How is this a problem? Mature economies, such as in the US, Canada, UK/Europe, Japan, Singapore, and Australia, are facing what’s called the “demographic cliff.” In these countries, the baby boomer generation started businesses, and these are often solid profitable and successful. But unlike previous generations, where there was always a wave of new blood to come and acquire or take over running these businesses, for the first time in history, the next generation is smaller than the last. This means that literally millions of small- to medium-sized businesses are going to find themselves without succession and without buyers, too small for the larger players to buy, and too good to simply close down.