The Web Economy/24

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Seeking A Niche
This is a lesson part of the module The Web Economy out of the Open Source ERP/Executive Masters course conducted by a private university.

Topics

 * Most of us cannot be everything to everybody. We must find a niche that is sustainable.
 * Niches are best taken if no one has taken it before. Niches must also be worth our while and passion.
 * Most look for profitable niches but missed the not so seeming ones that has profit through indirect means.

Assignment Tasks

 * What are the market niches of some software brands and products?
 * What can be your niche? What do you based it on?
 * How can you ensure you can sustain in the long term?

Activities

 * Publish your works in an attractive manner in your user page, stating your own views and findings providing links to your sources. Use the talk page here to score marks.
 * Create or edit sub-pages of course materials within wikiversity.
 * Discuss in the forum (link shall be provided) by offering your ideas and answering or comment on others' postings.

Introduction

 * As taught in the Attention Economy we have limitations of focus. Also, humans do not like to be confused or cluttered in their thinking. They prefer one brand for one need. That is why Coca-Cola is the most memorable brand for only one kind of drink. Not Like Frasier & Neave which has many kinds but can you remember this brand when you want a drink? You too are a brand and a niche. The more you find it and focus the better.

Be Good For Only One Thing

 * This is not a limitation if you are good in one thing. You have to focus to be the best in that field . At least there is a market for good people in your area. If you digress and focus on other areas you won’t be good in your core area for long.

The ERP Dilema

 * ERP solutions try to be everything to everyone . There is pressure from different users wishing for different things from their ERP. It is important to separate the core from the extensions of an ERP. Some specialised area such as garment or steel industry or food processing can be a separate add-on and vertical. It is best to delegate that area to another expert and work in a smart partnership.

Cluster of Experts

 * Open Source ERP gives this special chance to everyone to work together but yet specialised in each own’s field. You can be a tax accountant and work with another technical ERP expert to go after a deal better.

Give and Take

 * You should also assist other experts even though you may not get the deal. You are just opening up your network of goodwill, so when you do get a deal you may need to outsource to them, and vice versa.

What Are You Good At?

 * Usually it is what you have been doing such as documenting, project managing, coding, trouble-shootingr or even selling. Whatever it is you can focus on been the best in your area and work with others in a whole unit to tackle larger ERP prospects. If you are a sales person, you can do alot of prospect qualifying and cold calls to build a sales funnel for the team. If you are a documenter you can help editing better sales brochures and share them out to the whole world. With your name as the author it helps to brand and sell your services back. At least you are opening your chances rather than been and remain a nobody.

Publishing Your Niche

 * I also talked about publishing what you know best to others so its known and your marketable. If you are a coder, your commits are already tracked online and other coders can see you. Some editors will also give credit to you. when they notice your work. You may have a weakness in wiriting or you may just hate to write. But via the web and involvement in such an open source project, the word gets around that you are the best or at least good enough in your area. This is part of the many advantages of working in a FOSS ERP project.

Room To Play

 * Been good but no room or friend to play with won’t make you that good for long. Why many are using the web and FOSS projects is because they get to mingle with other gurus and develop good friends to give them moral support in pursuing their passions within their core expertise. For me it is training and writing and as you can see I am happy and excelling at it.

Links to Student Notes
(Provided by Students - subject to edit ranking by tutor)

Notable Links to Resources
(Provided by Students - subject to edit ranking by tutor)

Sub-Pages
(Done in wikiversity as course material by the students under the guidance of the tutor)

Course Navigation
Next - Positioning and Aligning >> The Web Economy/25