This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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In the recent book, Gonzo Capitalism, I wrote about the concept of peak marketplace. That was actually one of my starting points for the research of the book. The idea of everything being for sale, every talent, every skill, every set of knowledge, every data set, everything can be monetized in a product or a service. And I also wrote about what's different now compared to a few years ago, or certainly compared to 10 years ago. So lots of people have been talking about this concept in various ways.
Today, we've got a listener question about it. The caller is approaching the concept from a different angle than I intended, which I think is interesting. I love the whole back and forth and interactive element with my readers and my listeners. Thank you for being at least one of those. So let's hear her out.
Does peak marketplace mean we've actually reached a saturation point? Have we hit peak marketplace, a point where the online world is too crowded for new entrepreneurs? Let's consider this alternative perspective in just 30 seconds. [Music]
Hey, Chris, I'm Mia and I'm cool, I'm from London. I found your podcast when I was trying to understand online market trends better.
I heard you use the term peak marketplace in one of your interviews recently, suggesting that we've maxed out on the kind of products and services that can actually be sold online. Do you think this could limit new opportunities or do you think it signifies something else? [Music]
Somebody else asked a question pretty similar to this on book tour, and maybe it came from, I did an interview with Chase Jarvis, a good friend of mine, and he was asking about peak marketplace, maybe also thinking like, is there a negative side to this? Yes, it's great that everything is for sale, but does it also mean that we have hit the peak and that there is peak saturation? And what do people think about the creator economy and such?
And yes, there's all kinds of upsides, but are there also downsides? Look, I'm not a futurist. I don't really try to predict the future. I try to describe a current reality and help people take advantage of that reality for themselves to better advance themselves and to create economic empowerment for themselves. I don't know what it'll be like in five years or 10 years, but I can't imagine that we are going to regress in terms of marketplaces.
You know, e-commerce is everywhere. You can buy and sell anything, and there are more and more tools and platforms. So in some ways it makes it more competitive because the standard of quality has gone up, but that's good, right? That's good for consumers. Ultimately, it's going to be good for creators as well.
So I tend to think markets are dynamic, even if there's saturation opportunities for differentiation and niche markets and smart people doing smart things, just like so many of our listeners are, those opportunities aren't going anywhere. That's what I think about it. But of course I respect others' opinions as well. We have such a wonderful diverse community out there doing so many interesting things. I want to make sure I am learning along with all of you.
So thank you for helping me do that. And listeners, if you have a question, speaking of smart people out there, sidehustleschool.com/questions or my blog, chrisguillebeau.com or Instagram, 193 countries, let me know what's on your mind. We'll continue to feature your ideas, your questions, your contributions every day, pretty much. Well, at least many days of the week. New episode every day, seven days a week.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
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- From the Onward Project.
