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Web-Based Business Strategies and Monetization Models
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Micro-Entrepreneurs' Herald a New Frontier of Economic Sustainability

Micro-Entrepreneurs' Herald a New Frontier of Economic Sustainability | Online Business Models | Scoop.it

Robin Good: If you, like me, are a small online entrepreneur-publisher, not after venture capital, but interested in building a high-value information service that can effectively help people solve a problem out of your own expertise, know-how and passions, this article is a definite must-read.


Jamie Wong writes: "...the discontented worker leaves behind the “security” of a corporate job in favor of his or her passions--is a new and growing behavior in post-industrial countries, particularly in the United States, Europe, and Australia.


The media has named the growing trend toward micro-entrepreneurship “the Rise of the Creative Class," “the Gig Life," or "the freelance economy.”


...


...there’s one stark difference between micro-entrepreneurs today and the “Free Agent Nation” citizens of the late '90s: technology."


...


This new freedom economy is working because it’s good for economic growth, and it’s growing because it can lead to better lives.


But this technological revolution that enables greater autonomy and flexibility will also require a humane infrastructure to survive. (The article details which ones specifically).


...


"New companies that empower individuals to become micro-entrepreneurs not only stimulate the economy by creating new revenue streams and disrupting outdated models of business, but provide individuals access to more fulfilling, rewarding, and authentic lives."


Excellent read for individuals wanting to build a truly valuable service online to help others while creating their own sustainability.


Highly recommended. 9/10 


Full article: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679903/the-rise-of-the-micro-entrepreneurship-economy 

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Sharewood Is Next: Business Must Create Shared Value - Michael E. Porter

Sharewood Is Next: Business Must Create Shared Value - Michael E. Porter | Online Business Models | Scoop.it

"In the old, narrow view of capitalism, business contributes to society by making a profit, which supports employment, wages, purchases, investments, and taxes.


Conducting business as usual is sufficient social benefit. A firm is largely a self-contained entity, and social or community issues fall outside its proper scope.


...


[But] in recent years business increasingly has been viewed as a major cause of social, environmental, and economic problems.


Companies are widely perceived to be prospering at the expense of the broader community.


Even worse, the more business has begun to embrace corporate responsibility, the more it has been blamed for society’s failures. The legitimacy of business has fallen to levels not seen in recent history.


This diminished trust in business leads political leaders to set policies that undermine competitiveness and sap economic growth. Business is caught in a vicious circle.


A big part of the problem lies with companies themselves, which remain trapped in an outdated approach to value creation that has emerged over the past few decades.


They continue to view value creation narrowly, optimizing short-term financial performance in a bubble while missing the most important customer needs and ignoring the broader influences that determine their longer-term success.


...


The solution lies in the principle of shared value, which involves creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges.


Businesses must reconnect company success with social progress.


Shared value is not social responsibility, philanthropy, or even sustainability, but a new way to achieve economic success.


It is not on the margin of what companies do but at the center."



Must read. 10/10.


Read the full article: http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value/ar/1 (requires free registration)


(Curated by Robin Good)

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