The above discussion should not be interpreted to mean that service businesses are bad businesses. In fact, the personal contact typical of these businesses can be terrifically rewarding. Moreover, you may be able to create an income that meets your particular needs by offering a specific, repeatable service. The central point is, however, that a dependence on time does necessarily constrain your potential income. The income you can generate is limited by the hours you can bill.

MASTER THE POTENTIAL OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Most go-it-alone businesses would not have been possible even a few years ago. Some are Internet based; many others are not. But they all use new Internet-based service and communications to leverage their own efforts. Here are some illustrative cases:

Companies that are not Internet businesses use Internet services to leverage their time: Gourmet Gatherings, the culinary entertainment company, uses inexpensive Internet-based services to coordinate assignments for its many events. Irwin Toy (www.IrwinToy.com) uses the Internet to work with designers across North America and make decisions about product modifications in real time. “In the past, to work with off-site designers was either impossible or we would have had to send materials back and forth by courier in a lengthy deci-sion-making process,” notes principal George Irwin. “Now, we are all simultaneously looking at the same images on the Web. We save enormous amounts of time and can make better decisions faster.” (See Chapter 3, pages 74–77, for a description of Irwin’s innovative go-it-alone toy business.)
Retailers take advantage of the opportunities created by new Internet technology: In essence, the Internet allows

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