This post over on Om Malik’s blog has me thinking of how simple it has become to start a different spin on practically anything.  Take VoIP for example, with open source PBXs like Asterisk anyone could start a new “skype” like service focusing on whatever aspect that they believe to be important to their niche market.

Just thinking of that one possiblility is intriguing in the possibilities of having.  For example, a private VoIP system for your social organization like a club, or community.  Something that would cater to the unique needs of your group’s requirements.

Another aspect of the open source movement that is now possible, is the ability for anyone to take on the roll of an entrepreneur, building a business using common, high-quality open-source components.  The focus of a given business can now be on the services, support, and price instead of the technology underneath.

I have to admit that I’m a big Microsoft fan in most everything that they do, but Om’s article really has gotten me thinking this afternoon.  It has opened my eyes to the real possiblilities out there, along with the many high-quality “web 2.0” services that have cropped up lately.  From free hosting at Microsoft’s Office Live, to GMail, to free Blogs & Wiki’s, the new business models can be built on standardized blocks and the main thrust of one’s energies can be targeted on your market or audience rather than the parts needed to run the business.

Of course it makes it hard on people like me – I’m a technologist, I’m in the industry for the technology, it is very hard to come up with something new or improved that people will want, or that someone else can do much better.

Still having the opportunities and tools available is a huge improvement over the previous entry-price to startups.