What do 10MM+ Downloads, streetwear donned by Jay-Z and the Cast of Hunger Games, a 950-lb piece of concrete furniture, a fast rising upstart magazine and a fashion line mashup of 1950’s Hollywood meets contemporary BCBG Maxazria, all have to do with each other?
They are all creations from an emerging global class of entrepreneurs who believe in something bigger than themselves. Luke Chesser (Unsplash.com and pickcrew.com), Chris Cota (skingraftdesigns.com), Brandon Boetto (slabhaus.com), Amanda Marko (trouvemag.com) and Iva Čuljak (ivachudesigns.com) do not fit into conventional thinking, nor do they play by the status quo or believe in the old way of doing things.
They push boundaries, collaborate with others, collectively create, test and reiterate concepts and determine their own path. They are contributors to what many are labeling as the “New Economy” (See Definition Below) and the reason I created Hustle & Deal Flow™, a blog / magazine dedicated to featuring humble creators and entrepreneurs doing big things around the world. (See more on H&DF Below)
SO, WHAT IS THE NEW ECONOMY?
The “new economy” can be defined as new concepts or industries, characterized by cutting edge technology, hyper-growth and digitally connected cultures.
And this is a movement that is predominantly happening in critical mass. An uprising, entrepreneurial spirit is taking place and YOU need to be cognizant of it.
Don’t believe me?
- According to Business Insider – By 2020, it is expected that nearly 50% of the American workforce, roughly 70 million people, will be independent workers.
- BI also states that small and personal businesses in the U.S. alone will increase by more than 7 million in the next 7 years.
AND, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
In short, because of the rise of Internet coupled with broken company cultures.
When you have
Rapid adoption of mobile technology, ubiquitous Internet access, and a general sense of malaise powered by the vague yet nagging notion that we’re not just meant to work all day sitting in a cubicle” (Jeremy Neuner for Quartz),
the results are an astounding break from the norm.
Tough job prospects, old school Corporate thinking, and undervalued talent are just catalysts for this newer purpose-driven, flexible generation of workers.
This is not the “entitlement” generation as deemed by those who are grossly fearful of change, but the “gratitude” generation, which Gary Vaynerchuk states is:
the importance of building a business and life foundation around gratitude.”
Don’t know Gary Vaynerchuk? I suggest you Google him, or click his name in this article.
Another reason we’re seeing the upsurge of this entrepreneurial class is because there has never been more of a time in history than now where humankind can connect with global audiences in seconds, create, test and reiterate ideas faster and then build for scale exactly what their customers want.
Are you aware that there are networks online for every single industry, hobby, passion, idea, group, need, want, organization or interest??
This means you have access to your general interests now more than ever. You can connect, then create and receive validation for your products, ideas or services within minutes.
Of course, this also means you have a responsibility to be open, authentic and honest if you are to succeed.
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?
Feeling a bit ambitious to break from the norm?
Well, according to the movie The Matrix, the question remains whether you take the red pill or the blue pill?
Now, I am not advocating for you to quit your job. Quite frankly, being a contributor to the new economy is very much about working in an environment that makes sense, especially if that means working for someone else.
In fact, as I’ve begun interviewing emerging companies from around the world for my blog magazine, I have discovered that they have created the very collaborative and healthy environments I’m talking about.
What I am advocating for is a call for creativity! Do you have a platform for creating? What excites you that you can start building? Keep in mind that in 5 years, half of the U.S. workforce will have already started building their dreams.
In an attempt to help you get started on building something, anything, here are several recommendations:
- Get real about what you want – James Altucher gives a great exercise in his book, Choose Yourself, to write down as many ideas as you can everyday. If you can only think of 1 idea today and 20 tomorrow, so be it. Just write down ideas. It doesn’t matter how crazy they are. The point is to exercise the brain muscle and help you get to a few good ones.
- Do a little background research – Once you’ve chosen something of interest, go online and seek out others that are interested in it. Find out what types of outlets exist – Try Reddit, LinkedIn Groups, etc.
- Go visit a Co-Working Space – these environments are in almost every city around the world and offer tremendous creativity. Go for an hour or two, walk around, ask lots of questions and you might feel invigorated to begin creating your new project.
- Attend a Startup Weekend – Startup Weekend is often synonymous with “tech” but that’s not always the case. It’s mostly an event that brings together “creatives” and business professionals to build an idea over the course of a weekend. If nothing else, you will make great contacts and be able to continue creating with them.
- Talk to your network – Go on to your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and ask your network if they’d be interested in something you’re building. Since they may be your potential customers / visitors / users / etc., ask them what they want. HINT: Anything you create should be geared towards networks you already have access to. If you don’t, go become a part of those networks.
SO, HERE’S WHAT I DID
After realizing how much I was doing for the digital needs of other companies and brands, I realized I needed a platform to create for myself. I have always enjoyed writing, communication, connecting people and building community and collaboration around ideas and concepts.
I also have an innate hunger for entrepreneurship and technology.
Knowing I have a vast global network and I am tied to the Internet, as well as several digital communities, I started researching entrepreneurship and companies around the world.
Similar to Malcolm Gladwell and his pursuit for Outliers, I wanted to detail the lives and background stories of entrepreneurs and their companies before the acquisitions, buyouts and IPO’s happen. My niche is focusing on the “new economy” as previously defined. The reason for this focus is because I have discovered that creators in the new economy are pursuing their dreams based on collaboration, complimentary skill sharing and the pursuit of something greater than self.
What I am finding, is that regardless of their journeys, all entrepreneurs, creators and outliers in the “new economy” have similar traits, beliefs and value systems that traditional corporations need to seriously start paying more attention to.
Based on having a vast network, a keen understanding of technology (backend and frontent) and content platforms, a digital marketing background and having been involved in international business for most of my adult life, I thought it only made sense to make Hustle & Deal Flow™
