 I’ve always been a bit of a tech addict. The newest iPhone, most talked-about app and latest passing social media bandwagon are never far from my grasp. Since I’ve gone fully independent in the field of digital marketing, my love for technology has been combined with an absolute reliance on it. I now need tech to be as productive as possible, to produce my best work and to ensure the money comes in. It excites me more, too, because if I look just a few short years ahead, I can see several trends and forecasted innovations that I think will help me take my micro business onto even greater heights: Continued development and innovation in smart devices My smartwatch and digital home assistant (I’ll let you guess which variants I chose) have made a significant impact on my work. One ensures I receive only the most important notifications without fuss (just a flick of the wrist), while the other will immediately answer fact-finding questions or conundrums I might have over the definition of a certain word. To illustrate how advanced the Internet of Things is likely to become during my lifetime, I’m reliably informed that by the time I reach 70, I’ll be living in a building that automatically adjusts to my needs, thanks to built-in artificial intelligence. Smart devices are indeed only going to get smarter, and the thought of what the digital home assistant or smartwatch of five years’ time will be capable of excites me no end. The complete disbandment of traditional working patterns As an independent worker, I rarely conduct a standard 9-5 week. Instead, I work when I feel most productive, and the impact this mindset has had on my output has been profound. I look back on the ‘standard’ hours I spent in offices and realise just how much time was wasted in meetings, at the water cooler and being forced to work when I wasn’t at my most creative. I firmly believe that as time draws on, flexible working will become more and more prevalent to the point where every industry fully embraces the raw potential of this smart way of working. Autonomous transport In 2015, Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, claimed that by 2025 his automotive company would beat Apple’s market cap of $700 billion. Quite a claim, I’m sure you’ll agree, but it does demonstrate the ambition of the businesses that are currently investing their futures in the next era of transport. Autonomous vehicles (be they cars, buses or trains) get me rather excited as a small business owner. No matter how much I enjoy driving, the idea of being able to head to meetings on my own in a vehicle that takes care of the business of driving while I get work done is extremely compelling. Final thought While the three expectations above excite me greatly, they pale in comparison to one thing: the learning opportunities that will continue to develop as time passes. We’ve already reached a point where we can head to YouTube, Lynda.com or the many millions of blogs on the internet to learn virtually anything. Skill acquisition is so much more attainable than it used to be, and as the digital universe continues to expand and the democratisation of online content evolves further, those learning opportunities will only get better. Author Bio Mark Ellis is a freelance writer who specialises in copywriting, blogging and content marketing for businesses of all sizes. Mark’s considerable experience at director level and deep interest in personal and business success means he’s ready to comment on anything from freelance writing to workplace dynamics, technology and personal improvement.
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