In Terry Gilliam’s cult movie, “Brazil” we are promptly introduced to the group: “Central Services”.
Like George Orwell’s “Big Brother”, Central services are a central agency or government dept., committed to enforcing order so that chaos and anarchy are curtailed. Wherein the populous, at large, feel safe.
As we progress through the film it becomes clear that Central Services, although incompetent, persist at inhibiting the more qualified free market, who have been forced to operate in the shadows. Finally, we eventually discover that the mandate of Central Services is to inflict power over the many and in reality, maintain central control.
In today’s global market, Central Services do not serve the majority at large, but have the effect of creating stronger divisions between buyers and sellers. Most small businesses today require the intervention of a middleman, bank and/or government, who in most cases, reflect the corporate and cultural attitudes that disallow freedom of speech, privacy, security and peer to peer communication between parties.
Facebook, for example, is now monitoring its “newsfeed” to determine whether incoming news is “fake” or not. Twitter is known for removing “tweets” that oppose “liberal” doctrine or defy “political correctness”. By the time the original message reaches the intended audience, it has been convoluted and much becomes lost in the translation.
Theoretically, the internet has levelled the playing field, in that smaller businesses can now connect directly with niche customers and compete globally on an equal platform. However, since large corporations have greater access to bank and government lobby, and to savvy marketing protocols like programmatic, social media and Big data, competition remains skewed.
According to Denise Deveau, of Canada’s the National Post: “…while the advent of the Internet is playing a significant role in helping SMEs gain exposure worldwide, the fear factor still presents a sizeable hurdle. Small businesses find the idea of what they need to do to get into another country simply intimidating. The rules and regulations, customer requirements and shipping mechanisms can be daunting. Even trade with the U.S. poses significant barriers, not the least of which are the added fees and procedures that have been implemented since 9/11…” She goes onto say, “We need to centralize all requirements and make it as simple as possible so businesses can have confidence they are getting all the information they need”.
SellBloc’s solution is simple and is founded on Satoshi Nakamoto’s peer to peer vision for payments to be sent directly from one party to another without financial institution interference.
We propose a decentralized free market approach that connects parties and resources peer to peer. A platform that promotes international business to business trade, information, resources and tools. It’s a network that is secure, robust, transparent, trustless, simple and commands process integrity.
It’s called VENT and runs on the Blockchain.
Download the White Paper
AN INTRODUCTION TO SMALL BUSINESS AND GLOBAL TRADE
BARRIERS TO TRADE (a quick summary)
TRUST- Transferring of funds internationally to parties with which one has never done any prior business is complicated. There will likely be a lack of trust. There would exist a need for intermediaries or middlemen like banks who would handle foreign exchange needs and provide letters of credit or bills of exchange.
1)Importer receives bank’s promise to pay on behalf of importer
2)Bank promises to pay exporter on behalf of importer
3)Exporter makes a shipment to the bank, trusting the bank to pay
4)Bank pays the exporter
5)Bank sends shipment to importer
6)Importer pays the bank
Finding Reliable Partners and Distributors
North American firms often establish relationships with distributors located in the countries whose markets they are seeking to enter. They hire sales reps based in those countries. They may engage local marketing and public relations firms to assist them. Because the North American firm might have no prior experience in that country, finding people who are trustworthy and competent can be a challenge. Evidentially, most distributors lack valid allegiance to any one product or brand and are unable to truly communicate the benefits and value with authenticity to the buyer.
Identifying A True Market Need (Economy, market trends and consumer behaviour)
A key to success in business is offering products and services for which customers have a compelling need. The customer has a problem that needs to be solved, and the product or service provides the solution in such an effective way that its benefits are not difficult to communicate. Identifying the true needs of large numbers of people in a foreign country is not easy. Not having lived in their culture experiencing their day-to-day lives, North American marketing executives can fail by assuming that what people in other countries want or need matches the wants and needs of North American consumers. Finding new international customers requires significant up-front market research and analysis with no guarantee of success. This can especially be an issue for small companies looking to export who may not have the time or financial resources needed to do this advance work.
Check out the White Paper to view other barriers such as:
Culture and Language
Policy and Trade Agreements
Logistics and The Supply Chain
Intellectual Property
A FEW SOLUTIONS
THE BLOCKCHAIN
A blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network. A block is the “current” part of a blockchain which records some or all of the recent transactions, and once completed, goes into the blockchain as permanent database. Each time a block gets completed, a new block is generated. A blockchain facilitates secure online transactions.
Nine benefits of the Blockchain
1 Disintermediation & trustless exchange -Two parties are able to make an exchange without the oversight or intermediation of a third party, strongly reducing or even eliminating counter party risk.
2 Empowered users -Users are in control of all their information and transactions.
3 High quality data -Blockchain data is complete, consistent, timely, accurate, and widely available.
4 Durability, reliability, and longevity -Due to the decentralized networks, blockchain does not have a central point of failure and is better able to withstand malicious attacks.
5 Process integrity -Users can trust that transactions will be executed exactly as the protocol commands removing the need for a trusted third party.
6 Transparency and immutability -Changes to public blockchains are publicly viewable by all parties creating transparency, and all transactions are immutable, meaning they cannot be altered or deleted.
7 Ecosystem simplifications -With all transactions being added to a single public ledger, it reduces the clutter and complications of multiple ledgers.
8 Faster transactions-Interbank transactions can potentially take days for clearing and final settlement, especially outside of working hours. Blockchain transactions can reduce transaction times to minutes and are processed 24/7.
9 Lower transaction costs -By eliminating third party intermediaries and overhead costs for exchanging assets, blockchains have the potential to greatly reduce transaction fees.
Check the White Paper for specific VENT solutions
THE VENT ROAD MAP
VENTCOIN- DEMAND CHAINS Vs. SUPPLY CHAINS
Vent(coin) is not only a currency, but a digital tracking system to be used in the supply chain and as a digital stamp recognizing trademarks and intellectual property,
With the blockchain, the core system that underpins VENTCOIN, computers of separately owned entities follow a cryptographic protocol to constantly validate updates to a commonly shared ledger. A fundamental advantage of this distributed system, where no single company has control, is that it resolves problems of disclosure and accountability between individuals and institutions whose interests aren’t necessarily aligned. Mutually important data can be updated in real time, removing the need for laborious, error-prone reconciliation with each other’s internal records. It gives each member of the network far greater and timelier visibility of the total activity.
VENT is a global decentralized network for mediating trust and transparency. It takes the internet’s empowering potential to its next level. An equally promising test case lies with global supply chain relationships, whose complexity and diversity of interests pose exactly the kinds of challenges this technology seeks to address. The blockchain can reveal hidden information and allows users to attach digital tokens to goods (VENTCOIN) as they progress along the production, shipping, and delivery phases of a supply chain and transfer title to them between different players. This will give small businesses far greater flexibility to find markets and price risk, by capturing the value that they have invested in the process at any point along the chain. What we end up with are dynamic demand chains in place of rigid supply chains, resulting in more efficient resource use for all.
FEATURES:
VENT coin will be used as a digital token in our “demand” chain. It will be used as a trading token against goods and services and will ultimately hold optional stealth and anonymous characteristics. The coin supply will be in the vicinity of 6-10 million coins. Once held in a wallet, the coin will provide interest payments to its holders by means of “Proof of Stake”. It will also allow for encrypted messages to be sent peer to peer between parties. Ultimately, the goal is to persistently add new features that enhance the VENT network. Finally, the wallet will be available for Windows, MAC OS and mobile devices.
To achieve the above, we will first make bold steps to enlist community involvement around the coin’s development: BitcoinTalk, Github, Steem, Slack and a host of other community building resources.
The VENT Blockchain-
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY and Proof of Ownership
As a result of the Blockchain and decentralization, VENT’s model becomes an essential part of intellectual property. Creators of digital content could adopt the network to prove copyright ownership. The distributed ledger would be beneficial for proving the date of first use of a trade mark since all entries are stamped in a chronological record of innovation. Secondly, rather than a licensing agreement being a set of written obligations and restrictions to be followed in good faith, a licensing agreement on the blockchain (smart contract), could be continuously monitored, licensing fees securely transferred and contractual obligations automatically executed. All while maintaining a public record. This eliminates the idea of trust between parties and relies on cryptographic proof allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party. Again, this would be achieved through the use of VENTCOINS on the VENT blockchain.
THE VENT PLATFORM
VENT is a decentralized peer to peer network or platform utilizing “MAD” escrow smart contracts and a payment system running on the bitcoin protocol. The platform allows small business to sell abroad without the need for bank or distribution middleman (CENTRAL SERVICES). The network comes with marketing tools and decentralized access to regulatory bodies, consultants, and so forth. Everything needed to trade properly at arm’s length.
SellBloc's role will be one of autonomy. Therefore, exercising free will, only to ensure that things run smoothly by continuous development of the network via smart contracts and escrow services.
VENT is not merely a trading vehicle but a decentralized source of tools and resources:
· Customs brokers
· Regulatory Associations and Bodies
· Customs & Social consultants
· Social media consultants
· Placement services
· Crowd Funding/Charities
· Programmatic marketing firms
· Public relations firms
· International trade resources
· Translation services
· International Trade Consultants,
· Freight and Transportation services
· Warehousing and much more.
These all occupy the decentralized network and will conduct business peer to peer with autonomy using blockchain and smart contract protocols.
The goal is also to “Uberize” resources like warehouse space. There are many unused structures and buildings in urban and rural areas globally. These structures can be transformed into state of the art storage depots. Owners of these facilities can rent them through peer to peer agreement to prospective exporters for additional income. Again, SellBloc remains autonomous. The details surrounding the usage of warehouse space is done peer to peer all via smart contract and escrow. The same holds true for trucking and freight service. If you’re an independent trucker, you are free to occupy the decentralized network and offer your services.
http://sellbloc.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-brathwaite-3441551a/
https://twitter.com/tarmedia
https://www.instagram.com/sellbloc_media/
Finally, we will connect the blockchain and populate the network for business to business trade.
