Tranzitioning.com

Last time, we explored our money supply — how it’s a fractional reserve system, built on a small amount of base money, that is lent against to create greater and greater amounts of more highly leveraged money.  Today, we are going to look at that system in action.  Specifically, how money is created, destroyed, and how that process has been affected by the Great Recession.

Money Creation and Destruction

The first thing to know about our money supply, is that every day, millions and millions of dollars are created.  At the same time, millions and millions of dollars are destroyed.  The most obvious example of this is the way old, worn out dollars are destroyed, with new dollars printed to replace them.  Historically, the amount of new dollars printed has exceeded the amount of dollars destroyed.  This shows up as an ever increasing amount of dollars in circulation.

Just like physical money is printed and destroyed, electronic money is as well.  To understand how this works, it is helpful to realize that money = debt.

Money = Debt

If we pretend to live in a world without money, and we ask the U.S. Government (USG) to pay us $5, they would walk over to their printing press and print a $5 bill.  When the USG gives us that bill, we are now $5 richer, and the USG now has an outstanding obligation to provide $5 worth of goods and/or services to anyone who presents them with that bill.  In other words, the USG has just created a $5 debt obligation.

When that money is returned to the USG, it then has the option to spend it again (roll over the debt), or to keep and/or destroy that money (retire the debt, and decrease the money supply).  To summarize, anything the USG does to print or borrow money creates more money, and anything the USG does to retire its debts destroys money.

The Role of Interest, Taxes, Bankruptcy and Default

Normally, this process of creating and destroying money would be a system in equilibrium.  However, with the imposition of interest expenses, our money supply is guaranteed to ALWAYS be constrained.  You see, money created will circulate until it returns to its source and is retired.  However, if interest is charged on the money that has been created, that interest payment must come from someplace.

Using our prior example, if the $5 we received from the USG was lent out for one year at $1 interest, there now exists $6 in obligations.  Where did the extra $1 come from?  How was it created?  Easy answer is that it doesn’t exist, and it wasn’t created.  The person who now owes us $6 must borrow an extra $1 to pay us back.

Another major drain on our money supply is federal taxes.  While it’s true that some taxes are used to redistribute money from one stakeholder to another, there is also some amount of taxes that are used to retire debt.

These drains on the money supply guarantee that money will always be constrained, and ensures that extra debt obligations can only be eliminated through bankruptcy or default.

Putting this all together, here are the major sources of money creation and destruction:

Summary

Today we’ve covered the assorted ways that money is created and destroyed, the role of the U.S. Government in the process, and why bankruptcy and default are built into the system.  Next time, we’ll look at the National Debt Limit, the role of the Federal Reserve, and alternatives and consequences to our current system.  As always, comments welcome.  Until next time …

In my prior post, I described three major tactics that are being used to combat deflation.  Today, we’ll talk more about the printing of money, and how it might actually help stop deflation.  Before we begin, however, let’s take a look at what the chairman of the Federal Reserve has had to say about printing money.  On June 7th, 2009, Ben Bernanke told viewers of 60 Minutes:

“You’ve been printing money?” Pelley asked.

“Well, effectively,” Bernanke said. “And we need to do that, because our economy is very weak and inflation is very low. When the economy begins to recover, that will be the time that we need to unwind those programs, raise interest rates, reduce the money supply, and make sure that we have a recovery that does not involve inflation.”

In a follow-up interview on December 5th, 2010, Bernanke said this:

“One myth that’s out there is that what we’re doing is printing money. We’re not printing money. The amount of currency in circulation is not changing. The money supply is not changing in any significant way. What we’re doing is lowing interest rates by buying Treasury securities.”

So which is it?  Is the Fed printing money, or not?  Did Ben Bernanke misspeak, or worse, misrepresent the truth?  Perhaps the Fed was printing money in 2009, but not in 2010?  Or is something else going on?

Before we can answer these questions, we must first define money.  Is money the dollar bills you carry in your wallet?  Is it the money you keep in a checking account at the bank.  Is it the money you keep with your stock broker in a money market account?

Truth of the matter is, all of these are considered forms of money, but not all money is created equal.  In these cases, the money in your wallet is considered M0, the money in your checking account is considered M1, and the money in your money market account is considered M2.  Generally speaking, the larger the M-number, the less liquid and more highly leveraged is the money.

Fractional Reserve Banking, and the Multiplier Effect

In order to understand the relationship between these categories of money, we must first explore the way money is created.  In most of the world, the supply of money is created and controlled through a fractional reserve banking system, coordinated by a central bank.

These central banks can influence the supply of money by printing currency, by lending money into existence, and by changing the reserve requirements for member banks.  It’s called a fractional reserve system, because for every dollar on deposit with a member bank, that bank must retain a fraction of those deposits in their account.

If the reserve requirement is set to 10%, for example, the banks can lend out up to 90% of their deposits.  If a bank does lend out 90% of their deposits, those dollars will land in another bank, who in turn can lend out 90% of that balance.  So on, and so forth, until the original deposit creates money worth many times the original deposit.  This is called the “multiplier effect,” and can be calculated as 1/(reserve requirement).

Leverage, and the Money Supply

If we put all of this together, we can now see the various forms of money, and how they are related to each other.  Consider the following chart:

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From this chart, it’s important to know that the Fed can inject money into all of the buckets above.  If they choose to inject money into M0 or M1, they are putting high powered, un-leveraged money (base money) into the system which will be greatly expanded through the multiplier effect.

Now that we have some common reference points, let’s return to Ben Bernanke’s comments, and see what’s been happening to our money supply since the real estate bubble burst, and the Great Recession began:

As this chart clearly shows, the most leveraged forms of money started to collapse in 2008, along with the real estate bubble.  To compensate, base money was infused into the system by the Fed.  So, was Ben Bernanke being truthful?  I guess it depends on what your definition of money is.  A strict definition of “printing money” would only involve increasing M0.  Using this definition, Bernanke was correct.  He was printing money in June 2009, but he was not “printing money” in December 2010.

Next time, we’ll continue our discussions about the money supply, deflation and the U.S. Government’s role in printing money.  As always, comments welcomed and encouraged.

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of BizPlacements.com, an Atlanta-based
Business Brokerage and Placement firm that helps people buy and sell small businesses and franchises.

For a little over a year now, I’ve been writing this blog about the Great Recession, and experimenting with many of the new social media vehicles that are now available.  And while services like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are extremely valuable, I find that they are primarily a one-to-many communication vehicle.

I really miss the good old days, where mailing lists were prevalent.  With open mailing lists, you can easily have a many-to-many dialog, all carried out via email.  They are easy to subscribe to, they are easy to respond to, and best of all, the dialog is available in an online archive that can be accessible to everyone.

That’s not to say that the social media sites don’t offer similar services.  For example, I had an extensive online conversation through the Spirituality and Consciousness Group on LinkedIn about “The Five Dimensions of Consciousness.”  There I was able to get some feedback as I was writing my last two posts.  As valuable as this was, today I am unable to link to any of the messages in that dialog, and only members of LinkedIn who subscribe to that group will ever be able to see them.

For this reason and more, I’ve set up an open mailing list on Yahoo where people who are interested can comment on AND discuss any of the posts that appear in this blog.  Here are the details:

To get an idea of what you’ve been missing, here is a representative post on the Fifth Dimension of Consciousness from the LinkedIn group (posted with permission):

Soon, I will post several new topics for discussion in the new Tranzitioning Discussion List.  These will include an exchange with a social activist who is trying to change the world, and a Muslim student of Comparative World Religions.  I will also post some responses to thoughtful comments that have been made to my prior postings.

Now, more than ever, comments welcome.  Until next time …

Today, I’ll be covering the fifth dimension of consciousness, the highest dimension on my five dimension scale.  While other maps of consciousness exist, what I find interesting is that they all share a common description of their highest state.  Whether you call it the fifth dimension of consciousness, Nirvana, connecting with Source, or being one with the Holy Spirit, the experience of It is the same.

All of the major world religions align on this point, especially within their mystical traditions.  While it’s more openly embraced within the eastern traditions, it also exists within Judaism (the Kabbalah), within Islam (Sufism), and within the Christian traditions (contemplative prayer).

While the experience of the state is the same, the way each of these religions introduce people to this state varies quite dramatically.  In the Jewish tradition, it is revealed as part of a detailed and structured study.  Within Sufism, students must have a dedicated teacher, and adhere to a strict moral standard.  Within Christianity, it is not widely known among the followers, even though it has always been a part of the historical tradition.

Unfortunately, there are no simple techniques you can follow that will guarantee you a fifth dimension experience.  There are, however, some that appear to help.  One common technique is to quiet your mind to the point of silence – a very difficult thing to do.  Those that are successful, however, are only prepared for the ego loss/union, not guaranteed access to it.

Some have questioned the value of this discussion, and the wisdom of describing a hierarchy of consciousness.  They have expressed concern that people would simply attempt to achieve the highest dimension, without the preparation required in other traditions.  Or that people would miss out on their journey, by focusing on a destination.

My goal in this discussion was to describe the landscape of consciousness in as simple a way as possible, so that people at least know that these states exists, and get some idea of the options they have for their own life journey — especially given the realities of the Great Recession.

With more panics and awakenings likely ahead, what today is a frenzy over whether we can build a mosque near ground zero, tomorrow could devolve into civil unrest, international conflict, or even a world war.

Higher states of consciousness can help. Through the fourth dimension, people can learn how their minds work, and accelerate the awakening process.  Through the fifth, people can come to know Yahweh/Allah/God as one and the same, and avoid those who incite wars and extremism. Through the experience of the fifth dimension of consciousness, the distortions of faith and reason no longer drive behavior.  Instead, they are replaced with a knowing that comes through direct experience.

Until next time …

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of
ConceptGrinders.com, a Rapid, Proof of Concept service.

For a little over a year now, I’ve been writing this blog about the Great Recession — how it began, and how it is likely to proceed.  Back then, I predicted a deflationary cascade, brought about by the collapse and panic surrounding the mortgage backed securities market.  I believed that, as the bad debts that existed in the market were recognized, the effect would propagate from one sector to another, until the system reset and was healthy again.

While I still believe this to be true, the deflationary cascade I predicted has been interrupted.  This is in part due to the unprecedented spending by the U.S. Government, and by the printing of money by the Federal Reserve Bank.  It is also due to certain policy decisions that have allowed much of the bad debt to simply be ignored.  For the moment at least, these actions appear to be working.

But the system remains precarious.  Today, there exists trillions of dollars in losses that have yet to be recognized, and there remain imbalances between nations on the international stage.  If any of these blow up, many large banks, insurance companies, and pension funds could fail, and many municipalities, states and governments could default.

Truth of the matter is, until we recognize the bad debts that were created in the mortgage bubble, our system will remain crippled and unhealthy.  In 2011, I believe we will finally see some movement on this front.

Over the last couple of months, we have started to see some details about the mortgage backed securities market that have significant implications about how we might resolve the current logjam.  It started out as an inquiry into “robbo signing,” a claim that thousands of documents have been submitted to the courts, signed and attested to by people who were not qualified to make such claims.  Turns out, there is much more to this story …

To create profitable mortgage-backed securities, the investment banks had to control two expenses:  taxes and recording fees.  To control taxes, they created the securities as a trust, and to control recording fees, they decided to ignore hundreds of years of legal precedent, and track ownership of mortgages through a new electronic exchange called MERS – Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems.  This would allow them to forgo the time and expense of filing original documents, and paying recording fees to counties throughout the nation.

While this decision saved the industry millions of dollars (at the expense of our counties), recent court decisions have found that MERS is not considered sufficient legal proof of ownership to have standing.  That the only way to prove you have the legal right to evict someone, is to have a properly recorded claim in the county where the property is located.

This is where the decision to create trusts causes problems.  In order to preserve the tax advantages of a trust, all assets of the trust must be held in the trust within so many days of its creation.  That time limit is now over.  The trusts can no longer add these notes without violating its tax exempt status.  In other words, a MERS entry cannot be “fixed” by simply recording a claim in the proper county.

Further, it appears likely that most if not all of the original documents were scanned, then destroyed.  This means that  the original “wet signature” document needed for recording purposes no longer exists.

What we end up with is a real mess.  The person who thinks they are owed money (the mortgage-backed securities holder), has no legal standing to collect.  The person who has standing to collect (the loan originator), has already been paid in full.  Worst of all, we are left with no easy way to resolve these issues.

Of course, the very act of selling a security that does not legally contain the items that you claim is considered securities fraud.  While the SEC and other regulators appear to be ignoring this crime, it is also something that can be challenged in civil court.  And that’s exactly what’s starting to happen, as Allstate sues Countrywide for exactly this tort.

Given all of this, I believe that the powers that be will have to address the bad debt that is stuck in the system.  Some possible solutions include 1) forcing all of the bad debt back onto the originating banks (then bailing them out), or 2) passing a law that retroactively allows the use of MERS, and absolves those guilty of this securities fraud (this has already been attempted once, but was vetoed by Obama).  Either way, we’ll see many more bad debts resolved this year, allowing the deflationary cascade to work towards its natural conclusion.

In closing, all of this is speculation of course, and I encourage your comments.  In addition to the discussion list I announced last week, I’ll also be posting this to a new public LinkedIn Group dedicated to Tranzitioning.  (either I’ve missed the public option before, or someone was listening :-).  Until next time.

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of BizPlacements.com, an Atlanta-based
Business Brokerage and Placement firm that helps people buy and sell small businesses and franchises.

In my last post, I proposed a road map of higher consciousness based on five progressive dimensions. My goal was to describe the entire spectrum in a simple yet comprehensive way, so that people could more easily navigate to the higher states.  While the first three states are known to all (sleep, dream, and awake), the fourth and fifth dimensions are not.

Today, we’re going to discuss the fourth dimension.

Just like being asleep is unlike dreaming, the fourth dimension is unlike being awake.  Some people call this state “The Witness.”  It describes the detached observation of ourselves in action.

The first time people attain this state, it changes them on a fundamental level.  Not only will they experience first hand how their mind works on an unconscious level, they will also learn how The Witness can help them enter and benefit from all of the other brain states that are available to them.

When people first start entering this state, they are often surprised to learn that their actions are not always consistent with who they really are.  They may find that their actions are driven by old memories, emotions, or physical sensations (see this recent Time magazine article on this topic).

By entering this state on a regular basis, we are better able to understand ourselves and others, and it gives us a better way to change our behavior and actions.  The result is an organic change that comes about without conscious effort.  While the changes may be automatic, the consequences of the changes can take time to integrate.

“Know Thyself”
— Socrates

While it’s not hard to attain this state, it’s not automatic either.  Most techniques are based on repetitive activities designed to distract the mind, or focused activities designed to quiet the mind.  Some examples include:

• meditation
• dancing/spinning/rocking
• prayer (chanting, contemplative)
• light & sound machines/floating/ganzfelds
• gazing into mirrors, candles, obsidian

Some people have asked why I proposed five dimensions, instead of 6, 7, or 36?  The fourth dimension was chosen because 1) it’s a higher order state of consciousness, one which encompasses all other brain states and 2) it’s consistent with the teachings of the religious/wisdom/mystery traditions.

Upon entering the fourth dimension, people suddenly realize that they are not their mind.  Getting in touch with their true intentions, enables them to uncover their true purpose along the way.  By gaining control over their mind, they are also preparing for the greatest benefit of all — access to the fifth dimension of consciousness.  Next time, we’ll talk more about this as we discuss Nirvana.

As always, thanks for reading, and comments welcome.

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of TranzServices.com,
an Atlanta-based  firm that helps people tranzition to the new economy.

Some people may be wondering why this blog is talking about consciousness, and what it has to do with navigating the Great Recession.

When I was in my 20’s, I took a summer off, and by myself, back-packed throughout Europe.  Leading up to the trip, many of my friends would ask me if I had any fear about traveling so far from home, to places where I didn’t know the language, without anyone traveling with me.  I didn’t.  I had several cousins who had made this journey previously, and I had read about the thousands of others who were traveling this way as well.

Needless to say, everything was going fine:  the departure, the flight, the arrival, going through customs.  When I finally walked out of Heathrow airport, however, I lost it!!!  I completely freaked out, wondering what the hell I was thinking, having no idea of what to do next.

After I settled down, I got out my trusty “Let’s Go Europe” book, and read the section on London.  It guided me to a Tourist Office, where I made reservations and got directions to a local youth hostel.  When I finally arrived, I met dozens of  fellow travelers who had stories of their own to share.  It was an awesome start, to an awesome trip.

The point of my story is, it might never have happened if 1) I didn’t know it was possible, and 2) I didn’t have a guide to help me along the way.  In today’s post, my goal is to describe a destination that is not well understood in our society, one with a huge potential to help people with their tranzition through the Great Recession.

The Destination

Just like my trip to Europe, it’s a lot easier to take a journey when you know that a destination is possible, and when you have guide that can help you along the way.  Transformative states of consciousness are such a destination.

Within almost every culture since the beginning of history, higher states of consciousness have been a part of their mystical, spiritual, and/or religious traditions.  Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions share this history, as do the Buddhist, Hindu, and Pagan traditions.

Within each of these traditions, higher states of consciousness have been described, along with various techniques designed to get you there.  While hundreds of these descriptions exist, there appears to be only two that are shared across the board as fundamentally transformative ones.  These states are so profound, that they are often reserved for worthy recipients, and only revealed through a formalized process.

Clearly, not all states of consciousness are equal, with two that are especially important within the historical traditions.  Further, these two states are progressive, meaning that one is usually taught as a gateway to the other.  Conceptually, these higher states can be thought of as part of a progression of consciousness that follows the sleep, dream and awake states that all people share an awareness of.

To avoid confusion on these points, I’ll use the term “dimensions of consciousness” to describe the five major states of consciousness as shared by the world’s traditions.

The Five Dimensions of Consciousness

(Just like no amount of reading could prepare me for my walk out of Heathrow,
no amount of words can sufficiently describe the experience of  transformative
states of consciousness.  Please let me know if I can make the following clearer)

The First Transformative State -  The Witness

While everyone is aware of the first three dimensions of consciousness, a smaller percentage of the people have ever experienced The Witness.  In The Witness, you are outside of yourself, watching yourself in thought and action.  It is an awareness of your mind and body, from the perspective of your soul (or spirit, based upon your tradition).

You may have had this experience before, but not recognized it for what it was.  Many people report this as a result of a near fatal accident.  The good news is, it’s pretty easy for most people to achieve this state quickly and consistently, with a little practice and a little patience.  In addition, it’s a valuable tool for breaking memes, and tranzitioning the Great Recession.

The Second Transformative State – Nirvana

The second transformative state is also recognized by virtually all of the world’s traditions.  It goes by names like Nirvana, Transcendence, Christ Consciousness, Samadhi, One with the Holy Spirit, etc.  It is the moment in time when you are no longer separate, but part of everything that is.  It changes you on a fundamental level.

An even smaller percentage of the people have ever experienced Nirvana.  Those that have often report having had an epiphany, described as descending like a lightning bolt or spark of electricity.  Most traditions use The Witness state to help people prepare for Nirvana.  Achieving this state is not easy nor automatic, and can take years to attain.

We’ll talk more about Nirvana in future editions, but next time will continue to explore The Witness — how to get there, and what do there.  As always, comments welcome, and thanks for reading.  Until next time …

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of TranzServices.com,
an Atlanta-based  firm that helps people tranzition to the new economy.

In a previous postings, we’ve covered panics in history, and the panic of 2008 (the one that started the Great Recession).   Last Thursday, we experienced another one, as the stock market went into free fall and plummeted almost 1000 points in less than an hour.

Panics are amazing things.  It’s when a group of people change direction in unison. In Socionomics, it’s described as the way people act together as members of a herd.  While this herd mentality is normally unconscious, it’s hard to ignore once it occurs.

Currently, it is believed that this panic was caused by automated computer trading systems. This is not surprising to me, since computer programs and herd consciousness work in similar ways.  Much of human behavior is done on a subconscious level, driven by little programs that have been learned previously.  The great thing about panics is, they allow us to look at what went wrong, and to repair or replace the faulty programming as a result.

I call these little human programs “memes,”  and those moments of repair I call “awakenings.”

While memes control our everyday behaviors, awakenings allow us to express our free will, and to learn new ways of being.  In the next edition, I’ll talk more about memes, awakenings, and the five states of consciousness.  Stay tuned, and as always, comments welcome and encouraged.

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of TranzServices.com,
an Atlanta-based  firm that helps people tranzition to the new economy.

We’ve just finished reviewing the changes occurring in employment today, and the prognosis is clear — fewer full-time jobs with benefits, and more self-employment-like opportunities where people work for themselves.  Coincidentally, Intuit (the people behind Quicken) have published a well-researched and footnoted report that aligns nicely with what we’ve covered here (click to read Intuit’s Future of Small Business Report).

But employment is only part of the story.  The changes occurring in employment are simply a subset of the massive restructuring that’s occurring in the economy at large.  Driven by the credit collapse of 2008, we continue to see deflation as the prevailing driver of change, as the excesses that have built up over the last several decades are reset to the new reality.

In addition to jobs and the economy, the Great Recession is also changing people, and how they relate to established institutions and social norms.  Just like the prohibition against alcohol was repealed during the Great Depression, this time we’re seeing the war against Marijuana being reversed as well.  Other examples include the world-wide assault against the Catholic Church for crimes that had been ignored for decades.  We can expect more of the same.

Below is a graph that I created about 10 years ago.  It shows what the tranzition from the Industrial society to an Information society might look like.  While it’s clear that the old, industrial way of doing things is in decline, and it’s clear that the new, information driven way of doing things is growing, it’s not clear if the latter has surpassed the former.  In other words, we might not be exactly at the cross-over point yet, but we’re probably very close.

Tranzitioning, Part 2

With that as a summary, this blog will now change directions slightly to cover these changes from a more personal perspective.  As a result, more of my postings will be published from the first person perspective, and the comments are likely to be more controversial.  As always, your comments are welcome and encouraged.

Also as a test, I am reintroducing a product that I initially launched in 1994.  Given everything we have covered so far, this product should be more successful this time around.  It’s called Mindwaves Goggles, and it’s being made available in three versions:

1. A “Do It Yourself” home version (practically free)
2. A traditionally-produced, commercial version ($24.95)
3. Custom designed, desktop manufactured versions (varies)

In closing, thanks for reading, and stay tuned — this blog should become much more interesting as we go.  Next time, I’ll be talking more about panics, and their relationship to awakenings.

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of TranzServices.com,
an Atlanta-based  firm that helps people tranzition to the new economy.

In the last post, we talked about the changing nature of markets and marketing in the Great Recession.  This time we’ll focus in on one of the results of these changes:  Desktop Manufacturing.

In the old days, it could cost upwards of $10,000 to $20,000 just to create the custom molds and dies required to produce an item in a factory. Then you had to cover the costs associated with prepping the manufacturing line to produce your item.  As a result, your up-front costs could easily surpass $50,000 before your first item rolled off of the line.  To make the effort worthwhile, you needed to produce a large number of items to spread these fixed costs around.

Today, you can get small runs of custom manufactured items for less than $100.  How?  With two new technologies that can run on your desktop: Laser Cutters and 3D Printers.  Both plug into your computer like a normal printer, and both are available for as little as $1000.

A Laser-Cut Lamp Design

Laser cutters take sheets of materials (plastic, wood, ceramic, metal) and use a plotter-like, motion-controlled laser to cut and/or etch these materials based on a digital design.  3D printers use a similar plotter-like, motion-controlled print head that deposits a small layer of plastic as it moves.  Then, once one layer has been printed, the entire process is repeated at a slightly different elevation.  Layer upon layer, plastic is deposited in a digitally-defined pattern, until a 3D part is complete.

Today, both of these technologies are being used mostly by hobbyist and early adopters, and both are undergoing rapid adoption and enhancement.  One project is even pursuing an open-source, community-based model to expand rapidly world-wide.  It’s called the Reprap, and its main claim to fame is its ability to self-replicate.  In other words, you can use this 3D printer to make the parts required to make another 3D printer.

The Reprap
Self-Replicating 3D Printer

To support Desktop Manufacturing, new methods of matching manufacturers, designers and consumers has also arisen.  For example, if you like the lamp above, you can order the complete kit from a desktop manufacturer, or you can buy the digital design from the designer, at a site called Ponoko (also check out Etsy).  This is a win-win-win for all parties involved, and highlights several new employment opportunities:

• For Manufacturers – If you like working with your hands, and have as little as one thousand dollars to invest, you can get in on the ground floor of this new trend and start your very own desktop manufacturing service.
• For Designers – If you like designing things, and have a little time to learn some new tools, you can start your very own design business.  Since the result of your efforts is a digital product, it is highly scalable.  Should one of your designs go viral, you could just as easily sell millions of your design as you could sell one.

Bottom line, these innovations are drastically changing the manufacturing landscape, and creating new job opportunities in the process. Next time, we’ll explore a new product that’s available in three versions:  home-made, factory-made, and desktop-made.  As always, comments welcome.  Until next time …

Tranzitioning.com is a blog by Jay Fenello, principal and founder of TranzServices.com,
an Atlanta-based  firm that helps people tranzition to the new economy.