Alquist Enterprises is much more than a business with a variety of cool activities. Its business mission is to advance the "centrality of self-employment."

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "centrality" as the "state or quality of quality of being central."

And it defines "central" as "that from which other things proceed or upon which they depend; dominant, essential."

A fast review of history shows self-employment has the innate power of "centrality." Before the recently-ended 100 to 150 year Industrial Revolution, more than 80% of people throughout history were self-employed.

A "job" before the Industrial Revolution was not a long term working relationship with pensions, health insurance, perks, paid holidays and other benefits. Rather, a "job" was a short-term (usually a few weeks) assignment to accomplish a single thing, like picking a corn crop.

During the Industrial Revolution, depicted above, people flocked to fast-growing cities to live in tenements and work in factories, which had mechanized and motorized work formerly done by craftsmen working at small shops at home in small towns.

Now, however, the Industrial Revolution is over in the United States. This will return us to the historical normalcy of 80% self-employment. Are you there yet? Are you getting ready?

Manufacturing now chases the lowest cost anywhere globally. Some businesses that moved from the USA to Mexico to reduce labor expense are moving again-- this time, to Asian countries, since Mexican labor costs are now too expensive for them.

Every day, once stable companies fail. Big titans like Ford and GM are eliminating thousands of people forever, as their sales dive. Their bonds were downgraded to “junk bond” quality.

If you take a new job, it now lasts only 3.5 years. It’s more efficient to work for America’s largest employer, Manpower. You may not move up in your career, but at least Manpower will keep moving you around a lot, giving you the illusion that you're really going places.

But it’s even better to realize that “it’s back.” Yes, the widespread “it” (self-employment) is roaring back after a temporary absence of 150 years. Take advantage of this now. Answer its call.

In America, we were “educated” in schools to prepare us to “get a good education to get a secure job.” No, that’s not humor, but it is now a joke. Yet, many people still think this belief is still true. If you don’t have a “real job,” you’re classified by corporate weiners as a total misfit who became self-employed.

But billionaires Bill Gates and Michael Dell knew better. They dropped out of college. The idea of a “secure” job seemed too boring and too limiting. So they created billion dollar companies instead.

Since 1974, when self-employment was at its lowest point, the percentage of Americans self-employed has been increasing steadily. And since 2000, this rate of increase is largely due to the Internet and the home cyberbusinesses now possible with very low startup and recurring costs.

And since 2000, Network Marketing came back--better than ever, having cleaned its house, professionalized, simplified itself via e-commerce, and has gone global. You can build a global business in your third bedroom, using a state-of-the art computer linked to high speed Internet access.

Self employment now is central--it’s the MAIN thing from which things (like your income and your entire future) proceed and depend. It’s dominant and essential from now on. That’s why Alquist Enterprises vigorously advances the “centrality of self-employment.”

No, this is not a radical societal change at all. It’s merely a return to 80% plus historical normalcy of self-employment. You need to start, at least part-time now, a self-employment business venture.

When your business outgrows what your job provides, fire your boss and work for yourself full time. If you don’t, and you’re fired after age 50, you will find it close to impossible to find another job.

As you are being fired, you will be forced to leave your cozy corporate cubicle farm.

Then you will be lowered down from your corporate perch and sent away, as the firing executive salivates over how much the company is saving since you've being severed from the payroll.

After 50, you’re considered (wrongly) too old, too expensive, too outdated, and far too likely to file whopping insurance claims for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Instead of hiring you for $80,000 per year, a company can find a young educated professional in China willing to do this “job” well for 10 times less, $8,000 annually. That’s why you’re considered “overpriced”or "overqualified."

Alquist Enterprises' mission is to vigorously “advance the centrality of self-employment.” Contact us to learn the many ways we can help you with this. You’ll be glad you did.