As reliance on the internet grows, people are changing the way they’re finding and starting businesses. While this may make some aspects of starting a new business easier, this new innovation comes with increasing challenges. Since an estimated 82% of businesses fail as a result of cash flow problems, organizations are constantly searching for ways to turn digital interaction into revenue-generating activities.
Innovative Technology Spurs Startups
As the internet continues to expand at shocking rates, more people are harnessing the technological capabilities to create businesses entirely online. Previously, 35% of people wouldn’t have discovered a business had it not been for their sign; however, this has been changing in recent years due to the overwhelming presence of digital businesses.
Websites like Kickstarter and Patreon are now also enabling individual creators to establish their own brand and earn a living entirely online by creating digital content and receiving payments through the internet. As more people are able to easily start their professional careers online with less capital, more startups are springing onto the scene. This, in turn, is changing how people are investing in various industries.
Changes In Investing
As the internet changes the professional landscape across the board, people have more options when it comes to investing in different types of businesses. Some more traditional methods remain popular, even among younger generations. In fact, 55% of millennials are interested in investing in real estate, the highest percentage of all demographics questioned.
However, with crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and more making startups more common, people are having an easier time contributing to the growth of small businesses. These platforms enable people to invest even small amounts into the start of new businesses. However, this new type of investment is not without its drawbacks.
Drawbacks Abound
Crowdfunding platforms, as well as many other apps and services, take a few fees and a small cut of profits as part of their agreements with creators and service providers. This is how services like these make their profits, including everything from Instacart to Uber. That means that customers tipping or investing using these platforms might not actually be giving money to their creator or service provider, with those funds instead of being redirected to the platforms and organizers.
As the internet grows and expands, more services and apps like these will spring up to help creators and entrepreneurs start up their dream businesses. The workplace of the future is here, thanks to the internet! However, these services will continue to come at a cost to those looking to start their professional lives with the help of the digital world. Will these platforms continue to thrive, or will the costs come back to haunt them? Only time will tell if this digital phenomenon is here to stay.
