For the past 25 years, Wayne Messick has immersed himself in the fears, concerns, and motivations of America´s typical business owner, and he transfers this valuable knowledge via his presentations and his web site.

The knowledge he shares brings a greater level of confidence and understanding to both business owners and those who provide products and services to them.

A polished speaker, he brings an uncommon insight to audiences from diverse industries, showing business owners - step by step - how they can embrace technology and evolve for success.

Before the Internet existed, he spent a quarter of a century helping the owners of privately-held companies develop succession strategies. This in-depth experience gives him a real understanding of what makes business owners tick.

When the dot-com boom hit, it became clear to Wayne that no one was addressing the needs of the average family business owner.

Family businesses - which make up most of the businesses in America - are innately different from the start-ups, dot-coms, entrepreneurs, and Fortune 500 companies that were getting all the attention.

Since 1997 Family Business Strategies has accumulated statistical evidence supporting our belief that the real winners in the battle for the Internet will be the established, privately held, family owned companies; companies who leverage their inherent advantages (trusted brand, excellent service, etc.) by integrating the Internet into their strategy for growth.

What do business owners REALLY want the Internet to do for them?

Our research will surprise many in the media, whose role in reporting the Internet has been so predictable and so wrong - at least as it effects the millions of business owners who are not part of the Fortune 1000.

They want the Internet to help them:

• provide better customer service.
• reduce the cost of doing business.
• offer additional products to their current loyal customers.
• expand brand recognition beyond their current marketing area.
• increase sales, profitably.

We are profiling opinion leaders in our newsletter - business owners respected in their industry. Our mission is to individually chronicle 500 businesses, to put faces behind the facts as we complete and publish our research.

Association executives, tell your members about this opportunity to share their story with other business owners like them. We will publish their experiences - as brief quotes or success stories in our newsletter and on our website.

Business owners, tell us how the Internet is helping your company save money, offer better service, expand your territory, etc.

Vendors, send us case studies of your "Main Street" customers. If your products and services address one of the challenges above - we want to publish an example of someone you´ve helped.