Life in Caracas was a tremendous opportunity. It was there that I lived the Total Quality Management experience. Back in the 70’s, a number of managers were trying to find ways for their companies to reduce defects and increase productivity.

After working as a management executive for a large hotel down there, I was building an independent business to help me be my own boss and attain financial independence.

As I decided to build my business around the book industry, I found managers and CEOs of the largest companies in Venezuela asking for ideas on how to become more efficient and more productive. That curiosity brought me to Edward Deming´s Total Quality Management. Even though the idea of social networking as we know now from the internet business world, was not used, I started to use it to build my business around a need of high ranking managers who were eager to learn new techniques to take their companies to higher levels of financial and productivity achievement.

I started by talking to production managers and general managers, about Edward Deming´s “Total Quality Management”- (check out his latest book: Out of the Crisis). These business and industrial leaders and myself, learned about Deming´s success in Japan and how his theories were considered as one of the main causes for Japan´s economy to go from the ashes of war, into the new economic leader of the world.

Suddenly I found myself building my business network, talking and sharing Deming´s principles, and becoming an “authority” in total quality management at the same time.

From my hotel business activities, I did have good relations with Ford executives from the Venezuelan branch, who became very important for me at the time, as Ford Motor was the leading American company which became a quality example both for management and production quality, by using Deming´s principles.

That experience and my relations with Ford people became very important for me as I used them to promote Deming´s ideas which were of great help to build my business.

Networking is the trend in Internet marketing. Social networking sites are very successful, because they cater to all those of us who want to share our ideas, videos, photos and experience with the world. Our knowledge and experience are being sought after in the marketplace, and we could help to build a better universe for all and great relationships for us. As we share our expertise, we learn from those who have abilities we don´t have and we build our social networks at the same time.

The quality revolution around the world is closely linked to Deming ideas, teachings, and practice. I did not meet him in person, but he was very important for me, for my networks of customers and friends and for my business.

Besides being the intelligence which built Total Quality Management in theory and practice, he was a great network builder. Deming was a great genius. Even before the Internet boom, he built a large network of industry and management leaders around the world who were his clients, readers and even fans. Deming was a great American statistician, college professor, author, lecturer, consultant and a great help for my book business.

Deming’s help to build a better world is not over. The Deming Institute aims to foster the Deming system of knowledge to advance commerce, prosperity and peace. Since june 16 1950, Edward Deming began his quest to help Japan to change the image of “made in Japan” as cheap and flimsy, to become a world leader in creativity, quality and outstanding performance. Japan’s greatest guru was not even Japanese, but American. He was awarded the second Order of the Sacred Treasure by former Emperor Hirohito.

Even though Edward Deming was born in the USA, he is a great example of the universal citizen and a world leader who still is helping us to build a better world. Whether we are talking about the oil industry, auto industry or any other commercial or manufacturing activity, we might sense the presence of a genius who found a need for better products, developed a system and managerial techniques for the world to enjoy better products and better industrial social relations.

For those of us who are building our networks using the cyberspace Edward Deming is a great example as he built a worldwide network when the internet was not the great technological advantage we have now.