I urge all readers to watch this video of Gary Vaynerchuk who gave the 2009 keynote at the Future Of Web Apps conference in Miami! I strongly agree with a lot of what he says and have been saying it for a long time. One of the most exciting things about the internet right now is that the barrier for entry and creation is getting lower and lower every day, this means that people with passion and drive are going to be dominating more and more! Who survives during an economic downturn? The driven, those who have passion, and those who love what they do. It is a great time to “invest in yourself” and break out on your own.
He also makes KEY points about niche marketing and understanding that all marketing is going ROI/Internet in the future unless you are huge enough to do branding. In the next five to ten years old dominate small to mid size businesses are going to be competing with smart passionate markers who know where to find better ROI. On the internet you can find niches that have millions of people, its a whole new world!