A Scottish entrepreneur said yesterday that firms north of the border had to be ready to take advantage of the major opportunities opening up online.
Norma Corlette was keynote speaker on the opening day of the seventh Fusion annual conference for Scottish rural entrepreneurs, held at Aviemore Highland Resort.
Inverness-based Fusion is a not-for-profit membership company set up to link entrepreneurs in the Highlands and islands and has expanded its remit recently to southern Scotland.
Its role is to stimulate interest in innovation and enterprise.
Edinburgh-based Ms Corlette, who has built several firms in the people-development field, told the Press and Journal managers of many businesses were working virtually round the clock in an effort to be more successful.
She added: “Despite the recession, they must also take time out to reflect and be innovative and creative.
“You have to be prepared to change your business model.
“If you always do what you have always done, then you will probably always get the same result.
“It’s important to stand back and see what is actually happening in the marketplace, particularly opportunities online.
“If you don’t, you could miss out to competitors.
“The Google search engine business is the fastest growing company in the world. There are so many opportunities for other firms as a result of this.”
Ms Corlette said that gaps for companies to exploit on the internet were many and varied.
She added: “Entrepreneurs should look at unconventional areas and tap into what people are currently interested in.”
She gave the example of one female entrepreneur who decided to give tips on how to apply make-up via a video link and this had led to an international following of millions.
But Ms Corlette said more traditional businesses, such as Scottish butchers, were also finding opportunities to win sales online.
UK unemployment increased by 30,000 between July and September to just under 2.5million, although lengthening dole queues do lead to opportunities for some businesses.
Ms Corlette said: “Those involved in the likes of training will see an upturn in demand for their services.”
She added that the recession had led to more quality start-up businesses, with many skilled people being made redundant and then deciding to start their own venture, however, Ms Corlette said there was no way the UK could match the likes of China and India for the number of future start-ups.
“What we have to do in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands, is use the strong brand of the area, be as global as possible and use the internet as much as we can.”
The Fusion conference, supported by the Press and Journal, finishes today.