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Friday, April 03, 2009

Got Network?

I am not a Luddite. Luddites were factory workers in the early 1800 who destroyed machinery in northern England. Their actions were in protest to the loss of business taken over by factories.
I will not expend my time and energy in protesting the forward march of technology businesses and labor organizations in America. I choose to focus my actions on the vast resources, both natural and human, on the impact of offshore factories, unfulfilled workers and abandoned markets in America.

These markets have never been dominated, though they have tried, by the mega technology corporations. Specifically,I refer to the low-income consumer whitebox (generic desktops, whitebooks laptop computers) market with an estimated value of over 2 billion dollars. The expense of a computer purchase, while desirable to some is not a priority for the low-income consumer. Manufactureres, retailers or resellers have all failed to develop profitable technology sales strategies for this huge target market... Even midsize businesses do without needed technologies because there too there are no realistic technology sales strategies for them by manufacturers, retailers and resellers or mainstream technology services companies.

You may wonder what chance you have to succeed against behemonth manufacturing or food corporations. I too wondered what chance the man with a dream of owning a hamburger stand have against McDonald's or a consultant with his/her technology services. Then I thought of displaced workers tapping into unfulfilled markets and I realize that although a surplus income of $10,000 a year, for example, is nothing compared to Dell that's $10,000 in his/her pocket, not an employer.

I believe people acquire and in some instances amass vast Knowledge, Skills and Experience (KSE) over the course of their employment. This KSE is their wealth of resources. When two or more of these individuals network together each contributing their KSE they are no less capable as consultants than employees to take-on and fulfill service projects for small to midsize businesses. The group is able to assess by their skills and experience what projects they can seek out including setting up complete systems, networking, wireless, free software options and more.
As individuals in their communties they are in the perfect position to offer the low-income consumer the opportunity of a computer purchase. Using discount retailer, reseller resources the consumer is sent grocery list in hand with his $10 to purchase keyboard and mouse. Next month he goes with $20 in hand and purchases a hard-drive. He continues until six months later he has all components ready for you to assemble for the agreed upon fee. In the end he may well have paid a bit more than the least expensive system, but he was able to absorb the cost, without pressure, into his daily living expenses. There is no manufacturer, retailer or reseller that is ever going to offer him (or small to midsize businesses) that kind of a piece-part layaway plan.

Is there any reason why the same piece-part approach couldnt' be beneficial and profitable for small and midsize business involving networking, systems integration or even software application installation/training?

How do displaced (or even the gainfully employed) workers with their KSE come together? They come together through local, regional, state and national networks. These networks are not just buddy hangouts, but they are sources of

  1. personal revenues from individual or group projects,

  2. residual income generated from their own organizaton, and

  3. bonuses paid the networker by the company.
Inform and educate yourself. If you are not familiar with the ethical, legal and moral dynamics of networks and TSR, Inc. read articles on this blog or go to my YouTube videos. Got network?


Selected posts:
Apparel & Computer manufacturing
Affordable computers in our economy

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