When did you last go to a conference?

Entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses do not attend conferences ... for one thing, they are usually too busy to take a few consecutive days out of their schedule.  However they do have to keep up with new developments, new technologies, new products, new competitors, new ways of thinking and so on.  How do they do that?

A lot of them simply rely on 'having my ear to the ground' believing that in their day-to-day activity they will come across most relevant news. A risky approach?

Luckily there are new avenues available. LinkedIn offers a range of services ... though many people think its some kind of advanced recruitment agency - a job shop.

The groups, on LinkedIn, however offer a great way of peer-based learning ... and since you can ask questions and start discussions, you can direct your focus to topics of particular interest. Look through the list of groups and find one that (almost) matches your area of interest.  'Almost' is better than 'perfectly' since you need new ideas coming from off the agenda, from left-field.  Its your job to absorb and then to identify opportunities - and to do it faster than others!