I’ve always said to my husband that when I become a grandmother (hopefully in decades to come) and need a Zimmer frame to get around, I still want to be technologically savvy! I remember teaching my parents “the computer” for the first time – how to operate a mouse, double-click an icon and attach an image to an email. A true test of patience. And if my parents could embrace technology and learn how to use email then it stands to reason that anyone can. So it shocks me to this day when I come across business people who still don’t have an email address.

I often think to myself, how on earth do these people run a business? Do they even have cell phones? Running a business without a website is not a good idea but to run a business without an email address is not only silly but risky too. Many people prefer to email a company or browse the website before calling so by eliminating these two factors, one could easily lose customers as well. And what kind of message does it send out when you don’t have an email address? The words that come to my mind include; unprofessional, dodgy and disorganised.

There is simply no excuse. There are a number of free email services around including Gmail, Hotmail and Webmail which are some of the popular ones. And if you don’t have internet access at home, there are plenty of internet cafes around for you to go and check your email! So if you are serious about business, get an email address and then get a website or blog (you can get a free blog with Google’s Blogspot or Ning). Embrace technology and use it to your advantage otherwise face the perils of being left behind!