Biz Tech Expo update.
The Small Business Times did a wonderful job last week in organizing the Biz Tech Expo. Above all, the speakers were great, at least so far as those to which I listened.
From a business law standpoint, several things stood out to me:
- If you are wanting to cut healthcare costs and keep employees in good working order, wellness programs are the “wave of the future.” It comes as no shock that offices function better and employees are happier when employees are psychologically and physically healthier - prevention works. I have no proof of my claim, but I would suspect that legal issues with employee behavior are fewer when overall happiness exists in the workplace. Also consider that wellness programs are not just cushy benefits, but rather focus on career paths for workers which yield a better business on the whole - the right people in the right place with the right mindsets….hard to beat that.
- Wisconsin, particularly Milwaukee, is behind similarly sized cities in truly utilizing the web for business purposes. At first, I did not really believe this, but several tech executives with which I spoke indicated that SE Wisconsin has been resistant to (1) web marketing and (2) web applications. Organizations that elected to use the web have leapt over competitors quickly. The lesson here: the web isn’t a fad (I’m sure you know this as you’re reading a blog), so fork over the cash for a killer site showcasing your goods, but bear in mind that you still need to get your intellectual property protected and need to be ready to formualte new contracts with new customers.
- If there is a recession, small business in SE Wisconsin has managed to avoid it. I asked each representative how business was going and, assuming I was not being lied to, business is good. The other side of the coin is that attendees to the Expo may not be an accurate cross-section of businesses in the Milwaukee area. As a final note on the matter, I was impressed with the professionalism and competence of the vast majority of businesses I met and I can certainly see why they are doing well.
