Some of us have had to endure listening to our aged
seniors brag about a previous labour market, a time when people used to
seemingly walk from one job opportunity to another whilst we witness today an
economy unable to sustain an increasing unemployed population.
Whilst some of what they say is true, what must be taken into
account is that the economy has totally changed. We now seek for employment
opportunities in an entirely different world to the one that they were active in. And
the market place they sought for jobs in has fundamentally gone forever, let me
explain.
Fast forward today and we now live in an age
abundant with technological advancements when held in contrast to our ancestors
only 100 years ago. Some call this age the ‘Information Age.' Some call it an
age of the ‘Digital Market.' Some of you will be viewing this very article on a
tablet or a smart phone whilst on the move, going about your business commuting
to work, a time where everything appears to be available to us at a touch of a
finger.
All these advancements, yet we still have
increasing numbers of unemployment. Could these advancements in technology
actually be contributing to the unemployment numbers?
We have seen increasing amounts of data which
suggests that technological advancements and efficiency measures are
contributing to making human skill sets redundant. As self-check-out stations
replace the check-out boy/girl at the tills at your favourite groceries stores
and as the banks continue to roll out self-deposit machines to replace the all
familiar counter services, these are the tiny but obvious examples of how we
are being made redundant to computers and machines in every industry.
There was once a time when the high street was the
centre hub for consumerism. This has now shifted to online stores, and now an
increasing number of high street stores struggle to remain operational due to
aggressive low cost services being offered online.
‘Blockbuster video’ remember them? They were dotted
up and down the United Kingdom and were responsible for employing tens of
thousands of staff across the country. They folded due to unsustainable
operational costs and all the jobs went with them. The void left by the giant
high street chain was quickly filled by the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime
who now employ a fraction of the people which Blockbuster Video did. Those jobs will never return, are you
seeing the trend?
The Tsunami of technological and efficiency
advancements have decimated the working landscape on a back drop of ever
increasing global population numbers. In the last 50 years alone we have seen a
doubling of the world population numbers to an incredible 7.3 billion by year 2100
some experts forecast a population of near to 12 billion people. These numbers
are worrying as it already appears the economy is now becoming self-service
just like the check out in your local super store. It now appears that the
economy needs less of us to run it and we are now becoming surplus to requirements.
A new type of work force has found its way onto the
market place forcing him/herself to become relevant once again. The
self-employed numbers around the world have increased tenfold, recent figures
in England suggest that of the 283,000 people who have found themselves newly
in work, 183,000 (a massive 65 % of them) are classified as self-employed.
People are having to turn to self-employment to better their lives.
A trend has begun of new start-up businesses that
cannot be replaced by technology. A certain type of business is making its way
back onto the high street, ones where human interaction is highly reliant upon
such as beauty parlours, hair dressers, whilst food businesses continue to
remain in demand.
Many fortune seekers have turned their backs on
traditional income streams and now prefer to go it alone as self-employed
entrepreneurs. This has given birth to new trends!
One of these new trends is the emergence of a new
market place called Network Marketing or which some refer to as Multi-Level-Marketing.
Some experts have labelled some of these business models as scams so I am
revealing this subject matter to you with some caution, but then there are
legitimate companies who have been setup with a real purpose, to make you and
them win.
Essentially, these business models are offering
budding self-starters a way to join a business model with very little down
payment, similar to what a traditional franchise offers. The idea is start-ups
join a company and help distribute the company’s products or services and then
enjoy a share and ongoing royalties of the reuse of the product or service by
their customers.
One particular company in the United Kingdom called
the ‘Utility Warehouse Discount Club’ has made huge waves and has featured as best
buy in ‘Which? Magazine’. These types of companies have become so prominent in
today's market place, the likes of London Mayor Boris Johnson and Prime
Minister David Cameron have been eager to be seen rubbing shoulders with such
organisations. In May 2015, forty eight hours before their major election was
to draw to a close, they were beamed across the world pitching their last
attempt at votes from the Utility Warehouse HQ in London.
Such companies make it easy to access
self-employment and this is leading to a golden age of self-employment and
Network Marketing. Before looking to go
into such models, experts are advising that individuals do their due diligence
and check credibility of a company. Ensure the company has been operating for a
minimum of five years. Longer is always
better, of course.
Start-ups should understand the cash flows and
examine if the company has new money coming into the system from new and real customers.
Some network marketing models are heavily reliant on internalized profiteering
and these companies should be avoided. Like in any business landscape, there
will be those who make money, lose money and those that simply get scammed.
Whilst there is a lot of money to be made with the right company, the
self-employed must be careful which Network Marketing company they join forces
with.
With such bleak employment numbers today, the
self-employed gives the economy a renewed hope, a new gusto and encourage an
economy to evolve.
Here’s to the self-employed and here’s to a brighter
future!
Resources: neweconomics.org, Yahoo news, BBC news, Google News, Wikipedia, Sky News
Featured Company: Utility Warehouse Discount Club, www.facebook.com/makemoneyrevolution, www.incomerevolution.co.uk, www.billrevolution.co.uk
