'Small Business, Big Innovation for Entrepreneurs'

The recession that started in December 2007 dealt a crippling blow to U.S. small businesses.

Facing tough times, many entrepreneurs did something creative, imaginative or cutting-edge with their business models, which allowed them to survive and thrive. We want to hear your stories.

 E.S. Technical Solutions wants you to tell us about the challenge your business faced; the innovative solution you put in place; and the  significant milestone – such as vastly improved revenue or expansion  into new markets –

Our hope is to spotlight American ingenuity, especially at a time of continuing economic certainty.

Most small business have a different plan when coming to leadership or even management. As the rate of new technology development - and the pace of competition - accelerate, traditional approaches to management just aren’t cutting it. Managers must operate in a highly unpredictable atmosphere in which competitive advantage may dissolve at any time.

According to Gupta and MacMillan, a company that behaves entrepreneurially is able to:

• gain first-mover advantage in new products or markets

• provide a more fulfilling climate to employees, making it possible to acquire, develop and retain a talented, motivated human resource pool

• succeed, through flexible resource deployment, in adapting capabilities to meet the emerging competition

• effectively translate future options into a platform for continuous value creation and corporate transformation.

1. Absorb uncertainty: Shoulder the burden of responsibility for the uncertain outcome of a new project.

2. Frame the challenge: Set forth a project that pushes employees up to, but not beyond, the limits of their ability.

3. Underwriting/pathclearing: Create a conducive environment for the entrepreneurial transformation, negotiating support from key stakeholders inside and outside the firm.

"What we’re saying is that in today’s environment, managers of existing firms need to start behaving like entrepreneurial leaders," Swain asserts. "If you want your company to continuously innovate, you need to deliver the qualities we found in our survey or your organizations internal controls."