Once upon a time in the land of Ikesere; it was a mixed fortune for all. Some were very rich, some can’t complain while some lived below comfort and others in abject poverty. Ikesere was layered into divisions according to the collective perception of its people’s wealth. Hence; we had such divisions as developed, developing and under-developed.

It did not imply prosperity for all in the developed division, neither did it mean that everyone in the under-developed parts were poor. The only constant factor in all the lands was that the rich seems to be getting richer while the poor were getting poorer. Only a few of the lower strata through dints of hard work and perseverance were able to move up and take charge of their lives.

The developed parts were more forward looking and did a good job in providing amenities for their citizens while also maximizing their hold on the economy of the other divisions. Most of the economic policies in the part is geared towards a free economy which made a lot of sense until greed set in. The suit and tie professionals who formulated these policies and ran big corporations forgot decorum and the leaders were not wise enough to provide a lot of oversight functions.

Some parts of the developing divisions started noticing the trend in the developed parts which include their citizens asking for too much wages for jobs perceived to attract less remuneration and did something about it. In conjunction with some big corporations; they got some jobs outsourced to their developing divisions at lower rates and faced the task of developing a vast pool of skilled resources. This improved their economy a great deal. Note that some of the developing parts did not key into this as they relied on their natural resources.

And then a giant rose up in the far east. This giant is blessed with a huge population and hence cheap labor. Production companies in the developed west got into trouble as most goods were now coming from this giant. Jobs were lost, positive financial indices turned to negative and the problem started.
The developed west did not learn but still continued paying huge salaries for redundant ideas and were granting credit without sense. The bubble started bursting and the developed west is in big debt in favor of the giant from the east.

Back to the developing parts – some of them were wise enough to take care of their affairs. But sincerely, when there is a problem in the developed parts; everyone would suffer from it. Trading reduced as less cash were available and those who were used to aids from the developed parts were in big problems. The whole of Ikesere is in turmoil!

The giant from the east was also thought to be insulated from the problems but alas they were also hit hard. Their factories started closing as the developed west could not afford its past flashy lifestyle of buying a lot of things from them. It thus became a case of producing without selling in the same proportions. This confirms that everyone is in trouble.

I am sure you know the story I am trying to tell in a very simple form. The present economic crunch which is proving to be the biggest in the history of humanity. Jobs are being lost at an alarming rate and hope is dimming on a lot of people by the second. I am not interested in painting the gloomy picture any darker than it already is but talk about an unobvious chance that is starring us all in the face at the moment.

I will put it in a very simple way. Corporations, medium sized businesses and even small enterprises are all looking at ways of cutting cost. That is the reason a lot of companies are retrenching their work force and finding ways of reducing costs. A lot of these companies are used to the big times and their lifestyles stink of wastefulness. It is very hard for them to adjust to the present realities and it might actually be too late for them to balance.

An example is a company that provides IT services. Most of them start on a good note but become too big and complacent. A lot of the companies they offer their services might be contemplating finding better deals now that they realize they have been paying too much for bad service. There was no problem before because the money was enough to go round but now it is a case of Egypt where the prime minister – Joseph, stored food for 7 years and managed the proceedings for another 7 years of prosperity for Egypt. I am sure he was sharp enough to ration things very well to ensure huge productivity. I am sure he won’t go for big consulting companies to get their strategies but young brilliant guys who are ready to work. This applies to any industry.

I think this is time to make impact. This is time to take over from complacent big boys. This however is not for everyone. It is for those who have enough skills and confidence to tackle challenges and not for the faint hearted. It is for those who have prepared and are ready to conquer. If you have a very comfortable job at the moment; don’t rejoice too much because things can turn at any time. Better start looking at how you can provide the same services you offer to your employers as a solo business. That is the future of world enterprise.

If I need a website now; I can either give the job to a very big company with a very big overhead which does not necessarily translate to efficiency or a good design or look for a small set up with talented young men and women. Such companies exist now and they are getting the jobs and churning out good stuff. My advise for them is to be careful about how they grow big. It is good to grow big but it must be done in a way that increases efficiency and not over head.

The post is getting too long. I will stop now and continue later.

PS: My one and only celebrates her birthday tomorrow. Please join me in wishing her a very happy birthday. Love you baby!