Starting a Fire

Money makes money. Only because, usually, you need resources to solve problems. The point where the money is made is in the problem solving. A clearly defined offer to solve a problem, recognised by a group of people (with money) who have trust (that the offerer intends to solve the problem) and confidence (that the offerer can solve the problem). Services aren’t Capital intensive. They don’t require money to solve problems. Not having Capital is the barrier to entry for Capital intensive business. The barrier for services is skills, knowledge, and recognition. We live in an age where it is easier than ever to develop skills and knowledge. Services remain the main “starting from scratch” point in building wealth. The challenge is (1) it is easier for everyone, and (2) it is much noisier with far more people fighting for attention and recognition. I think the answer may lie in localism. 1-1 services and small groups aren’t scalable. That means they aren’t great (big) business ideas. But they are great fire starters. With so much noise, there aren’t many people who listen. There aren’t many people who see small problems when we are distracted by the big. Start small.