The independents

This afternoon I read The Independents by Charles Leadbeater. "Across Britain, thousands of young Independents are working from bedrooms, workshops and run-down offices in some of the fastest growing sectors of the British economy: cultural industries such as design, fashion, multimedia and Internet services. The authors set out the current state of cultural industries and recommend new approaches to education, business support, finance and arts policy to help provide these new cultural entrepreneurs with a firmer base to build upon."

The independents work within networks of collaborators within cities, and thrive on easy access to local, tacit knowledge.

What encourages them towards entrepreneurship is their values.  We do not fit into neat categories and thrive on informal networks.

Charles' advice:

Be brave enough to be distinctive. If you are doing what everyone else is doing you are in the wrong business.

Hold onto that unshakeable self belief in your distinctive talent.