It's not really tech startups I'm worried about as they are more likely to receive VC/angel and can be started by young hackers. I'm talking about your average small business, whether it be a self-employed consultant, a small hardware shop, a bakery, mechanic shop, cafe, etc. I observe that small business has been decimated in America and giant chains have proliferated. When you drive through small towns in the US you will usually find a few large chains like WalMart, McDonalds, Jiffy Lube, etc on the Main St and not much else. When I travel UK, Australia, NZ, Europe, small business seems to be in better shape. Much of this is due to active skepticism of large corporate chains and their scale advantages (trading hour restrictions come to mind).