Gaining access to high-speed Internet access can be a game changer for small business. This situation is true for Jerry Smith, owner of Anvils and Ink Studios in Belmont County, where he hand crafts fine art and jewelry, metal sculptures, leather goods, and other custom pieces.
“Shortly before Smith became a customer of GMN, Connect Ohio worked in training GMN wireless on how to use radio propagation software and how to create its own coverage maps,” said Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager for Connect Ohio. “This helped it to increase efficiency and to serve some customers who otherwise may have been deemed unreachable.”
Smith previously had a satellite, dial-up Internet service, with speeds that were not fast enough for a business. After looking into his options, Smith found that he could get GMN broadband Internet.
Smith was able to benefit from using broadband by increasing his sales after he decided to upgrade to a high-speed connection. Before having a broadband connection, Smith was selling around $150,000 in products each year. After taking his business online, Smith now sells more than 3 million dollars in products each year.
Anvils and Ink Studios now has a company website and display some of its products online. Being online makes interactions with customers and turn over time much faster. Smith can e-mail pictures back and forth, rather than having to meet face to face, for order confirmation.
Internet access has connected Smith to clients he would have never been able to reach before. Smith places orders internationally and now has clients in India and Pakistan. Not only has being online increased local clientele, but also gained Smith some new clients globally. “Finding new markets, which used to take weeks or months, now only takes moments,” said Smith. “I can easily research what people are wanting.”
The Internet has allowed for Smith’s business to grow to a level which was unsurpassable without having a high speed Internet connection. Connect Ohio continues to work with GMN Wireless to help them reach more un-served households.
For more information on GMN Wireless, visit http://www.gmn4u.com/
View the 2010 Broadband Business Survey http://connectoh.org/_documents/OH_BizWhitePaper_FINAL.pdf
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