Making The Transition To The Digital Economy –

Why You Should Be

Making the transition to the digital economy is something that hordes of businesses and individuals are already doing. It might not be a choice thing much longer so you should be doing it too. In fact the digital revolution has forced a number of transitions on us already and they’ve been largely great. Lets look at why making the transition to the digital economy is a smart move and how best to do it.

As a photographer and musician I’ve transitioned fully to digital over the last 10 or more years. In recent years I’ve extended that to making my livelihood online. Both music and photography are great examples of the digital advantage.

On the music recording side: I’ve gone from recording to tape – often hiring studio time because of the rooms full of equipment and expertise once required – to a laptop. I get better results faster and I can carry it anywhere. The digital photography advantage is obvious to anyone who remembers shooting film, sending it off to be developed and hoping at least a few of those 24 or 36 shots will be OK.

These changes to the way we do those things put many traditional industries out of business. The music industry has been forced into making the transition to the digital economy time and time again. We, the consumers are in charge of how we want to consume music. Those of us who make music have been reaping the digital rewards for years now too. We can create our art from anywhere with little equipment and send it straight to our audience. The middle men have largely been dispensed with.

It’s Just The Next Step

It started with the internet – a once clunky novelty that only a few people could access. Then came social media, smartphones and tablets. Online giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook started a revolution in the way business is done. Traditional business models were disrupted and now most of us have easy access to the world for information, pleasure and business.

Making the transition to the digital economy fully – earning your living from anywhere with little more than a laptop and a wifi connection – is just logical. Its just the next step on the ladder of convenience and lifestyle freedom on offer now.

Aside from the nuts and bolts – the computer and broadband connection – transitioning to the digital (or laptop) lifestyle is remarkably easy. You don’t need products or services of your own. If you have them great, but people who sell existing products online are building fulfilling and profitable businesses by leveraging models like affiliate marketing and e-commerce.

What you really need are new skill sets. Whatever the business model you choose in the digital economy, the skills needed are largely transferable. Probably the most valuable of these skills is Internet marketing. Like traditional marketing this is simply connecting the right audience to the products, services or information they are looking for.

The Global Oyster That Never Sleeps

When you know how to do that the world really is your oyster and it’s a 24/7/365, global oyster that never sleeps – even when you do. When you put content out there its like a digital form of real estate investment. By using automation the rest of the process – from click to money in your pocket – is taken care of.

Aside from the obvious financial advantage of making the transition to the digital economy, consider the time and location freedom aspect. You are free from geographic constraints. Much more of your precious time is your own. When you have the skills, placing an online ad, writing a blog or shooting a video doesn’t take long. Once done, they are out there working for you.

Of course there are pitfalls. There are now so many ways to do business online that it can be hard to sort the wood from the trees. Two of the companies that have helped me massively with both education and products and services to sell are SFM and DEA.

If you are ready to start making the transition to the digital world I’d recommend starting with their free video series. Access it by clicking the link under this post.