Just when we thought Skype was giving the phone companies enough of a run for their money, now Microsoft’s relatively recent acquisition has added something new. It’s a platform designed especially for business opportunity and other small business and franchise owners that connects them free-of-charge and instantly with their potential customers, partners and suppliers…worldwide!

With its official launch last week coming on the heels of a six-month beta trial, Skype in the Workspace (SITW) now enables millions of small business owners to connect with potential prospects and business partners instantly while enjoying all the benefits of face-to-face interaction.

Capitalizing on Skype’s more than 280 million connected users each month and given that it is a free service, SITW offers endless possibilities to the small-business community as a tool for growth and expansion, and they include:

• Reduces location and industry barriers to small business growth potential
• Considerably lessens travel time as well as costs
• Acts as a “central hub for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses to connect with experts, coaches and consultants who can help them develop their businesses”
• Offers promotional tools that enable small business owners to create “public offers and opportunities” in the form of live sessions to demonstrate their products and services
• Enables small business owners to book and track appointments with potential customers and suppliers through a meeting notification service
• Allows users to offer instantaneous testimonials and feedback on products and services.

The truly beautiful thing about SITW is that it makes the most of Skype’s already strong presence as a free online face-to-face public platform while at the same time creating a necessary distinction in the minds of consumers and business people with regard to the clear difference between a professional network and a social one.

Perhaps Cindy Bidar, owner of All Quality Websites, a U.S. startup providing expert advice on how to design, build and maintain an online presence, said it best in a recent statement, “SITW has offered something other online platforms couldn’t—a community of business-focused individuals who can explore my services and interact with me in real time.”

And that’s great news for any business opportunity, distributorship, licensee opportunity, franchise or other small business owner!