No matter whether you are a solopreneur or a company with a hundred or more employees, as new technologies and trends emerge in the marketplace, you must look out for ways in which you can benefit from the improvements and advancements they bring.

Start-ups have demonstrated time and time again in recent years that the company willing to put new technology to use to solve an old problem (Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, etc.) are the companies that will succeed — no matter how big or small they are when they begin.

Here are six areas to look out for:

1. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, deep learning and cognitive computing
These technologies mean that work that once might have been too time consuming or expensive for a small company to do becomes quick and relatively inexpensive. For example, smarter message ‘bots’ are on the horizon in the very near future. Companies that cannot afford a dedicated customer service representative can outsource much of that work to a chatbot that can answer simple customer service questions.

2. Robotics
While a very small business might not be able to employ the latest in robotics in-house, the advent of more automated manufacturing will make manufacturing more affordable and small runs of products more achievable. This will open up production possibilities for many small businesses.

3. Big data and analytics
Programmes already exist to give small businesses access to their online data and analytics. Google has just announced that part of its 360 Analytics suite will be available for free to help create useful data visualizations for small businesses and individuals. Data and analytics are being democratised very quickly.

4. Internet of Things
RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tags and other small sensors can turn just about any object into a smart Internet of Things object these days. The hardware and software to make them work is easier and less expensive than ever before which means that businesses of all sizes can benefit from “smart” IoT devices in any manner they can dream up.

5. 3D printing
3D printing technology is already having a significant impact on traditional manufacturing methods, enabling designers to quickly and cheaply create prototypes of new products and tools.

6. Virtual reality / Augmented reality
The possibilities for virtual reality are only just being tested as new technologies emerge. As costs continue to fall, small and medium-sized businesses have the opportunity to be at the forefront of developing new applications for this technology.

Of course, it is not going to be easy. Some of these technologies will challenge smaller companies even as others offer new opportunities. However, as the technologies become more affordable and information more freely available, the gap between what a large company (with deep pockets) can achieve and what a small start-up or medium-sized company can expect to do, should narrow significantly, if not disappear.