More Than A Job [Blogging Every Day #30]

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Andy Gunton (@andymooseman) recently shared a blog post he discovered, "Are you ready for the death of the job?" at the website for John Williams' book, "Screw Work, Let's Play." I haven't read the book, but the concept in this blog entry is worth considering.

Williams suggests that as we moved from an agrarian to an industrial economy, we're moving into an individual entrepreneurial economy - and can expect changes as profound as those during the industrial revolution. We will cease working for others, and work only for ourselves.

Williams claims that "People earning their living from a job will be in the minority in as little as six years' time." While I believe that timeline is unrealistic, the concept itself holds a great deal of merit.

Entrepreneurs don't need to ask for more. They
have to get it themselves.
(Courtesy The British Library)

For the most educated in the world, connected through technology to potential consumers worldwide, the possibilities are, in theory, almost endless. Online niche marketing gives us the ability to sell a product, perform a service, or offer a work of art to precisely those who would enjoy what we have to offer.

In theory.

As Andy pointed out in a Facebook discussion on this topic,  "Part of the problem Rich is that it requires a different mind set to what we've been brought up & taught to expect. I don't think the schools of today are catching up fast enough either & not sure they ever will."

If you've ever spoken to a successful entrepreneur, it's clear that entrepreneurship is a specific state of mind, and a very particular attitude. It requires the ability to persevere through hardship and rejection, and a spirit that allows creative thinking. Even with all of those qualities, success is never guaranteed. If you're risk-averse, entrepreneurship is not attractive.

The concept, though, fascinates me. I'm self-employed, but my book - a tangible product - is my most direct attempt at developing the skills and knowledge necessary to reach a specific niche audience.  One aspect of entrepreneurship hasn't changed. I have a good product, and I know the audience is out there. But they don't know I'm here. My task as an entrepreneur is to discover creative, cost effective methods to reach those audiences worldwide.

Understanding how to reach and sell to niche markets is a rapidly developing skillset that, in time, will allow many more people to be successfully self-employed. Even in the Western World, however, it may take a generation or two for those skills to become ingrained in the workforce.

The opportunity will be met. As some field workers moved into the factory, and some factory workers moved into the office, some office workers will eventually move back home.

The Vlogger Interviews: Teen Entrepreneur Andrew Brackin

In a few months, seventeen year-old Andrew Brackin will graduate from high school.  The London, UK resident will have time to pursue the things he loves - and dive full-time into his ambition to be a web entrepreneur.  He's been a part-time entrepreneur for most of his teen years, and has several web-based projects already behind him.

His own journey began when he was just 13, and began vlogging on YouTube - building an audience and making friends across the UK and around the world - and introducing him to the world of entrepreneurship.  He could be called, I suppose, a child of social media, with a network and a sensibility that almost certainly will set his generation apart from those before.

Though he's already achieved modest success, he has no illusions about where's he's at - and where he needs to go, "I don't think I'm anywhere near "there" yet - I feel I'm at step one of many, many steps."

One of earliest projects, tunevibez.com [no longer in operation], evolved out of day-long experiment in music streaming, and evolved into a year long experiment.  After finding that licensing mainstream artists would be too expensive and complicated, he personally contacted hundreds of independent artists and record labels to secure their permission - and created a 24/7 operation that involved more than a dozen DJ's - all friends he'd made through YouTube and other social media (with BillTVMacon providing an automated voice for the station when DJ's weren't available.  Though Tunevibez never made money, "it was great fun," and expanded his community of friends and followers.

Today, he's the co-founder of getdealy.com, a Groupon-like site aimed at a tech-minded audience.  It has eighty thousand members worldwide so far, offering discounts on specialized products like font packs, ftp software, and productivity software.  It's continued to help raise Andrew's profile, generating media interviews - and even a brief mention in the Wall Street Journal's "Marketwatch" column.

As Andrew moves on, he's already giving back to other young entrepreneurs.  He's careful to say he doesn't offer advice - but the benefit of his experience.  He encourages other like-minded teens to "break every rule...failure is good.  I've failed many times."

He also offers a perspective to other teens that might leave some of his older counterparts scratching their heads.  It makes perfect sense, in this author's opinion, if you take into account a teen just beginning to comprehend the possibilities ahead.

"Lots of people talk about business plans, and I just feel like, you know, if you have one set vision, when you write a business plan right at the start of your company, and that's the time when you're company's going to change the most...because you do all this early learning about the market, just naturally, reading about other companies, or contacting your first partners, or customers, you'll learn really big lessons which will change your company and essentially, if you  have a business plan, it's very hard to do that, your mind is set.

"So basically, don't be worried, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and if you work on something long enough and hard enough, and listen to the people around you, you will be able to succeed. "

This year, upon graduation from high school, Andrew's ready to take his ambitions to the next level.  He intends to come to Silicon Valley and work on an as-yet-undisclosed new project.  "I'd like to do something really disruptive," he says.  He hopes, of course, to eventually  pursue start-up and/or venture capital funding, following the path of so many tech entrepreneurs before him.

After chatting with Andrew, however, I can't help but anticipate how his powerfully connected generation might impact the established tech world, as the Gates and Jobs generation shook up the tech world in the 70's.

More on Andrew Brackin:  http://zerply.com/andrew

The Vlogger Interviews: Josh Rimer [JoshRimer]

"The Vlogger Interviews" is an ongoing series of vlogs and blogs exploring the definition of vlogging – from the vlogger's perspective, If you like this interview, I would appreciate your subscription to http://youtube.com/worldaccordingtorich on YouTube.  

In my latest "Vlogger Interview," I had the opportunity to chat with Vancouver, Canada-based Josh Rimer.  Josh is both a successful YouTuber (4.4 million views; 9120 subscribers), and, as of earlier this year, a YouTube Marketer.

Huh, what's that?  If you've never heard of the term "YouTube Marketer," that's probably because the concept really didn't exist until just recently.  As YouTube becomes more and more popular - and vloggers and other YouTubers being to see what they're doing as potentially a profession, knowing how to actually bring those videos out to an audience has become something of an art.

Why We're All Like Steve Jobs

I was a bit under the weather this past week, more Vlogger Interviews  next week!

On October 3, 2011, my niece's sci-fi e-novella, "Echoes," was published on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  Obviously, I'm a proud uncle, and I'm hoping that the untold multitudes will plunk down their $2.99 to give "S.P. Blackmore's" sci-fi book a try.

I'm also happy and inspired to see the latest example of what I think is going to turn into a wave of newly-empowered entrepreneurs venturing into the world and creating futures impossible without the power of social and mobile technologies.

Just a couple of years ago, most people I knew really weren't sure what or even if online media, social media or "new" media was relevant to their own personal dreams.   Today, many of those same people are beginning to understand the potential, and are hard at work finding - or perhaps inventing - their own way through a brand new, intimately accessible business model.  Just as one can't build a house with a gift of untested tools,  most are still figuring out how to build their world - learning and improving day by day.  It's no longer a question of "if" there's a way to succeed digitally - it's a question of how. 

Success still takes talent and hard work - it's the access to opportunity that has changed. 

The passing of Steve Jobs, I think, says it all.  It's a massive passing of the torch.   His vision, innovation and enthusiasm created accessible technology that, in turn, is making it possible for a near constellation of dreamers to innovate and create as he once did - and making a living doing what they love to do.

And it's all just beginning.

Why Do People Create on YouTube?

In response to my recent post, "Talent in the Age of Social Media," which discussed the nature of fame on YouTube, Ken G. responded:

I think there's also a couple of distinctions to make here. While some people on YouTube are looking to build on that into traditional fame in movies, tv, recordings, whatever, there's far more who have no desire for traditional fame - only a creative outlet while they enjoy their "regular" civilian lives.

There are a range of motivations that lead individuals to create for YouTube (as opposed to those who simply use YT as a place to post home videos).   I believe that a large majority (though certainly not everyone) fall roughly into three major categories.

Some, as Ken suggests, enjoy YT strictly as a creative outlet.  Subscriptions and a YT "career" aren't a priority or even a consideration.   Regardless, some of this group might reach a level of recognition (perhaps including what might be called "fame") -  and may in fact include the best and most creative of those referred to as YouTube "stars." Sometimes, if you enjoy what you're doing, your audience enjoys it, too.  This group is probably the most diverse in terms of age, from the youngest to the oldest users, and generally include the majority of vloggers, artists and musicians.

Others hope to use this world as both a place to build YT fame and as springboard to wider fame - these celebrity culture addicts, perhaps, see YouTube as the best "shortcut"available.  They might have a level of skill in music or comedy, but their motivations are based more on growing a following than developing their craft or a quality video "product."  They might, in fact, succeed working the system to reach a level of visibility and even limited "stardom" for a while, but like any of those who seek fame for fame's sake,  that sort of goal could lead, inevitably, to personal disaster.  At the very least, they're the sort of YouTubers with a huge following, but few actual per-video views.  If you actually see their videos, you're likely to scratch your head and wonder why.

There's also a lively third group that looks at YouTube and the social media environment as both a means of expression, and as a platform offering an ideal foundation on which to build their creative future.  They're not looking at achieving fame necessarily - but at using the overall social media platform as an opportunity.  This category can overlap quite effectively with the first category - perhaps consisting of the best of the social media / YouTube entrepreneurs.

There are, of course countless sub-groups and fringe categories that make up the YouTube world - but I'd like to hear your opinion - are these fair definitions?

Vidcon: So, What Does It All Mean?

I could go on for days and weeks about the atmosphere at Vidcon, the YouTube conference that just concluded here in Los Angeles - but I was just considering the lasting impressions left from the experience.

After spending three days immersed in YouTube culture, I'm more convinced than ever that this is really the beginning of a widespread revolution in human interaction.  As huge as YouTube has become, it's true power as a community still remains largely unknown beyond those of us who have chosen to be content creators. The YT world is empowering on so many different levels, it's almost overwhelming.

The difficulty that many people still have with social media, and social networking in general, is understanding how to use it effectively.  I know many people that realize that they should be involved in social media, but don't quite understand yet what that means or entails.  Complicating the matter is the fact that the rules are being invented daily.  Social media and social networking are strategies, not destinations, so they require a customized approaching depending on who you are and your goals and ambitions.

Vidcon consisted of 1,400 people, each building their own personal brand - each brand as unique as each individual.  Some are singers or musicians - others have tech shows, and still others are comedians.  There are some developed strategies in building a following on YouTube, but professional strategies - how to make money on YT - are still being developed.   The most successful YT partners are making a good living - but many other YouTubers are finding ways to put the platform to work to achieve their individual goals.  It's the ultimate in niche marketing - figure out what your brand is, and how to get the word out to the YouTube population, and you will find your specific audience.  If you're really lucky, you'll engage your audience and find ways of sustaining their interest. To some, that extends only to t-shirts and CD's, but also includes books, professional services, and consulting.  As the old cliche goes, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Having said all that - this is a world at the dawn of its creation.  To really be effective in this world, I think, content creators also need to help "spread the word" about the possibilities of social media.  After seeing the sea of talent (of all types and ages) at Vidcon, I'm convinced that the YouTube/social media environment (YouTube won't always be the only game in town) could be the most exciting entrepreneurial opportunity in generations.

It's not there yet, but  one way or another, it will be.

(and yes, I'm still on my Vidcon high.  Is it that obvious?)