8 questions you need to ask about your business model

http://thebln.com/2011/09/8-essential-questions-you-need-to-ask-about-your-business-model-guest-blog-by-alex-osterwalder/

by DarrenH • 15 years ago

17 8 15 years ago

thebln.com

Hyena2• 15 years ago

Their first example falls flat, since software (like iTunes) can search for music and also simply read the database of other systems. Getting others to do your work for you is unethical; either they do the work because that's actually a feature for the consumer or you're stealing from people. Anything else is customers doing their work for themselves and you acting smug.

marklittlewood• 15 years ago

I don't think that means it falls flat. It was one of the key things that moved people across. I remember copying CDs into iTunes, downloading stuff from iTunes and putting all my music together. It was only when I got a non Apple MP3 player that I realised that all the Apple content wouldn't play on other systems.

Kept me locked in for years.

Hyena2• 15 years ago

That's weird, since I had an iPod from the beginning and I don't remember this issue. So far as I recall, iTunes spat out MP3s and getting access to all of it was a simple matter of using the search function of Windows, something yu had to do anyway even in the days of burning unless you had super awesome memory.

FlowerPower• 15 years ago

And kicking on Redhat for providing support is just lame.

Redhat develops just as much if not more as other people and free software developers. From Linux the kernel to gnome Redhat is a company that performs work, and for that they earn alot of money.

Unlike his other examples of highly unethical companies leveraging benefits on others misfortunes.

Highly unethical reasoning confuses the author from noticing difference between a successful scalable business and a succesful scam.

vetleen• 15 years ago

Interesting questions, indeed. But i feel they miss a point by not mentioning a single remedy to a low score. The conclusion doesn't make sense to me:

"(...) by asking yourself these questions and by scoring well on at least some of them you are very likely to substantially increase the long-term competitive advantage of your business."

Wouldn't you need to actually increase the score to increase competitiveness?

lurker192• 15 years ago

Title starts with an irrelevant number.

8 questions you need to ask about your business model

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