A Collection of Little Guys

As I research various technologies and companies for my clients, it becomes more clear to me that we are far from the days where the corporate giants will lead the way into the future.  Remember the days of "no one ever got fired for buying IBM".  Or when you had network issues it was a simple call to your local (read not 800# in who knows where) AT&T team.

I'll save the support and impact for another day.  Don't get me wrong, the new world is exciting and dynamic.  It allows all of us that contagious energy of a start-up.  It means that a 14 year old can create a leading browser.  It means a guy in his basement can beat a $50M company to the punch.  Most of all, it means that the little guy can compete.

In his book The Innovator's Dilemma, Christensen demonstrates how disruptive technology can cause "great firms to fail".  That book came out 12 years ago.  I think the next evolution of this idea is being played out today.  Not only are new technologies changing the landscape, but they are being created not just by other large companies leapfrogging, but by small businesses, or start-ups - individuals even.  How cool is that?

Go to your local Panera, or Atlanta Bread, Starbucks - on any given morning and you will see the folks driving the bus in the new economy.  They are the entrepreneurs, idea guys, and have a passion and hunger to make things happen.  And for each one of these morning capitalists there is  an army of creative types online late into the night.

Will the large companies fail?  Many will.  Do they still have a tremendous advantage in sheer size, funding, and talent?  Absolutely.  Can they recover from being late by throwing resources at a problem?  They do every day.

But the little guys have no boat anchor to drag around.  No ship to change course.  No meetings to have meetings to put together a committee to study to change.

People talk about President-Elect Obama and his agenda and worry about the redistribution of wealth a la Joe the Plumber.  I think the combination of the economic crisis we face today, coupled with the ever-increasing speed new technology development  - will impact our corporate world more than any socialist agenda or any other government action.

Never has there been so many, highly talented folks working outside of the "big companies" our parents worked for, or that we started out in.

I'd love to hear stories you know about these "little guys" changing our world.