Since arriving here in Annapolis Digby last year, I've been asked for my best marketing advice many, many times. It quickly became my mantra to respond: "In terms of marketing, the best thing you can do for your business is to get a website up and running." Lately, I've added a caveat: "If creating a website is out of reach at this moment, then build yourself a blog -- it's free, all it costs is your time."

If you are a small business owner who wears many hats, technology is not a thing you're likely to conquer.  The average person simply can't keep up with the speed at which technology grows these days.  However, with free options like blogging, e-marketing is at least becoming more democratic and not just an option for those with pots of money. So the idea then is to make the internet your friend, a tool that can help you build your business.

There are a growing number of blogging formats available at no cost: Check out blogspot.com, typepad.com, wordpress.com, and there are others. Find the one that suits your style and comfort level. If you still feel uneasy about the process, give the job to a teenager -- they'll have it done in no time!

According to Laurel Douglas, CEO of the Women's Enterprise Centre, "Women are changing the business world without even knowing it. They're doing it by just trying to meet the demands of their lives." Perhaps that is why 4 out of 5 new businesses in Canada are now begun by women, creating the fastest growing economic segment in our country: the female entrepreneur.

Underpinning this growing trend is the willingness to embrace web-based marketing. Take for instance Heather Gorringe, worm farmer extraordinaire based in rural England. Check out her not-to-be-missed video, and more about her amazing retail company, Wiggly Wigglers.

We congratulate Heather, winner of the first ever Global Dell Small Business Excellence Award ... this just goes to show that we can do it too! Make It Here in Annapolis Digby, home of the FUNDYweb broadband network and all those lovely fibre optic strands of cable just waiting to announce your goods and services to the world...