Old School versus New Cool Thinking
Innovating to benefit from global realities
With 2011 approaching, I would like to share with you a story that was forwarded to me via e-mail which reflects an, “old school thinking” about the world economy:
THE OLD SCHOOL THINKING
“John got up at 6am, woken by his alarm clock (made in Vietnam), the coffee filtered through in his coffeepot (made in China), while he shaved with his electric razor (made in Hong Kong). He put on a shirt (made in Sri Lanka), jeans (made in Indonesia), and shoes (made in Korea)
… and so his day went by with him using the following items through the day:
an electric cooking skillet (made in India), a calculator (made in Mexico), a watch (made in Thailand), a radio (made in Taiwan), a car (made in Korea), filled with gas (from Saudi Arabia)
He continued his search for a good paying North American job and wondered, "Why was there no good paying jobs in America?”
My reply to this story is what I call, “the new cool thinking” which builds on the global realities of the 21st century. The “old school thinking” is based on an industrial age international economy that dominated the 20th century.
The 21st century reality is shaped by an information age global economy that sees no borders. Both commercial and financial markets are global. In addition to this, we now have a global middle class that makes up the consumer public.
In the old industrial economy the quest was for “lifelong employment” that secured a good working life and a comfortable retirement. However, the information economy pays a premium for knowledge hence today’s reality demands, “lifelong education”.
John actually now has a chance to focus on a work trajectory that will ensure a good quality of living with the prospects of a long healthy retirement that includes a beautiful home and opportunities to indulge in hobbies and global travel.
The investment that John needs to do is to allow his creative juices to start working. He needs to focus on his strengths, cultivate his self confidence and obtain skills training that will give him the tools needed to benefit from the global business opportunities.
A talent for creating a product that fulfills a consumer need could be converted into a profitable venture. Just let your imagination flow, your confidence build and your creativity blossom.
Here is what I call the “new cool thinking” that is actually staring all of us in the face through the appliances we use daily:
THE NEW COOL THINKING
If we allow the low energy light bulb to light up in our brain, we will realize that many of the appliances made all over the world which we use have actually been, conceived, designed and invented in North America. This was done by a pool of educated individuals who focused on research and develop of new products which investors funded to commercialize for profit.
We can now sign up for a skills training program through the internet on using lean principles to launch a product idea globally at tremendous cost savings through a website.
Armed with new knowledge and initiative we can put our thinking cap on while chilling out at a café on Kit’s beach, Vancouver, Canada. Working on our ultra slim Apple Mac we could come up with a new product for busy Asian hands to work on.
The North American economy is founded on the principle of sanctity of contract. We can therefore protect our intellectual property under copyright, design, patent and trademark laws in Canada and the United States of America which constitutes the world's largest market. Investors are always interested in funding the commercialization of intellectual property that offers a good return on investments.
To prepare the initial business and marketing plan to start the business you can utilize the services of a business consultant to work on a global business strategy. Utilizing a website even a small business can have a global market reach. Within a few years you could look at the possibility of selling shares to investors or venture capitalist that are interested in franchising or even listing the business.
The returns from the business could be invested through a wise investment strategy to fund a quality of living that includes a happy retirement.
Take the right step to obtain the skills training to either start that business or get that job you have always wanted. Your future is in your hands. Stay cool, make the right decision and succeed!
Siddha Param
International Business Consultant
Worldwide Business Connection.com
StrandRidge.com Business Updates
