It's time for new business models in 2010

I hope all of you are as glad to see 2009 go as I am and also as excited about the possibilities we all have in 2010. While the recession and economic challenges have been a test for all of us, I also believe that it has forced business leaders to reevaluate how they structure and operate their companies going forward. I believe our traditional mind-sets about "bigger is better" and hierarchical business structures have to be challenged aggressively.

As we listened to the gloomy economic news in 2009 on a daily basis, witnessed huge layoffs from major companies across a variety of industries, saw stock values plummet, and observed the federal government issue huge bailout packages to corporate America, will conditions continue to get worse or is there a brighter future? Will jobs continue to erode and how will our industry survive all of this?

Well, I submit that even in such a historic time of economic challenge for the world and our industry now is also a time of tremendous opportunity. Our world is changing right before our eyes. "Traditional" company structures and business models that have carried built-in excess costs, operating inefficiencies and to some extent fed off their own
insatiable appetites for dominance or wanting to be "big" are now trying to retool and shift how they operate. Some will survive this transformation, others won't. Major costs have to be stripped out and huge questions surround many major "brands" across the financial services, transportation, manufacturing, automotive, retail and, of course, technology and telecom industries.

I suggest to a large degree many of these companies are in this position not because of the "economy", but because they have operated their businesses under structures, policies, mind-sets, and operating models that have become outdated and unmanageable. Many huge companies find it difficult to make transformational shifts in strategy, operating style, staffing models or services delivery because they are stuck in the traditional mentality of viewing how business must be done. Building huge corporate campuses, funding their own air fleets, throwing lavish parties and retreats, paying huge executive bonuses, and spending millions on supporting these big traditional corporate lifestyles, cultures, and infrastructures are now being heavily scrutinized.

So what's the point here? Well, I propose that during this changing time new business leaders and entrepreneurs will emerge who recognize that the "company of the future" will look very different than the Titanic models we have all been conditioned to accept as standard. Having more nimble, virtual infrastructures, remote/telecommuter work forces, technology-enabled processes for sales/support/marketing/administrative and services delivery will become not just a novelty, but the way future companies will compete and thrive. Gone will be the days of the lavish spending, large corporate palaces and luxury-driven spending supported by these huge corporate structures.

If you subscribe to the theory that we are undergoing a historic, transformational shift in our economy, then telecommunications and technology providers can be at the forefront of helping to create this world and business model. Critical services such as video/audio/Web conferencing, unified messaging, broadband and enhanced Services, software as a service, managed services, mobility and voice over IP will be the critical enablers that provide the infrastructure for these new business models to flourish. The tech industry will be the lifeline for this major transformation. So why can't we do this now? We can. What is missing is the core message and strategy that has to be communicated to our audiences along with the platforms we offer — The BIG Picture. Our industry, products and people can and should be drivers of this sea change. Everyone's future may depend on it. Let's step up and lead the charge.

Greg Crosby is the founder and CEO of the NextGen Marketing Group