Marketing Insight.
Big Sales to Small Businesses.
Small businesses defined as those with fewer than 500 employees represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms and employ about half of all private-sector employees. They have generated 60 percent to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the past decade. According to the Small Business Administration's 0ffice of Advocacy, nearly 640,000 small busi- nesses opened in the United States in 2007. Those new ventures all need capital equipment, technology, supplies, and services. Look beyond the United States to new ventures around the world and you have a huge and growing B-to-B market. Here's how two top companies are reaching it: