New ways of working for SMEs

I noticed this in the FT today - "Start-ups work online to cut cost" - the story reports on some research from the Entrepreneur Country website of 500 entrepreneurs and how they run their businesses.  The press release on the Entrpreneur Country website states:

"The research found that entrepreneurs are driving the adoption of new technology and leading new ways of working. 94 per cent of entrepreneurial companies say they are using free or low-cost technology and services, and 85 percent say they have adopted new ways of working, to help grow during this difficult economic climate.

Only just over half of entrepreneurial businesses take the traditional approach of renting their own office premises, with one in five now operating without an office and happy for staff to work from home or on the move. Hotel foyers, coffee shops and private membership clubs tend to operate as meeting and working locations when required."

The FT obviously had access to more details of the findings than in the press release and claims:

"A survey of fast-growing companies found that 94 per cent used free or low-cost online services - such as Skype, Google apps and LinkedIn - rather than pay for offices or for software such as wordprocessors.

LinkedIn, the social networking site aimed at business, was the most popular cheap technology being used - 78 per cent of the companies said they were subscribers.

The next most popular technology was Skype and other voice-over-internet services, used by 65 per cent of those surveyed."

It would be interesting to know more about the types of entrepreneurs which took part in the survey and how typical they are of start-up companies. However, it seems to chime with some research I am carrying out on SMEs and their use of web services.  I'll be reporting more on my research later in the summer as it progresses.