While Sigmund Freud is a household name, the lives of his descendants are lesser known, yet lived remarkably influential lives in the 20th Century. His nephew, Edward Bernays, and daughter, Anna Freud both played a founding role within our rise of a materialistic society.

From propaganda into public relations. Citizens into consumers. And emotions into conformity.

This is one of the most fascinating documentaries I’ve ever watched:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

Technology, Millennials, and hyper-globalization are changing everything.

While a slim few businesses are harnessing these changes. Most aren’t. Most are being slowly left behind in a world that no longer exists.

But where to start?

Thanks to a low barrier to entry, there is an over-saturation of business consultants advocating the adoption of a social media strategy as a cure-all. But contrary to what most of these gurus will have you believe, 21st Century business success does not start with social media.

Don’t get me wrong. Social media is a great way to connect with your audience. And there are some genius marketers out there with some groundbreaking business marketing practices.

But a Facebook page or a blog is only a bandage on a much bigger wound.

Saving your business starts with a fundamental shift in your business architecture. It starts with analyzing where your industry is headed in the 21st Century. And it ultimately starts with taking a step back and making decisions based on the direction your business structure requires.

Remember: Business as usual no longer exists.

The 9-5 is dying. The cold-call is dying. The hierarchy is dying. The commute is dying. And accordingly, many traditions are dying.

Social media alone, will NOT save your business.

Greg is in San Diego meeting with Thomas Mangum to begin working on our exciting networking master course. More info coming soon!

This pic was taken at the Hotel del Coronado.

via Foundation

Those who are into mastery don’t run away from the big things, they dig into them.
~ Unknown

Bradley was interviewed for the cover story of the City Pages in Wausau, Wisconsin.

But unfortunately, the newspaper is only available in print. They don’t put their stories online… it is Wisconsin after all ;-)

So here is a super high-res picture of the article.

We live in a world that is basically made for people that can see and you can’t… that’s when I realized that everything I did in life was down to me.

Everything in life comes down to you. So, what are you going to do?

Over the past few decades, we became accustomed to outsourcing. We often turned to countries like India and China for low-wage, low-skill workers to perform routine tasks. From customer service to manufacturing, these countries were eager to take the jobs most Americans either didn’t want to do or demanded too high a wage. But in the past few years, this pattern has drastically changed.

And unfortunately, this is a fundamental flaw within our society’s understanding of the current labor market. Which, unbeknownst to the majority of American workers, the life our middle class once cherished is now a nostalgia, gone forever.

Due to advancements in technology and an enormous gain in education levels of these workers, the American workforce is in trouble. The jobs Americans want (and have grown comfortable with for decades) are now being threatened by low-wage, high-skill workers eager to take on more duties.

Now, outsourcing no longer exists. But rather, hiring workers across the globe is simply where technologically advanced companies find the best workers. Therefore, being an educated American is not enough.

While this is a real threat to the American Dream, it hopefully serves as a wakeup call to those workers who may find themselves in a position to be replaced. It’s a call to action to get more training, to be more proactive, and to make yourself irreplaceable.