collaborative business model engineering [cbme]

you only have to look to the success of open-source initiatives, such as redhat linux and mozilla firefox, to see that trends in many business models are turning towards open-source collaboration, with many individuals combining their skills, knowledge and experience to achieve one goal, and to provide the next substantial level of growth.

it seems only sensible to believe that bringing together creative ideas from many different sources could well generate the next substantial breakthrough in empowering communities, particularly in poverty-rife third world countries, to provide for themselves and better their own standard of living. to do so will require creative input from many talented people, and the critical debate and analysis to really extract and refine all suitable solutions. this collaboration of talented and creative individuals could generate business models which can realistically be implemented and which are suitably sustainable.

lets say we call it ‘collaborative business model engineering’ [cbme].

would this really work, though?

why not? just take a look at how entrepreneurs have seized opportunities provided by open-source development, such as Mark Shuttleworth with Ubuntu Linux. certainly, their are many benefits to such an idea-generating environment.

for example: in today's information age, ideas (or "intellectual capital", if you prefer) are considered to be incredibly valuable. however, it is this status that has lead to many excellent ideas being effectively wasted, as the "owners" thereof either cannot or will not action them, for a variety of reasons. these reasons include a lack of financing, a lack of skills, or simply a lack of belief in the idea. cbme could provide adequate exposure to a wide variety of skills and experience, thereby identifying and resolving problems with the idea/business model. cbme could possibly provide a forum for connecting willing entrepreneurs with willing financiers. and the discussion and analysis generated by cbme would also ensure that worthy ideas are not merely discarded before being given a fair chance.

in fact, this could be the biggest hurdle to overcome in effectively implementing cbme - namely, instilling the belief in contributors that a sharing of ideas will not result in the world coming to an abrupt end.

however, with a bit of collaboration, innovation and creativity, cbme (and possibly on an open-source basis, just to be a little more insane) could well provide substantial benefits to all participants. ideally, this could also take place in a community environment, providing a feasible method of community upliftment as well.

the question is, do you believe cbme could work?

a state of opportunity

there's no denying that this country (South Africa), right now, provides great opportunities for anyone who is ready to take a calculated risk and be a leader. i know that there are others that share this sentiment. but even with respectable, if not great, growth in the country, it seems that, for many of the country's people, and particularly the poor, life hasn't changed. i've been blessed not to have to experience that so far, and so i cannot comment on a life of poverty.

however, within the past few years, i have seen several smart, qualified people that i know leave for the US, UK and Australia, in search of the mystical (or is that mythical) "greener pastures". i must admit, economically it made sense, especially with it becoming more and more difficult for certain people in this country to obtain employment.

(here's a point to ponder: does it make sense that the commercial and public sector's intense focus in recent years on recruiting HDI's (historically disadvantaged individuals) provides just cause for believing that historically advantaged individuals could potentially become future disadvantaged individuals.)

although i understand the necessity for change, particularly in light, the extreme imbalance being created currently, along with the complete disgregard that some exhibit for building from the ground up, namely making education the main focus, does not make sense to me.

several years ago, my wife and i considered leaving the country for "better opportunities", as many close to us did exactly that. however, after much deliberation and prayer, we stayed, knowing that this is where we belong, for a season at least.

but lets not make this a patriotic attempt to lure much-needed brainpower back to our shores. after all, i believe that everything happens for a reason, and i trust that the reason for the mass exodus we've seen will become evident to everyone in years to come.

the fact is that there is an answer. we all know that there is amazing power in collaboration, bringing great people, great ideas and great financiers together! but how do we do this in a manner that generates the best results?

welcoming rss to the team

well, since going online and sending notification to about 2,006 individuals to have a look (caution to readers: this could be a gross overstatement), i have received two replies in total, one expressing true maternal love for anything a son or daughter would create, the other indirectly questioning my complete lack of intimate knowledge of world time zones, and how to set them on blogger settings. have now tried to correct this, so the time you see should roughly approximate reality. speaking of which, BC, great to hear from you. i'm hoping to soon eradicate my status of technologically disadvantaged, and will then be able to find you on msn.

in trying to improve my general knowledge of all things web, i started playing with rss feeds last week after reading about them for ages. not sure what rss is? -> read this

the steps i followed to overcome my rss anxiety:

1. read the above page link, and confirmed that i do, in fact, need rss in my life
2. downloaded feedreader and installed it on my "ancient-one" (quite simple to use, and does all i need it to - for now)
3. flexed my google muscle to identify any interesting links (see below for some suggestions)
4. managed to load the aforementioned links in feedreader (quite simple, really - F3 to add a new link, cut and paste the address, and press go. took me a while to go to "tools - options - connection" and select the right settings; watch out for this)
5. added this blog to my rss feeds (the state we're in - rss feed)

its quite empowering to select the news you want to read, so i would recommend it to anyone. the trick is in finding the feeds that you're interested in, and that actually provide decent content. my challenge - to figure out how to use this as one of the tools in creating a sustainable business (any suggestions?).

feeds i found interesting:

• moneyweb news - south african business news
• marketingweb news - ad industry related stories and links
• yahoo news most viewed - most viewed stories on yahoo news
• nba.com news - stories from around the nba (usa's national basketball association)
• nba.com miami heat news - stories relating to the world champion miami heat
• fast company - an american entrepreneurial magazine with interesting stories

but getting back to more important topics, and wondering how to make an impact. i would like this to be a place where great ideas can be shared and debated. perhaps if a reader were to really be envisioned by an idea, and possibly even find a partner, these ideas could become reality.

what ideas, you ask? well, anything that is creative and constructive really. whether it be purely profit motive or for the benefit of others. my main interest lies in ideas that will empower communities, but all ideas are welcome and encouraged, especially since i believe the old maxim is very true (i think it was zig ziglar who said it)... that service to many leads to greatness.

but how do you provide a great service to many?

here we go

i look back on our country's recent history (recent being relative, as I am 27 years old) with an overwhelming sense of awe. some said that we could never get through it, others knew that the only way we would is by an awesome miracle. and that's exactly what we received. as i look around now, surrounded by an immense amount of beauty, i am so glad that South Africa has taken this turn.

however, now we face a challenge that, again, many view as insurmountable - competing in a global market.

i was blessed to be able to attend decent primary and high schools, as well as a renowned local university (the university of pretoria) which reportedly had the strongest accounting faculty in the country at the time our class was there (and i would vouch for that). for the past six years, i have worked in a large multinational consulting firm, along with a number of bright individuals who have taught me a multitude of interesting things.

but now the quest begins in earnest...

• firstly, how do you balance your own self-interest with more eternal beliefs?
• and then, how do you merge these with the need for people throughout our country to make some sacrifices (of varying degrees) for the benefit of their communities and country?

it will be interesting to see how things turn out. but until then, we press on. i hope to be sharing some interesting thoughts along the way.