FLOYD HARWELL IS getting a jump on the future. The president and owner of Greenville, Tenn.-based Home Medical Services, a small, independent home medical equipment and respiratory provider, believes the Internet with its myriad business possibilities isn't only for the big guys.

Indeed, he thinks small providers like himself will soon have to have a presence on the Web if they are to compete. "A lot of your purchasing is going to be done over the Web, and a lot of your retail is going to be done over the Web," he says. "I think it's going to be a part of your business, but not your total business."

In preparation for that day, Harwell launched his site-www.homemedicalservices.net -in September. It followed one he had about three years ago. "We got minimal response," he says of the earlier site, "and I finally pulled it. But what I learned there helped me put this one together."

He learned that less is better. You're better off starting with a streamlined site and adding to it than loading it up with every bell and whistle before you know whom your audience is, how many hits you're getting and what it is you want to accomplish, he says.

"You have to figure out 'Why do I want a Web page?' and 'What do I want to do with it?'" he says. "My opinion is there are three reasons for a Web page. One is for recognition-and that's mostly what mine is at this point-and the other reasons would be to get local business and then worldwide business."

Harwell's site initially featured only basic information, such as the company name, address and business hours. It now includes a list of the company's HME and service offerings, and links to organizations such as the American Diabetes Association. He has also added a page so that customers can e-mail him questions. That has elicited steady response, with people usually inquiring about specific products or supplies.

So far, he says, the site has been a modest success. "Have I sold anything? Yes. Even though it doesn't have a shopping cart module, I have been able to sell some," Harwell says. While most of the orders have come from within a 60-mile radius, he has drop-shipped products to Alabama and California.

Harwell is taking it slowly, allowing for controlled growth and few surprises. In May, he added a counter to gauge the number of hits he's getting. When he's satisfiedwith the numbers, he'll add a shopping cart module. "I'm getting to where I want to sell something over the Web," he says, adding that he expects one day to be shipping products worldwide-and enlarging his staff of five to keep up with the demand.

Has good thinking in online business paid off for your business? HomeCare magazine would like to hear about it. Contact Susanne Hopkins at 800/543-4116, ext. 463; fax: 310/317-0264; or e-mail: susanne_hopkins@intertec.com.