Subsector Signals: Recent Episodes
Subsector
Subsector Signals is all about becoming a digital business. It's designed to help smaller companies rather than global enterprises. That's because, frankly, it's much easier for a small organisation to become a digital business. Small companies can make decisions and take action much faster than their larger competitors. So, if you're a solopreneur, micro-business, or run a company with fewer than 200 staff, this is for you.
You'll learn: the benefits of becoming a digital business; how automation can give you more hours in the day; how to collaborate remotely; how to expand your business; how to make the most of data; reduce stress; get an edge over your competition; and much more...
I share what I've learned over the last 30 years so you don't have to make the same mistakes I have. There are also interviews with industry leaders and people just starting their digital adventure.
I started helping companies to become digital businesses back in the early 90s when the web was still new. Since then I've helped some of the best-known organisations in the world. Now I'm sharing my thoughts and what I've learned with people like you.
And because I'm a massive geek, I'll be looking at a range of digital services to help you make informed decisions about what to do next.
So, if you're interested in becoming a digital business, subscribe to Subsector Signals wherever you get your podcasts or get the newsletter at https://subsector.co
Show notes are here: https://subsector.co/coping-with-apocalypse-fatigue/ (https://subsector.co/coping-with-apocalypse-fatigue/)
Show notes are available at https://subsector.co/what-should-you-automate/ (https://subsector.co/what-should-you-automate/)
Show notes available at https://subsector.co/digital-operations-on-a-budget/ (https://subsector.co/digital-operations-on-a-budget/)
I’m often asked whether there are any good, free CRM systems for small businesses. Yes, there are, but you get what you (don’t) pay for and each works better for a slightly different use case. Here are the free CRM resources mentioned in this episode. https://www.airtable.com/templates/search?q=crm (Airtable CRM templates) https://coda.io/gallery/search?q=crm (Coda CRM templates) https://www.zoho.com/crm/free-crm.html?source_from=ft (Zoho free forever version) https://www.engagebay.com/products/crm (EngageBay free version) https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm-b (HubSpot free version) https://get.capsulenow.io/subsector (Capsule free version)
And here are the other useful links: https://stagetimer.io/ (Stagetimer) https://mxtoolbox.com/ (MX Toolbox) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qr03ZqtjuU (ConvertKit Automation)
If you work with technology or have any interest in it at all, you will eventually have to consider The Future. Many times over the years I've been asked variations of what's coming next, how do we prepare for the future, what should our focus be, what do we need to change, and do we have the right skills and partnerships? Sources referenced in this recording: https://digitaltonto.com/2022/its-time-to-rethink-the-change-gospel/ https://n2dmethod.com https://thevoroscope.com/2017/02/24/the-futures-cone-use-and-history/
In recent years the Internet has started to seem increasingly centralised, with power and control resting in the hands of a few organisations – corporate and governmental. The notion of a networked commonwealth, where “supreme power is vested in the people” (to use the 17th Century definition), seems slightly quaint and almost absurd. As citizens, we are farmed for our data, often without our consent, as we live our lives. Governments seek increasingly intrusive rights of access to every aspect of our being while corporations harvest our intimate data for their profit. Fictional works like 1984 and V for Vendetta have never seemed so prescient.
In terms of composition, a future business may be compared to the human body. 90% of your cells are microbes – microorganisms that either live on or inside you. In a sense, 90% of you is not “you” at all, unless you think of yourself as a walking ecosystem of creatures and not a singular thing at all. This sounds very similar to the businesses of the future. A large percentage of the active ingredients that keep the future business operating are not owned by the business at all. “Microbial” contingent workers, that have a definite relationship with the business but are not it, are essential for its continued operation.
As Nikola Tesla said: When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain. We should be able to communicate with one another instantly as though we were face-to-face despite intervening distances of thousands of miles. And the instruments through which we'll be able to do this will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket. The coming Mesh will be personal, pervasive, proximate, persistent and prescient.
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Marx claimed that for the proletariat to be liberated they would need to seize the means of production from the ruling class. Blockchain might permit people to seize the means of transaction from the organisations that currently hold that power, decentralising it and distributing the authority they previously held. They’ll use that power for their own reasons, to achieve their own desired results. Just as with other technological developments in internet history, the unintended consequences could be huge.
The episode https://subsector.co/trace-bodies-the-metamorphosis-of-digital-identity/ (transcript is available here). Resources mentioned in the episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you're_a_dog (On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog) https://myshadow.org (Me and my Shadow website) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-midata-vision-of-consumer-empowerment (UK Govt midata initiative) https://www.beyondpricing.com (Beyond Pricing) https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/intention-economy (Doc Searls, The Intention Economy) https://newclues.cluetrain.com (Cluetrain Manifesto)
This is Subsector Signals and I'm Phil Dearson. I started helping companies to become digital businesses back in the early nineties when the web was still new. Since then I've helped some of the best-known organizations in the world. And now I'm sharing my thoughts and what I've learned with people like you. Subsector Signals is all about becoming a digital business. It's designed to help smaller companies rather than global enterprises. And that's because frankly, it's much easier for a small organization to become a digital business. Small companies can make decisions and take action much faster than their larger competitors. So if you're, a solopreneur, micro business, or run a company with fewer than 200 staff, this is for you. You'll learn: the benefits of becoming a digital business; how automation can give you more hours in the day; how to collaborate remotely; how to expand your business; how to make the most of data; reduce stress; get an edge over your competition and much more. I share what I've learned over the last 30 years so you don't have to make the same mistakes I have. There are also interviews with industry leaders and people just starting their digital adventure. And because I'm a massive geek, I'll be looking at a range of digital services to help you make informed decisions about what to do next. So, if you're interested in becoming a digital business, subscribe to Subsector Signals wherever you get your podcasts. Or get the newsletter at https://subsector.co (subsector.co)