There has never been a better time to start a business. Of course, the million dollar question is… What Business?
A recent article on Read-Write-Web talked about the massively reduced costs of acquiring the technology to design, develop and deploy a solution. Costs have come down by an order of magnitude to secure the infrastructure that will help almost any business get started. One factor that hasn’t come down in price is the cost of engineers.
However, with the disintermediation of engineering skills there is a way to identify resources in various places around the world that have the skills you need for the specific project you have in mind. The advantage of these skills is that they can be secured for the time needed and when they aren’t needed they can be released to work on other projects. I’m not saying that managing engineering resources in far flung places is easy. It’s not. I’ve managed several projects that were fraught with challenges that would have never occurred if we were all in the same room or at least the same time zone. However, with careful planning and spending a lot of time an energy on insuring communications channels are clear it can be done.
The Rise of the Entrepreneur
Anyone with a great idea can muster the resources to launch a product, to launch a company, to create an industry. Of course, this is much easier to type than it is to actually do. But the fact remains that getting started has never been easier. No longer does one need to be an expert in the technical aspects. Today, someone with the marketing, sales and/or business development skills can launch a product, a company and an industry.
This is not to say that entrepreneurial skills haven’t been practiced for many years. The point is, and the point of the RWW article, is that it has never been easier to secure the technical elements and infrastructure.
The best time to start a business was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
Credit to the Chinese Proverb about trees & the best time to plant them
Innovate – Iterate – Inculcate
There is always a need to innovate, but this does not always mean you need to invent the wheel. You may only need to merely re-invent the wheel or change the way it rolls.
As I wrote about in this post… Innovate, Disrupt, Commercialize – Not Necessarily in that Order… there are opportunities to seemingly see around corners. Just look for things that you would like to fix, improve or otherwise change. It could be a different way of getting a product to market or it could be a new way of doing something that others have overlooked. Then create a plan to share your idea and get others to see why your idea is the best thing since sliced bread.
Building Businesses can be External or Internal
Whether you utilize your innate skills to directly create a product, company and industry or whether you work for a group of people or a giant multi-national corporation you have the ability to create something quickly and cost effectively at your fingertips.
When you become proficient at marshalling the ideas, the resources and then executing on the business and technical plans you will Stand Out in Your Career. You will also be someone that is in demand. People will come looking for you to advise them and perhaps invest in them. Whether you decide to do so is up to you, but the key point is that your reputation will precede you. Your ability to get things done will be a known factor. And, the next time a challenging project is up for review your name will be bandied about because you ask the hard questions, because you know how to get to the root of the issue and because you know how to evaluate, assemble and execute on a plan.
The big question is… What will you build next?
