The Journal of 2020 Foresight

Reports from the Knowledge Labs about our recent findings, research topics, and interviews with lifestyle leaders who are creating their own futures.

How to stimulate your own powers of foresight. Consider the following thought provokers. Ask yourself, in these categories what are the brand new trends and forces? Which are the ones growing in importance? Which current forces are loosing their steam? Which have peaked or are reversing themselves? Which are the "wildcards" about to disrupt us in the future? POLITICAL AND TECHNICAL thought for food: Electronics, Materials, Energy, Fossil, Nuclear, Alternative, Other, Manufacturing (techniques), Agriculture, Machinery and Equipment, Distribution, Transportation (Urban, Mass, Personal, Surface, Sea, Subsurface, Space), Communication (Printed, Spoken, Interactive, Media), Computers (Information, Knowledge, Storage & Retrieval, Design, Network Resources), Post-Cold War, Third World, Conflict (Local, Regional, Global), Arms Limitation, Undeclared Wars, Terrorism, Nuclear Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Governments (More/Less Power and Larger or Smaller Scale), Taxes, Isms: Nationalism, Regionalism, Protectionism, Populism, Cartels, Multinational Corporations, Balance of Trade, Third Party Payments, Regulations (OSHA, etc.) Environmental Impact, U.S. Prestige Abroad. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC Food for thought: Labor Movements, Unemployment / Employment Cycles, Recession, Employment Patterns, Work Hours / Schedules, Fringe Benefits, Management Approaches, Accounting Policies, Productivity, Energy Costs, Balance of Payments, Inflation, Taxes, Rates of Real Growth, Distribution of Wealth, Capital Availability and Costs, Reliability of Forecasts, Raw Materials, Availability and Costs, Global versus National Economy, Market versus Planned Economies, Generations: Y, X, Boomers, Elderly, Urban vs. Rural Lifestyles, Affluent vs. Poor, Neighborhoods and Communities, Planned or Organic Growth. Got Knowledge?

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Tuesday, August 01, 2006

“X Marks the Spot” -- Panning Knowledge Nuggets in Multiple Income Streams

Chapter Four: The Tribal Territories

By Steve Howard, CKO
The Knowledge Labs

Table of Contents
Chapter One: Basecamp
Chapter Two: The Ridge
Chapter Three: The Outpost
Chapter Four: The Tribal Territories

“I was not ready for that. It was unfortunate. And among the guys in the studio, when I went by there that morning and we recorded that song, everybody was depressed. But we liked him. He always had something funny to say. Everything he said was funny. But he was so serious that you couldn’t tell how funny it was until later. So, that was a sad, sad, thing.”

Neil Young & Crazy Horse “Greendale”

DOUBLE NICKEL RANCH. The four future Boomer scenarios begin in the Staying Put, Doing What Your Love “box” where “Affluently Elite,” “Exurb Society,” “Digitally Mobiles” and “Portfolio Local” neighborhoods are in exclusive suburbs near urban areas. High net worth executives and professionals populate guarded communities until they experience a disruption.

Journal of 2020 Foresight: “Affluently Elite Boomers” usually have a cushion to fall back on, right?

Eagle: Yes. And their decisions really boil down to choosing to take another top corporate spot – often times out of the area. Many executives travel extensively internationally, while their families enjoy the privileges and perks that come part and parcel with living the American Dream.

J2020F: So, if the choice becomes difficult, it may boil down to relocating the family, yet again.

Eagle: I can’t tell you how many times a Boomer executive confided in me that their high school daughter told them that if the father or mother accepts the top spot in another area, they would be moving without them.

J2020F: Or they’re simply tired of all the travel abroad and the corporate politics.

Eagle: That’s when they decide to spend time exploring all their options in the local market – evaluating Angel investing, starting a business or buying a business – sampling the advantages of “Exurb Society”, Digitally Mobile” or a “Portfolio Local” lifestyles.

J2020F: Stepping up their real estate investment portfolio – building a spec house or partnering with other trusted people they know in their close-knit community.

Eagle: Some “Affluently Elite” stay put by taking on more philanthropic activities, or investing in a favorite cause they had no time for before.

J2020F: What about those empty nesters?

Eagle: They may decide to play golf and travel more or think they want to move to the rural, simple life – but having been used to the shopping conveniences and cultural and entertainment opportunities where they currently live, the simple life doesn’t work out very often.

J2020F: Is that why the opposite diagonal “box” is the Struggling Lone Eagle? They’d be more at home in a “Maturing Resort”, a “Distant Exurb” or a “Resort Suburb”, if not a “Premier Resort”?

Eagle: Not necessarily, but it kind of works doesn’t it? If they choose to stay in the same general vicinity, they might try relocating to “Digitally Mobile”, “Satellite Cities” or “Rustic Eagle” communities.

J2020F: Maybe, the same can be said for the two other opposites – the Trapped and Permanently Temporary and the It’s Wired-less, Doing What You Love Any Where, Anytime.

Eagle: Well, it certainly looks like the two “diagonal paths” involve more challenging “chess moves” -- from “Urban Trapped” to “Interim Middle Mangers”, then “Distant Exurbs” and finally to “Premier Resorts”.

J2020F: But, what if you determine moving to the exurbs or more rural areas in your best interest or you just want to move to the more self-sufficient and remote rural locations.

Eagle: Well, if you are lucky, you'll find work in high enough demand that meets your standard of living -- in the “Rural Country”, “Satellite Cities” or “Small Town Burbs”.

J2020F: Ideally, you’d want move or have a presence near the premier destination resort, right?

Eagle: Or at least relocate to where the path of real estate development is moving in that direction for longer-term appreciation.

J2020F: Wouldn’t that also help you if you needed additional income from the local community?

Eagle: It would. If you've selected a high quality of life location, as it becomes more popular -- moving from an innovation to an emerging growth community you may re-establish or grow a new reputation for something new that you enjoy doing in a general region near a premier resort.

J2020F: Of course, the other trajectory -- beginning with Staying Put right-hand corner and moving towards the left-hand corner of It’s Wired-less, requires a different strategy, doesn’t it?

Eagle: Sure it can. According to our “chess board” you move horizontally from “Affluently Elite” to “Exurb Society” to either a “Maturing Resort” or you skip a “Premier Resort” still enjoying what you love doing. The strategy is to location-proof your offering.

J2020F: Is this the Mobile Knowledge Company approach?

Eagle: Exactly. You can figure out how to develop a knowledge company before you are forced to make a change.

J2020F: How do you do that?

Eagle: We get into that in more detail later, but think of it as the art of “Knowledge Mining and Refining.” After you “Strike It Rich” by “Panning for your Knowledge Nuggets” in multiple income streams, you are free to move anywhere, unlike mine workers in the Old West – a secret Mark Twain discovered.

J2020F: You can target second home destinations and transplant your business?

Eagle: Sure. In the knowledge economy, the reverse is true. You don’t have to find your mother lode in a fixed location. It travels with you, first by establishing an alliance network, then traveling to multiple offices, and finally to a new base of operations in a premier resort or retirement community.

J2020F: So, if you begin as a Rustic Eagle, you move vertically through Small Town Burbs to a Resort Suburb on the outskirts of that Premier Resort.

Eagle: The location of the mine – the source of your very own Comstock or Mother Lode, if you will, is found at the intersection of your passions and your dream location. Through the science of “Knowledge Banking,” you can locate your “Knowledge ATMs” anywhere you want.

Got Knowledge?
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