A Changing World - The Individual Capitalist - Penny Power

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 08:59

Written by Penny Power

Penny Power In December 2008, while I was preparing my mind to start writing this book, I was gathering thoughts, contacts, ideas and inspiration. I heard Julie Meyer of Ariadne Capital, and founder of First Tuesday, talk about ‘individual capitalism’. It was the first time I had heard this phrase and I loved it; a spine-tingling moment that summed up exactly what the future is for us all. As I meet people socially and in business and when I speak to the self-employed or the corporate employee, one theme I consistently hear is ‘I want to be in control of my life and I want to be myself.’ It is tough to share your personality and be yourself when you represent a brand that is not yours, and worse still when you represent a company that does not treat people as you would like to treat them. This period of economic history will be marked by the rise of the individual.

The twenty-first century is about individual capitalism and the end of corporates dominating the business landscape, controlling lives and the economy. Individuals are the strongest force and the large organizations will increasingly learn how to adapt to this workforce and change their business models to the low-cost, highly flexible operations that the individual capitalist is creating. To be an individual capitalist you have to create a brand – You Ltd, You Plc – be in demand, be known and have a globally trusted name that earns you respect and feeds you. To do this, you need to know your unique contribution, your talent, your skill, your passion and your reason for getting up in the morning. Money cannot be the only motivator. Your contribution has to be what creates the heartbeat that wakes you up. Later I will address the area of ‘contribution’.

In May 2009, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party in the UK, had the following message to share on the theme of the individual and personal responsibility. This is a copy of the words he used in an e-mail to his supporters.

Today, in a speech to the Open University, I set out our plans for a radical redistribution of power back to the people: from the state to citizens; from Whitehall to communities; from bureaucracy to democracy. This is a massive, radical change. But I believe that through decentralization, accountability and transparency we can take power away from the political elite and hand it to the man and woman in the street.

This music is everywhere and we all now have to listen to its tune and dance to the new rhythm of opportunity.

Extract 1: A Changing World - The Individual Capitalist
Extract 2: Contribution Currency
Extract 3: Building Attraction and Being a Magnet
Extract 4: Leveraging Social Networks For Your Business
Extract 5: Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me
Extract 6: Know Me: Creating Your Social Media Footprint
Extract 7: Like Me: Creating Your Social Networking Footprint
Extract 8: Follow Me: Creating Social Transactions

This is an extract from Know Me, Follow Me, Like Me, a book by Penny Power and Thomas Power, who founded Ecademy, the UK's first social network for business, in 1998 with her husband Thomas Power. The Ecademy community now has members in over 230 countries and encompasses over 5,000 clubs and networks

Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me by Penny Power and Thomas Power is published by Headline Business Plus at £14.99.