The Daily Yonder recently ran an interesting article from entrepreneur Diane Smith on the ingredients of her success, which starts with broadband access. The author moved from DC to Whitefish Montana for lifestyle reasons and she has been able to start and sustain a growing business with ready access to broadband. She notes…

By 2007 we had raised over $30 million for this company that we had launched in a coffee shop with wi-fi. It seemed as if every person in Montana was part of our success. From the brilliant advice we received (pre-sell to customers), to the contacts we made (so you need to talk with ESPN?), to our investors (angels, a Montana telco), public relations support (the local economic development folks helped us “buzz up”) and our amazing team (rock stars all), so many people and businesses in Montana supported us that some days we felt like a statewide effort rather than a start-up struggling to pay our tab at the coffee house. I have said this many times before, but I don’t believe we would have had nearly such swift success had we been located in a more populated community or state.

She stresses the importance of wireless…

All broadband technologies are important, but wireless broadband is particularly important for entrepreneurs who frequently work out of their homes, from the road and in ways that require substantial mobility. Like earlier mobile technologies, 4G networks bring opportunity closer than ever to a budding entrepreneur’s front door but at much faster speeds. These lightning-fast networks rolling out across the country are transforming how we conduct our business and are empowering rural entrepreneurs.

That’s critical. Broadband connected businesses bring in approximately $300,000 more in annual median revenues than non-broadband adopting businesses ($400,000 annually vs. $100,000 annually), according to Connected Nation. Nearly one in three businesses earns revenue from online sales that account for $411.4 billion in annual revenues for U.S. companies. Sixty-five percent of home-based businesses use the Internet to stay in touch with customers, while 59% advertise or sell their goods online. Add to this the fact that 98% of U.S. counties had at least one high-tech business establishment in 2011 and it becomes pretty clear that mobile broadband is as vital a tool for entrepreneurs as money and brains.

This week – most of the month really – I am living the life of the mobile worker. I’m on a train in Scotland as I write this. So long as I have access to the Internet I can get my job done. It allows me to go places for extended periods. It’s been a huge game changer for anyone able to work remotely – but especially I think to entrepreneurs. If I weren’t able to work on the road, I wouldn’t be able to go – and access to broadband is one of the first questions I ask when making plans.