WHY NOW?

If something like this was possible, why doesn't it exist today?  Actually, there are individuals and small clusters of people who've created their own perfect working worlds.   And I would define this not as people who have a lot of money (because there are a lot of very unhappy wealthy people), but people who have found a way to do what they want whenever they want to, with low stress (which includes not having to worry about money).  Is this 0.1% of the USA population?  Whatever it is, it's tiny.

But for the next 1-10% of the world, why hasn't someone created this "new way to work" yet?  A way to help more people create a working/lifestyle around their core passions, and make more money from it with less stress? 

There are two major change-themes going on in the world today:

1) INTERNET: The internet has enabled outsourcing (have other people do what you can't or don't want to do more cheaply and easily), virtual collaboration, ease of communication/networking

2) DEMOGRAPHICS/CULTURE:

    a) Boomers are beginning to retire in mass numbers, and there aren't enough knowledge workers to replace them.

    b) The old "work harder" mentality isn't sustainable in the internet age; there's no leverage. It doesn't get you to where you need to go: a happy, stressless life with plenty of income.  Today's markets and news environments keep putting more and more pressure on companies and people, increasing stress.  This route isn't sustainable.  Email/news/internet/job/life overload is common. There are real reasons why the "4 Hour WorkWeek" became a #1 bestseller.

    b) The new generation of college graduates (and younger) are less and less likely to want to sign up for the corporate route.  They want to work in a group they can connect with, where there is a higher purpose than career and money.  They want to learn and progress at their pace - not a company's pace.  Their attitude is "What can you do for me?"  A lot of 'old guard' mentalities whine about this, about their entitlement.  They should learn how to harness it, because this new generation is going to be more creative and productive than any before it.