S
yndicated columnist Rhonda Abrams is the author of several books including “The
Passionate Entrepreneur.” Most of what she writes about and travels the country speaking about
targets smaller business owners and would-be business owners. But Abrams business and marketing
practices can apply to any company searching for success in an increasingly competitive
marketplace.

What makes Abrams so enlightening is that her advice is always practical, real-world and full of
common sense. She often reminds us of the business basics we tend to dismiss when the competition
heats up, markets go soft or the economy takes a downturn. While were busy “overthinking” the
situation, crafting complicated and philosophical marketing plans to try to outmaneuver the
competition, she reminds us to simply “think like an entrepreneur.”

If companies small and medium-sized businesses and corporate giants alike would think more like
entrepreneurs, the road to marketing success would be a lot easier.

For example, entrepreneurs always have their eyes and ears open to discover the next great
business idea. Some of these ideas come from market research and an analysis of market trends and
consumer needs. Others come from happy coincidence. Keeping up with current events and industry
news is one way to help you identify trends and fads, and sometimes just find a new idea that has
business possibilities. If youll read or watch the news regularly with the conscious intent of
finding business or marketing opportunities, youll be amazed at how many ideas will surface.

The Internet a constant subject in the media has created a huge demand for new products and
services including Internet service providers, website developers, anti-virus software, wireless
routers and on and on. Since the World Wide Web starting gaining steam in the mid-1990s, more than
100 million websites have launched. There are 1.1 billion people around the globe with access to
the Internet.

Internet sales are growing at a rate of 28 percent every year, with e-Commerce sales in the
United States alone expected to have exceeded $100 billion in 2006. There are more than 200 million
Internet searches performed every day in the United States, with 85 percent of Internet traffic
getting to websites via search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and America Online.

Most of us read these stats and find them interesting, but do we think about how to apply this
trend to our own business Heres an example: A 2006 study by Harris Interactive showed that 90
percent of home buyers are beginning their new home searches on the Internet. But, newspapers and
other print publications remain the two largest mediums used by residential builders to market
their services.

Are builders simply continuing to operate in their comfort zones Do they continue to put
marketing money into print because thats where their competitors are Perhaps they are doing some of
both, and theyre not thinking like entrepreneurs. Builders should be encouraged to break from the
pack. The one who does surely will reap the benefits.

Adding value to an existing product, or improving an existing product or service are other forms
of entrepreneurial thinking. If you manufacture a product, but you dont offer service for that
product, why not consider it Some might argue that it is too costly, but is that an argument that
has been researched based on return on investment You can add product value by adding service, or
by combining the product with complementing products.

Another powerful byproduct of the Internet is that it has made researching the competition a
fairly easy process. With a simple Google search, you can investigate other markets domestic or
foreign, your competitors and surf the Net for great marketing ideas and business
opportunities.

There are hundreds of examples of entrepreneurs who achieved success by building a better
mousetrap. There are very few products or services that cant be improved. Start generating ideas by
looking at the products and services in your industry. Where are the gaps, and is there a certain
problem or issue that needs a solution?

As the story goes, a woman thought hula-hooping would be a fun thing to do with her daughter,
but she found the commercially available product too flimsy and hard to control. It was too much
work to be a fun exercise. So she created an improved version of the hula-hoop of all things. Its
bigger and heavier, so hula-hoopers can control it more easily and do more tricks. She found the
gap and filled it.

Finally, entrepreneurs tend to get on the bandwagon. Sometimes markets surge for no apparent
reason read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell for a fascinating look at this phenomenon.
Consumers suddenly want something, and the resulting demand cant be met right away. During the
2002-03 SARS epidemic, for example, there was an incredible demand for facial masks around the
globe, and many entrepreneurs cashed in on it.

The bandwagon effect also is created by social trends. For example, there presently is much
greater demand for home health care services for the elderly than is currently being supplied. The
latest statistics show more than 18 percent of Americans aged 65 and over require some type of
special equipment and care to manage a health condition. With a baby boomer population turning 60
at an estimated rate of 8,000 people per day, the numbers can only increase.

Entrepreneurs continually look at existing businesses and the products and services they offer
to determine if theres a need for more of those products or services. A study of your industry,
your offerings and the offerings of your competitors can quickly tell you where the opportunities
lie. And if youre thinking like an entrepreneur, youll set about developing business ideas to fill
the market gap.

May/June 2007

W
hile international trade and politics as usual dominated the agenda for the National
Council of Textile Organizations (NCTOs) annual meeting in Washington, there were, for a change,
some silver linings on the clouds that have been hanging over the industry for years. Even though
sales and employment are down, imports continue to grow and the industry experienced a record trade
deficit in 2006, some textile industry executives believe the government is responding to their
needs, and companies are adjusting to the changing international trade climate. There even is an
indication that the rapid growth of Chinese apparel exports to the United States might have a
bright side.

Presenting a status report on NCTO and its international trade issues, NCTO Chairman Smyth
McKissick of Alice Manufacturing Co. said there is a “whole new landscape,” and textile companies
are playing an increasingly effective role in shaping public policies that have an impact on every
individual textile company. For a number of reasons, he said, the trade picture “is changing in our
favor.” He cited recent government actions that stem from the industry’s growing political
influence.

One of the most important developments is the governments commitment to monitor textile and
apparel trade with Vietnam and take effective action if problems develop. “A year ago at this time,
we were deeply concerned about what Vietnams entry into the World Trade Organization was going to
mean to us, but we no longer are without a defense against illegal imports,” McKissick said. As a
non-market economy with major textile and apparel industries, Vietnam was poised to make a major
assault on the US market. The Bush administrations commitment to monitor Vietnam imports and
self-initiate dumping cases if it is determined that Vietnam imports are entering the United States
at unfair prices is viewed by NCTO as a prime example of the industrys effectiveness with
Congress.

When Congress was considering legislation granting permanent normal trade relations status to
Vietnam, Sens. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blocked the legislation until
the administration could come up with a plan to protect US textile interests. The answer was the
monitoring program, which the industry sees, in addition to dealing with Vietnam, as a potential
replacement for the China safeguards program that expires Jan. 1, 2009. Although the Department of
Commerces (DOCs) data collection is just getting underway, the Washington-based National Retail
Federation says it already is having a chilling effect on Vietnamese trade.

More than a dozen bills regarding China trade are before Congress, and a number of
hearings already have been held. McKissick said NCTO is strongly supporting the Fair Currency Act
sponsored by Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, in the House; and Sens. Jim
Bunning, R-Ky., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in the Senate. It would declare currency manipulation
an illegal trade practice subject to the anti-subsidy CVD law.

The industrys continuing concern over Chinese imports is underscored by a NCTO
report that says China currently has 30 percent of the US apparel market even with quotas remaining
on a number of major, sensitive apparel product categories. The report states that when quotas are
removed, that figure could rapidly increase.

A presentation at the NCTO meeting by George Stalk Jr. of the Boston Consulting
Group shed an interesting light on the surge in Chinese trade. An analysis by that group shows the
infrastructure supporting ocean freight is struggling, and “there is a looming shortage, even a
crisis, in the infrastructure to move goods from Asia to the United States.” This, he said, is
creating serious delivery problems for importers. Stalk said necessary new capacity is not being
built at major ports and that “every aspect of the supply chain is stretched to the point it is
becoming overwhelmed.” He said the problem is not confined to ports, but also involves railroads
and highways. The result is disruption and delays of deliveries, and some importers may seek
sources closer to home. After hearing Stalks report, McKissick remarked, “That is the best bad news
I have heard in a long time.”

For many, Techtextil, the International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens,
conjures up anticipatory thoughts of seeing the latest in technical textiles and nonwovens, hearing
about cutting-edge research and testing, feeling out the state of the current market, and getting a
taste of what the future holds for the industry during the events accompanying symposium.

Many now also equate Techtextil’s Frankfurt edition with Avantex the International Forum for
Innovative Apparel Textiles, held for the first time alongside Techtextil at its last edition in
2005.

“The idea of holding the two events in parallel originated primarily from the industry,” said
Michael Jcke, brand manager, Techtextil + Avantex, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH. “The benefits
lie in the synergistic effects between the two events, which mean that exhibitors generate
additional visitors and can restrict their expenditures in terms of time and money to taking part
in a single event [for example,] if a yarn manufacturer [that is] a classic Techtextil exhibitor
develops products for making garment textiles, the company not only has no need to exhibit at a
second fair but also profits from the presence of Avantex exhibitors.”

“Avantex focuses on high-tech apparel textiles and presents developments ranging from the
concept to the prototype stages. With a range of products and services from the fields of technical
textiles and nonwovens, Techtextil covers a broader spectrum,” Jänecke added.

Both shows will once again be held this year at the Messe Frankfurt Congress Center in Frankfurt
from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, and Wednesday, June 13; and from 9:00 a.m. until
5:00 p.m., Thursday, June 14. One-day tickets for Techtextil are 19 euros (US$25) in advance, and
will be 26 euros (US$35) at the box office. Students may pay a reduced rate of 15 euros (US$20) at
the box office. Three-day tickets are 34 euros (US$46) in advance, and will be 46 euros (US$62) at
the box office. Tickets cover admission to both events. The Techtextil 2007 catalog will be on sale
at the fair for 17 euros ($23). Separate fees apply for the accompanying symposium programs.

The 2007 edition of Techtextil features the following product groups: research, development,
planning, development and consultation; technology, machinery and accessories; fibers and yarns;
wovens, scrims, braids and knitted fabrics; nonwovens; composites; coated textiles; bondtec, which
covers finishing processes, application processing, material pretreatment and surface treatment
technologies, among others; associations; and publishers.

Application areas include: Agrotech: horticulture, landscape gardening, agriculture, forestry
and livestock farming; Buildtech: membrane construction, lightweight and solid structures, civil
engineering, industrial building, temporary construction, interior design, earthworks, waterway and
road construction and agricultural construction; Clothtech: clothing and shoes; Geotech: civil and
road engineering, road- and dam-building and waste-site construction; Hometech: furniture,
upholstered furniture, interior furnishings, carpets and floor covering; Indutech: cleaning,
mechanical engineering, chemical/electrical industry; Medtech: hygiene and medicine; Mobiltech:
cars, ships, planes, railways and space travel; Oekotech: environmental protection, recycling and
waste disposal; Packtech: packaging, protective packaging systems, bags and storage systems;
Protech: personal and property protection; and Sporttech: sport and leisure, activewear, outdoor,
sporting goods and equipment, and athletic shoes.

National pavilions will offer visitors another way to view exhibitors and their products.
Fourteen countries will participate, including the United States, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia,
the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Taiwan and Great
Britain.

The Avantex Innovation Prize will be awarded for achievements in workwear; sports; medical
applications through apparel; fashion; and material, technology, processing and handling
developments.

Brussels-based TensiNet the European communication network for tensile structures – has joined
with Techtextil in organizing the ninth student competition focused on textile structures for new
building. Prize money worth 8,000 euros (nearly US$11,000) will be awarded to winners in the
categories of macro-architecture, micro-architecture, environment and ecology, and composites and
hybrid structures.

Awards will be presented the evening of Monday, June 11. Award-winning work from all
competitions will be displayed at a special show held during the trade fairs.

The Techtextil and Avantex symposia will commence with a joint lecture entitled “Future
Perspectives of the European Textile Industry.”

Ensuing Techtextil-Symposium lecture blocks, which will take place during the next three
mornings, will cover such topics as Medtech; Mobiltech; composites; Buildtech, including building
with membranes and textile reinforcement; and materials and technology.

Companies and institutions worldwide will be represented at the lectures. For example,
representatives from the Netherlands-based Technical University Delft architectural faculty will
discuss deflated textile constructions. Lecturers from the Institute of Security Technology
(Moratex), Poland, will cover energy-absorbing materials for anti-impact products and applications.
A representative from VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH, Germany, will discuss intelligent textiles
in concrete structures; while representatives from Karl Mayer Malimo Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH,
Germany, will cover markets and trends for multiaxially reinforced glass and carbon composites.

High-performance polyphenylene sulfides for innovative developments in technical textiles will
be the subject of Germany-based Ticona GmbHs lecture. Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH, Germany, will
present a lecture on nano-coating for medical and hygienic applications.

Lectures will be interpreted into German and English. Attendees may make appointments with
lecturers at the end of each presentation.

Admission tickets to the Techtextil symposium will also include admission to the concurrent
Avantex symposium.

“Thus, we can take up currents and developments in the market directly and at an early stage,
which means the fair remains attractive for exhibitors and visitors,” Jänecke said. “Additionally,
we profit from the general market trend: The demand for technical textiles has been growing
continuously for years, making technical textiles the fastest-growing part of the textile industry.
And this growing interest increases our exhibitor potential, too.”

 
For more information about Techtextil and Avantex, contact Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH 49
69 75 75-0; fax 49 69 75 75-64 33; www.techtextil.com;
www.avantex.messefrankfurt.com.

“Its the only exhibition globally showcasing commercial offerings in smart textiles and wearable
electronics from a material and component perspective,” said Steve Leftly, CEO, Fibretronic Ltd.,
England an Avantex exhibitor that develops and manufactures soft electronic component solutions.
“This is the most relevant exhibition for showcasing our technologies,” he said.

Leftly added that Fibretronic hopes to introduce technical managers and buyers to the companys
products and technologies, as well as to network with similar companies, colleagues and the
press.

Exhibitors at Avantex numbering 29 from eight countries as of

TW’
s press time will be divided into the following product groups:
research/development/consulting; textile technology; fibers and yarns; textile surfaces and
membranes; textile finishing; high technology in clothing; innovative clothing; textile care; trade
associations; and publishers.

The shows application areas fashion, sports, healthcare and workwear will aid visitors in more
easily targeting those products and companies that are of the greatest interest.

“At our booth, we shall present not only our current research projects but also our wide range
of services for the entire textile process,” explained Rose-Marie Riedl, head of corporate
communication and research marketing at the Hohenstein Institutes, Germany.

“We cover classic areas such as clothing physiology and clothing technology as well as new
topics. We offer unique services, some of which are available worldwide, in the area of textile
odor analysis, nanotechnology assessment, as well as potency and safety tests conducted on medical
textiles,” Riedl added.

“However, these services do require a great deal of explanation. A trade fair such as the
Avantex/Techtextil is the ideal platform for us to communicate our services . “

Both Avantex and Techtextil will be held at the Messe Frankfurt Congress Center. Avantex
exhibitors will be incorporated into hall 3.1.

“The Avantex/Techtextil is also of great interest to those outside the textile industry. The
trade fair organizers do very important work, especially in the areas of press communications, and
they offer tremendous support to manufacturers and the trade in the marketing of intelligent
textiles [to] the end consumer, and they prepare the ground for innovative developments,” she
continued.

The fourth edition of the forums accompanying symposium, sponsored by the Technical Textiles
Working group of the European Apparel and Textile Organization (EURATEX), Brussels, will be held at
the congress center concurrently with the Techtextil-Symposium beginning the afternoon of Monday,
June 11, and continuing each morning of the event.

Entitled “Discover the Future of Clothing,” symposium topics will include healthcare,
electronics and textiles, fashion, sports and workwear, materials and technology.

In addition to the symposiums opening lecture, held jointly with the Techtextil-Symposium, the
Avantex-Symposium will feature speakers from a number of companies worldwide including EMS-Chemie
AG, Switzerland; DSM Engineering Plastics, the Netherlands; Schoeller Textil AG, Switzerland; Karl
Menzel Maschinenfabrik, Germany; Outlast Technologies Inc., Boulder, Colo.; Interactive Wear AG,
Germany; and Textronics Inc., Wilmington, Del.; among others; as well as from numerous
international academic institutions including the Hohenstein Institutes, which has regularly
participated in past Avantex symposiums.

“It gives us a good opportunity to present our research results to a broad public, Riedl
said.”

May/June 2007