Can small businesses survive in a world of monopolies?

[Coyster]

I mean, as far as I know, there's never been a monopoly that truly killed a small business. It's just that sometimes big companies reduce profits and slow down small businesses' growth.

I am not sure if you know what you are talking about, but there are so many new businesses/projects that fail to succeed because they cannot compete with big companies that already exist. small businesses and startups usually lack the necessary funding required to grow their idea and stamp it on the market. This lack of capital also greatly contributes to a high failure rate.

Mind you that big firms do not directly dim the shine of startups. They only possess huge resources that makes it unable for the smaller folks to compete which leads to their death.

[Uruhara]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

It is very clear when I look at what is happening around me right now. Perhaps there are still many who can survive, but they are also in a critical situation. This is because almost all sectors are now controlled by large companies. In fact, it is no longer surprising to see large companies everywhere. Now, even artists with large followings are getting involved in all sectors of business, such as beauty products and so on, which is causing small businesses that have entered the same field to be pushed out. This is because the charm of artists with large followings makes them more trustworthy, even though their products may not be as good as those of small businesses in the same field. This is a very concerning situation. However, we must be able to survive in these conditions. Only those who can adapt to these conditions will ultimately survive and even achieve success.

[MFahad]

Small bussiness never can survive in the middle of monopolies of big companies and i dare to say that because this is based on my personal experience that i was build small bussiness with the audiences is the same such as big companies and my bussiness is not profitable even loss because i have to compete for the prices of raw material, marketing strategies or basic prices of the product against big companies and this makes me failed to compete against them because they can monopolize the things which i mentioned above even in the short term my bussiness was bankrupt  

Its different for a small business person to maintain their own image than large companies. Because big companies not only buy good products at low rates,also make these products profitable with their excellent marketing experience. While small business owners have to pay a higher price due to lower volume of goods which they buy. large companies have so much capital that they buy products at low prices that even if they have to stock those items, after sometime they can sell them at a higher profit. Small businesses lag far behind large companies due to limited resources. If small business owner wants to solve this problem, he should use his brainpower and plan to buy products that he can sell and earn a good profit so that even small business can be excellent.

[DrBeer]

Very heart breaking seeing this giant players conquering and leading in at least 95 percent ramifications if not 99%. But which ever way the society is in need of all. The hits are hard on the small players but total displacement is certainly unbelievable.

There's for sure room for small players to keep up and what the big players does somehow strengthen them. Giving them reasons to not only copy the big players but to internalize their ideas.

Can you give specific examples where big business has destroyed 99% of medium/small businesses?
After that, I would like to ask you to provide an analysis of tax revenues to your country's budget, broken down into taxes from large businesses (which include those businesses that have destroyed 99% of small businesses) and from small businesses in your country, preferably in absolute figures and, if available, broken down by economic sector.

[abhiseshakana]

Small businesses can still thrive and outcompete giant tech companies by employing a survival and victory strategy, not selling goods but selling a story or brand. Commodity markets are unfriendly to small businesses, so storytelling and differentiation are essential for survival. Choose a small segment with a specific or unique specialty. (For example, one of my friends doesn't sell coffee, but sells single-origin coffee from Mount Wilis, grown at a specific altitude and processed on the same site for coffee lovers of Dutch colonial heritage.) Small businesses must first master the community before they can sell. Or choose a service sector that requires a personal touch, such as consulting, education, or custom projects, which big tech companies can't replicate. Most importantly, don't view big tech as a competitor, but rather as a distribution tool (marketplace), using social media for marketing and efficiency, using AI. Ride the waves, don't challenge the ocean.

Independent entrepreneurs won't be able to win against Big Tech if they try to compete on price, speed, logistics, data, or scale. But individual entrepreneurs can win on brand identity, storytelling, content, uniqueness, personalization, community, and specialization. Big Tech may have created a mass market, but independent entrepreneurs are dominating the micro-markets that are growing rapidly due to brand fatigue, the need for authenticity, the search for differentiation, and niche lifestyles.

[Lannakosa]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

I believe that small businesses can gain their loyal customers in their niche because large corporations will not worry about each customer, for them it is just business. And a small business can find its customers and provide them with a service that will make them come back again. Of course, a small business will lose to them in many aspects, but I am also convinced that a small business will always be able to compete and maintain its customer base.

[Hamza2424]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

The world is a monopoly, you have said it for yourself, and the real players who understand it better, they know their work, they build special skills, as without your knowledge and skills, you are a useless person, really hard to believe it but it is the reality. The sooner we realize the sooner it is better.

Now these players use those skills to survive in places where such things/monopolies are high, not everywhere but big business are always trying to eliminate their competitors, we don't stand a chance but the entrepreneurship is the only thing that people came up with, grow it, gather investors, and eventually they sell sit to some bigger company who is controlling the monopoly at the end, both are happy.

[tabas]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

While acquisitions are a way to pave better for the smaller ones. There are small businessmen that doesn't want to be acquired and so they're building their own business and continuing because of what they aspire to be and the legacy that they want to leave. If the world is full of discouragement and people who have the ability to start their own empire will simply stop because of that, we'd see a huge oligarchy into this world which is already common in some countries. But I encourage those with ability to do business and even on how little they are, they have to push for it until they don't see any reason to continue.

[HONDACD125]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

Independent entrepreneurs will need to think out of the box if they want to stay in business. It's not that the tech giants have everything covered, there must be some areas that are still untouched, and if an entreprenuer can start doing that, they will surely be the first one in that business, and then even if a tech giant wants to get into that business, they will most probably first offer the individual to either join their company or sell the company to them so that they can scale it and run it as their own, that's what these giants do, and the individual will have a decision to make then.

If individual entreprenuers start businesses that are already available in the market, they can't blame the giants for already having the biggest market share because they have the resources to do that, and if you know that they already are in the business, you shouldn't get into that business, knowing you will probably not be able to get enough space in that market if the giants are involved.

That's why, it's important for entreprenuers to think out of the box.

[coupable]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

Despote all the monopolies you see in today global market, and how big some companies become to monopolize full sectors in some industries, the global economic fabric is stil consisted by mainly small to medium companies. It can't be reliable to get rid of all this economy fabric and replace it with few big companies to monopolize each sector. Those momopoles are successfull because they have a large consumer base. Once the small to medium companies vanish, there will be no consumer base because consumers will no longer have the job that allow them to consume.

[Viscore]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

This is the trend of big business owners, they don't just mind their own business, but they also conquer those newly entrepreneurs and dominate the market. This is the reason why they continue to easily create new businesses while leaving the small business owners at risk of losing due to silent attacks from the pioneers.

The big players will get richer, while those newbies in the market silently struggling so they can keep thriving and grow their business, and accelerate customer sales.

[rat03gopoh]

I believe that small businesses can gain their loyal customers in their niche because large corporations will not worry about each customer, for them it is just business.

You're right on this point; small businesses can always win customers through different channels, esp. experience and impression side.
When it comes to business, we can judge by profit margins, not total profits. Whether large or small, I think profit margins have adjusted to the scale of their respective businesses. So, I don't really see a dominance competition here.

[bitbollo]

I would say that everything could be possible but I would not be really sure that this could happens for the whole time...
at a certain time the markets can react to monopoles or even users would just skip their "taste".
Imagine big Hamburger chains... for sure they have monopoles in big places, for sure they are making billions, but they can collapse in matter of weeks!
The same can happens with local business, but people would always choose something tasty and not something well advertised....

[Joeboy]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

It is very difficult to compete with these capitalists. If they have monopoly power, small companies will simply become their prey.

Competing and winning isn't always about size, there are for sure smaller business out there which are still thriving and doing even better than many of this giant companies, this is coz this smaller companies are more quicker when it comes to responding to customer needs, this is coz of lesser rules, lesser people that makes decisions and whatnot. But this may not neccesarily be the case with those bigger companies. Infact due to to this their lesser population, many of these small businesses always make sure they offer a better attention, good pricing, better experience and even sef the best services so as to be one of the sought after in the business world, and this always in turn pulls people from all part  of the world, and honestly this is something that these big companies can we copy

[Accardo]

Monopoly has to do with the government, big businesses graced by the rulling powers have all kinds of support, loans and publicity to conquer an industry. In a nation of no business monopoly, small businesses thrive with the right marketing strategy. Wherever the game's on a level play ground, the big business can't ruin the success of growing and startup establishments.

[Webutxo]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

I think this depend on the kind of system the country is running. If the country is a socialism, rest assure that things are going to work absolutely fine, the government controls the monopoly, they know when to give chance to small entrepreneurs and they also know how to control entrepreneurs to make price fair for citizens, everyone are going to win with this system of the government.

If the system is privatize, I don't think small entrepreneurs are going to be given a chance, the small entrepreneurs will become the underdog or small sharks that at going to be looking for a place to make the next opportunity, there is going to be a very high competition.

[Koadharber]

As tech giants expand into every sector, are independent entrepreneurs being pushed out? Every niche , you see some big player which has eaten not only online small players but also small offline players.

It is very difficult to compete with these capitalists. If they have monopoly power, small companies will simply become their prey.

Competing and winning isn't always about size, there are for sure smaller business out there which are still thriving and doing even better than many of this giant companies, this is coz this smaller companies are more quicker when it comes to responding to customer needs, this is coz of lesser rules, lesser people that makes decisions and whatnot. But this may not neccesarily be the case with those bigger companies. Infact due to to this their lesser population, many of these small businesses always make sure they offer a better attention, good pricing, better experience and even sef the best services so as to be one of the sought after in the business world, and this always in turn pulls people from all part  of the world, and honestly this is something that these big companies can we copy

Competing with tech giants today feels almost impossible because they have massive capital, brand power, and access to data that allows them to dominate nearly every industry they enter but the truth is that small businesses and independent entrepreneurs still have one key advantage speed and adaptability big companies are like heavy ships, slow to turn and full of bureaucracy while smaller ones can quickly adjust to market changes, trends, and customer feedback that agility can be the difference between surviving and fading out.

When you look closely, most of the innovation that later gets copied or acquired by big tech actually starts with smaller players startups create new ideas, test them faster, and build niche audiences before the giants even notice then once a big corporation tries to replicate it, it’s already too late because the small one has built authenticity and trust with its users so the key isn’t always to compete directly but to specialize so deeply in a niche that a large company can’t replicate the personal touch or culture around it. The other factor is connection with community large companies often lose the emotional connection with customers because everything becomes automated and optimized for efficiency small entrepreneurs who build relationships and focus on real value have a unique space that money can’t buy in many cases, customers prefer authenticity over perfection so even though giants are expanding across industries, small businesses that focus on personalization, creativity, and adaptability still have a strong chance to thrive even in a market dominated by giants.

[Joy- maker]

With the little knowledge I have on economics and on business I will say that there is no chance of survival in this case, because it's very easy for monopolies to squeeze small business. And I know that some person's will still argue it that it possible for small business to survive, if only they can merge with other small businesses and collaborate together  in finding niches, and a new idea, products or process to challenge the existing market, and also adopt to it quickly. But even if it seems possible the chance of survival is very small, because I don't see any reason for a rat to choose to embark on a fight with a clouder of cat's, and expect to win that fight, I know coincidence can happen but the chance of that coincidence happening is very small, so let's stop deceiving ourselves small business can't survive monopolies and that's the truth even if they are in country where the economy is good.

[Fredomago]

I believe that small businesses can gain their loyal customers in their niche because large corporations will not worry about each customer, for them it is just business.

You're right on this point; small businesses can always win customers through different channels, esp. experience and impression side.
When it comes to business, we can judge by profit margins, not total profits. Whether large or small, I think profit margins have adjusted to the scale of their respective businesses. So, I don't really see a dominance competition here.

As long as they can maintain those loyal customers sooner or later with the word of mouth those loyal clients will bring other consumer to support the busines, though it's tough since there's always a big competitor that can suck up and bring you business down, but thru good customer service there are still good paying loyal clients that will keep supporting and will keep choosing to take your business instead of bringing their money to large and establish corporations.

Monopoly has to do with the government, big businesses graced by the rulling powers have all kinds of support, loans and publicity to conquer an industry. In a nation of no business monopoly, small businesses thrive with the right marketing strategy. Wherever the game's on a level play ground, the big business can't ruin the success of growing and startup establishments.

True, with the kind of monopolly it will dominated by known big names and they are the only one who will conquer success, but in the place where honest competition exist, small businesses can keep moving forward as like you mentioned there are strategy and good relationship from the consumer that can be achieved to continue and survive.

[jcojci]

Small businesses survive in a hard world. But that is only to those who don't want to give up. It is hard for them but they can't avoid it and only keep trying. Independent entrepreneurs will figure out how to survive and not just wait. They don't want to see their business crash and disappear eating by the tech giants but they will make sure they can exist and grow their business. I see many small businesses here still trying although it's hard for them. But they don't want to give up because of the situation. They don't care about the monopolies because they believe they still have a place to run their businesses.