Our Collaborative Community and Conscious Business Models

We are developing a collaborative consulting community where consultants and coaches can access business development, personal development resources and general business resources.  

Our aim is to collaboratively create a powerful on-line and off-line community of consultants and other professionals.  Imagine the power of ongoing dynamic interaction that will continually enhance the value of the resources in the community. 

In keeping with our collaboration principle the business model will be developed for and by you.  The model will be collaboratively created by the community.

Our proposed collaboration model is now up for comment.  The concept principles and elements are broken down into sections and can be commented on separately.

You will be able to feedback on the blog and see others’ comments as well.

Be honest - tell us what you really think: how you think you could benefit from such a community, what you can contribute, how you see financial model working to encourage use and contribution, how the brand should be used, anything!

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Open-sourcing of IP (programmes and systems) has become more prevalent recently due to the power of the internet where vast knowledge is available.   IP, therefore, has become de-valued.   We see this in the software industry (Linux and Apache, Wikipedia) and how open sourcing is taking over paid-for programmes or information.

The key to open-sourcing success is allowing the generation of ideas from passionate experts to contribute and be rewarded.   It is the key element to forming and maintaining a community.

By open-sourcing our programmes we allow consultants to continually improve those programmes and use them as they see fit for their clients.   Performance-based quality controls however need to be in place to ensure the programmes and services are of a high standard.

The knowledge pool is continually updated and will provide consultants the competitive edge over static, closed-sourced organisations.

We would like comment on how you feel about the sharing of each others IP.  

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Why de-centralise?

We believe that centralised structures are part of the old business paradigm and are a fundamental reason why businesses struggle. The command and control aspect of centralised structures simply does not appeal to the modern thinking individual. They do not like to be told what to do.  

It reduces their freedom of expression and denies businesses the creative opportunities to grow and nourish.

Centralised structures tend to be hierarchal are based on the handing down of authority and restrict the sense of ownership and control which de-motivates the individual - thus few have any real buy-in to the wider organisational objectives.

Our policy therefore is to operate a largely de-centralised structure for our collaborative community.   It is in keeping with our strongly-held conscious business principles which places the individual at the core of the business.

By de-centralising power individual operating units tend to adopt their own individual cultures but the underlying principles of operation and cause remain the same as the overall organisation   e.g.   AA which has no head office.

Consultants are intelligent individuals wanting control over their own destiny and yet have a desire to advance themselves and are usually willing to collaborate with others to gain more knowledge but there is no organised community to allow that to happen.

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In the collaborative consulting model, members of the consulting community use the shared experience of others to enhance their offering to clients. They also contribute improvements to the model, thus adding value themselves. They profit from the work they do, and from the work of others. Others may profit from their contributions to the programme. 

The management would be responsible for higher level marketing activity, maintenance of the programme and delivery to consultants. The gathering and maintaining of programme material, as well as the marketing efforts, takes effort and time. There is, necessarily, an infrastructure involved which will incur a cost. Groups have tried an altruistic “volunteer and sponsorship” funding model, but this has usually ended badly.

It is expected that in return for marketing and client programme support, the management will receive a percentage of the consulting fee. This will make the system viable. The consultant’s “account” will in turn be credited if they contribute to the system, thus recognising the value of experience being brought to the collective.

The question remains how this input is to be valued, with regard to quality and usefulness to other consultants. Quality of outcome for the client must be of paramount concern, so moderating the new suggestions will be vital. This may require a moderating committee, or a trial based introduction and valuation of the activity. Those engaged in supporting the collective through marketing assistance, management or other infrastructure work will be rewarded either by pre determined financial agreement or contract. 

Consultants would also be rewarded for contribtion to programmes or the development of usable IP (programmes etc)

The intention is to truly cooperate with each other, as professionals, in order to deliver outstanding results to our clients and to improve the consulting model in the process.   Factors to consider are:


1. The amount of client income royalty paid
2. The value of contribution made (however this is valued)
3. Leads generated by the consultant, as opposed to the use of centrally generated leads, and hub marketing.
4. Other support utilised by the consultant, from the hub.


Also tell us how you feel about:

1. How to value contributions from the consulting community
2. How to moderate new concepts and activities for the programme
3. How to distribute excess profits accumulated by the hub 

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 A common library of shared resources will be available to all community members. The principle of sharing and supporting for the common good is facilitated by allowing access to all information in the library.

A collaborative approach seeks to utilise the best of both worlds.   You will have the freedom to approach certain situations as you see fit but also a structure to work to.  In addition you will have access to other consultants with their varied backgrounds.  All programmes and tools will be developed through sharing experiences, successes and failures.  

All resources will be improved by this collaboration, so any programme or tool suggested by the community will be the best in available thinking at any given time.

How the programmes or tools are used will be up to the individual consultant.  To fully access the community’s programmes and tools a contribution will be expected.   This may take the form of intellectual contribution, in exchange for the free intellectual property.   For full access to these resources, support of other consultants, peer review and all the benefits of the community, a proportion of the earnings or set fees from the client would be payable.   This is yet to be determined

Tell us what you think.

Is the rationale correct?

What features or principles would benefit you as a consultant?

Click on the 'Comments' link below  to post a comment....