WHAT’S THE NEXT GOLD RUSH (RLC FUTURE IS RURAL)
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
If you are obsessed with finding new opportunities…or you’re thinking of changing careers…I want you to know about the next Gold Rush. RLC. Thanks for finding the relevant leaders club where I offer ideas and innovations to help you make more money for your company…and personal growth for yourself. Today I’m doing this report from home because I want to talk about what I see as the next prime opportunity for YOUR company and for YOU. AND it’s probably not on your radar…(hold for dramatic pause) I’m talking about going RURAL. Yes, RURAL IS THE NEXT BIG THING…RURAL as in the wide-open spaces of not only the United States but all over the world!
I’m talking about small towns that rely on Farm Credit Bureaus…small towns that depend upon 2nd and 3rd generation farmers & food processors, and people like you who want to live beyond the suburbs because urban housing is ridiculously expensive. However, RURAL just need one thing to Go Big. And that one thing is High Speed Internet. You and I take WiFi for granted but did you know that 60 million Americans still don’t have broadband…some don’t have it at all…and others are still using a dial up service or slow DSL. And outside of the US, there are over 4 billion people in developing countries that have never gotten online. But a tech explosion is coming. I just saw U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao talk about “the special needs of Rural America” and how small towns are poised to get the immediate benefits of the massive Infrastructure Bill…which is not just roads and airports… but improved technology.
The next generation of farmers and food processing plants CRAVE Big Data, they want Machine learning – and Artificial Intelligence to help them raise crops and manage livestock. And they can’t wait for thousands of miles of twisted copper cable. For them, Satellite companies like VIAsat and HughesNet are making 25 to 100 mega bit per second internet a reality; Once high speed internet is fully available in rural areas, those communities can attract small business startups, large manufacturing plants (and maybe you) which will lead the migration to these lower real estate cost communities. And you know what happens next… reliable internet connectivity brings more retail stores, nicer restaurants, better roads, parks and playgrounds, new schools and hospitals. See the boom?
Eight years ago we moved our family from a dense Southern California neighborhood to live on 3 acres in the country…and everything I’ve just mentioned has happened here in Colorado. We love the beautiful open spaces but everything we need is now just five minutes away. And remember, RURAL is NOT built out yet…so maybe you and your company should consider the financial windfalls from hiring people with country values, and a much lower cost of living. You can get rich – by moving out of town. If you liked what you’ve heard here, please subscribe to my YouTube channel… We have over 120 short videos you can use as free training for your company. I’m Ross Shafer…and I love living in the country.
Ross Shafer is the author of (9) popular business books and (14) human resource training films. In a former career Ross won (6) Television Emmy awards for his work as a TV host, writer, and producer. Today, Ross is a sought after keynote speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.