I’ve found that exchanging ideas and asking questions, even with people some might consider to be direct competitors, is more valuable than risky. Enter…

Upstarta.biz is the home of a group of people who run, or are interested in running, their business according to a set of Principles that make them more people friendly (both to clients and self), resilient to recessions, (potentially) better for the environment, and more. A buzzword compliant mission statement could be something like “Business strategy incubation through co-mentoring”.

While being particularly suited to on-line, ICT and Open Source related endeavours, it is by no means limited to that. In addition, the guidelines also apply well to non-profits and other organisations.

The group’s monthly membership fee is currently set at a nomimal AUD 5, sufficient to cover cost and creating a sense of commitment that a gratis service would not have. When you think about it, that’s cheaper per year than many static books! Members actively participate by contributing on the wiki (like a dynamic book) and mailing list, mentoring fellow members, and (where possible) attending live meetings for face-to-face interaction.