New Technologies Open Business Opportunities Up to Everyone
Technology has always been the great equaliser, and that's especially true in today's world. From Google to Wikipedia, technology is never going to stay with one country for long, and this shift presents new opportunities for businesses everywhere.
So if you're looking for a chance to make your dream come true without having to be an expert in the field or even have any business experience at all, these technologies are making it possible now more than ever before.
Below we look at some of the most promising new technologies that are opening doors to business opportunities for anyone.
1. Bitcoin/Blockchain Technology
Blockchain and bitcoin have been together for a while, but now they're getting a lot more recognition as a potential technology to revolutionise everything from business to government. And that makes it extra exciting.
Bitcoin is, of course, the virtual currency that many have tried to learn about without success; you could say it's all about a network that links computers together, providing security and trust throughout the network based on game theory and cryptography. It's also known for being independent of any company or government.
Blockchain is the technology that makes bitcoin work, and it's essentially a ledger of all bitcoin transactions currently in existence that everyone on the network can see and verify. Right now it's a lot of computer code written with different applications, but in the future it'll be an open platform for developers to use and build on.
The concept behind blockchain is massive; there are no boundaries or limits to what can be built with what goes on there. So if you've had ideas about starting up a business in a field where there's not been much demand for new businesses, this could really change that.
2. 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing
3D printing is all about creating a physical object from a digital model by adding layer upon layer of materials. It's quite an amazing concept that requires many advanced technologies, with the most important being computer-controlled machines to add layers of material in the correct order, but the way it all works is really cool.
You can use 3D printing to make almost anything, and there are lots of businesses building new products this way. The downside right now is that most of these products aren't up to scratch and can only be used once or twice, but as they improve this will change.
There's also the technology of Additive Manufacturing (AM), which produces products from raw materials rather than an existing model. This is going to be huge in making 3D printing even more useful, but it's going to take time for manufacturers to learn how to make these new products.
3. Drone Technology
This is a technology that could have a massive impact on business, but it's also relatively new and hasn't gained much traction yet. Drones are remotely controlled aircraft that can do things like monitor crops or help farmers plant seeds, and now they're becoming more intelligent. They can learn how to spot issues in your crops or recognise patterns so you don't need to check things so often.
This is only going to get better, too. By 2017 there will be drones delivering goods, and they'll even start delivering packages. This is perfect for markets that are growing or are in remote areas where getting to the post office would be a challenge. With technology like this, anyone can start a business that uses drones as their main focus.
4. 3D Printing Direct From Your Smartphone/3D Printing From Your Phone
3D printing is going to be huge for smaller businesses because it means you can keep producing new goods without having to order things in from factories around the world – it'll just print them straight from your phone or computer wherever you are.
The technology behind this works in a similar way to a 3D scanner, except it can also create solid models rather than just images. This means you get the full workflow benefits of 3D printing without having to hire a team of people to make all the prototypes for your products.
5. Self-Driving Cars/Sophisticated Road Networks
One day soon it'll seem ridiculous that we spend so much time and money on road networks and traffic systems, but right now they're very important. Probably more important than ever, in fact, since they need to be constantly monitored because there will soon be so many vehicles on the roads at once they'll need help monitoring all of them at once from afar.
Self-driving cars will eventually be a reality, and one of their biggest benefits is that there won't be so much need for road traffic control. There's also a great chance this technology will bring about new businesses, because it'll make transport easier for everyone.
6. Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is really just the idea that everything around us should communicate with each other. A great example of this is smart power sockets, which you can use to control your lighting at home or check if your washing machine needs to be fixed by sending it an instant message or phone call when you aren't around.
There's so much potential for this sort of technology in business, like the ability to monitor your warehouse or even control your factory in real time from basics like your smartphone. It's still new and not well known, but it's a great chance for someone to start up a brand new business by trying something totally different.
7. Natural Language Processing/Computer Vision
Natural language processing is the idea that eventually we'll be able to communicate more effectively with computers using our voices or text. Computer vision is similar except it's used in facial recognition and image tagging. It's all about taking pictures of the world around us and making a computer recognise what's in them.
This is an area of technology that's going to change the way many of us use our phones, so it needs to become more commonplace. There are already companies doing this kind of thing, but there aren't enough yet to serve everyone or get people used to it. It's another business opportunity in the distant future that'll need some entrepreneurial spirit to make it work.
8. Smart Devices/Internet Of Things Services
Smart devices are just smartphones and tablets that have been programmed with special applications which give them new abilities, like being able to connect directly with you and your business for example. Technology like this has become quite advanced, with apps that can run on these devices and communicate with your business.
9. Car Sharing/Taxis That Don't Need Drivers
Car sharing is growing in popularity all over the world. It's a system whereby people can rent out their car for others to use for short periods of time. There are plenty of great services out there, but it'd be even better if you could book your taxi on the same service and avoid a taxi driver altogether.
Conclusion
It's really exciting to think about all the possibilities that will open up in the future, but it's important to remember that all of these things are far away yet. Every day we're discovering new technologies and creating the infrastructure for them, so there's almost no better time to start a business than now.
No matter what kind of technology you're passionate about, it's always a good idea to put some of your spare time into making sure it succeeds and becomes part of mainstream society. This is an industry that doesn't require huge amounts of capital or experience, which makes it perfect as an entry-level business.