Survey respondents ranked managing company finances (36%) and finding information on the Internet (27%) as the most important ways technology can help minority small business owners. Other benefits of technology cited included tracking customers (17%) and forecasting budgets (11%).

"Technology has the power to cut across ethnic and racial hurdles by providing anyone with the know-how needed to get his or her business up and running," said Augusto Failde, author of Latino Success: Insights from 100 of America's Most Powerful Latino Business Professionals. "Whether it's managing your finances or simply creating a professional-looking presentation, there are technology tools available which can blow away the barriers for minorities who are starting their own business."

According to the survey, technology holds the key to helping minorities with their number-one concern: handling finances. In fact, an equal percentage of minorities felt that knowing how to handle finances was as much a hurdle to starting a new business as cultural barriers, according to the QuickBooks survey. The obstacles that minorities ranked in starting a new business include: - Knowing finance/accounting (34%) - Cultural barriers (34%) - Understanding technology (15%) - Finding enough time (6%)

In addition to technology, those surveyed ranked special loan/credit programs (57%) and government programs (50%) as instrumental in helping minorities start a business.

Failde: Tips for Minorities on Becoming Small Business Owners In his book, Failde outlines a variety of tips for minorities who plan to start their own business. These tips include:

• Level the playing field. Take advantage of technology to automate your tasks, giving you more time to devote to your business. Consider investing in small business financial software, which lets you easily write checks, record sales, handle invoicing, and understand where your money is going.
• Listen. You have to want to listen with a passionate ear to customers, suppliers, banks, and whoever else has a stake in your business.
• Seek Advice. Don't always accept conventional wisdom, and don't be afraid to ask if you don't know.
• Network. Build your own professional networks and forge strategic alliances both locally and nationally.
• Play like the big guys. You might be small, but you must be able to play like a big business, particularly when it comes to financial matters, such as cash-flow planning. The right software can help.
• Use your heritage. In the new global and multicultural economy, your heritage is a tremendous asset. Chase opportunities and leverage your differences by tapping into some of America's fastest growing consumer markets.
• Show Pride. Be proud of who you are, your culture and your language.

The survey, conducted by David Michaelson & Associates, Inc. on behalf of QuickBooks, is based on more than 350 telephone interviews conducted between April 25 and May 4, 1997. Americans 18 years and older participated in the survey and identified themselves as African- American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. The survey was sponsored by QuickBooks from Intuit, Inc., the leading developer of personal finance, small business accounting and tax preparation software.