The Rise of Small Businesses Online:

    Hey everyone, it’s Monday and some Mondays are particularly rougher than other Mondays (this is one of those Mondays). Today for the sake of it being a rough Monday I decided to tackle one of Cairncross’s theories I believe she hit the most spot on. #3 on the list The Irrelevance of Size.

    The rise of the internet has surprisingly enough been also the rise of a multitude of small businesses. No longer do customers need to run all over town for a specific product they need. All they have to do now is jump on their laptops or smart phone, a few clicks later and the product is on its way to your front door. Not only has the internet helped with the rise of small businesses but it has really helped with the rise of very specific niche markets to expand. For example, Etsy, everyone knows what Etsy is, it that hipster online marketplace where you can find anything from spoons with your name engraved in them to pillows with a picture of your pet on them. Before the internet there was no place for strange novelty items like this unless you were at an art festival. The internet has made it possible for creative people to grow and expand their own business enough to have a fighting chance against the monopolies that typically dominate every market place. “Individuals with valuable ideas, initiative, and strong business plans will attract global venture capital and convert their ideas into viable businesses. ” Cairncross was really spot on with this prediction.

    I have seen first-hand how the internet has allowed for the creation of small creative marketplace since I myself run a small online store. I create jewelry that before I had an Esty store for the only way I sold it was at a little booth outside my house. Since I have created my Etsy store back in 2014 I have been able to expand my market to a size I never been thought to be possible. I have gone from selling to girls I went to high school with to shipping internationally.

 According to Theweek.com small online market places like Esty have been such a success because “They want to bring intimacy and individualism back to commerce.”. That is exactly what the rise of small businesses on the internet has done. It allows individuals to remain individuals by finding unique and special items on the internet that they could never find in stores. I find this prediction so interesting because it amazes me just how in-tune Cairncross was with how she saw the future playing out.

    Don’t forget to check back in next week when I go in yet again to examine some of the major trends Cairncross missed.

Work Cited:

"How to Make a Living on Etsy." The Week - All You Need to Know about Everything That Matters. N.p., 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 June 2017.