Technology: the Entrepreneur’s Bulldozer

I’ve recently completed watching the first season of Downton Abbey (thanks Amazon Prime). Yup, I’m hooked. A scene near the end of the season that really delighted me was when Lady Sybil turned Lord Grantham away from his library because the housemaid Gwen was interviewing for a secretary position with the gentleman that had come to install the telephone. He sputtered about being denied access to his room for the purpose of allowing one of his staff to get another job, and Sybil was quite pleased with herself. But it also got me thinking.

The reason Gwen got the interview was that the mother of the man hiring the position was a housemaid, so instead of looking down on that experience, he knew it meant she was used to hard work and long hours. Technology, the telephone in this case, had allowed a son of a housemaid to become a business owner and then in turn hire those that would be of benefit to his business. Gwen did get the job and there is a replacement housemaid by the last episode in the season. The playing field of business ownership and wealth during this time in history had been made accessible to the “lower” class through the advancement of technology.

Obviously the world has continued to change and technology marches forward facilitating amazing events like a man on the moon. It also has given entrepreneurs access to the same tools large successful companies use to conduct business, service customers and market themselves. I think this is especially true in this age of social media. In fact, I’d say we have surpassed the point of equality and moved in the direction of advantage for small businesses when it comes to using social media and new technologies.

What technology is enabling you to pulverize obstacles and have the successful business you always dreamed of?