I had the pleasure of participating in an all day discussion last year that examined the future of small business hosted by the Institute for the Future and sponsored by Intuit. In the first report that came out of this project, the changing face of small business ownership was examined.

In the second report, which was just released, the emerging impact that technology will have on small business is explored. Although entrepreneurs have lagged in their use of new technologies in the companies, this report sees small businesses finally embracing the use and application of new technologies in their businesses. Here are a few of the findings:

- Small businesses will become integrated into the "networked" world. Small businesses will embrace technologies that will help them better manage customer relationships, inventory, distribution and employee productivity. Mobile devices will become integral in small business. Small business will have new productivity tools at their fingertips, including new generations of digital assistants.

- On-line tools and applications will become more a part of starting and managing small businesses. Such tools will become simpler to use, enabling small businesses to increase their connections through on-line social networks. This will open up the "virtual world" to any and all entrepreneurs.

- Small business marketing shifts from push to pull. Customers will be able to search for information about what they want with increasing power, no longer just accepting information they receive from the marketplace. The new media for such information will come through devices in cars and through cell phones.

If you want to sharpen your vision of what your business might become in the next ten years, and begin to prepare for what new and existing technologies can offer to keep you competitive, this report is an important first step.