Reply To: Who is going to take your place when you retire?

Plusses of the coffeeshop model, as I see it:

Personal autonomy, flexible schedule
No more office politics, unless you have multiple-personality disorder.
You can get back at the big firms by undercutting them, since your expenses are so much lower, hastening their demise.
Working from home, no commute, hence lower cost of living, lower carbon footprint, more time with family.
You may not be able to go after larger projects, though the co-op idea could provide staff for such work.

Downsides:
The risk is all on you.
Incurring office expenses PC, software, etc.
You have to be the one to go out and find work.
You still may face competition in some respects from India.
You might miss the camraderie of an office. I know I do.
Problem with newly-minted landscape architects not being able to get experience when everyone is a solo flyer.

Thoughts?