The world economy is in its worst state in living memory. First-world countries face years of austerity measures to tackle the horrific debts their governments are saddled with. Some European countries still face complete bankruptcy and an uncertain future; many ordinary people are living in poverty as a consequence of this disaster. So, how could there possibly be a positive aspect to this seeming catastrophe?

Since 2008, when the scale of the disaster started to come to light and banks began to fail due to the magnitude of the greed-driven culture they were encouraged to embrace, there has been a gradual shift in attitude not only motivated by the general public’s outrage, but also by some business leaders who have acknowledged the error of their past excesses and are publicly showing determination to turn around their old, outmoded business practices. New entrepreneurs are now, more than ever, embracing a new empathic approach to their company ethics and the self-help movement such as that promoted by “The Secret” is becoming more and more popular as individuals begin to challenge their long-held negative beliefs about their ability to change society and are becoming more active in working towards helping their families and wider communities.

Richard Branson, one of the key figures of the overindulgent 1980’s is now openly advocating a new approach to business. He has been quoted as saying, “Explore this next great frontier where the boundaries between work and higher purpose are merging into one, where doing good really is good for business”.

Marketers who were previously focussed purely on profit-driven business practices are now looking first to give value before expecting revenue to come their way. They are building caring relationships with their customers, listening to what they want, providing what they need and genuinely striving to help them achieve success. An example of this is Mike Klingler. Mike’s business has evolved over 15 years from coaching and conducting success seminars, which although helpful to some, was somehow “missing the mark” for a lot of people who, through the constraints of standard education systems and personal circumstances, felt disempowered and unable to see themselves as successful business owners.

Now, Mike is working on ways of engaging and empowering “ordinary” people to recognise that they all have the potential to achieve extraordinary things. He is conducting free to attend Webinars that also have free supporting course material to connect people with their own personal vision and how to take their vision forward in practical ways. He also acknowledges that there are people who still focus on the money-driven ethos and works hard to bring them round to his way of thinking. Mike’s series of free webinars "How to use the Internet to discover & expand your purpose" are aimed at both those who historically have “chased” money only for it to elude them, and those who have a more empathic approach who may be inadvertently “blocking” the flow of money and their ability to influence others by their negative self-beliefs. Mike believes that a new “empathy-driven” economy is opening up, and the shift is now underway, even though he acknowledges that western culture is still primarily controlled by those representing old outmoded values with narrow viewpoints which don’t extend beyond their own immediate desires.

Adam Jones, an internet marketer from Melbourne, Australia has a Facebook page dedicated to posting inspirational, uplifting or humorous pictures, encouraging people to “Like” his page and share his images. The header on his page declares, “We rise by lifting others”. There is a total absence of links to his websites or businesses – he just endeavours to engage and inspire others without any attempt to profit from his followers – but paradoxically, doesn’t that create a curiosity to find out more about him? I wonder how many people have sent him messages, eager to learn about his internet and affiliate marketing campaigns.

My first-hand experience of this new business ethos being actively put into practice is the Wealthy Affiliate University. This community-based project is the brainchild of Kyle and Carson, two Canadian guys who had a big vision. Not only did they want to be successful affiliate marketers, but they set out to help people who don’t have an educational background in marketing or computing achieve success in the affiliate marketing world by sharing their knowledge, training others and building a warm, open, trustworthy platform with a real international community of people at its heart.

If you are reading this article, chances are you are already well aware of Kyle and Carson and Wealthy Affiliate. What impresses me about them is their willingness to personally engage with everyone who joins WA. Everyone matters, regardless of background or education – they treat everyone with equal respect and actively encourage those who are feeling dispirited or expressing frustration. Neither do they rest on their laurels; they are constantly looking for ways to improve their business to offer more value to their members and in congruence with the recent change towards empathy-driven commerce now offer free access to WA for a 10-day trial period, which for me was the clincher. I was able to try out the system to see if it was for me before having to make a financial commitment.

Kyle writes in his blog, “Since the inception of Wealthy Affiliate in Sept, 2005, I have a new found passion -- helping others succeed online. This is not the easiest of tasks, and everyone coming to WA comes from a different background, with a different story, but my (and Carson's) goal is to continue to work towards creating a system that will induce widespread success among the WA community members.”

The tide is now turning – societies are turning their backs on the old greed-driven philosophies and looking for a fresh approach which empowers the individual and allows them to take control of their own destinies. It is time to get your feet wet and catch a ride on this new wave of optimism. Who knows what can be achieved when you learn new skills and find your true life purpose.