Steve says:

I have to agree with your timeline of your 3 epochs. I think you have analyized this topic well. I also don’t agree with the president much, but hopefully his preditications are correct here. Being raised with the mind set that you got a job and retired from that company, I think that the Entrepreneurial way is the way to go and will be very stable in years to come and will help the economy, it can’t hurt.

Good post Alex, keep up the good work!

Steve

Timothy Caron says:

Dear Alex,
I whole heartedly agree.
Many people of history have claimed this in similar responses, such as entrepreneurs like Napoleon Hill, Andrew Carnegie, Joe Vitale, Willie Crawford.

We must as Entrepreneurs rise up to meet the challenges head on, break down the walls, lift up the minds, guard our spirits, and take this world forward in a spirit of trust.

All to often we let pride, arrogance and many other self centered attributes, get in the way of the true meaning of what it is to me an Entrepreneur, all for the sake of money.

We should encourage all, not feed the funnel of corporate indiffirence.
Tim

Diane DoBucki says:

I fully concur with that statement, unfortunately our Pres sends mixed messages.
Just 2 weeks ago he said that the government was the only one with resourses to to rebuild the economy. We all know that the zebra and the jackass was the attempt to design a horse by a commitee. The last thing we need is a commitee attempt in directing entrepreneurs. We already have enough jackasses.

Shel Horowitz, ethical marketing expert says:

Great post, Alex. I totally agree about entrepreneurial interdependence–have been advocating that for years, in my books, articles, and consulting practice.

Thanks for the link to the Forbes business scandal sheet. I’ll link to it from the new book I’m co-authoring with Jay Conrad Levinson (which already cites you and your “paradox of syndication,” BTW.

Shel Horowitz, award-winning author of Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First and Founder of the international Business Ethics Pledge campaign

Rebecca Marina says:

I totally agree Alex! It is time for the entreprenurial spirit to rise.What is wonderful about this? You can set the intention to awaken your “inner entrepreneur” and set creativity in motion. Here is an exercise to get you started. Go into any business- look around- think of ways THEY could be making more money- what extra value or service could they offer? After you have spent a ton of someone else’s money and got your imagination flowing…turn the stream on YOU and Your business! Have fun…Rebecca Marina, Prosperity Queen

Lindsay says:

This ain’t gonna happen just yet…. I speak as an outsider (from the UK). But until you Americans get rid of your culture of blame and litigation, which is actually being fed at the moment by some of the actions resulting from the melt-down of the financial/banking sector, how can you talk about interdependence? Initiative sqaushed by lawsuits. ANY risk seen as unacceptable. Blame “the government” for everything that goes wrong or that you don’t like.

I like the concept, but I think it’s more likely to evolve faster over here in Europe and possibly in Eastern Europe first – where the crisis is deeper but most of the population lived under repressive regimes and have “enterprised” their way out of the shadow of those (in some cases, not all).

A lot of the current pain is nothing to do with world finance, it is to do with changing business and social models – propelled mainly by the internet, but also by climate change, the rise of China/India, greater mobility of workforce etc etc.

The old businesses which have failed to adapt to it were clinging on while credit was plentiful – have no legs left now the easy money is gone. Old media – press, TV advertising – are suffering. Travel agencies are suffering – people are still booking, but on-line, and not what they have on their books. Automobile manufacturers – have to adapt to the leaner, greener world or die (maybe that hasn’t hit you over there yet). All of these shifts are indeed opportunities for entrepreneurship. And indeed for a new form of entrepeneurship – maybe based on mutual benefit rather than exploitation? That may be too idealistic.

Lindsay

Karen says:

Very interesting analogies you offer…and they do make sense to me. But most importantly, your conclusions are right on. Being a lifelong entreprenuer, I know that the “can do” attitude has served me through good times and bad, and it always keeps me believing in my own progress. Let’s hear it for IMAGINATION! This it what is going to allow us to surge forward into an unprecedented future. Thanks so much for pointing this out, Alex.

Matt says:

So, somehow a move towards HUGE government (that couldn’t even run a profitable hot dog stand) and Socialism is a good thing for Entrepreneurs???

I understand the concept and power of the mastermind, networking, and partnerships, as I have used them in the last 10 years of my life as an entrepreneur, but I must be missing something here…

Micki Haendiges says:

Hi Alex!
I will see you on Friday! I am coming from Indiana. I totally agree with your thoughts. I have been “sucked into” the health care industry for 16 years. I finished medical school in 1993 and residency in Ob/Gyn in 1997. Since then I have built a monster practice but I am done! I am done being a pawn of the insurance industry and the government. It is time to take action and I have been putting all my ducks in a row for about a year now. I am bringing some great people with me. I think you hit the nail right on the head. The “company will take care of us” mentality has gotten us in a lot of trouble. Worse yet, the union mentality has been worse. Oh, I think we are in big trouble as an economy and a nation, but I am making plans to carry myself and mine through this rough water! We will be fine. We will not be beholden to the insurance companies or the government. If the government wants more of my money, then I have to make more! Period! See you on Friday!! Micki

Zachery Davis says:

Great article Alex. You should be proud. You are an inspiration. You bring the “Super Star” vision in focus. Even if “jobs” were reliable and stable they would still be limiting. Entrepreneurship enables people to express their inner passions and be the best that they can be. You have and continue to help so many reach their goals. Thank you for all that you do. You are definitely one of my heroes.

Crescent Dragonwagon says:

Interesting, and “ecological” in the highest sense. Can’t separate the thriving of individuals from their communities. Today communities are global.

I highly suggest the 2004 documentary The Corporation (http://www.thecorporation.com/) for further background on the twisted roots of this peculiar institution…

ken says:

The old adage, “when it gets tough, the tough get going” is true! A person who “works” for someone else is always just an employee. Only when he discovers the freedom and challenges of Entrepreneurial Interdependence will his eyes open. This transformation changes one’s core perpective. As an owner, Entrepreneurial Interdependence makes sense. It is essential to our individual success. In this age of the Internet, there is no excuse. Simply hope! I used to work for the corporation. Since 1984, I have worked for myself. I placed a page online a few years ago and today through 32 websites, 7 blogs and 3 webcasts later, 3 million unique visitiors will learn about us this year!

Frank R. Cirullo says:

A small government, low taxes, mayors, governors, and a congress that makes it easy for people to start-up and operate a business, a strong military and police force that protects the citizens, and judges who enforce the laws (not make-up the laws from the bench) always makes it easier for an individual to start a business and succeed.

Charles says:

Wow, very nicely researched and written Alex. I share your sentiment. We’ve sold our souls to corp life for too long. That’s 99% of what’s taught in schools, even college: how to be a good employee. I didn’t really understand or know any better until about 2 years ago.

I’m waiting to see the proof as far as Obama is concerned though. So far, he has not proven to be friendly to businesses of any size, unless you call the U.S. Government a business. That one is growing quite rapidly.

Jennifer Gibbs says:

Hey there Alex!

While I agree with the words that came out of Obama’s mouth, it would be a lot better if his actions were there to back them up. Recent discussions regarding taxing the “rich” and punishing success with higher taxes and penalties, lessening the ability of small businesses and individuals to write off ALL charitable donations and his insistence on catering to special interests leads me to believe he’s just trying to lull us into a sense of false security while he steals all of our individual freedoms from us in exchange for an even bigger government.

I sincerely hope he puts his money where his mouth is…

Jennifer

Paul Colligan says:

The funny thing is – this is a technology issue as much as it is anything else. But this time, the technology is on our side.

The imagination of the entrepreneur was once limited to the technology they could afford (or invent ;-)). This is no longer the case. We have global distribution for pennies and computers bigger than what we took to the moon on our “free with service plan” cell phones.

The technology enables it, the economy requires it, I’m going to do it.

Paul

Linda says:

As I see it we all are Historians in our own right given and now received.
We can all look back and see how far we’ve come into a new day of opportunity and a new era that is illuminating our way together as we interact with one another in our creation.
I smile with a “Knowing” that a brighter future is possible as we will be joining hearts and minds as we come together as a body full circle.
I do believe “The Future of Our Economy depends on our passiions of Great and Wild Imaginations. We as brillant minds set forth to the point of reentering. It’s a time of recovery towards a great love for each other, and for our great nation and for our children of the future to see what is possible as we can now all work as a whole.
I end this reply with another Great Smile as I enter this new era of Entrepreneurial Interdependence with you and the rest of the world as an amazing and awesome universe becomes empowered as One Entrepreneurialship.
I Welcome All Aboard on this ship.
Namaste !
Linda

Kent says:

Second that motion Alex!

Can’t wait until another election/administration to start working hard to improve things (economic, political, etc.). We need to get started now!

And getting off the corporate dole will be like getting off the oil addiction. It will be painful but it must be done. There is a direct parallel here. The people who control the oil have proven – time and again – they only have their best interests at heart. Similarly, the corporate leaders (starting with Wall Street) are proving right now who’s interests (read, theirs) they have closest to heart.

Lets get off the doles (and are butts) and get this thing turned around. WE ARE AMERICANS – WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Kent

pat says:

Good morning Alex I thank you for your insight.Your message was the first one I read this morning,it`s just what I needed.I have been on line for the last 8 months buying all kinds of info.trying to find a business,because I believe it is the way to earn a substantial income.I`m 66 and can`t afford to retire.My problem is I am computer illiterate.Your message gives me hope that I`m on the right track. Thank you for your voice of encouragement.Learning all the info.is so overwelming and frustrating scary! I will succed. Keep up the good work I knew I was on the right following you. Pat

ben morris says:

This is indeed an era of transition as Alex references. Part of that transition is the sea-change from the era of corporate dominance to the return of an entrepreneurship.

But I also see another related issue here. From my perspective of being in the advertising and marketing profession for 27 years, I’ve never seen a more pronounced bifurcation between old school 20th century strategies and tactics and what I like to call “2.0 21st Century Marketing.”

Much of the pain we see out in the market today is exacerbated, if not created, by continued use of 20th Century tactics, and not just in marketing. Examples would be requiring outside sales people to cold call hundreds of clients a month for a “sales funnel” or GM trying to “push” cars they make without a buyer through screaming TV spots hawking zero or low interest.

In fact one could even look at the most recent presidential election as a proxy for these two opposing marketing strategies. Regardless of your political persuasion John McCain, in strategy and tactics, ran a state-of-the-art campaign circa 1996. Did they even have a website.  Obama, on the other hand, was cutting edge 2.0 2008 marketing, right down to his use of effective listbuilding strategies, YouTube and Twitter.

During these “difficult” times new thinking and embracing new ideas isn’t an option. It’s mandatory to prosper and perhaps even mandatory to survive. Although there are fundamentals out there like the subprime crisis and the AIG fiasco that are very real problems, a significant reason that times have become “difficult “is because “what’s always worked “in the past no longer works as well or even works at all in the present.

The “crowd” whether in marketing, the stock market, or real estate speculation is right MOST OF THE TIME, but is DEAD WRONG at the turning points, like the one we are currently experiencing. The assumption is that the trend will continue and real estate prices, stock market prices, wages, whatever you pick will increase because they have over a long period of time. The good news, though, for those of us who DO recognize this turning point to a new era and capitalize on it, is that we will prosper exponentially more than we would have in a “stable” economic environment.

Personally, all of my marketing businesses are up dramatically since September as we continue to offer new ideas to new clients who fired their old-school legacy-thinking ad agency or VP of Marketing and embraced 2.0 21st Century marketing with us.

Even my focus on continuing education by taking teleseminar secrets is borne out of the realization that this is an historic time to make a huge difference for those of us who recognize and embrace the 2.0 marketing world, or, as Alex called it above, the Entrepreneurial Interdependence mindset.

Brent says:

I’m amazed at how many folks continue to show up at these job fairs.

I think last week thousands came to Dodger Stadium looking for a job and my only thought was don’t they know about the real income opportunities out there on the web.

And of course I’m also thinking, if I can make this web biz work and generate an income that provides my family with a comfortable living, guess what, so can you.

The reply from Jeff could not be more accurate. “Remove the fences…” of doubt, stop depending on someone else, never stop learning, and anyone can probably do this…

Brent

Vincent says:

Thanks Alex for this piece of history lesson, I heard the word Interdependence somewhere else (from Stephen Covey) as the next step past independence, does sound like the revival of the American dream, this time shared by the whole world from the ashes of the corporate meltdown.
Global economy takes another sens, the interdependence sens.

Thank you again.

Vincent

Len says:

The conversation that is going on in the minds of consumers (and we are all consumers) is “Who can I Trust?”. In an era of interdependence all of us who are entrpreneurs must act in ethical, honest ways. That makes us trustworthy and ultimately a worthy partner for strategic alliances.

As owners of a just-less than million dollar per year service business – we have recently learned (and Alex has just put in perspective) that the success of small companies and entrpeneurs is directy proportional to the referral programs and strategic partnerships we form. Our future is bright and thank-you world, we choose not to join or be part of any recessions.
Len

Rick Wolff says:

There are very skilled people who practice their craft without a lot of client contact. Let’s call these “thing people,” as opposed to “people people.” I consider myself a thing person. Another way to describe it is an “inside guy,” as opposed to an “outside guy.” As long as someone’s doing the legwork, I can pay attention to my craft and not worry about where the next work is coming from. I found I did well for myself in a corporation, even better in agency temp freelancing. Now I’m laid off, and discovering there are no more “outside guys” to be found — and that I’m now expected to be my own outside guy. I’m not sure what to do first. I’m willing to change with the times, but there’s this whole “people people” skillset that I never developed. It’s daunting.

Michael Angier says:

I agree with your viewpoint, Alex. Too bad Obama’s policies including the so-called stimulus bill doesn’t match his rhetoric. Hardly anything in it to help entrepreneurs who have been responsible for nearly ALL job growth in the last 20 years.

Not suggesting handouts, just wanting to see politicians to walk their talk.

JP says:

It’s not what he “says”, it’s what he DOES. He does not have any respect for business. He has never owned a business, helped a business or had to serve clients. He has only given away money through non-profits. Entreprenuers will save this country… DESPITE his policies.

Scott says:

All behavior is modified by rewards and punishments…incentives or dis-incentives. Banks and government reward people who get a job and punishing self employed people. Form filling clerks at banks find it harder make a loan if you’ve been in business for 10 years than if you’ve had a job for 2 years. (You don’t look like them!) Taxing the most successful dis-incentivises people as well. Now that you have worked for years and made it, we DEMAND that you share it with people who went to work and lost their jobs. Of course this also means that you will be less likely to invest in another busines to create more jobs for people. Wait a minute! There minght be a pattern here! After 8 years in office, FDR’s New Deal had a whopping 20% unemployment rate, and Secretary Morgenthaller conceded that it didn’t work and may have actually prolonged the suffering of the Great Depression.
Having said all that, entrepreneures march on because we CANNOT imagine going to work for a corporations.

Grandpa Dale Smith says:

You’ve provided an extremely valid overview of what has happened and is happening. And you’ve targeted the attitudes and actions we need to take to make the most of this new era.

Very helpful, as always, Alex.
–GrandpaDale Smith

Dan Hollings says:

Alex…

I rarely comment on blog posts, but this one is so spot-on; you knocked it out of the park in true Hank Aaron style. In a sea of frowns, what better advice than to “start smiling at the future” – that advice made me… you guessed it… smile!

The future of our economy DOES rely on the imagination of Entrepreneurs and it’s my opinion many are stepping up to the plate now. It’s obvious you’re already in the batter’s circle.

Dan

Trish Geib says:

Very interesting, Alex. I’m going to give it some more thought. Up front I have two main objections: my husband has worked for Kelloggs for nearly 13 years. His secure and highly-paid job has allowed me to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions in a low risk manner. Second, I think Obama was all talk. His actions thus far have only served to squelch incentives for the producers and encourage the moochers. I think the American society is headed toward a time of barely existent entrepreneurialism. Frankly, it makes me sad.

Tom King says:

I think we are definitely in a period of transition, which is a bit dark and bewildering in some ways, but many opportunities are present will continue to emerge. I like the concept of Interdependent Entrepeneur because it suggests a developmental or evolutionary process. I read an interesting interview with Dr. Beatrice Bruteau at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=53628098129&h=rQwHr&u=Dub1U, in which she talks about how we must unite in order to create, and the future that is ready to emerge depends on us being willing and active participants in bringing it forth.
Tom

Jeanne Hurlbert says:

First, I’m delighted to see that someone pays attention to history–because we ignore it at our peril. And I’m also delighted to see someone touting the importance of social capital–our connections to others and the resources they provide. It’s all about strategic alliances and building that social capital in this “new age.” And Americans have let that social capital decline, as research shows clearly.

Second, I think you’re exactly right about the shift that’s occurring. Not only did the dominance of major corporations lead to scandal, from the 1980s forward, it also led to enormous increases in inequality–so great that the head of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Board declared, a couple of years ago, that the level of inequality threatened our DEMOCRACY.

It’s all about interdependence now–they called the Internet the web for a reason. And as we watch social media soar, we have to remember that, at it’s core, online networking and offline network alike are tools for building the our strategic alliances, the social capital that is as critical for our success as its financial counterpart.

Michael says:

Alex,

You are so right on in so many ways, except…

That at the moment we are like salmon swimming up stream. The fall of our financial systems is a cold and calculated way for the ultra rich elite to take over and enslave America and the world just like they have done over and over in third world countries.

These people who run our government are not stupid, these financial failures did not happen by accident, it was quite intentional. And the government did not change when B.O. took office…it was just a change of puppets. New actors took the stage…actually mostly the same actors are on the stage they just changed the roles they were playing. Yet those who really call the shots are still sitting in their same seats and they always present us with the puppets that we get to vote for.

These folk have a lot of power and intend on continuing to loot our country and crush the entrepreneurial spirit even more. Closing down and censoring the Internet is also on their agenda. They are doing it in Australia and Canada. And they intend to do it here too.

So if you love your way of life, if you love being free and independent, it is of utmost importance to wake as many people up to what is really going on in this country.

I am not some kook with conspiracy theories. Just look beyond the major media and you will find an abundance of evidence that what I have said is true. We can change things, but not if we are asleep.

Swim hard little salmon, swim real hard, because there is a fish hatchery waiting to harvest all of your eggs at the end of your journey.

Best Wishes to All. Let Freedom Reign!
Michael

Ben says:

I agree with Obama’s statement.

Unfortunately, his actual economic policies are an all-out war on entrepreneurship, i.e.

1) Big tax increases (mostly on business)
2) Huge new spending (piling up debt)
3) Nationalization of much of our economy.
4) Subsidizing failure (i.e. Trillion-dollar bailouts of badly run corporations)

With its pro-growth policies of the last 28 years (tax cuts), America created 45 million new jobs. During this same period, Europe (with its more socialist big government policies) created exactly ZERO net-new jobs.

So what does Obama do?

He opts for European-style economic policy — even while Europe is now starting to move away from failed Socialism.

Ben Hart

Marianna Morris says:

Thanks for your clear, on the mark post.
I am sending it to all my corporate friends and relatives who are falling off the staggering corporate freight train (some jumping and some being pushed).
More importantly, I am sending it to my college age grandchildren who are trying to find direction.
“Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.” Mahatma Gandhi
Marianna

Mel Inglima says:

It’s a spirit that aches for expression. Alex, you see it in your work with authors and small business people. I see it in people who build or remodel their own home.

I’m forever amazed at what people can accomplish when they put their minds to it. Freedom to express, to create, to venture out … that is what allows us to blossom. And the internet gives us the freedom to connect with others who have complimentary goals.

Strategic alliances not only allow us to accomplish more, they’re often the only way to create anything of significance at all. Building a home requires the knowledge, expertise, and efforts of many just as a growing business venture requires banding together with other experts.

The freedoms the internet offers creates fertile ground for our entrepreneurial interdependence. Long live the internet and long live our freedoms!

Lynda says:

Obama is right, you are right. I talk every day with a brother who complains there are no jobs to be had (of course, he’s looking for the $100,000 a year job in a field that no longer exists) and yet my son just launched his own business with next to nothing, while in university full-time.

Every time the market changes I have had to change. Thinking on your feet and moving with the times is the only way to bring about success. Instead of sitting there saying “Oh no.. there goes my business” I tend to jump for joy at the new opportunities and new learning experiences.

Camilo says:

I Agree… it’s time to realize we can achieve the impossible if we act as a powerful ‘We” instead of a greedy “Me”.

As Noah St. John put it, the Win-Win-Win.

An interesting 3-Part documentary from the BBC to give some context to your Entrepreneurial Revolution, “The Trap: What happened To Our Dream Of Freedom?”.

It shows the story of how we reached our present situation. In decisive times such as now… we need to come to grips that we can evolve to the next stage, as a species, starting by the way we interact with each other… & how we do business.

Part I:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-5697040747671499571&hl=es&fs=true

Part II:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-7470134968000083794&hl=es&fs=true

Part III:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=8396912652575372609&hl=es&fs=true

Enjoy!

Peder Andersen says:

I totally agree!
It seems that Obama knows that the roots to a better economy lies in the hands of the Entrepreneurs. They work smarter and are able to create goods and services that people actually want worldwide. And worldwide it has to be if America shall recover. But this is my opinion that Obama can deliver on his promises. Some aspect of the crisis are actually self created. “Scream crises and crises will come”.
Now Obama promises change, and change will come. And obvious he tries to awake the entrepreneurial spirit in the american people. I hope they will listen.

Yours
Peder Andersen
pederandesen.com

Carl Hyburg says:

Alex,
The truth in this statement is so obvious, however the American worker is afflicted with corportitis, a pathology that manifests itself in victimology rather than action. This country was founded by free thinkers and people willing to take great risk to achieve great things, it is that same spirit that is needed now to turn this country around. More and more people and organizations are in need of tapping into this thing called the internet as a means of creating revenue and opportunity. My own journey on this path has been enlightening to say the least and am looking for ways to integrate this virtual world into my green energy business. We have a work force that has been kicked out of their B&M womb and are need of ways to capitalize on their new found freedom. Like Jeff so aptly put it in his comments. Learn to sing in the rain.

You sir are one of those people that has helped many and have much more room to grow. To your continued success and thanks for checking in and giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts with you.

Carl Hyburg

Dr. Andrew Colyer says:

Great post. Great references and resources.

Entrepreneurs who are using Electronic Marketing are riding the crest of the wave.

Entrepreneurs who aren’t using Electronic Marketing are going to be paddling.

Many small business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs are interdependent within their physical geography, their “brick and mortar” businesses. If one is in business with a web presence, it now becomes possible to be Interdependent with the rest of the world. The leverage and scale becomes massive.

I live in New York. I just had my first sale online to a person in Ireland. Looking at Google Analytics, I have people in Egypt, India, Australia, and New Zealand coming to my website.

That’s Global Interdependence, thanks to Electronic Marketing.

Thank you for being here, Alex.

liz zed says:

Yes! Very inspirational, stimulating post Alex. In fact, so much so that you’ve positively inspired me, as you so often do. It was the phrase “the myth of job security” that did it. You provoked and inspired me into action, I’ve posted in my own blog today to do my interdependent bit and get the word out to as many people as possible in the hopes that you might inspire the entrepreneur in all your readers as well. The interdependent entrepreneur is available inside each one of us.

Dan says:

Obama’s Feb 24th speech was NOT a state of the union speech. To be accurate it was a speech to a joint session of congress. As far as his reference to entreprenurial sprit what in the world created the corporations hat are so maligned? They didn’t create themselves. So any small business that is a corporation is evil? I don’t buy the premise that corporate “greed” is evil either. Corporations have employed millions of Americans and have also provided millions of Americans with retirement benefits. So why have so many corporations moved overseas? Was it greed? Was it because labor is cheap. Hardly, it is because the United States has one of the highest tax rates on corporations in the world and with the purposed tax increases it will have the highest tax on corporations in the world. That coupled with hidden taxes called government regulatiosn no wonder they are moving overseas in record numbers. So who does that leave to create new jobs? The small business entrepreneur? The Secretary of Labor and the President himself both have stated that small business doe not hire others. That is their own words. So that leaves the government to create new jobs. Of course the government is the fastest growing business in the country and that surely will be our economic doom. So sing in the rain and do all the dancing you want to but a smart person gets in out of the rain.

Richard McLaughlin says:

I’m somewhat active on LinkedIn and over the last 2 weeks there have been a lot of comments along the lines of “what can your business do to get us out of this economic situation” and I agree that the best path forward is what businesses will do.

I do some tech support for a group of white paper writers (http://www.white-paper-insider.com/) that work together. Each person is a white paper writer, but none cover all the possible markets. They will support each other and try to get business for each other. Inventiveness like this is a great idea and one of the things that people can do during the hard times.

Kaleah LaRoche says:

I agree! Ironically when I woke up at 4am this morning I wrote a blog post having to do with our prosperity mindset in today’s economy. The way we think and believe is so important in relationship to what we create in our lives. And…what is happening now is the old systems are crumbling so that fresh new ones can be erected in their place. We can hold on to the “OLD” and wither and die right along with them OR we can search our souls for a more authentic way of being in the world. Are we going to be a part of what is falling away or what is being born? I myself choose to imagine a great new world emerging out of the ashes of the old.
Kaleah

Carl Atkinson says:

Alex,

Bless you for hitting hard on the Interdependence theme. Particularly multigenerational interdependence over the extended lifespans–and extended duration of contributive work lives–that must be a part of our future.

The big uncertainty for me is how soon we will bend the focus of our communications systems from amusing and distracting ourselves to informing, exploring, creating, and interdependently expanding the possibilities of the added generation of ingenuity and vitality we’ll enjoy. That’s something to really get excited about.

Bob Maarconi says:

Somehow, I don’t believe we would be in so much trouble if we had not allowed businesses to grow so big that just one going under could have such a profound effect on this world.

I believe in small business!

Arizona Zack says:

… AHA! …

It’s a new time.

It’s a new age.

We are now at the doorstep of a new era.

Mr./President Obama has lit the fuse and his insight regarding entrepreneurs hit the bull’s eye.

Corporations, after years of “buying” their totalitarian-like regulations via special
interest spending, has creating a society of greed and control over the unsuspecting public.

We are supposed to be a society of freedoms, but now, we are at the mercy of
corporate control.

The USA has lost ‘millions of jobs’ overseas in the last eight years due to tax incentives provided by the previous administration, which were ‘trade-offs’ for
election/campaign funding, and now our collective local, state and national revenues are suffering serious shortages because of all those aforementioned
jobs are not producing and funneling tax revenues through the proper channels that are necessary to maintain schools, roads, medical support programs, help for the homeless and countless other needed entities/programs.

It’s time that WE take control of our future and establish a mentality of awareness
regarding our personal and business-related independence. We can no longer
allow corporations to ‘manufacture’ ways and means to get and keep more of
our money without regard to what is honest, fair and equitable to us, the flock.

Independent thinking and actions thereof is the foundation of America. Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, et.al, are examples of independent thinking. Perhaps YOU will apply independent thinking in order to develop new
ways and means that are and will be applicable in today’s world.

Embrace independent thinking and share this mentality with whomever will listen…a must!

Be well and be aware,

Arizona Zack

Fred says:

Alex.

Great insight.

I am very optimistic about my future. However I do not share that perspective
with regards to our country.

Business scandals have rocked the last 50 years. However you overlooked government scandals.

The current problems which mire the economy were created through an era of
unaccountability and irresponsibility in government. While the business scandals you reference were certainly horrific they pale in comparison to 5 trillion dollars of cooked books in the Federal National Mortgage Association.

Entrepreneurs have taken the easy road out over the last hundred years by chumming up to BigBrother and helping government pass laws that eliminated
competition or stifled market forces to work.

I do believe that the future is bright for entrepreneurs.
However if history is to offer any guidance government much value, cherish and reward production. Until they do that….they will continue to embrace power and produce nothing.

-Fred

Bryan says:

Interesting how he says ” “The future of our economy relies on the imagination of our Entrepreneurs.” Yet then he wishes to tax the heck out of people making more than, what is it today, 120,000, 150,000, 200,000 or 250,000. Depends on who you ask since he changes everything he says every other day.

Patrick says:

Candid?

New names for old phenomena are well and good, but the United States was, for its greatest first hundred years, lassez-faire capitalist, and a more-dismal mixed economy (lassez-faire capitalism and governmental control) ever since.

The new US president is clearly Marxist. I wouldn’t expect him to do more than the standard “You make it, we take it.” He just hasn’t hit that part yet. Bush was no better. A fascist, he took our money to wage war for oil, and we have no idea yet how much loot he got, but the nation is clearly poorer.

Whether you realize it or not, BO comes to power having caused the greatest stock market crash (so far) of Century 21. People with money and power saw his approach, and moved their money and power elsewhere. Now he’s going to borrow his way out of debt? Give me a break.

All these “new” ideas are the same old…stuff, just a different day.
Capitalism is our future, if mankind is to have a future. Its Statist competition,
Fascism and Socialism, do not and cannot work. Those systems have been tested thoroughly, resulting directly in 100 Million murders in the 20th Century.

God Bless America!

Garry says:

Good thoughts, well said, and good originality. I like the quote, “start smiling at the future.”

David Blaise says:

Serious Entrepreneurs HAVE to learn to dance in the rain, because we’re the ones getting SOAKED buying umbrellas for everyone else! Read this…

Michael LeBoeuf wrote a book called “The Greatest Management Principle in the World,” which simply put is “reward the behavior you wish to have repeated.”

If you look at who’s getting REWARDED right now, you’ll see where the true priorities lie and it’s NOT with either imagination or entrepreneurship. Right now, we:

* Tax successful banks that don’t need government handouts and give their money to failing banks who do.

* Tax homeowners who MAKE THEIR PAYMENTS (because they bought a house they could afford) and give their money to people who DON’T make their payments (because they bought a house they couldn’t afford.)

* Tax successful automakers that don’t need government handouts and give their money to failing automakers that do.

* Tax successful small businesspeople and give their money to FAILING large businesses, then COMPLAIN about how they blow the money on lavish parties and executive bonuses, then give them more money anyway!

* Increase taxes on small business owners earning over $200,000 a year (that $250K number they talk about on TV all the time is for couples, not individuals), tell them they’re RICH and they need to do their “fair share.”

If you look at the behavior our government is rewarding, you will clearly see the type of behavior we are likely to get in the future. We’re rewarding failure.

Bottom line: the government is doing a lot right now to reward business failure and not a lot to reward entrepreneurial success. But I’d still rather be a profitable entrepreneur than a begging banker.

Benedick says:

“The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual. The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community.”

This is a fab quote! As an inventor my life has been a dance between the the impulse and creativity of the new and sympathy through social proof.

Alex you have stimulated me so much in the last two years and inspired me to stop reinventing the new, ground out and realize that to bring paradigm shifting ideas to market is not that big a deal with the right mentor using a blend of time tested and the latest marketing techniques.

As for Obama, well its the same old same old: out with the old in with the old. When are we going to give ourselves a break from this slavery?

Mahalo,

Benedick

Mark A. Coudray says:

Interdependence is more like coopetition. In today’s world where data, information, and knowledge are expanding exponentially, the old version of competition based on supply and demand capitalism is being replaced by the economics of free. The ready availability of information via long tail search makes our old scarcity driven models obsolete and forces us to align with new partners to define the next generation of capitalism.

This is a fundamental change from anything we’ve done in the past where entrepreneuralism was either based on closely held trade craft secrets or service offerings. I think this is one of the primary reasons why government, finance, and business are having such a hard time getting this current crisis under control.

kathy says:

I believe actions speak louder than words. Anyone can say something that sounds GOOD, Entreprenrial Interdependence we may be thinking one thing and the president is thinking another. I believe we need to be responsible for ourselves and we need to have sources of income and not be reliant on a JOB for our future. I still have one of those JOBS and am working very hard to be a full time Entrepreneur. As I am keeping a positive outlook that everything will be OK I still have that feeling that HOPE and CHANGE are not for the better…Entrepreneural. The change wanted is for Government control of business. I will still keep moving forward. There is nothing wrong with sharing, helping out, partnering but independent thinking is not strongly encouraged. We need to be able to think out of the box and come up with new ideas whether it is to GO GREEN LOL or make our communites, cities, country safer and to have a better quality of life. The government does not have to stick its nose into everything we do. As far as us having too much some of us have just what we need and we would like to be able to keep it and even pass it down to our children including our Entrepreneural spirit.

Mukul Mehta says:

Great Post Alex. It clearly shows you are very imaginative, and you have a ton of wisdom to share.

I immigrated from India many years ago. I am a US citizen and an entrepreneur. People ask me, “What do I miss about India the most?” I tell them “interdependence.” Back home there is interdependence; there is always a support structure; you are never lonely. (Most Indian immigrants would say USA is a lonely place.) As we grow up from a child, to a young adult, to a grown-up, we go through three phases, Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence.

USA(America) become a great country, because of its “worship” for freedom and independence. Now we are stuck, because we “worship” independence.

As Einstein said, to solve the problems that we have created, we need to bring in the thinking from a higher dimension than the one that created the problems in the first place.

Our current economy is a manifestation of independence malice. “I am for myself, you can go to —-.” If we start thinking interdependence, we can come up with far better win-win solutions.

Alex, you have made a great observation and a forecast. I hope you are right. (I will bet on you ;). We are entering an interdependence era.

Bryan Howard says:

Alex, well said.

The USA was founded on the principles of independence, standing on our own two feet, the willingness to risk it all, for taking responsibility for our destiny and the need for interdependence. Throughout most of our history, we have stood tall, with our backs straight, our eyes open, focused on the future, with compassion for others. And even more importantly, we have given others a hand UP (not a hand out) to stand with strength, honor and optimism.

Until recent history We, as a nation and as individuals, have not given others the opportunity to stand on our backs or looked for handouts. Nor have we denied those of us, the Enterpreneur, the rewards of hard work and sacrifice.

We have had our dark moments, our weaknesses. But TRUE LEADERSHIP comes from seeing those times, acknowledging those weaknesses and TAKING ACTION to improve and constantly strive to make things better – for everyone.

It is the Entrepreneur that will win, taking this country back to it’s rightful place leading the world to new heights of cooperation and prosperity. Entrepreneurs everywhere embody the mighty principles the USA was founded on, displaying the courage, leadership, integrity and perseverance so badly needed today.

It is time for the Entrepreneur to take our rightful place, to take responsibility for the future and be recognized and encouraged (and rewarded) for our contributions.

Government, get out of our way and let us show you how it’s done!

Long Live the Age of the Entrepreneur!

Mel Abraham says:

Alex – You are right on!! This is a great perspective and what I have been speaking about for a while now. Our economy is stagnated partly because our psychology and minds have stagnated. Only through as you say, “imagination” and creativity and innovation will we find our path out of the dilemma we are in. It starts with our own thinking though – we must shift our mindset and how we view where we are, how we believe we got here and where we are going. We need to go back to the roots that created this great country of ours and those roots are the ones you spoke about – What made those historical icons so great was not simply what they accomplish but also what they stood for and represented in the country’s eyes. They are what i call, “possibility thinkers” – they always asked themselves two other question “Why not?” instead of just, “Why?” and they continually asked themselves, “How?”

The power of those simple questions positioned them psychologically to find the path of a compelling, fruitful future. Our change and our future begins in our “inner world”, that 3 pound mass between our ears. If we reflect on the principles and ideals of the icons you talked about and “interdependent entrepreneurship” as you so aptly bring to the surface while shifting our psychology and focus not only will we emerge from our current state we will emerge with a whole new world of possibility.

And we owe that to our children – since it is my belief that they don’t inherit the world from us, we have borrowed from them and we have the responsibility to give it back in better shape than we got it.
I have touched on some of this in my blog post at http://www.BusinessSuccessSensei.com.

With grateful admiration,

Mel

Tynisha Thompson says:

Hi Alex,

I think this is a wonderful post and I take it in the spirit that it was offered. The mindset of the entrepreneur is resilient and I agree with he entrepreneur. I know many business owners are angry, confused with policies our *NEW* President, who’s been in office all of 40 days, has put forth, but still the reality is that we do have the power to create new jobs for work at home moms, hire freelance experts and teach and nurture young people in our lives to create their own bail out not by just getting a “job” after college but creating their own economies. Can we give this new president a chance before we say he’s against entrepreneurs or business builders. I don’t see anything that supports that thinking. Of course everyone has an opinion, but after the last 8 years I would hope that we stop listening to the naysayers and divisiveness of some and try to work with this new president.

Rob says:

The entrepreneur creativity and energy will help take this great country back to prominence. I say the most important thing to do as a business owner is to take action. The entrepreneur attitude will help businesses do great things.

David McLean says:

Hi Alex, from an outside (I live in Australia) I must say I really didn’t focus much on you election until the end. What I have noticed is that people everywhere are feeling an amazing shift. Hate is being replaced with love; prejudice is being replaced with acceptance. And on the surface it appears to be led by President Obama’s election. Underneath, I believe it is created by a greater awareness of our self. The move from focus on Corporate identify to individuals that you write about is part of this process. The path of interdependence comes at a cost though. We need to step up and take responsibility for our environment holistically – our families (extended), the economy, mother earth, our communities, because we can no longer hide behind the corporate curtain. The media constantly feeds us a heap of crap about how bad things are, I really believe that it is time to make these people accountable, because they are just as much to blame as the corporate executives that tumbled the world into financial crisis. Alex, love your stuff, thank you for sharing, with peace and love.

Alan Stransman says:

Hi Alex:

I have been on both sides of the equation: I had a job with a corporation for 14 1/2 years that I believed was “my security” until the company brought in a CEO from a rival corporation and he fired everyone and brought in his own people. Some security!

If you want to control your own fate and be an entrepreneur you have to be prepared for the possibility of mistakes and not regard them as failure. Generally, we live in a culture in which people don’t want anything bad to happen to them -ever. That’s not entrepreneurship.

Amethyst Wyldfyre says:

Alex! I love your vision and your enthusiasm – this post really inspired me to get even more serious about one of the things I do best which is what I call “collecting and connecting” (aka Strategic Alliances). I think if we all did our very best to see how we can serve the higher calling which is to come together and recognize that we ARE interdependent – and not separate from the whole – not just in business but with our entire Universe. Once we come into right relationship with our world things will begin to flow in a much more balanced and divinely harmonious way. As above, so below – we are awakening – we are the one’s we’ve been waiting for in every way.

Thank you for sharing your unique lens and perpective from the holographic Universal Mind Lattice that we all have access to and can share with and through. I am encouraged by the clarity and deep wisdom of your words.

I’m cheerfully expectant that my unique contribution in conjunction with the unique contribution of others of like mind and spirit will illuminate a path into the future that is filled with the recognition of the abundant opportunities and resources that are always available to us – the gifts that flow from the wellspring at our very core!

Peace and infinite blessings of limitless light,

Amethyst Wyldfyre
The Torch of Transformation
Multidimensional Mentoring, Magic, Medicine & Mastery

Henry says:

I’m glad Alex sees optimism.
The so-called experts that never saw today’s economy coming lost my ear.
I see the future as much more self-less, where we’re luckily forced into looking out for each other & stop being so self absorbed & materialistic.

its as if we just entered into a phase where we’ll enjoy a capitalistic system which is effective, runs fast & lean, and finds room to take care of the needy while still rewarding smart/hard working Entrepreneurs (with a capital E).

Sean Patrick Simpson says:

I don’t have the type of income yet where the increased taxes would affect me…so I can’t completely speak on those taxes with a true perspective of what it would actually feel like to be taxed that much…But it does make me think and wonder: Should people react to the increased taxes by fighting it and putting all their energy into what they don’t like about it…or would their time be better spend in responding, becoming creative and innovative, and finding new ways to make even more money than they are currently earning so that the taxes don’t matter?

Food for thought.

–Sean Patrick Simpson
The Mindset Apprentice

Bob Kuebler YWAPbuffalo says:

Hey Alex,

Maybe it’s time for another Boston Tea Party.
I’m sure Mr. Obama would love to tax the entrpreneurial spirit right out of our
liberty.
How about a new political party called Repentrepreneuracrat Party.
We would help the poor create businesses that would compete by supporting each other.

John Sparks says:

Hi Alex

Yes! Yes! Yes! As one of three entrepreneurs who have been involved in property over the last few years and have seen things turn sour, we have had to do two things:

1. Plug every gap, follow every cash saving idea, work with tenants who are losing jobs daily, fight against government departments who are diving for cover – basically become savvy business people who know EVERYTHING about their business or DIE!!!

2. Create a new business overnight. Work with the best in the business, learn from the best in the business, share with the best in business – become cash generating entrepreneurs who know just how wrong things can go if you dont do the basics. We are ready now – we are setting up multiple ASK databases with multiple business networks. We are lifetime learners – we are interdependent – and most of all we are bloody determined.

Think how easy it will be when the wind changes!!

Thanks for all your ideas Alex – the ASK database (through Chris Cardell’s call) was a true a-ha! moment.

John

Sergiu S. Simmel says:

Alex,

I’ve been reading lots and lots of your postings over the past couple of years, but I must say this one is by far the most visionary, inspiring, and high class. It lifts, it points and it inspires.

Now, I must say that I was partly laughing and partly getting sad at how most of the commentators before me missed, in my humble opinion, the whole point, and latched on espousing their either views and beliefs on politics and/or economics. Their insight and foresight in how the current government’s actions will affect the economy are definitely deeper than mine, and their crystal bowl definitely clearer than mine. I know nothing of it. Or claim not.

So back to your posting: my take of it is as a piece of pragmatic inspiration. Your insight into the power of the network (of people, of course)–as opposed to the power of the info-network called Web–is nor only brilliant, but brilliant enough to be simple, yet immensely hard to put into practice. Building human networks of trust and increased joint profitability takes effort and a suite of gifts and skills that will stretch every one of us. Well, at least I can say it will always stretch me. Which is why three out of the five components of entrepreneurial business development deal exactly with the entrepreneurial interdependence you’re talking about: YOU, YOUR marketing and YOUR people (the other two are YOUR market and YOUR systems — both dealing with the entrepreneurial ecology).

So, once again, kudos for this piece.

Your student and friend,

Sergiu

Chris Angell says:

Alex, great article. Interdependence is the foundation of our company, Keller Williams Realty. The concept is paramount to grabbing market share in these times. As the CEO of a real estate company Collaboration spurs momentum not only in my agents buy in my city with Realtors of all companies. Those who embrace it move ahead, those who don’t get left behind.

Thanks for great content.
Chris Angell

James Pereira says:

Alex you are spot on.
In December 2008, my former employer (a Big Pharma corp) and I decided to part ways. I have started my own natural health business and it has been a joy since leaving the company.

In January, I told my wife that employment is a form of slavery, because the monetary measure of your productivity is capped by the employer. Moreover whether you work too much or just right, you are paid (sounds like communism).

I believe that self-employment was the way it was from the dawn of time until the industrial revolution. This revolution begat this new form of slavery, which I haven’t given a name to yet.

Kelly Rudolph says:

I am proud to be an entrepreneur, to never have “clicked” with the corporate world, and honor the brilliance of the people commenting on this one blog post! I am in awe of and thrilled by the power we have together.

Robert Akeroyd says:

Hi Alex

I believe where Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, my Prime Minister as I’m Australian, and most western leaders are in error is that their attempting to spend their economies out of debt instead of sell their way out of debt.

Unless the money a country or business spends is invested into a service another country or person will pay a larger sum of money for that country or business ends up with less money. If a country or business is borrowing the money it’s spending it is going to end up further in debt.

As a reader of Dan Kennedy’s No BS marketing letter where he talks about individuals and business failing to follow up and sell to their clients and their entitlement attitudes of deserving business without working to attract business, this is where business fails.

I believe as earlier posts have said Barack Obama’s subsidies reward failures or sustain business that fail to take the action to attract business.

In a global economy where others provide the same services for much lower wages this behavior must change before America, Australia, the UK or other western countries will be able support themselves.

Governments throwing money at companies that are not proactive and responsive to the wants and desires of their customers encourages those companies to continue with that same behavior.

As far as taking money from those businesses who are succeeding and giving it to those businesses who are failing Barack Obama has increased the top tax rate from I think 37% to 39%, 40% of a person’s income a huge imposition but the difference between 37% and 39% is only 2%.

Should those car manufacturers and financial institutions be allowed to fail and millions of their clients suffer, I don’t know enough to express an informed opinion.

Perhaps Obama and Rudd are merely attempting to buy time whilst new businesses evolve and attempting to protect the welfare of private individuals, I respect their compassion.

It may be misplaced compassion, a country and business must be profitable so that it can continue to maintain the jobs it already provides once it becomes unprofitable it no longer has the money to maintain those jobs and more people loose their livelihood.

If a country or business is profitable it can expand and create new jobs or businesses.

Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama, I believe operate from a preconceived idea or mind set, failure of trust within the wealthy and entrepreneur to do the right thing by those less well off, as their not business people themselves.

With corporate excess and fraudulent business practices so often reported in the media who can blame them, the media fails to report on the honesty and decency of businesses that strive to make a difference in the lives of their clients and uphold these business people as role models for others to follow.

As I heard it said more recently the media reflects the mindset of the community it achieves maximum sales and exposure when disaster or scandal occurs, if the wants of its clients were good news that’s what media would promote. The media does what we as business people do cater to our clients wants.

Perhaps the age of corporation from 1945 or 1980 onwards has a lot to answer for as far as trust within the community goes. Although our education system since the start of the industrial revolution has been designed to produce people with the skills to work in the factories and serve business, not run businesses, many people have a job mindset not business mindset.

Where our education system has traditionally been designed to prepare us to work in jobs and become reliant upon others, dependence causes us a sense of vulnerability and doubt within ourselves. Our dependence combined with media reports of business abuse makes employees resentful of the the power of others over our ability to support ourselves and fear that the people we work for are going to rip us off.

It is this fear of being ripped off and negative associations many in Australia have towards money that prevent people trusting the Mal Emery’s and Dan Kennedy’s or Alex Mandossian’s of this world and gaining the necessary education they need to become more financially independent. Millions of people within our communities become their own worst enemies, if they only learnt to trust more would overcome their own financial challenges.

I believe this sort of attitude predominates our culture so both Barack Obama and Kevin Rudd stem from this sort of mindset. To be fair to them most of us on this blog have and understanding of and or practice emotional direct response marketing, something many businesses are unaware of, therefore the understanding of how quickly jobs can be created and things can be turned around is limited.

Kevin Rudd is not consulting with Mal Emery or Barack Obama with Dan Kennedy or Alex Mandossian, it has not occurred to them to try and promote sales skills throughout our economies to create income.

Copywriting and marketing will not solve all the problems within our economies either, if Japan China and India produce far superior products than we produce in our countries, and or provide cheaper wages our economies will suffer. We can use direct response marketing to create the perception our products and services are the best but given a few more years how long will it be until entrepreneurs in their countries learn to use the same marketing.

The profits in Direct response marketing comes from the back end so regardless of the perception our marketing creates our products still have to prove themselves in the market place and provide a service equal to or better than a Japanese product if we are going to provide Australian or American jobs.

Direct Response Marketing while it is designed to influence the thoughts of our prospects and get them to give us their money in exchange for our service, it is relationship marketing building a relationship of trust and credibility or interdependence.

Many self made millionaires have demonstrated great strength of character to overcome negative mindsets that may of stemmed from abusive backgrounds for those of you who have done so more individuals need to learn from your examples, however I believe millions out there in Australia or America struggle and fail to overcome the mindsets you have overcome that, but not for want of trying.

If a business person has always had a lot of self confidence and had the enthusiasm or excitement to maintain their self discipline see the light at the end of the tunnel relating to those who struggle to develop or maintain that mindset is difficult. For those confident and secure individuals it’s difficult to understand why others don’t take greater action.

Equally where successful people have put in twelve fifteen hour days in the first years of their business and helped thousands they deserve their millions, just as those who have through self doubt failed to make a worthwhile business contribution inevitably have much less.

Australia has long term unemployment benefits America I believe does not, once people become homeless it’s even more difficult to overcome the limitations of the mind that holds them back. I have some respect for some of Barack Obama’s welfare goals such as a public health system where people can get medical assistance whether they can pay for it or not. I don’t know what his attitude towards unemployment benefits are.

I also believe protecting people through unemployment benefits in a situation of high employment sends an implied message your not capable of looking after yourself you need to be protected which fuels negative introspection and lack of self confidence that leads to depression that prevents people from taking action to improve their lives.

As far as public health systems are concerned Australia and many European countries have a public health system. Australia has many extremely wealthy and successful people the tax necessary to provide that public health system has not been a sufficient disincentive to prevent people from working harder to create higher incomes for themselves and creating employment for others.

Diane Eble says:

Hmm, very interesting, espeically in light of what David Hancock says about “Why You have to be an Entrepreneurial Author”. Even we authors must take heed!

Sylvia says:

Hi Alex,
I loved that post & it was good to learn some history I hadn’t known. I appreciate your sparkling positive attitude. I myself feel doubly blessed as an artist and musician and capitalist to be living in such an exciting time of history.

This is an economically challenging time yes, but there is so much opportunity! We need to focus on the good things & exercise our ability to influence legislation. For example, when we begin to grow industrial hemp, invest in green technologies and manufacturing things will really start to turn around.

You are truly one of my heros and an inspiration to many.

thanks
Sylvia

Rod Edington says:

I agree that Vision, Actions on vision, leadership, Adaptive, Courage to act decisively , no question about it this kind of initiative and courage is priceless and will always bring about results positive to many.
Having said that, what you are advancing is not a complete picture.

First, corporations on a giant scale have and will continue to warp the political
process to their individual advantage to the detriment of the overall community.
As long as the corporate entities as currently constituted continue, the abridgement of genuine participatory goverment will continue.

Jefferson, Lincoln, Wilson as well as Roosevelt and Louis Brandeis made comments about the threat of the corporation to democratic process.

Individual entrepreneurial action will always be with us , and prove beneficial to the general community.

Having said that for large scale organization, that requires close integration of many different activities, there a new model must supplant , not by force or goverment decree, but by enhanced efficiency and genuine participation of an entire work force in the profits of the business. And participation in basic decisions
of the business.

Enhanced efficiency from the entrepreneurial mindset, greater employee loyalty and incentive from expanded ownership.

I am currently involved in a project that captures mind and sould so I have not dealt in these matters for more than a decade.

Having made that excuse, if you really want to get a different perspective on the
basic issue of corporate dominance in our national life I am going suggest contacting

Norman Kurland. He has spent his life advocating the replacement of the current corporate model with a much different entity. Again, not by some decree
of goverment, but by a process of replacement via incentives of an entity that
would provide employees with more meaningful engagement as well as greater economic participation.

Read Making Mondragon by William Foote Whyte, Cornell Press. Contact Norman Kurland sending him your blog post. Fax number 703 243 5935. They call the organization The Center For Economic & Social Justice. Phone number is 703 243 5155. http://www.cesj.org

As an aside, In one of the Early To Rise presentations you made a monentary comment to the effect the internet now is free.
Do you think is it just possible that as Major Corporate entities currently using
image enhancement advertising begin to get wise to themselves and make more and more use of direct response methods on the internet,
Is it possible that they might use their lobbying muscle to get an increasing restriction on internet access for independent entrepreneurs? They have time, enormous resources, buy the aquiescence of congressional leaders, and can come up with sham reasons to get favored circumstance for themselves to the detriment of the overall community. Only basic change in the nature of mega businesses
will avert these threats.

Fundamental change in mega scale business entities entailing expanded ownership is a possible solution. The basic ideas are simple. By all means read of the performance and experience of the Mondragon Cooperative Conglomerate. Preferably without assumptions on how most cooperatives function.
Read Capitalist Manifesto by Louis Kelso or some similar work Kurland might suggest. Talk to Normal Kurland.

Much obliged for your Telephone Seminar concepts

Rod Edington

Brandie Kajino says:

I completely agree that we are heading into a life and business-changing era. The Internet + other tools you have already mentioned are enabling passionate entrepreneurs to achieve success on their terms. I am excited to be both a witness and participant in the upcoming era. Wishing you all success beyond your wildest dreams!

Lois Burton says:

Hi Alex

Great post – and really spooky synchronicity for me. For the past year, I have been working on promoting imagination and imaginative ways of working with my clients. Interdependence has also been a massive theme. I truly believe in the opportunity of this time and that all of us with an entrepreneurial spirit can combine to help America and the world recover. (I am writing from the UK and believe me we know the dangers of the “nanny state”). Keep going Alex, you are inspiring!

janny226 says:

I was prepared to be extremely skeptical of your post given that the hype of your subject lines in 2009 has been higher than before, but I found this post interesting. I struggle with the concept that people would be interested in anything I’m offering, but clearly that’s my own personal issue and not one of the marketplace.

I’m also fascinated by the responses you’ve received, how on-point some are and how off-point others get.

I think the issues you highlight are true of our education system as well, we have come to rely on corporate mandates that neither enable the best teachers to shine nor serve our children well.

Nicholas Wind says:

I am at the apex of the pig in the python which is a gragh that is moving way to fast for me.
Meaning I am 53 years young.
My wife and I are very thankful we have internet marketing to learn and implement. We are also very thankful for folks like Alex leading the way.

Where do 2 motivated,hard working ,inspired people like us who are trying to play the game honestly go when we almost feel like we are being forced into slave work for pitance.

I know we are not alone in that situation.
I don’t care so much who is in charge but this guy you Americans have in power now is left of Castro much like our Mayor here in Toronto.

I like less government because that equals less government employees to pay which means less taxes.

Not sure why so many don’t get that.

This article to me is right on the money and I’ve believed for many years even when I had a so called good job in the 90’s that this time of very rapaid change is coming and now here it is.
Read Ray Kurzweil’s “The Sigularity is Near” if you want an idea how fast changes are coming.

I’m excited about the future online and I am by no means making big money yet.
I need to get better at everything online before that happens.

The age of “Entrepreneurial Interdependence.” will be a big factor in helping many of us who get it and are willing to stay in this game oline.

Thanks Alex again for your leadersip.

Nicholas Wind in TO

Carlo says:

Hi its Carlo again, if you were wondering why your business profits are probably lower this year than last year and your house is maybe worth less than it was
12 months ago, and you’d like the simple version of what caused the
‘global financial crisis’ we are witnessing at the moment, then check
out this video:

http://www.vimeo.com/3261363

Matthew D. Miglin says:

I am grateful that I am not alone in this view of the world’s recovery coming out of the courageous revolutionaries of the modern age call “The Entrepreneur”. I am in agreement and I predicted the rise of the Entrepreneur about 7 years ago, all the signs were beginning to show that job security was a thing of the past. Being in control of your own destiny is keep. That is why I am on a coarse to help create more successful entrepreneurs through my own businesses: helping them self publish their own books in 90 days through http://www.ExpertSelfPublishing.com or less and automate their small business for greater success through http://www.InfusionSoftPro.com. I stand with you and will help in any way I can to turn our nation around by the Few, the Proud, the Entrepreneur.

Amy Finch says:

Hate to be petty. But I think if you have an opinion on something related parts need to be in order.

The Picture is backwards.

Phyllis Ryser says:

Hi Alex,
I agree that society will be a much better place when entrepreneurs have a free reign to work and help others help themselves live better lives. However there is one burning question I have been wanting to ask you. When we, entrepreneurs who usually are very genereous with our money and eager to help others, do make great profits how do we protect ourselves from the preditory government that is determined to soak up 60% of everything we earn? The mantra these days seems to be “tax the rich, in order to give give to the poor.” Aren’t we the rich? The bureaucrats in Washington are saying we, the people, do not know how to use our money, they need to take it and use it for us. So how do we protect ourselves from this thinking?

Art Wayne says:

Our littlle journey of capitalism made more money than all the socialist experiments in history. In fact, it worked so well, that France, China and Russia are implementing our sucess, and we are emulating their failure. Socialism fails everytime it has been tried. What you have here are power hungry people that for the first time in U.S. history, created a fire, then turned around and blamed repubicans RINO’s, which are democrats in disguise, poisoned our youth in the schools from kindergarten on up, all for control of our freedom. Sorry, I don’t want the teat of government running NOTHING. Free markets work when they are FREE. Recessions come from interference. I want to be free to FAIL if I choose. FREE.

Cindy says:

Who better to monetize Entrepreneurial Interdependence than Alex Mandossian? I plan to listen closely to Alex….

susan kuhn frost says:

I predict that we will see the greatest expansion of entrpreneurship the world has ever seen, as people rediscover the independence, challenge, and (yes) personal and spiritual development that self-employment inherently creates.

Democracy promotion in the past has been rooted in free elections, etc. The politicians have captured democeacy and called it their own.

But democracy began in Athens only when a merchant class grew up among those grew, bottled, and transported by ship olive oil to other Mediterranean city states. It’s up to us to show — and live — that connection.

THAT is freedom!

Susan Kuhn Frost
@SweetSue

Mark Eibner says:

“The future of our economy relies on the imagination of our Entrepreneurs.” As with most of the teleprompter dogma from this person, it means nothing. You can feel good all you want and write a great post form it…but it is without merit if all that we do will be consumed be the ever growing monster that is the federal Government. It is very clear to all, that President Obama is just another lying politician in a long line of pathetic, treasonous individuals. You my friend as with most of us commenting are the enemy. He will finish the job that Bush Sr. started.

Alan says:

Thank you for yourhistorical perspective as well as your continued positive insights! Very helpful.

It seems to me that the old top-heavy, too-big-to-fail corporate infrastructure model is crumbling all around us while a return to a more natural system appears to be emerging. What we may call God, Nature, and quantum physics seems to be “at play in the fields of the Universe”. All things and beings are interconnected as quantum physics, prayer, and faith have demonstrated a multitude of times – over and over again. And this applies to business and entrepreneurship in ways, that you enumerate and use, that we’ve never had available to us before – the internet, etc.

Many thanks for focusing upon a positive, forward thinking approach that encourages us all.

Mike Logan says:

I couldn’t agree more. I believe we have an opportunity to let a the old fall away and create the new. Mike Logan

Talmage Shipman says:

Alex:

You got the makings of a best selling book with this idea. In my opinion two things have been working against the “Enterpreneur” since WWII. First was the need to train people to work in the factories and accept authority which led to the homogenized product of the public school system run by the increasingly socialist authority. Second was the rapid advancement of technology. It was no longer possible to develope new ideas and technology independently of the corporations or the government. Any new ideas were quickly quashed by one or the other that didn’t fit the aggenda of the time. A review of Popular Science magazine will reveal hundreds of ideas and products that died because either the corporations or the government didn’t want the competition.

President Obama’s public protestations to the contrary about enterpreneurs he is privately a socialist who has and will continue to extend and expand government intrusion and control into increasingly private areas of everyones life. He has consistently refused to address the root causes of the current crisis and displayed a dismal understanding of economics and market forces. Keynes got it wrong! Following failed policies and programs only leads to more failure. Obama and America have not learned from its own past. It doesn’t matter what the enterpreneurs do, the system is broken. Until the fundamentals are fixed enterpreneurs cannot do there part for the economy.

Enterpreneurs stand ready and willing to do their part and when the government decides or is forced to get out of the way then we will have recovery and prosperity again.

Alex Sprunt, Founder of Your Healthy Planet.com says:

If you are not studying Buckminster Fuller (and I believe you do Alex) then you will probably struggle with the rapidly changing future and the chaos we will have to deal with.

Fuller’s books Critical Path (c1981) and GRUNCH – Gross Universal Cash Heist (c1983) are a must read for all entrepreneurs serious about creating a world the works for everyone.

Here’s a paragraph from the back covers of CP and Grunch:

CP – “Today we find ourselves in the midst of the greatest crisisin the history of the human race. Technology has placed in our hands almost unlimited power at the very moment when we have run up against the limits of our resources aboard Spaceship Earth, as the crisis of the late twentieth century — political, economic, environmental and ethical determines whether or not humanity survives. In this masterful summing up of an entire lifetime’s thought and concern, R. Buckminster Fuller addresses these critical issues in his most significant, accessible and urgent work.”

GRUNCH – “An army of abstract legal entities (called corporation) now controls the economic and political future of mankind. In his urgent sequel to Critical Path, R. Buckminster Fuller traces the evolution of these multinational giants from the post-World War II “military-industrial complex” to the current world economic crisis-an evolution, he argues, that threatens the imminent bankruptcy of the U.S. and the collapse of the world economic system.”

Bucky proposed that a comprehensive design revolution was required, if human beings are to survive on planet earth.

Entrepreneurs will be very much responsible for this revolution and it will require us, as individuals, taking responsibility (being cause in the matter of our own future).

It especially requires us stepping into a NEW paradigm — the existing paradigm of SCARCITY, or not enough ceased to exist in the early 1970’s. Unless we step into a new paradigm of ABUNDANCE then we can only continue recreating another version of scarcity and lack.

I feel R. Buckminster Fuller was also clear that it will take a DESIGN Revolution, and not an administrative revolution or an education revolution, even though these two areas are important. He knew, as have scientists for many decades now that education is not effective to bring in change, in fact it is only 5 to 10% effective. Administrative measures are a little more effective at 10 to 20% effective.

Design changes are almost 100% effective, and when we change the environment (or the context) we have seen that behavior and outcomes change quickly.

The future that R Buckminster Fuller saw as possible was ten billion billionaires living aboard our tiny planet, and of achieving that within a period as short as ten years, once we realise that we can effectively work together (interdependence) and are focused on creating a future that works for everyone. It is an incredibly exciting future.

Visit http://www.10billionbillionaires.org and leave a comment or become a free member of The Living Institute at Your Healthy Planet.com (www.yourhealthyplanet.com — creating a world that works for EVERYONE.)

Sid Grosvenor says:

Yes, of course big corporations have held back or shelved great ideas when these ideas interferred with corporate profits.

But, If you agree with the President when he said

“Dark Ages of Entrepreneurship. Specifically, this is the age I refer to as the era of “Entrepreneurial Dependence” which is marred by corporate scandals and corruption.”

Just wait and see what happens to Entrepreneurship when we follow the Socialist model we seem to be headed for.

Sid

Peder Andersen says:

Obama’s statement “The future of our economy relies on the imagination of our Entrepreneurs.” is so very true!
Entrepreneurs works smarter and react fast on the changes in the world. They are able to adapt and create goods and services that people actually want worldwide. And the American has to focus their effords worldwide, if America shall prosper. Much of the crisis is a self fulfilling prophecy. Scream “crisis” in the media and crisis will come.

Obama now promises change and change will come.

And mostly from the entrepreneurs and people that create new thoughts. Obama now tries to awake the entrepreneurial spirit in the American people. I certainly hope they will listen to one of the worlds most powerful and wise leaders.

Peder Andersen
Denmark