Now that investors can get advice and marketinformation from many sources other than full-service brokers, they are less willing to pay a premium just to trade.
Suppliers and especially manufacturers have market power because they have information about a product or a service that the customer does not and cannot have, and does not need if he can trust the brand.
Above all, avoid self-sabotaging behavior that you may not even be aware of, like blaming others rather than taking responsibility for all decisions, or not charging what your product or service is worth, due to lack of current marketinformation or a personal bias.
Some evidence of this was Mobile ESPN, still the only broad attempt to act on the belief that there exists a market for a cellular phone and associated service through which sports fans could access vast amounts of sports information.