4 key lessons from the 900 am WURD Dollars and Sense technology panel

A crew of five local technology business leaders joined 900 am WURD, which bills itself as the only black owned talk radio station in Pennsylvania, for a panel discussion and live radio broadcast yesterday on using technology to improve business.

The panelists, Wilco VP Brigitte Daniel, Lomax Companies president and CEO Bennett Lomax, Defined Clarity cofounder and CEO Alex King and Little Giant Media founder Tayyib Smith, discussed the extent of the digital divide in Philadelphia, the role of technology in structuring a business, content management and social media with moderator and 900 am WURD Tuesday night tech show host Chris Curtis and an audience of about 50 people, many of them local business owners.

The event was held and broadcasted from local accelerator Seed Philly in Center City.

Here are four key takeaways for small business owners seeking to understand how technology impacts their businesses.

1. The digital divide not only refers to lack of access to technology and the internet, but also to fear of technology, particularly in older demographics

“It’s really a consciousness thing when you talk about the importance of what it means to have access and what it can do for your life. It’s not necessarily all about affordability. It’s not necessarily about, ‘Do I have a device at home, do I not have a device at home,” Daniel said, “A lot of it is how do we value technology, how do you value having internet in your home for your children and for your benefit.”

Daniel discusses the digital divide in the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSk2sIO51pE]

2. Small businesses transitioning to automation must be strategic about information technology (IT) services.

Beyond cost, Lomax says the three critical areas small business owners must focus on are privacy, vendor relationships and vendor support.

Lomax explains why these three areas are important in the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORni1SH9E7M]

3. All businesses must have a website. Learn how to use free content management systems, like WordPress, and Software-as-a-Service solutions to your advantage.

It’s really important to understand what type of technology is out there because you are most likely going to integrate some kind of SaaS-based solution into your website,” King said.

King explains more about content management systems in the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX9mHx6XQEQ]

4. Businesses can use social media to help create an image for their business, as well as their personal selves.

“It’s not about the number of people following you, it’s who’s following you,” Smith said.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGM20ak_CzQ]