Reading this with pleasure.  I left the industry a few years back after coming to the same general conclusion many have here.  However, I still believe a national opportunity exists, but the idea must be based upon "less is more" - not "how can I sell more gear to this customer."

I owned a successful integration company here in San Francisco for over 16 years.  If you'd like the story and my take on the future:

https://www.casaintegration.com/

And here is an article I wrote a ways back, echoing many sentiments here.

[Link: linkedin.com]