Changing the Future
I just heard that Gerry Harvey is going to create an online Harvey Norman.. wow imagine the impact of that on the stores, jobs and sales! Isn’t it funny that where your focus is, is what seems to be thrown in your face all the time?
You know, if you are going to buy a car and you’re looking at Saabs, thinking there’s not many of them around – all of a sudden, that’s all you start to see on the road. Well, it doesn’t just happen with cars. My focus is totally on personal development and alternate income streams. I’ve been dabbling online in internet marketing and network marketing for a couple of years now – and finally, I get it.
Anyway, in my dabbles – I have come across some interesting information that I want to share with you. Last weekend I attended a conference of a company called Send Out Cards.. a greeting card business, create a card online.. then it gets professionally printed and POSTED in an envelope. A real greeting card is sent to the recipient addressed to them personally – from you. Totally awesome, I say.
Anyway, I diverge.. here is what I have learned. You probably have all heard or read about the kafuffle around online businesses killing “real” businesses. Amazon, for instance – practically closed down Barnes an Nobel in America.. not to mention Angus and Roberts and Borders closer to home. Then there is a company called Netflix – that is creating havoc with Blockbuster and other video stores and causing some closures there by taking renting a video to the next level. Bigpond is doing that here, I guess.
So the other day, I was reading Robert Kiyosaki’s book – The business of the 21st Century – you can get it on CD – Im happy to send it to you if you are interested – a truly eye-opening read. Anyways.. he mentioned how the world is changing.. jobs are changing… traditional methods are becoming outdated. Network Marketing is the new trend.
For instance.. did you know you could probably get your tax done overseas – correctly and for half, a third even of the local costs. I spoke to an Accountant friend of mine about this, and she said that her boss was looking to outsource some of their work.. so why should we pay an Accounting company when they are sending the work overseas also..
Go direct, I say. So if Books, Videos, and accounting can be done online.. what else. Greeting cards – they are the next biggest thing. Why? People don’t send enough photo cards or printable cards .. but want to.. and online the cost is inexpensive. We opt for e-cards, emails or sms – which are not the same as a genuine printable greeting card.
Now you are probably thinking sending cards is a dying art.. and it is for two reasons – 1) – because we have forgotten the art of being thankful and caring and 2) its time consuming and costly. Not online… watch this space.. watch the greeting card industry change.. just like the book industry, the video industry, accounting and other professions – web design, resume writing, life coaching. Oops got sidetracked yet again. Anyway, the point is all these things can be outsourced or done elsewhere and the finished product posted back to you – for half the cost of getting it done locally.
Years ago, my dad took me to a seminar for online web pages. He wanted me to go because he didn’t understand the internet and computers (he was 68 at the time). I went to stop him from being ripped off. Guess who brought the product. Dad wanted to leave halfway through the presentation – it was all over his head. I, on the other hand, even after all these years – still didn’t listen to my dad. It was fascinating.. they said.. get a company to “drop ship” a product directly to your purchaser. You run the “shop” online.
My cousin lives in California – she said hardly anyone goes to a store to buy anything. Even if you buy something in the store – they arrange to have it sent to you – not just big items – but sheets and pillowcases is what she went to get. So off I went to try to find an Australian drop shipper. Sheeze, what a nightmare 4 years ago. So behind the times here.
Well, now Gerry Harvey has gotten up with the times. If he takes his store online.. why would he need traditional stores. The product can be manufactured and shipped out direct. I find this fascinating… and wanted to share. We have books, videos and greeting cards online. You can order your pizza online and get it delivered.
OH, and recently, I discovered “cloud” computing. You don’t even have to carry around a USB anymore – you can literally access everything on your home computer from the cloud. Outsourced – web design, accounting – you name it, and look for it – it’s probably there.
Now – drop shipped – electrical appliances… Next time you are on a lunch break, look around the coffee shop and see how many people are there with laptops. Now I’m a bit slow.. until one day someone pointed out to me – how could all these people who don’t appear to be working afford laptops and be drinking lattes and having lunch out — Derrr – internet marketers.. work from anywhere in the world – selling their product… What a world we live in.
LIVE MORE Merna
2/4/2011
