Link: http://changethis.com/pdf/49.05.NineElements.pdf

by Robert Rudzki for changethis.com

"No company is created to fail. Yet the odds are stacked against corporations surviving more than a few decades. … A new, nine-element framework can help you diagnose your organization’s health; and address the factors that increase corporate life expectancy.”

read on...

Link: http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2008/10/14/profitable-home-businesses-ent-fin-cx_mf_1014mostprofitablehomebiz.html?partner=smallbusiness_newsletter

And you guessed it, "consulting" is in the top ten...
Whilst this is US based data, I'd be fairly confident that similar views would also work in Australia... have a read and see for yourself

Who needs a nasty commute when you can make a decent buck but a few feet from your kitchen? Over half of all U.S. businesses are now based out of an owner's home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With the economy shedding jobs, the ranks of the self-employed may well keep swelling. Plenty more entrepreneurs may look to eliminate rent and fuel costs to pinch pennies.

With the help of Sageworks, a Raleigh, N.C.-based private-company data provider, Forbes.com has assembled a list of the 10 most profitable businesses--on a pretax basis--that could be run out of a home. The data were drawn from eight years worth of financial statements (nearly an entire business cycle) for tens of thousands of privately held U.S. companies with annual revenues under $1 million and bucketed by Internal Revenue Service classifications. Average pretax profits ranged from 8% to 14%.

Facilitators--from brokerages to consultancies--nabbed five of the 10 spots; creators, such as specialty design shops, earned three; and repair outfits rounded out the rest. To be sure, not all will fare equally (or well) in the economic downturn.

read on...
and if you prefer to see this information in picture, click here...

As for consultants... Two big challenges mentioned: marketing and pricing your services. That's where the services of aCE talentNET come in to their own...

Link: http://changethis.com/pdf/48.05.SuccessPhilosophy.pdf

Finding Clarity of Purpose and Achieving Arete Through Philosophical Examination - Joshua Goldman & Jason Shen for ChangeThis.com

This manifesto will facilitate your philosophical examination as you iron out what you believe and why you believe it. We do this by providing a philosophical toolkit, as well as a framework for considering the principal areas of philosophy.

read on...

Link: http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-meltdown.php

Do the words "global financial meltdown" sound familiar?

News reports are full of gloom, but how will this impact on you, if things really get bad? This opinion piece, by Ken Phillips, Executive Director of Independent Contractors of Australia, is provided as food for thought for independent contractors and anyone running a small business---particularly if you haven't run a business in hard times.

Well worth a read...

Link: http://www.trendwatching.com/briefing/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Campaign+Monitor&utm_content=86464021&utm_campaign=PERKONOMICS&utm_term=October+Trend+Briefing+%26raquo%3b

with thanks to trendwatching.com

While endlessly fantasizing about The Next Big Thing in the wondrous world of consumerism can be inspiring, execution beats everything. Which is why an easy-to-apply trend like the rising importance of perks and benefits should be on your radar this month and beyond.

Consumer infatuation with perks and privileges isn't new. For years, airlines, hotels, credit card companies and private banks have been cleverly rewarding their most valuable customers with surprises, status symbols and convenience.

But as we move towards a consumer society that’s based more on experiences, on status stories, on the ephemeral—and in which, for many, time is now the only true scarcity—expect perks and privileges to become an integral part of every B2C industry and sector.

We’ve dubbed this trend PERKONOMICS...

PERKONOMICS: A new breed of perks and privileges, added to brands' regular offerings, is satisfying consumers’ ever-growing desire for novel forms of status and/or convenience, across all industries. The benefits for brands are equally promising: from escaping commoditization, to showing empathy in turbulent times. One to have firmly on your radar in 2009.

read on...