Veikko J. Pyhtilä, 20.11.2018
Customers do not know what assignments and work they would offer us. Also, we do not know what we would offer our customers when there is no demand from them. We cannot focus and prepare for demand because producing non-demanding goods is not profitable and it is risky that resources will be wasted. Cannot start producing this and that indiscriminately at random. On the other hand, if we do not present and offer anything clear and concrete to our customers, they need not be asked.
How can we overcome this stagnation and lock-in and increase commodity exchanges? Customers should express their needs and our clearer ability to produce something for them. That is, both sides should approach each other, even if halfway. We cannot give them a fully finished tray, at least not at this early stage of the business. And because the customer does not express their needs and demand, we cannot prepare, develop, acquire information and study to meet customer demand. You cannot afford to start producing a solution to a problem if there is no demand for the solution. And we cannot adapt and customize service packages to customers because customers do not express their needs and situation. However, we have demonstrated our readiness to seek and develop solutions to problems.
The initial stage of entrepreneurship is thus extremely difficult. When the poor long-term unemployed start to venture, they have no capital and not always the long-term experience and skills they would offer to their clients. Admittedly, the unemployed have had and would have had time to study, to develop a good supply and to obtain information much better than those in employment. They would be well placed to provide their customers with a competitive service when only customers identified the problems, shortcomings and areas for improvement they needed. A few clicks contacting with e-mail giving a hint of need would be of great help and would help the unemployed to develop and start up entrepreneurs.
Customers are busy, we could provide them with even a part time service to ease the hurry. Hurry can become a vicious circle that prevents progress for the better and thoroughly mapping problems and finding better solutions. If we as entrepreneurs could concentrate on solving a wide range of problems over time and save our experience and involve the younger generation, we would develop a good knowledge capital for problem solving and development, as we approach problem solving in a cross-disciplinary way. And when a large number of the unemployed join together to do things, so do there be a lot of skills and resources. As long-term unemployed persons, we have had to become familiar and study in many different fields and acquire information, so we have a basic knowledge to combine ideas and methods in problem solving. The activity of clients towards unemployed and start-up companies would be a source of activity, when there would be information on what work and development targets they should offer. This Problems Solving Community could organize and coordinate things when more participants are involved. There can be many communities if the values of the members do not coincide, because the spirit of community must be good among the members.
According to Finland’s Kela, 336971 people received earnings-related daily allowance, basic allowance or labor market support in June 2018. All of these require full-time work. All the tools and methods available have to put in use for employment and livelihoods from over-stagnation through more active and innovative interaction between people!
But what should happen? Probably as before: No spontaneous feedback or contact from customers. I myself have contacted with some persons and received positive and constructive feedback. Yes, people are truly at social media, at least partially, in futile communication, and the real problems of society are left unaddressed or proper solutions are lacking when the whole nation are not persuaded to help each other voluntarily, even the most vulnerable. There is a need for communities like this budding Problems Solving Community, where resources are available and more can be done together than alone. But it requires everyone to be active and involve more participants to identify problems, come up with solutions and evaluate them.
It’s nice and fun and you have even a need to do something. Nobody wants to be completely inactive and useless and live only with the support of society. Disabled people also have a desire to be useful to society in some way. Doing and acting will make a good problem solver. And there really are problems and challenges now and in the future. We cannot afford to miss out the resources and opportunities of any unemployed or disabled person!
Veikko J. Pyhtilä, 20.11.2018