Chicago - 5:27 pm on Jun 8, 2003 (gmt 0)

Internet is maturing

yes, and in the end, the strongest prevail. one of the most damaging and unfounded presumptions of the Internet of 1997-2001 was the idea that the Internet took away the advantages of big business. you know...supply chains will be broken...middle man would go away. etc. etc.

yet, although the Internet is far from the vehicle that would turn the business world on its head, it has proven to be an important way for a business to augment various aspects of their value chain - customer acquisition, marketing etc. Therefore, there are a number of important ways that small business can form strategic advantages by utilizing the Internet appropriately.

We are all smarter and more rationale. What in the world ever made us think that a small business could ever displace big business in the first place? The more we mature, the more we will see that comparitive advantages, capital structure, margins, mgt, and brand have and will continue to be the most important factors in the success of businesses, off-line and on. In the traditional world of small business, 95+% fail within 2 years. The Internet and search engines will make no exception to that rule.