Webcast - Dr James Bellini

The biggest change since the industrial revolution

Dr James Bellini

Evolving trends completely reshaping the notion of business and why individuals in the new economy will be as important as a big company.

James Bellini is a respected futurologist, broadcaster and author focusing on socio-economic trends up to Horizon 2025. He is also Director of Content for www.talentfoundation.com, a cyber-clubhouse for individuals and businesses to discuss issues affecting talent management in the future.

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Neil - Branding

|2009-11-23 09:58:55

I found the comment about each individual needing a brand most interesting.

The question for me will be whether an individual is able to deliver that branding - or whether individuals will seek guilds (as per the PWC video) or other agency umbrellas to provide that group branding for them.

Craig Britton - Network model now

|2009-11-23 10:14:55

I’ve now been working collaboratively for several years providing electronics and product design services directly to companies on a B2B basis. It is very heartening to see the network model that we have been employing being validated in this way. Customers like the skills and flexibility that our network can bring to them – they’re just a little bit nervous up front. General acceptance and understanding of the network business model would be a wonderful thing. Personally, I have found this to be a most rewarding and lucrative (if occasionally stressful) way to work.

Ad van der Rest - Tipping point

|2009-11-23 10:39:29

Fascinating series of videos - I'm intrigued by the proposition that the rate of change will increase and branding/technology/networking will become even more important.

Tim Bradburn

|2009-11-23 10:50:28

I've experimented with both - an individual brand and branding myself as part of a larger network (the guild concept). Each has its challenges, as well as its advantages. When you're your own personal brand (i.e. if your logo and company name are in fact your own name)then your brand is a reflection of your own personal expertise, and the client is essentially buying into you - they trust your brand because they trust you. The strategy then becomes a question of positioning yourself as an expert and building the reputation of your name. However, psychologically this can present a challenge when tackling larger projects where you want to field a larger team, bringing in other freelancers to deliver a project under a single brand. I know a lot of freelancers who for that reason prefer to give their business a name other than their own. Mind you, Giorgio Armani has a pretty large team... so it is possible to do both if you approach it right - be a 'name' and have a team of people who deliver on behalf of that name. When it comes to the guild concept, the advantage is that you can use the guild's brand for those occassions where you might have a larger project - the guild makes the investment in developing a brand that encapsulates a larger team, so you can concentrate on developing your own personal brand. The potential drawback here is that if you become overly reliant on the guild's brand for your own positioning, your reputation becomes entwined with theirs - in which case you end up ceding some of that control over your own destiny and brand. For me, having that control is one of the things that makes freelancing attractive.

Neil - re Tim: Personal Brands and Guilds

|2009-11-23 12:18:31

Interesting post Tim

I see that guilds could provide a brand along the lines of the US 'Better Business Bureau' - in otherwords, it is a sign of affiliation - a sign of following a set of guidelines - perhaps even an agreement to follow a form of arbitration should their be a disagreement.

Seperately, there are agencies - which I see, from the client's point of view, a bit like the choice between hiring a bricklayer, carpenter, plumber themselves or hiring a foreman to organise the team.

Tim Bradburn - Transparency

|2009-11-23 12:33:03

There's an e-book, 'Save the Pixel' that stresses the importance of transparency for a one-person brand. Rather than creating a website in which you try to paint yourself as a massive corporation, it's better to be clear from the start that you're a micro-business and explain how this benefits the client. Taking this approach, I still think it's possible to offer a bespoke team for larger projects, sourced from your own professional network, and to communicate that offering to your clients. Now that the concept of networks seems to be entering the public consciousness, this should gradually become easier to explain to clients.

David Winch - Individual vs Guild Branding

|2009-11-23 12:53:05

It depends on what you want to achieve.

If YOU want to become known as THE expert in your field, then you need to build a personal brand. You HAVE to deliver it. You cannot absolve yourself of this responsibility, although it is reasonable to seek help from others to do it.

If you want to stay anonymous, let the 'guild' become known as the experts, and hope you'll be called in at some point, then go for the guild brand.

But how will you become well enough known within the guild to get called in as the expert in your field?

Therefore you need to build a personal brand, even if you restrict the audience to the members and 'management' of the guild.

You absolutely have to differentiate yourself and have a desirable, valuable expertise. Otherwise why would anyone want YOU to do anything for them?

So, Personal branding? - essential. Guild branding? - essential for 'guild management'; offers enhancement of personal brand for 'guild members'.

David

Natasha Tobin - A freelance future

|2009-11-23 22:24:01

James - I'm still surprised that freelancing is regarded as a nascent phenomenon. Journalism, PR and Marketing have long been relied on freelance expertise. The reality for many comms employees is an office day that starts at 8.30am until 7.30pm (if lucky), no lunch and and 2 hours daily commuting time, which burns into creativity and energy levels. Better to take a more packaged and strategic approach to your offer and deliver services packaged as an consultant. 10 years ago my old boss said that freelancing was for the retired and thought that anyone who'd leave the safety of paid employment must be mad. The thinking is moving away from the industrial revolution - but still only slowly. Boards are trying to understand what employee engagement is, flatter structures, two-way comms - but it's challenging. It means turning the old order upside down...something freelancers understand.

I agree that personal branding will grow in importance. Several years ago I worked in an exceptionally profitable, global PR agency. One of their secrets was taking every day activities that PRs do - like stakeholder analysis, or evaluating cuttings and packaging them into branded services. Something for the freelancer there. Though if we do go down the personal branding/marketing route, the key thing is to be credible, and real. We're way past fake!

James - Personal Branding

|2009-11-24 12:29:52

This ties in with a long-held belief of mine. I once tried being an IT salesman. I was rubbish. I didn't believe in the product I was selling. As a freelancer, I "sell" myself and *I* am the brand. This is a much more natural sell for me, and one that I am infinitely more successful at than I was with the IT products.

The key has been to build up my own brand, but also to add value to that brand by association with other already recognised brands (e.g. the specialist association for my skillset)

Alex P - What eveidence is there?

|2009-11-24 18:22:01

This is an exciting future but I would like to understand why this conclusion has been drawn. What are the trends that point to this future 'network' way of working?

Webcast - Dr James Bellini

The biggest change since the industrial revolution

Dr James Bellini

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