The next Beyond Meat or RxBar may not gain a following by selling through traditional grocery. Instead, it's more likely than ever to go direct-to-consumers, via its own website.

“The Stakeholder Economy” will reinvigorate emerging brands and local businesses and be the most disruptive force against internet behemoths and global marketplaces. Brands are now collectively determined by the content generation of the masses as opposed to a creative agency and a nationwide ad buy. The second disruptive force at play is the... See more

Merchants have played a role in societies since ancient times, and in so many ways, acted as de facto ambassadors across continents and cultures. The ‘merchant class’ represented the one of the earliest versions of the middle class; people with little or no inherited wealth who managed to cultivate status through their adventurous personas, access... See more