Home Business Trends
Most of us have been conditioned to believe that if we go to school, get a good education and a job with a big company, we will be set for life. Although that worked during the "Industrial Age", our economy has changed dramatically.
We now are in what is referred to as the "Information Age". The same beliefs that worked well during the Industrial Age no longer hold true. We now have an economy that is driven by information, technology and service.
In the last ten years the western world has seen a tremendous surge in the number of people either working from home or starting home based businesses. Many large corporations are even encouraging employees to do this ... it's a convenience that is fueled both by technology and changing social trends ... and because of technology, small home-based businesses have the same reach and capabilities as their larger competitors.
Studies now show that literally millions of people worldwide have successful and stable home-based businesses and that number grows each year. Amazingly, people who already have jobs or other careers start many of these home-based businesses.
For the average person, a home based business is the "bridge" between the hectic big cities and the slow paced, sometimes remote, family-oriented small towns. During the Industrial Age people believed that it was necessary to live in metropolitan areas next to big corporate employers. This is no longer true, thanks to personal computers, the Internet, increasing phone systems, fax machines, and satellite systems.
Recent trends
Do you find yourself asking "who, what, why, and how". Who are these entrepreneurs? What are they doing? Why are so many people interested in working from home? How did they start and how do they succeed? A generation ago, our parents could not imagine the possibilities available to us today. Why? Technology provides a lot of the answers to these questions.
In today's world, the fastest way to grow any business is to take advantage of the power and reach of the Internet. You cannot pick up a newspaper or magazine and not read about how Ecommerce, doing business over the Internet, has changed lives both here in Australia and around the world. Most importantly for home businesses, the Internet creates a level playing field that gives every business, large or small, the same opportunity for success.
On the average it costs between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up and run a conventional business. Having a home based business on the other hand can cost dramatically less and with the Internet, have the potential to reach customers from all around the world for a fraction of what a traditional business would spend.
Consumers around the world are spending over $US 7,000,000,000 a year in commerce transactions over the Internet. We are still in the early stages of this growth cycle and the demand is expected to grow even faster in the near future.
On the other side of the coin, a "secure" job all of a sudden is becoming a rarity and job satisfaction seems for most people to be a thing of the past (who would have thought that working for a major airline or insurance company would be considered a high-risk occupation?)
When economic times are tight, companies look to protect their bottom line; they make do with less staff which means less people doing more work for the same pay; or these companies all of a sudden have to close their doors altogether ... with obvious consequences to their employees ... and the hidden impact on their families, lifestyles, hopes and dreams.
Times may be good, but when they change (and they surely will) there are no guarantees that your 'good job' will still be there.
What this means for you
All these factors really point to two things:
Firstly, there has probably never been a better time to seriously consider a home based business opportunity (and let's face it, that's why you're looking at this website) simply because technology has "leveled out the playing field". You don't necessarily need the skills or capital of a successful entrepreneur. These are things that can be developed PROVIDED you have a system to work to (remember McD?)
And secondly, because of lifestyle and environmental factors, it is increasingly obvious that people cannot depend on outside factors for their future
Consider this ... at age 65:
- 45% over age 65 earn less than $8325
- 26% over 65 earned less than $12000 (this means that 71% of citizens aged 65+ have an average weekly income of only $195)
- 17% over 65 earned between $12000-$20000
- 10% over 65 earned between $20000 - $39999
- Only 2% over 65 earned over $40000!
Statistics say that out of 100 people that start working at the age of 25, by the age of 65, 95% of people can not afford to retire and work until they die!!