Information Age Entrepreneur

Being an information age entrepreneur is becoming a very popular business model. More and more people are making good money from running on-line businesses. In particular, we are thinking of businesses that operate almost exclusively within the on-line world. We are not looking at only using a website as a front for your "bricks and mortar" business. The potential scope for such businesses are so wide that it would not be possible to give any detailed list or description of how such a business must work, but we can certainly help you to think this through and develop some ideas of your own.

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It is not the intention of this website to be a definitive source in setting up on-line businesses. There are many other websites that focus on this, and will do a much better job at guiding you through all the intricacies of doing this than we can. We will however serve as a primer so that you can decide if you would like to go in that direction. We have to also keep in mind that this is a website focused on the Welder and careers in the welding industry, so our approach will be to take it as a given that you will also be operating within this industry.

Your Information Age Entrepreneur Edge

We have all heard of youngsters that have become millionaires overnight by developing a blockbuster game, or social media app or website. The big issue with those people are that they have managed to identify a niche or need that appealed to the masses. Because they normally do not actually have the knowledge associated with a real-world job, (a generalization I know) they have to focus on the needs that they can identify. These needs tend to be focused towards social interactions of an “every-day” nature. This is a great place to be if you are early in a trend, but a rather difficult place if you have to compete with a saturated market. Trying to create another social media app becomes more difficult every year, as the market for social interaction is saturated by websites and apps for connecting and sharing everything from messages to photos to songs etc. Once there are a couple of million mobile phone games, it becomes more difficult to come up with the next blockbuster game.

As someone with real world experience as a Welder, or some other job in the welding industry, you have an edge in knowing what problems need to be solved within that industry. The down side is that the market for a targeted product is much smaller than for a mass market product, but the targeted market is not nearly as crowded. Making money from being an information age entrepreneur therefore becomes a matter of estimating your market size and providing appropriate pricing to make it worth your while. As long as others are willing to pay the price you want to charge, for the service or product that you want to sell, then you have the potential for a viable information age business.

But I Am Not a Computer Expert

Now, I can hear a lot of people groaning about them not being computer nerd types, so they could not possibly make money as an information age entrepreneur. If you are thinking this, then you would be wrong. There are people making a million dollars a year (or more) just posting videos on YouTube. So, if you have something that people are prepared to watch (e.g. How to TIG weld; How to pass a 6G piping weld test; etc.) then you too can make money. Also, just because you cannot program computers does not mean that you cannot produce and sell a mobile phone app. There are many programmers in countries like India and Eastern Europe that will program you just about anything for a very reasonable fee. You just need to come up with the idea for the app!

In essence, all those roads to riches as an information age entrepreneur are yours if you are a Welder, or working in the welding industry. You just need to identify a problem that can be solved by an on-line approach.

As an information age entrepreneur, you should however have an appreciation for what can be achieved with technology. If you see yourself wanting to make money this way, then start using some of the on-line platforms and download some smart phone apps to see what other people are doing. Once you get into it, you will suddenly start making connections between problems you experience in your work, and the possibilities offered by the different on-line and mobile platforms.

Obviously the possibilities as an information age entrepreneur become so much more when you are prepared to dip into the programming side. While it may seem daunting at first, you may be surprised at how easy it is to do quite a lot of stuff on-line these days with only rudimentary skills. These days it is technically quite easy to set up a website with quite advanced features. You will never know if you do not try! As you do more, you will learn more, which will open new horizons for you. I recommend that even if you are in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, you should continually strive to upgrade your computing and programming ability. With all the free resources on the internet these days, it need not cost you a cent. It will just cost you some time and emotional energy. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy the journey!

From time to time we will be examining some computing and programming concepts in our newsletter. Please subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on the prominently displayed “subscribe” link on the this page. It will certainly not be "technical talk." Rather, it will discuss programming concepts in easily understood language. The idea is to get you comfortable with the concepts and possibilities rather than teach you programming skills.

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 The WelderDestiny Compass: Weekly e-zine Subscription

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You can take a look at "The WelderDestiny Compass" back-issues by clicking here.

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