21st century entrepreneurs have the opportunity to compete directly with well-established global corporations from the very first day they open their doors for business. However, if they are to be able to carve a niche for themselves in an increasingly cutthroat marketplace, they need to grasp every opportunity to gain a competitive advantage that technology offers them. One way to stay abreast of the latest technological developments and the effects they may have on the world of commerce is to follow the futurists: those people who make it their business to predict new trends almost before they start.
The Soothsayers of the Digital World
There are a number of people around the world who specialise in predicting the next big technological development and how it is likely to impact the way that we do business in the 21st century. Chris Riddell is one such futurist in Australia, who travels the world to talk about his visions for the future; other countries have their own digital diviners, who devote their lives to unearthing important innovations and forecasting the direction in which these innovations will take modern businesses in their search for greater profits.
Spotting New Trends
If you would like to steal a march on the crystal ball gazers and discover the next big trends for yourself, there are a number of ways in which you can maximise your chances of doing so.
- Follow and Learn – The first step is to spend some time following the most important futurists in Australia and other countries. Make a note of the developments on which they are focusing and their predictions for the future. By doing this, you will begin to develop a feel for what is truly revolutionary in the world of technology and what is merely evolutionary in nature.
- Analyse – The next step to becoming a digital sage is to analyse the conclusions that established futurists come to when talking about the latest innovations and see if you can work out the thought processes behind them. When you can take this a step further, and come to your own conclusions, you are truly on your way to becoming an oracle for new business trends.
- Monitor and Refine – The final stage in your learning process is to monitor new trends as they emerge, compare them to the conclusions that you and others have come to in the past and refine your predictions based on what is actually happening at that moment in time. As part of this refining process, you will of course have to take into account any new technological developments on the horizon that could prove to be game changers in themselves.
Whether you decide to plough your own furrow or to follow an established futurist in an effort to steal a march on the competition, you are sure to find that the new perspective you gain on developing technologies is a great help to you as you steer your company through the turbulent waters of the postmodern business world.