Business
The Future Of Business – Means Multiple Revenue Streams
In an early post I shared that everyone will be an affiliate of something, but that won’t be enough. The day of a single revenue source are behind us, we will need more than one revenue stream in order to survive in the new business landscape. Just selling real estate won’t be enough, or providing one consulting service, you will need to provide value added services, provide other products that are useful to your clients.
Most entrepreneurs are always looking for that next thing to sell, that next problem to solve, because they know that if they don’t keep solving problems, consumers will use the first person or business they find. The bigger issue would be, how do I stay top of mind, how do I ensure that I am found, and how do I know I’m being heard. You’ve read it here many times, make more than you consume. make more of whatever you are selling or whatever solution you are providing.
Now, it’s not enough to just slap some ads on your site, or sell more stuff than you used to, and call it multiple revenue streams. You need to think long and hard how these value added services or products will be incorporated into your business, into your marketing, and how you will handle orders….there is much to consider. You can’t willy nilly it for the sake of making a buck. Although there will be many who do just that, unfortunately I don’t have the power to make those individuals stop.
There many ways to go about finding multiple revenue streams, some simple, and some, not so simple. I like simple to be honest, here on owengreaves.com you don’t see too much complication here. I promote Headway Themes, why? I think it’s the best, if not the best theme for WordPress. So I can’t recommend the product enough. I even have a page dedicated to it, with a list of over 400 sites using the theme, I list them so you can see what others are doing with it.
What you may not know about owengreaves.com is, I also have my own webhosting company, I use it for clients and friends mostly, why? That’s another blog post, but, there are another 3 Billion people coming, many will need webhosting, I just want to be able to provide that service, and….solve that problem.
I spend the majority of my time studying trends, tons of data, and look for interesting things in human behaviour, why? So I can share with you my findings on the future of business, much is changing and most people in this space aren’t really paying attention to it. You would think, if that’s true, why do I spend so much time there? Simple, most aren’t, and I can help business owners and entrepreneurs create new ideas to adopt that future I’m talking about.
I do consulting work in many areas of my studies, think-tanks sessions, workshops, and I do alot of public speaking to ensure my message is heard. All are different kinds of revenue streams, all have a slightly different way of generating income. One or two will be your primary money shakers but, you will need a handful of ways to fill the bucket with coin.
If you haven’t given this much thought, if you haven’t sat down and looked at your business from this perspective, if you haven’t considered different products and services around your single revenue stream, you will have a difficult time surviving in coming years. The next 3 -5 years, not 10 or 20, the business landscape is changing faster than you think, and people aren’t going to tolerate you dictating, they won’t come to you, you will have to go to them. How, through a mobile device’s and virtual reality.
What ideas do you have to enhance your one revenue stream, have you considered having multiple revenue streams, 5 or 10 different revenue streams. And will these products and services be yours, most likely not, you will be an affiliate of most of them, but you will have your own. That’s where the profit margins will be greater, in your own products and services.
How do you see the landscape of business in the next 3 – 5 years from this perspective? Thoughts?
Brian Solis & Marcel LeBrun of Salesforce Radian6
I am a huge Brian Solis fan, and I just have to share this video clip with you. Brian is interviewing Marcel LeBrun of Salesforce Radian6, if you don’t know who they are, you are about to hear two very smart people. The Future of Business is Mobile and very Social, but, they are becoming one, the secret sauce in all of this, grow bigger ears, you should be listening more, and creating more than you’re consuming. The conversation is everything, I hope you are paying attention.
A takeaway for me in this video, we think we have control of our brand, when we really only have control of our media, we just yelled louder and more often. Now we have to listen and go to consumers.
Enjoy, and I know you will get some incredibly great ideas from this video.
The Future Of Business – The Internet & War
I was having breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants, the Roasted Grape, and was talking to the owner about what’s changed, and what is changing in business. Much of it is simple, too me, but there is much that goes into how you should adopt what’s changing. I had my laptop with me this morning and was working on my Social Tool called TweetDeck, he said, that’s alot of action going on there. I said, it’s not as much action as you might think, I am listening, alot. He had a confused look on his face of course. I showed him how I was listening for his business on Twitter, then I smiled.
When people don’t understand, don’t know, they feel helpless and in some cases, stupid. Most business owners don’t like to look like they don’t know, but Matt admitted he is somewhat overwhelmed by all that is changing. So I ask him what two things he felt were game changers in the world, in the history of mankind. He had to stop and think about it, I suggested, The Internet & War.
Think about it, War impacted the entire world, and it changed the world at such a deep level, we still get emotional about it. The Internet has done the same thing, it has changed everything, how we communicate, how we sell, how we research information, and we look for loved ones hoping we will find them. It’s so huge, the impact of the Internet has changed my working life, it will never be the same, and it’s about to change the way school is done.
The questions then turn to how to use it, how to use it in business. It’s not that complicated really, it just seems that way. My workshops are all about helping business owners wrap their brain around this huge game changer, and social media just complicated it more. Social Media is not new kids, it’s just gone digital, stop complicating the conversation, in fact, it’s not the conversation, it’s where it takes place and who is listening. Everyone!
We are in the middle of a different kind of war today, an information war, a spiritual war, and a war of how we use our time. But we really struggle with how this thing called the Internet impacts our business, how we make our living, it’s a battle.
Don’t let the battle get you down, fight the good fight.
My gift of helps is why I write, why I hold workshops, and why I public speak, I just want to help, make the world a better place. How are you using your gifts, your business, how do these two come together and help fight the war, are you making the world a better place inspite of the war?
Glen Hiemstra On The Future Of Jobs
I had the privilege of meeting Glen at the World Futurist Society Conference in Vancouver, not only is he extremely tall, he is extremely smart and easy going. This short video clip gives you some insight on the future of jobs, if you are looking for one, think about how jobs will be fashioned in the next 3 – 5 years.
The Future Of Business – Don’t Get Left Behind!
Have you noticed traffic to your Blog has dropped off a little, maybe alot. Have you noticed that comments don’t come as frequently as they used to. You may be wondering what’s wrong, is it you, is it your content, or is it….(insert what you think it is here). Are you feeling like you are being left behind, maybe not even noticed.
It may not be any of the above, it may be, that you are being left behind for reasons out of your control. If it is something you can control, then get on it, fix it as quickly as possible, but what if it isn’t. What if it’s sheer numbers. What if you can’t be found or heard because of one thing.
There is a saying out here on the Internet, one that matters today and in the future, if you want to generate revenue or be top of mind. You have to “Create More Content Than You Consume”. There is much to unpack in that statement, way too long for a Blog post, you may find it in an ebook soon.
But being left behind is something much simpler than what to do or how to do it. The truth is, you can’t control what’s happening, because it’s like a tidal wave, you can’t stop it. Here is the problem. There are 2.1 Billion (rounded up) people on the NET as of March 31st, 2011:
As you can see, Asia & Europe lead the way. The problem doesn’t reveal itself in this graphic, it’s the other 3 Billion coming, over 5 billion people will be online. They will be coming via the O3BNetworks project. And you can’t figure out why it’s getting harder to be found, harder to be heard, and maybe, harder to keep sales up.
Is it possible, that creating more content than you consume will be enough, probably not. You will need a great many things going on to be where you want to be when it comes to business online. You will want a large following, a community that cares about your product and or service, and a thing called Klout will become a factor once that mature’s. This combination will go a long way in making sure you are not left behind.
Today is the day, don’t wait, don’t sit and have meeting after meeting to discuss what went wrong, and worse yet, do nothing! Understanding the Future Of Business takes hard work, and figuring out how to adopt all that is changing requires you and your business to make a paradigm shift.
SHAMELESS PLUG
If you want some insight on what to do, and you live in my area, attend my Future Of Business Workshop, a great place to start. You will be glad you did, you’ll learn how to prevent being left behind. In the end, you will learn that Mindset Trumps Skillset Evertime. Come learn about the Future Of Business and Don’t Get Left Behind!