TrendWatching.com has a story about state-of-the-art tools for 'mini entrepreneurs':

"Want numbers?

According to a July 2005 survey conducted by eBay, more than 724,000 Americans report that eBay is their primary or secondary source of income. In addition to these professional eBay sellers, another 1.5 million individuals say they supplement their income by selling on eBay.

Over 50,000 people in the UK draw a significant portion of their income from selling goods online. A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows that the average household boosts its earnings by GBP 3,000 through online trading.



And Mastercard and Warillow International published a research study on a new class of small business: the 'Web-Driven Entrepreneur', estimating that there are 5 million of these businesses in the United States, representing 25% of all small businesses.

So what are the drivers behind the MINIPRENEURS trend, and what does the ecosystem sustaining it look like?"

Nothing totally surprising but it is a nice collection and you will be amazed by the amount and competitiveness that such tools provide entrepreneurs nowadays. It is certainly a rather good time for small companies at the beginning of the information age...