Interesting article: Your are absolutely correct about “the state of the economy doesn't matter much either way"---I personally believed that starting up a company in today's economy is an advantage because as you mentioned in your essay there are less competitors in the market place-which makes it easier to growth a business!! Ultimately, before you go into a business –it is necessary to do your research about the market and your competitors, such as, marketplace trends, problems with product and services, how problems can be corrected, get ideas for new products and applications-submit your own questions to discussion groups to get valuable feedbacks- it is up to the business owner to be successful. Again, Thak you for your article www.empresademercadeo.com