Sometimes people say that the world is changing more than ever before. Personally, I think that the biggest change in history occurred with the invention of the steam engine, that led to the massive urbanization that we still see happening. What we see happening in the 21st century is the fastest change in history:
Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), but also Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google) built the fundaments of the new society that just became aware of globalization after the industrialization.
In this new society, individuals are becoming increasingly more dependent on technology for their day-to-day lives and in their work. The winners of this change are companies that are able to build a lean, data-driven platform. Companies that don’t succeed to do this, are becoming increasingly dependent on companies that are able to do so. Companies, especially market leaders, need to adapt quicker, faster and more radical than ever before, because competition arises from every direction and more and more often, startups pop up like daisies and disrupt industries.
All these things happen in a shifting society: there are more of us here now than ever before. We are tearing down national borders and language barriers; information, knowledge and ideas are now stored forever. We live to be older, maybe even wiser, and thanks to social media, we can be part of it from a very young age on: nobody needs to hold your hand any more before you’re allowed and able to have all the world at your feet.
The educational system has a great challenge: how to prepare nowadays students for tomorrows world, while not even knowing how this world will look like? And how can large, existing organizations stay in the lead of developments within their industry?
The answer seems to be: entrepreneurship. Teaching students how to become autonomous, self-taught — so they can renew themselves in their future life — and prepare organizations for their arrival, give existing employees space to innovate and set-up their own projects, help them to become intrapreneurs. But which characteristics are important to develop? And how to innovate — become a speed boat — as a large organization?
And what are the limits of innovation, should we automate and digitalize everything? If we continue automating and digitalising with no foresight, then in the long run we could technologise away every conceivable profession, save the one of the programming engineer. But is that what we would want the world to be like? Robots with artificial intelligence are ready to take over the world, but which jobs will remain?
Organisations should not wait, but take the lead.
Danny Mekić has been chosen the Netherlands: ‘most successful young entrepreneur of The Netherlands’.
Next to running his two companies, which he founded when he was 15, he actively teaches at universities and higher vocational schools while also being active as a mediator, new business and new media consultant, investor, paralegal and commentator. Furthermore he regularly takes part in (roundtable) discussions as one of the experts concerning technology, media and communications on radio and television.
You can engage him as a speaker, moderator, panel member, or guest lecturer.
How do you set up (and manage) a successful company at a young age and manage to combine this with working on your self development while remaining inspired and developing your own (business) network? How large does academic development and self actualization feature for young entrepreneurs?
What is it to work for top corporate executives of listed Fortune 500 companies while still in your twenties? What do social media contribute to networking and general management of large companies, and (how) can social media be used for quality control and product and service improvements?
Danny says, “Social media is more than having a Twitter and Facebook account”, he does not call himself a social media expert, but instead considers himself a social media architect, in which he assists (the) big players in the market as a consultant.
Danny quit high school before graduating so he could work fulltime on his (own) company. At age twenty he was accepted nevertheless into the Law Honours programme by the University of Amsterdam, attaining twice the credits required for the course. Within a year he was standing in front of the class as a teacher, while also becoming a member of the student affairs committee. His third year he filled complemented with subjects from Communication Sciences, Economics and Psychology departments, subjects which he links to technology, media and communication.
He wrote for the Dutch Financial Newspaper, and was declared one of the most successful young Dutchmen by a number of leading Dutch Magazines. He advises large companies with their transformation using new business models.
On top of this Danny has extensive experience in dealing with the media. He is one of the most requested speakers of The Netherlands, both on conferences as in the media. Currently Danny is creating an online course that is intended as a manual for young and older entrepreneurs that are starting up a business, as well as setting up Innovation Company, which allows people working in businesses to learn how to become a succesful innovator through e-learning.
For inquiries, please send an email to: [email protected].