E-Commerce class offers opportunity

As populations continue to decline in rural areas, retail businesses in small towns must find new markets for their products.  The Internet has opened a door of opportunity for these small town businesses by tapping into the world market.  It is with that thought in mind that Roger Hrabe, Rooks County Economic Development Director, has began teaching basic classes to teach individuals how to build a simple website and start an online business.

"Small town businesses can sell as much out of the back door through Internet sales as they do through the front door to local patrons," Hrabe says.  "It really is a matter of finding a niche of products that people are willing to buy.  It may not be the same type of products that are going out the front door."  

One thing that must be overcome, according to Hrabe, is the belief that a person must be a computer whiz to create a website.  "We have tried to instill through the class that anyone who has basic computer knowledge has the capability of developing a website.  Once the students start developing a site and see the possibilities, they develop the confidence necessary to take it to the next step."

The first several classes teach the individuals about web page terms, language, software, and the do's and don'ts of web page development.  Students use "What you see is what you get" software such as Microsoft FrontPage.  The software allows the students to create pages without knowing Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML).  Local entrepreneurs with experience in web page development were brought in to talk about their experiences.

Later classes focused on business plan development, marketing, digital photography, financing and bookkeeping.  Also included was a class on basics of E-Bay that taught the students how to use existing sites such as E-Bay to market products that they may have in their house.  Kelly Seales, an experienced E-Bay businesswoman, told students how she has turned her interest in selling items bought at local auctions into a full-time job selling on E-Bay.  Students were taken through the steps necessary to venture into the world of online auctions.

Hrabe plans to set up a portion of a building that he purchased to provide an environment where he can teach more of the classes and possibly outreach to other areas.  "As an economic development director, you can make more of an immediate impact on the local economy by having classes like this than you can through typical economic development methods.  Not only can you enable existing businesses to increase profits, but you also might be helping to create or retain jobs in your community.  Now it is just a matter of convincing more of our local business people of that."