For a number of years now I've been telling small business owners and startups "You can compete with far bigger rivals online - the web makes an even playing field for all."
But I wonder how true that still is. I worry that the gap has widened as bigger businesses are more prepared to invest in training staff or buying in the expert help that's needed.
The tools have been available for years - websites in a box, free or virtually free professional web templates, low budget DIY email marketing and online survey solutions, hosting providers who throw in hundreds of additional extras from e-commerce modules to blog plug-ins.
In a recent letter to New Media Age, a correspondent asks why, with all the tools available "are small businesses still holding back on their web activities?"
My feeling is that for some people, as soon as they discover the plethora of solutions out there, they jump in, soak up everything they can find out about it, figure out how it can add value to the business, and run with it very successfully.
But many more will be cautious, or indeed won't be willing or able to invest any time in understanding the internet as a marketing tool. Those are the customers who buy into the 'solutions', only to find they have been sold the tools for the job, but not the strategy.
A bit like deciding to build yourself a house, hiring an electrician, plumber, builder, decorators and stylists, showing them a picture in the magazine and expecting them to create it. Wouldn't you need an architect to start with - to create an overall plan against which all the activity can be measured, and out of which you then decide which services and activities you actually need...?
To compete successfully online, to avoid wasting time and money, small businesses need a strategic grasp of the basics - such as what constitutes an effective online presence, how people use websites, and how to turn site visitors into customers.
Ah, but solutions are easy to package and sell, whereas expert advice and knowledge, that's another thing altogether - and how many small businesses are able or prepared to pay for consultancy?
There is no big or small business when we are talking about online marketing. As long as you have the right tools and strategy, you can compete to other big companies.