There are more opportunities to start a business today than at any time during the history of mankind. There are six main reasons for this:

1. Many people today have a lot more leisure time and a high disposable income. This gives rise to a massive demand for hobbies, crafts, sports, games, amusements, holidays and weekend breaks.

2. Today's more competitive and diversified society means businesses and individuals are open to new ideas, services and products like never before. This creates a large potential market for training courses, educational aids, all kinds of information, specialised products and services, novelties, etc.

3. Anyone starting a business today has immense technology at his or her disposal including: computers, printers, photocopying machines, audio and video cassettes; audio and video recording equipment; low cost bulk printing; telephone answering machines, Internet and web sites etc. Twenty years ago the average multinational lacked the computing, communicating and printing power available to the ordinary person today.

4. Modern society demands its members have a lot of ability. In the course of a lifetime members are required to, for example:

i) use a long list of consumer durables;
ii) fill out reams of forms;
iii) communicate with all kinds of people from advisors to workmen;
iv) complete complex transactions such as buying a house;
v) sell himself/herself to potential employers, life partners, etc.;
vi) have opinions about everything from nuclear weapons to how local services should be run;
vii) run his/her life from managing personal finances to building a career.

All this is a far cry from the average 18th century person who was an illiterate farm labourer who never travelled more than four miles from home. This means that now the pool of potential business people is greater than ever before. If a person can live in modern society that person has the necessary ability to start a business.

5) More people have access to money than ever before. Until the late sixties most people were paid weekly and spent money as they earned it. Today most people have credit cards, which alone have spending limits equal to a half or full year's income. Savings and share holdings are greater than ever before. A large proportion of the population can raise money on their house. All this is underlined by the fact that more people and institutions are willing to lend money for a good business proposal.

6) Advice, courses and books about starting a business are within easy reach of everyone. There are also more helpful schemes organised by national and local government, private business and other groups.

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