Motley Fool advice: Why 2018 May Be the Year to Start Your Small Business

May is small business month. Because it is stories and op-ed pieces about small business gets greater media exposure than normal.

Here is another example:

Why 2018 May Be the Year to Start Your Small Business

" . . . according to a study by Intuit. “Nimble small businesses are better suited to the realities of the 21st economy. The most successful small businesses are capitalizing on new opportunities, adapting when needed and pivoting to serve customer expectations in a rapidly changing world.”

When starting a small business, the difference between success and failure is often planning. About 20% of small businesses don’t make it through their first year, while roughly 50% don’t survive for five years. . .

. . . Be pessimistic. Assume things will go wrong and that you will need more cash than expected. . . .

“Consumer habits are changing, forcing Americans to consider how they open small businesses in 2018 – whether it’s focusing more on e-commerce than actual storefronts, or focusing on selling to a local community or region instead of a broader national audience,” said Luke Pittaway, Ohio University’s Copeland Professor of Entrepreneurship, in a press release promoting UPS Stores’ Inside Small Business Survey.

In addition, tools have evolved to make it easier to start digital businesses, or companies with a digital component. For example, Shopify makes opening a digital storefront something anyone with basic technical skills can do. . .

. . . Of course, the changing nature of retail has also created opportunities for those who do seek to open a traditional storefront. A record number of store closures has forced mall owners and other landlords to be more creative in filling space. That can lead to cheaper or more creative leases that allow small businesses to go places they once couldn’t. . .

Yeah I excerpted the article properly. It is mistitled. The article, while interesting focuses not at all on "Why 2018 May Be . . . "

It instead discusses the same ideas, EG retail vs. etail vs wholesale some of us have been discussing on the Bezos thread.

I think the article, though mistitled, might be interesting to some folks here.

~ Bob

Seems like a plumber, or a wedding planner, or or a wholesaler, an e-tailer who traditionally cannot afford a storefront, and operstes without one, might find rents have come down and a store front might add value.

Maybe.