Small Business of the Future a Pretty Picture

The recently released Intuit Future of Small Business Report™ paints a pretty picture of what small business will be like through 2017.

The report identifies three major trends:

• the changing face of small business - Youth, immigrants, mompreneurs, retired boomers; entrepreneurs will be a more diverse group.
• the rise of personal business - Businesses without employees will proliferate as people choose free agent relationships (contracting) over being employees.
• the emergence of entrepreneurial education - Entrepreneurship will "be a widely adopted curriculum at educational, trade and vocational institutions."

What I find so fascinating about this photo of the future is the potential opportunities. If these trends, which we can already see developing, are indeed going to escalate as much as posited in this report, there's going to be real money to be made in entrepreneurial education and related fields such as business consulting.

Here's where you can download your copy of the Intuit Future of Small Business Report™. It's a worthwhile read because while the report is focused on American small business, I would say reading through it that in most cases the predictions will be equally valid in Canada - which means that we'll also share the same opportunities.

Read more about future trends

• Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends on Small Businesses of the Future
• Scott Allen of About Entrepreneurs on Trendwatching's Top 5 Consumer Trends of 2007

Translating Trends Into Opportunities

My take: The Best Business Opportunities of 2007