepreneurial companies," said Judith Cone, vice president of Kauffman Foundation's entrepreneurship initiatives. "What's often most difficult is selecting technology that's flexible enough to take your business to the next level."

The collection features articles, written by entrepreneurs who have developed technology solutions themselves or grappled with the technology purchase decision, as well as pieces by software experts who evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various technology options.

Following are some highlights:

* "A Paperless Way to Track Receipts" by Dr. Les Spero, co-founder and CEO of NeatReceipts, which created the SCANALIZER, a portable scanner and software application designed to scan, analyze and store business receipts, recounts his experience in developing a paper-free, time-saving expense report tracking solution for small businesses. The article is packed with useful details - from how his company raised funds and developed innovative distribution channels, to establishing a successful retail partnership with Staples and promoting his product with effective public relations strategies.

* "Growing Revenue with Technology" by Jeff Schroeder, vice president of operations for The Supply Room Companies, Inc., an office supply and furniture dealer, shares his company's success in using a proof-of-delivery system to eliminate much of the paperwork needed to invoice and track deliveries. The result: gaining a valuable competitive advantage by providing better customer service - while saving money.

* "Implementing Accounting and Support Systems" by Dan Rosen, CEO and president of Dan Rosen & Associates, an early-stage technology investment and advisory firm, provides practical guidance on questions to ask before selecting operational systems supporting payroll, accounting, customer relations, document management and human resources. Considerations include whether the company is in a specialized industry that demands strict protocols and formats, if it intends to do business with the U.S. government and determining when it may be more cost-effective to outsource some functions.

* "The Value of Mobile Computing" by Don Weary, vice president of the Logistic Solutions Group, which provides mobile solutions, explains how wireless networks and hand-held devices can help entrepreneurial businesses improve their employees' productivity by giving people working in the field access to data and information from remote locations.

* "Vertically Centric Business Systems" by Dan Pritchard, CEO of eCommerce Industries (ECI2), which provides software focusing on accounting and inventory management for small-to-medium sized businesses, makes the case for implementing vertically integrated business systems that manage all of a company's basic business processes, including accounting, sales and inventory tracking, and data analysis.

* "Selecting Software That Fits Your Business" by Catherine Harrell, a senior marketing manager with Intuit, Inc., provides pointers on selecting the right business and accounting software to avoid inefficiencies and costly errors, counseling entrepreneurs to determine whether they have basic versus more advanced needs, anticipate their need to access the software from remote locations and consider what software their accountant prefers.

* Tools and Templates: In addition to a glossary of frequently used accounting terms, this collection includes a financial analysis tool to help evaluate the impact of technology on a company's bottom line, a worksheet to help calculate ROI via an online technology called RouteTrack, and a link to a free search engine that can help entrepreneurs identify accounting software to meet their needs.

"Entrepreneurial businesses in different industries and different stages of growth are likely to have very different needs, so there's rarely a 'one size fits all' technology solution," noted Paula L. Jagemann, a Kauffman entrepreneur editorial adviser and president of JAG Associates, LLC. "Entrepreneurs armed with the right questions and tools to help them evaluate different technology choices will be better able to create an infrastructure that serves their companies well over time."

The Kauffman eVenturing site is dedicated to serving the needs of growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Every month, a new collection of articles on key themes of interest to entrepreneurs - such as finance and accounting, people and human resources, sales and marketing, products and services, operations and the entrepreneur (e.g., strategy, culture, leadership) - is featured on the site. The collections contain a mix of original articles and a carefully reviewed aggregation of some of the 'best of the best' existing Web material on the topic at hand.

To read the full collection on "Choosing the Right Technology," please visit the Kauffman eVenturing site at www.eVenturing.org.

About the Kauffman Foundation: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works with partners to advance entrepreneurship in America and improve the education of children and youth. The Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Information about the Kauffman Foundation is available at www.kauffman.org.