Good to see in Saturday’s paper Emu Park getting some attention with its proposed foreshore development. It does seem at the moment that the Capricorn Coast revolves around the Yeppoon lagoon, the further away from it the lesser the attention, promotional and financial. Yet Emu Park keeps quietly ticking away and every now and then explodes with big community events like Octoberfest, Festival of the Wind, and the Emu Park Fishing Classic and Expo (on September 7-9). A sign of a pro-active community. Four weeks ago, the Emu Park Community Bank branch (formed as a result of community action) held a networking night for local businesses. At the meeting an idea was raised to collaboratively market ‘Beautiful Emu Park – the southern end of the Capricorn Coast’. A Facebook page was created and now with initial support of 16 local businesses a TV campaign is to begin. The 100% community funded campaign features the incredible photography of Emu Park local, Glenn Adamus. When people see or are reminded of Emu Park’s natural beauty, as captured in Glenn’s photo’s, more people visit and stay, more money circulates, the more stronger the local economy. This simple concept of what is good for the community is good for business has been bought into by not only accommodation providers but also micro businesses like the local electrician and plasterer. This promotional campaign is a real demonstration that community networks are a basic building block of one’s economy. What Bruce Nussbaum has labeled ‘Indie Capitalism’. “Indie capitalism is local, not global, and cares about the community and jobs and says so right up front”. No government involvement required, just locals prepared to give it a go. Another demonstration of Indie Capitalism is happening in Rockhampton with the support given to the Rockhampton Musical Union Youth Choir (RMUYC) by local independent businesses (indies). Faced with costs northwards of $56000 to perform Shrek later this year, 15 indies have readily agreed to provide RMUYC funds in return for some of their 80 kids to be in a TV commercial highlighting how ‘indies’ help make their communities stronger and enable community events to occur. The individual businesses themselves receive modest exposure in the commercial. However, this collaborative effort, if sustained, may in time, as Nussbaum theorizes, result in the individual businesses brands (most of which are under online-attack) being enhanced, even superseded by the indie community (and branding) developed. Which in this age of the supposed 6 second attention span could be beneficial as more locals learn about the importance of indies and engage with them, not just as customers, but as investors, influencers, contributors. A social movement, rather than just the traditional transactional based capitalism model, to help rebuild regional communities’ creative culture. A culture that in Australia is being largely destroyed by global cheapness and sameness facilitated by the internet. This has to be turned around as creativity is the source of economic value. As Nussbaum states, “creativity transforms what money can’t buy into what money can buy”. Independent businesses are the primary drivers of creativity and from it jobs. A vibrant creative culture requires more than just indies individually asking to support a local though. It also requires indies looking at what can be achieved collaboratively, following Emu Park’s Indie Capitalism lead, ‘what is good for the community is good for business’. If independent businesses don’t try different ways to reconnect with their community their outlook doesn’t appear bright. Which is not only damaging to their business but to the strength and uniqueness of the community. And that affects all of us.