Virtual Companies May Replace Telecommuting?

Blogger Pamela Slim of Escape From Cubicle Nation is quoted at length in the Boston Globe!

Why? She opines that with the advent of the “virtual company” there may be fewer brick and mortar businesses to “telecommute” to.

Pamela Slim, who blogs at Escape From Cubicle Nation, says a perfect storm of factors is converging to make virtual businesses more popular, and easier to start:

1. Workers will quit regular jobs to get control over their time. Both men and women are increasingly willing to leave the work force to create personal time and family time, according to Jacqueline Luffman, a labor analyst for the Canadian government. In light of that, a virtual office ends up seeming like a compromise rather than an extreme solution.

2. Technology levels the playing field. It has become so cheap and easy to use that someone who doesn’t have a lot of resources can create a Web presence that looks established and professional.

3. Retail businesses can be virtual. Of course, there’s always eBay. But you can also set up a shop with Amazon, where you create a storefront and Amazon handles all inventory and fulfillment issues — and then sends you a check for the sales you make. Or you can work with a slew of smaller online wholesalers the same way.

4. The rise of telecommuting. Established companies such as Sun Microsystems realize that telecommuters are happy, appreciative, and cost-effective, so they encourage people to telecommute. Smart companies provide essential training and support so workers are productive at home from the start. The side effect is that location-based companies are training workers on how to set up their own virtual companies.