I have been writing
lots of posts about the knowledge society, the knowledge economy and the
Internet economy - which is growing at a 15% annual rate, is creating 2.6 jobs
for each one it destroys, has a GDP that surpassed that of Canada in 2010 and
moved 8 trillion dollars in e-commerce in the same year. Yet, up to now, all my
incomes have been offline.
I woke up a couple of
months ago and said to myself “What the hell am I doing? What is the point of
writing on the wonders of the knowledge society and the Internet economy while
standing outside staring it? And then I made a decision: by the year 2015, all
my income will come from what I do in the Internet, and I will withdraw myself
from all other activities (consulting in e-marketing, marketing of technologies
and face to face classes).
Last week I made
another decision: I will document the whole process and give it away for free
through my blog. I’d love to help other people find their own way to freedom
and independence. I have often written in these very pages about how the world
would be a better place if everyone could work where most talented, and where
she or he likes best. It is time to start doing so myself, thereby making a
small contribution to that better world. If many
follow, the more, the merrier!
I have accrued
expertise in understanding information technologies from a business point of
view: how ICTs can make a difference in every organization to achieve their
goals. I have been digital mentor to a number of managers, including a
President of this nation. There is a huge need among managers who are not
digital natives to better understand how ICTs can work for their organization.
But they want it told from a business point of view. No bits, no bytes.
I can package that
“know how” and sell it online. It is about digital skills for analogical
managers. I am working on the details of packaging that knowledge in the most
efficient way to ensure sales. I must transform that knowledge into “knowledge
capsules”: user friendly lessons that can be assimilated by people who are not
experts in ICT. I must find the best digital platform where to sell these
capsules. I must produce my contents much like movies are produced. I must
investigate the business of selling thousands of contents, which means driving
traffic to where they are available, at a user value that is obviously higher
than the price I charge.
Year 2013 will be a
learning and producing year. Year 2014 will be a launching and selling year.
Year 2015 will be a “good bye to traditional income flow” year, when I will
detach from all activities I have been doing up to now and fully embrace a 100%
income flow from the Internet.
Last week I met
Jarredt Kopf, an American angel investor and Founder of Adroll. He came to
Chile to see how VCs work in this country. He told me that I should reach my
target a lot earlier than expected. Okay, that would be great. So my 2015
target is now the latest target date to achieve my goal. I could achieve it by
2014. Earlier than that, I cannot because I have commitments to honor in my
traditional business for 2013 and part of 2014.
What have I learned
so far?
The first lesson in
this journey is to find out which is your core knowledge (a content that is
highly valuable and that can be packed and sold at a far lower price than it
would be if it had to be delivered on a one to one basis). That one is checked.
The second lesson is
that you must focus on that core knowledge. In the process of learning how to
live from Internet only, many big opportunities will arise. I have had them in
the past and will continue to have them in the future. The one criteria to
decide what to take and what to leave is “does this help me in my core
knowledge delivery?” Being an enthusiast of things related to the Internet, it
is very easy to end up pecking here and there, to end up doing nothing. Since I
made this decision, I have been overwhelmed by all the opportunities the
Internet brings to those who seek them. Making decisions on which to pick and prioritize
is a big skill to move on quickly.
The third lesson is
that you must plan ahead and determine each step of the way: what skills you
already have to make your goal, what skills you must acquire, what your
business model will be, how you will completely detach from your present
working paradigms. The latter is especially hard, since money still flows from those
established source, and new income is still possible. Sticking to a couple of
income sources that take no more than 50% of your time while developing the new
income source is a tougher task than I had thought
Last, but not least,
making my personal challenge public is not only to help others in their own
journey for freedom and independence. It is a way to introduce accountability
in my own process. Being publicly accountable is a powerful incentive to change
your working paradigms and habits, since inertia to go on with the old ways is
also very powerful. Tell it to your friends, tell it to your family, or tell it
to the world: whatever you feel will benefit you most.
I hope I produce
useful tips here for all who want their own independence and freedom journey to
happen. You are all invited to make any comments you want to. With that
feedback, I can make my journey a better one, and in reporting about it I can
spread its benefits to all. It is one of the things in the Internet that I like
most: win/win opportunities.
Adam Smith said that
if each one focused on a selfish goal an “invisible hand” would provide the
best to everyone. Clearly, after more than 200 years, that has not worked out.
Internet is showing it works the other way: if each one gives to the betterment
of the rest, an “invisible hand” will provide what is best for the self.
Alfredo Barriga
