Is the time right to launch your start up business? On the face of it the markets don’t look that appealing. A stagnant economy, the likely risk of rising inflation, high fuel costs influencing transportation and distribution costs, not to mention the lack lustre consumer market and tight purse for both corporate and public departments. All of this is then dampened further by continuous reports of financing issues, with the flow of working capital limited through traditional banking sources.
Let’s re-consider this for one moment. When has setting up your own business ever been easy? Often it’s been led by a desire to drive a lifestyle change or the belief of having a great solution to a common problem which has a marketable value. A great solution will succeed regardless of the wider economy. History also tells us that the best time to start a new business is often at the start of the growth curve. Assuming we have seen the worst of the negative down turn for the economy, that could be now.
The world today is actually a far better equipped global market for the small or micro business than ever before. Technology has ripped down many of the cost barriers of the past and enabled small businesses to present their solutions, services and products on the world stage, far more easily than ever before. With the emergence of the smart phone, tablet, ultrabook, cloud and even better mobile telecom solutions, the world has rapidly become a smaller and more mobile place than ever before. Many larger businesses have seen this emergence and accepted that small businesses have something to offer. For example: the rise of the mobile app world has delivered numerous success stories for small business developers and businesses alike. Amazons third party seller scheme are made up of many small business owners and start- ups, small businesses who ultimately feed the corporate machine which they house themselves within. We can all reach out and build, grow and develop a business in today’s world of commerce and e-commerce.
This is all fine, but what about the traditional business, medical business, even dental business? These are all businesses in their own right and equally could adapt to the benefits of technology and mobility. However, on first appearance often shackled to one location, the traditional constraints of business of the past are actually no more relevant to this business type than most. Harley Street is bulging with mobile private medical practitioners, all of whom are essentially small businesses. The surrounding area expands on this further with other professions from the world of dentistry doing the same. Often many of these could use the full force of the cloud to ensure their practice is truly mobile.
Working from home, the car, or even the coffee shop are all common locations for small and micro business owners. Many coffee shops have grown their business on the back of the new found mobility. Often welcoming them with wifi to assist with their quest to work when and where they want. There are still some aspects of business which are harder to shrug off or replace with technology. The office location, landline telephone or administration support are traditional business elements which still have their place in the business world. These are some of the last ties to the past for the small business owner. Although even these requirements can now be tackled with the use of Virtual Office or Virtual Assistant service providers.
Opportunities will continue to present themselves in this new mobile world. The one question which has always remained is of course do you have enough belief to take the risk?
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