Every time there is more light at the end of the tunnel, the Internet is about to stop having secrets, because every time we know more about this new channel and the more we know the less differences we find with any other channel such as the radio, the press, television, or any other sector of the economy.
These statements are not gratuitous, because if we analyze the natural evolution of the companies that have been created and developed from this new medium, we see that there are some points that are becoming a common rule, it could be said that the Internet “West” and many have already settled there to stay, now we are entering a new stage in which companies have to evolve with the peculiarities of this new sector, which must mature with its own characteristics. What we still do not know is much about how this development or evolution will be, that is, which business models will be the ones that will definitely conquer this new “land”, since we still have to go through a stage in which the business models that will work on the Internet, since those existing today,They may not work within a year, six months or just a couple of months, and they must evolve, in addition companies will continue to appear with a clear vision of the future and know how to react to changes that occur.
But there are aspects that are beginning to be defined, so the Internet, like the rest of the sectors, is beginning to be conquered by large business groups and big capital. There are fewer and fewer gaps for small independent projects, but the same does not happen in the other sectors of the real economy, where new entrepreneurs continue to emerge but from market niches not covered by large companies.
An example is what is happening with the great cake that the business between companies will suppose, the B2B, this wants to be taken over by companies backed by groups of which its very name indicates the support they have behind their backs, such as "Adquira" Telefónica, BBVA, Repsol, with the technological support of Ariba… another example, «Opciona» participated by Endesa and PricewaterhouseCoopers with the technological support of Commerce One, we can even lower the level of business power and we reached Areab2b, an initiative supported by Ola Internet,… of course there are initiatives that although smaller are trying to gain a foothold in this already competitive market segment, such as Plasticsarea, Consumalia, etc.But the great initiatives mentioned above aim to take over the business market between companies in all sectors and they will not spare resources and their influence to do so.
To start the first thing that is needed for a Marketplace like the ones described to work at this time, it is a lot of capital that allows you to have an army of salespeople who visit companies directly and convince them of the benefits that it would bring them and decide to participate in market. This tactic can also be carried out by small initiatives that arise in this type of business, but what happens if you enter into a struggle to adjust margins and prices, here large groups can reduce prices more and endure more in the market while small initiatives they are burning.
There is already evidence of people who, after promoting their own business initiative, have ended up abandoning it for a position in one of the large projects mentioned above where they have the possibility of a great personal promotion, security and a very attractive position, on the other hand, nothing debatable Personal level making this decision, coldly analyzed is the safest.
I mean with this that there are no longer possibilities to undertake projects on the Internet by new entrepreneurs or by traditional companies that want to start a new adventure entering this new medium, which is the Internet.
Nothing is further from reality, what happens is that we return to the point of origin before the Internet, there will be business opportunities, unmet demands, market gaps, etc. etc. That will allow entrepreneurs or SMEs who propose it to take advantage of them, provided that along the way, as sometimes happens, they are not absorbed by a large business group. In any case, they must be right in their business vision, in the creativity of their initiative, in the differentiation of their project and in the positioning they seek in the market.
In addition, there will always be sectors where demand will be covered by many companies that are not so large due to the peculiarities and characteristics of many markets. In a brief review of sectors such as the automobile, aviation, maritime transport, banking, chemical, pharmaceutical, Hotels, Distribution, Hardware and software manufacturers, etc. In these sectors we know that today there are enormous barriers to entry in the market and it takes more than a group of people with enthusiasm to enter them. However, in the midst of these sectors there are small and medium-sized companies that are the majority in number, and that constitute an authentic spider's web around the large groups, from the auxiliary industry, final distributors, intermediaries, etc. The same happens in the services, consulting,professional offices, studios, agencies and a long etcetera.
On the Internet, not much time will pass and we will see this same design already quite drawn today, large groups that dominate important market segments but at the same time surrounded by small companies that support them in complementary or superfluous activities for these large groups, that is, outside From its core activities, in the midst of all this business ecosystem, small initiatives will continue to emerge without a doubt that will make a niche in the market and why not, as has happened on other occasions, will take the leap and become one of the large business groups of your sector.
In addition, we have been reading for a long time that in order to develop, mature and make our project take off on the Internet, we need to go back to the beginning of the times of business management, be professionals in our sector or else surround ourselves with these professionals, establish relationships with sectorial confederations, business associations, chambers of commerce, foundations, etc. More than ever, that of “shoemaker to your shoes” is in force, it is not worth having an idea, but also knowing the sector, its characteristics, market behavior, existing companies, the trend of consumers, analyzing their needs, them the business plan, business plan or business plan sounds like something, it is necessary to plan and analyze what surrounds our business project.
And what to say about a coherent execution, the management of the cash is as important as it has always been, analyzing the destination of each peseta or each euro, in items that allow us to increase the possibility of obtaining benefits, we cannot allow the luxury of seeking other types of objectives that make the new initiative wreck before its time, financial discipline triumphs again, assuming risk in a calculated way, etc., etc.
Recently, in a conference, the case of a company that began operating in April 2000 and closed in August of the same year was mentioned, and that they had more than 100 million pesetas obtained in a first round of financing, they spent all the money in achieving the values that were in vogue at the beginning of the Internet explosion, advertising, brand image, etc. and they left fundamental aspects of the company aside, they only sold smoke, since there was nothing solid behind it, we have known how they end for a long time.
And after all this, what will happen to the new economy, maybe the old economy will return, or is it that there is only one economy, with rules that govern it and whoever follows them remains in it. Of course we must accept that from time to time man evolves and revolutions of greater or lesser scope take place, as explained by a person who knows a lot about these issues, Peter Drucker, who perfectly analyzes the economic evolution in business management, and the effects that occur when there are profound changes in the business ecosystem due to revolutions such as those that took place with the appearance of the press, the railroad, radio, television, computing,… we can already affirm that the Internet is a revolution rather than has once again evolved relations between companies, the economy,but that does not invalidate the basic principles of this discipline.
