The Age of Opportunity
We have an incredible opportunity that no other generation will ever have. The internet is barely 18 years old right now. It's not even old enough to buy you a drink yet! So young, yet I'd bet your world almost entirely revolves around it.
We live in the age of transition - between the Googleless age of yesterday and the "cloud" world of tomorrow. No other generation in history will get to determine how the internet effects life as we know it like we do now. How are you capitalizing on this pivital time in history?
"So the internet is young. What's the big deal? It seems quite advanced as it is. I am already successful in business on the web..."
Are you getting left behind?
Unless there is a change in how you think about the web, these are the exact thought processes that will send well-established companies into decline in the next decade. If the advancements made in the past 5 years alone are any indicator of the future, then I can tell you designing for now will either leave you behind or allow you to blend in with everyone else. What are you doing now to separate yourself from the rest of the crowd?
Are you planning your company around where the market is at now, or where it will be? If the system you're prepared to invest upards of $50-80K is not flexible enough to handle where the internet and market trends are going - you've already lost.
How many of you 2-3 years ago thought Twitter was the dumbest thing you've ever heard of? Now how many of you have an account there? You see, the internet changes that quickly. Markets, trends, and the way businesses interact with their market can be completely rewritten in less than 24 months. Twitter went from being a triviality to shifting business and politics in a huge way.
Something to Think About
Don't try to predict the future of the web. Just keep thinking big, out of the box, and build your online infrastructure in such a way that a major (or minor) shift in the market will be a speedbump instead of a road-closed sign.
How is your company actively preparing for market shifts? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.