The Massive Advantage for Small Business Owners in the U.S.

Ever consider how easy, convenient, and automated it is to ship packages in the US?
(Photo by Sticker Mule on Unsplash)

As small business owners, we often complain about the high cost of goods and services. This is especially true for small businesses that operate online businesses. From packing peanuts to mailing labels, everything seems to have become way too expensive. The future seems bleak at first glance.

However, in the US we benefit from something that no other Western country can even marginally compare to. We have the largest market. By this, I mean that the US has the best developed, best regulated, and most secure infrastructure for online businesses. This has created the most active online shoppers in the world.

Sure, China may have a huge online presence, but the infrastructure for ease of shipping, online payments, and security doesn’t quite compare. Sure, India may have many more people, but the vast majority of them do not have the means to regularly shop online. And sure, the European Union shares many of the same benefits as us, but they still have issues related to their heterogenous history, from competing customs regulations to income inequities between Eastern and Western Europe.

Now this isn’t an America First rant. It’s just that the US dominates the world in creating and fostering a business culture, but even more importantly an online business culture. This online culture is an evolution of the historical fostering of business that has existed in the US for generations.

How This Online Dominance Came About

It came primarily from the software industry. The ability of this industry to adapt their products to the online world has made the transition from in-store (aka brick & mortar) shopping to online shopping. Yes, the market economy of the US played a role, but this was merely a financial vehicle for the software industry to thrive.

The software industry made Google, eBay, PayPal, and Amazon possible. These became such household names that their names have become verbs: “Just Google it!” and “Can we eBay that?” While other popular companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and later Apple are also lumped into the same industry, the reality is that they primarily adapted their products to the online world.

This is also why programming exploded in the US. While many other countries also produce great programmers, it was seen as an emerging dominant field in the US first. What was originally the small niche of a few mainframe geeks, quickly became respectable, lucrative, and above all, necessary as personal computers became mainstream and cost-efficient for the masses.

I know I’m generalizing quite a bit here, but the companies above, the economic infrastructure, and the programmers who made it happen all had one thing in common: they adapted, they evolved, they incorporated, and when necessary, they pivoted to fit into whatever was new on the horizon.

That ability is something very American. It is ingrained in our economy. When the US was left to its own devices by the great powers of Europe after the Revolutionary War, the country as a whole adapted, evolved, and incorporated. After the country practically tore itself apart during the Civil War, it followed that catastrophe by adapting, evolving, and incorporating (yes, I know it wasn’t a perfect end to the war, but the economy persevered). After the devastation of WWII, again the country adapted, evolved, and incorporated.

This is the same resilience we see in modern times. The Oil Embargo of the 1970s, the Savings & Loan debacle of the 1980s, the Dot.com Bubble of the 2000s, the 2008 Housing Bubble, and the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, are all examples of American resilience. For those of us who can only remember that last one, the US has emerged out of that crisis stronger than any other country.

This is because we adapted, evolved, and incorporated.

How All this History Is Tied to Small Businesses and Online Shopping

There is a culture of economic resilience in the US that is simply not ingrained in the cultures of other countries. This is an advantage that we have as a country that we need to embrace. No matter how bad we may think the economic outlook is, no matter how dire the future looks for our own small business, this country is still the best place for that business to thrive.

The best way to succeed as a small business is to also adapt, evolve, and incorporate. There is a massive infrastructure in place for small businesses to benefit from. This is especially true for online shopping. The simplicity, convenience, and access that exists in the US for online shoppers is like nowhere else on earth.

Just think how easy it is to tell Siri to play the playlist from your senior prom. Think how convenient it is for Alexa to ship your Neuriva to your door. Remember how simple it is to walk into an Amazon Fresh store, grab a drink and snacks, and then walk out without ever pulling out your wallet.

Now I know that these are all products developed by large companies and that your small business doesn’t have those same resources. However, these companies have laid the groundwork for these conveniences, now it is up to you and your small business to figure out how to adapt, evolve, and incorporate your products or services into that infrastructure.

Conclusion

I know that many small businesses are struggling in this economy. Rising costs have impacted us especially hard. This is why it is important to remember how fortunate we are to be in this country right now.

There is a massive surge occurring right now in the American Economy. As happened after every economic crisis mentioned above, this post-pandemic economic recovery is also one that you don’t want to miss out on. Instead of focusing on the negatives, which are largely behind us anyhow, focus on how your business can adapt, evolve, and incorporate to ride this economic wave to new successes.

This surge isn’t just that the stock market is reaching new heights, although that is a very good sign. It is also because unemployment is at an all-time low, which means there are customers out there with money to spend. It is also because there are new technologies out there like AI that are revolutionizing industries and will improve the online shopping experience for all. And it is also because as this country’s economy continues to outpace the rest of the world, its products and services will also generate more interest and income.

Consider how fortunate you are that you are also based in the US at this time. This is when the iron is hot and it is time to strike. Look at where the software industry is headed, think about where the financial markets are investing, and follow the lead of large online retailers. The infrastructure is there, you just need to figure out where your place is in it.