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A Cupertino company that helps small businesses sell their products and services online is now facing competition from some big Web names that have entered the market.
But Bizfinity Inc. is encouraged, rather than threatened, by recent competition from such household names as Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc.
The big companies' specialized services to help small firms develop a Web strategy validates the market Bizfinity has been in since its founding in 1998, says CEO Ronald Brown.
However, he describes as "lunacy" the notion that such large companies can grasp the needs of small ones.
"They lack the understanding and the passion for small business," adds Rex Northen, co-founder of Bizfinity.
As the Internet becomes ubiquitous, businesses of all sizes - not just retail giants, but the neighborhood florist shop - are discovering its potential. As companies such as Bizfinity emerge to help small firms make the most of the Web, larger competitors are casting a covetous eye on that market.
"I would respectfully disagree with the gentleman's comment that we don't understand small business," says Marcus Schmidt, lead product manager for Microsoft's bCentral small-business services.
(American City Business Journals Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., publisher of the Silicon...