| I believe that it's easier to succeed with small | | | | out of money around the time of their next pay |
| businesses than ever before. There are more | | | | packet, which often contained notes and coins! |
| opportunities for entrepreneurs to start small | | | | Today most people have many bank accounts (with |
| businesses today than at any previous time. | | | | overdrafts) and access to credit cards, which alone |
| Here are some good reasons for why I believe this is | | | | have spending limits equal to a half or full year's |
| true. | | | | income. |
| A) With the increase in population comes an increase | | | | Savings and share holdings are greater than ever |
| in opportunities for small businesses. | | | | before. A large proportion of the population can raise |
| Generally, a sparse population requires a small | | | | money on their house and if they don't mind paying a |
| business owner to provide a wide variety of goods | | | | high interest percentage, they can borrow with no |
| or services to survive. With a denser population, the | | | | security at all. |
| small businesses can still survive by providing a very | | | | A great variety of people and institutions are now |
| narrow range of products or services. | | | | willing to lend money for good small businesses |
| For example, in a smaller population a small business | | | | proposals. |
| which provides gardening services would probably | | | | With access to credit, you can buy the product, ship |
| need to offer many things. Services could include | | | | it to the customer and get paid before you have to |
| general garden maintenance, planning, tree felling, | | | | pay for the goods which you sold. This just wasn't |
| lawn cutting, vermin control, pond planning and | | | | possible until very recently. |
| maintenance, hard landscaping etc. | | | | G) Advice, courses and books about starting small |
| With a bigger population a small business could thrive | | | | businesses are within easy reach of everyone. |
| perfectly well by providing just one of these | | | | Researching your chosen business area has never |
| services, as there are more people who will need it. | | | | been easier with the Internet so readily available. |
| B) The costs involved in starting and running small | | | | Not so long ago, you would have needed to buy |
| businesses has never been so low in proportion to | | | | many books and read them all to get the specific |
| income. | | | | information you required. Now you can ask a search |
| Technology has replaced many of the things which | | | | engine very specific questions and get very specific |
| people used to do, and technology does the job a lot | | | | answers, almost immediately. |
| more cheaply. | | | | This frees up small businesses and enables them to |
| Today it's possible to reach literally millions of | | | | be far more productive and enterprising. |
| potential customers around the world very cheaply. | | | | H) If you start a small business today you have an |
| For example, only a few decades ago the cost of | | | | immense amount of technology available to you. |
| mailing to thousands of households was prohibitively | | | | Computers, printers, copiers, audio and video |
| high. Unless you had a very good product or service | | | | recording and playback equipment, telephony and the |
| which sold well, a small business just wouldn't risk it. | | | | internet are all easily available to any entrepreneur |
| Another example, business premises security used to | | | | wanting to get started in a new small business |
| involve security guards walking around checking that | | | | enterprise. |
| all was well. Now a good security system can be | | | | Not long ago, the average multi-national company |
| bought for less than 1 week's pay for that security | | | | lacked the computing, communicating and printing |
| guard, and it will work 24 hrs per day for years, for | | | | power available to the ordinary person today. |
| no pay. | | | | You can probably think of at least 6 different ways |
| C) Because modern life is so complex today, small | | | | to get a simple message to someone on the other |
| businesses and individuals are open to new ideas, | | | | side of the world. 5 of those messages would |
| products and services like never before. | | | | typically arrive less than 1 minute after you sent |
| This creates a huge market for training courses, | | | | them. |
| information provision services, educational aids, | | | | Just 100 years ago, (and remember mankind has |
| specialised products and services, novelties, etc. | | | | been around for about 3 million years) this same |
| With this great diversity come great opportunities to | | | | message would have involved horses and steam |
| combine different products and technologies, thus | | | | ships and would have taken months. |
| making whole new areas of business possible. | | | | This massive improvement in technology (especially in |
| For example, you can combine a low-light camera | | | | communications and information) has really opened up |
| with wireless communications and a bird box. This | | | | the field to the individual who wants to go ahead |
| means a nest may be watched remotely on a | | | | with a new small business venture. |
| television or personal computer screen. | | | | I) Small businesses starting up today have far more |
| Another example would be to combine voice-chip | | | | choices available to them. |
| technology with passive infrared technology to make | | | | In previous times, it was quite common for there to |
| it sound as though you have a huge dog indoors | | | | be only a few companies that they could go to, to |
| whenever anyone approaches your house. | | | | buy business supplies. Whatever business you care to |
| In our recent history, these opportunities just didn't | | | | name, you would not find many suppliers of the |
| exist. | | | | materials needed to conduct that business. |
| D) It may not feel like it, but many people today | | | | Unless your business is in a very specialist area, you |
| have a lot more leisure time and a higher disposable | | | | will now find you can source your supplies from a |
| income than in any previous age. | | | | great many firms. This in turn drives your costs |
| This spare income (and with the current attitudes to | | | | down, as you can shop around for the best deals. |
| loans, a little more besides) tends to get spent on | | | | For example, there used to be very few ways to |
| sports, games, hobbies, crafts, amusements, | | | | get your goods delivered to your customers. |
| entertainments, holidays and weekend breaks etc. | | | | Nowadays you could chose from literally hundreds of |
| This creates many opportunities for the entrepreneur | | | | different carriers. |
| to start up small businesses to satisfy all this extra | | | | New companies can chose anywhere in the world to |
| demand. | | | | set up their small businesses, or indeed where to |
| E) To thrive in a modern society you need to have a | | | | place any part of their business. |
| lot of different skills. | | | | I know of a successful paintball company, which |
| Nowadays people cope with a variety of complex | | | | operates in the UK in summer. But when the business |
| tasks. They buy and use a wide range of consumer | | | | falls off due to the cold winter, they find new |
| equipment, fill out many forms, and communicate | | | | customers by simply moving the company to Brazil, |
| with all kinds of people from all walks of life (often | | | | and then return the following spring. |
| from different countries and cultures). They also do | | | | They also take advantage of the cheaper labour in |
| difficult transactions like house purchasing, and so on. | | | | Brazil to manufacture the paint balling equipment, and |
| All this is a long way from the average people who | | | | when back in the UK use the greater expertise in the |
| were around just a few hundred years ago. Many | | | | UK to program their systems. |
| were farm labourers who could barely read or write | | | | Not so long ago this flexibility of operating a small |
| and never travelled more than a few miles from | | | | business would have been totally impractical. |
| home. | | | | Conclusion. |
| So now, the pool of potential business people is far | | | | There are far more opportunities to start small |
| greater than ever before. If a person can live well in | | | | businesses than ever before and entrepreneurs who |
| a modern society, they already have the abilities they | | | | do start new small businesses at home are more |
| need to start up a small business enterprise and | | | | likely to succeed. |
| succeed. | | | | There are more potential customers, it costs less to |
| The good news also is that if you lack a certain skill | | | | start up and you have more choice over the kind of |
| which your small business needs, then you can | | | | business to go into. Other benefits are a more skilled |
| probably employ someone with that skill far more | | | | and educated workforce, and easy access to financial |
| easily than ever before. | | | | support. |
| F) More people have access to money than ever | | | | If you do want your own enterprise, you can also |
| before. | | | | use the power of the Internet to carry out good |
| Until the late 1960s, most people were paid weekly | | | | and fast research, and to support your business in |
| and spent money as they earned it. | | | | many ways. I believe there has never been a better |
| It was normal among manual workers to run right | | | | time to start up new small businesses. |