The shopping malls are empty and the big department store owners are worried. They’ve finally got the memo. They realise that they can’t out-stock Amazon, or price match the guy from Seoul selling wallets on eBay. So they’re trying to woo us back with loyalty cards, air miles and faster ways to checkout our less than five items.

They miss us now we’ve gone, to buy a hand-crafted necklace from Megan, or a one-of-a-kind lamp from Philippa.

We’ve moved on without them, while they kept buying double-page spreads in the local newspaper.

The world has changed. You don’t have to compete with the big guys. They are the ones at a disadvantage now. You have everything you need to bring your ideas to life. To do work you care about, and to tell the story about what you do to people who want to listen.

It might be too late for the big guys to matter, but it’s not too late for you.

Image by eskimo jo.