Business Models For Dummies

Learn to: Write a solid business model Master business model innovation Master business modeling techniques Write a business model? Easy. Business Models For Dummies helps you write a solid business model to further define your company's goals and increase attractiveness to customers. Inside, you'll discover how to make a value proposition, define a market segment, locate your company's position in the value chain, create a revenue generation statement, identify competitors, develop a competitive strategy, and much more. Business Models 101 — find out what a business model is, why it matters to your business, how it's defined, and the differences between a business model, a business plan, and competitive advantage The nuts and bolts — discover several tools you can use to brainstorm, structure your business model, and divide it into three overarching areas: offering, monetization, and sustainability The more things change — get the know-how to spot an eroding business model and use innovation to not only rectify it but also improve your business model Put the "I" in innovation — learn how clever businesspeople innovated their business models over decades to come up with powerful tactics like crowdsourcing, virtualized sales processes, and offering insurance to customers Open the book and find: The recipe for a successful business model Common aspects of all business models Tools to design your business model How to build a profitable revenue model The importance of having ongoing competitive advantage Ways to innovate your business model and avoid pitfalls Why all business models will eventually erode Lots of real-life examples from real companies

Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started with Business Models 9 Chapter 1: What Is a Business Model and Why Does It Matter? 11 Chapter 2: Business Models Defined 19 Chapter 3: Business Models Come in Many Different Forms 35 Chapter 4: Your Business Success Depends Upon Your Business Model 41 Part II: Creating a Winning Business Model 51 Chapter 5: Using Tools to Design Your Business Model 53 Chapter 6: Finding the Most Attractive Markets to Create a Powerful Offering 65 Chapter 7: Completing Your Offering with a Unique Value Proposition 83 Chapter 8: Making Money with Your Business Model 99 Chapter 9: Monetization through Sales Performance 129 Chapter 10: Making Your Business Model Last 135 Chapter 11: Sustaining Your Business Model: Innovating and Avoiding Pitfalls 149 Chapter 12: Cashing In 157 Chapter 13: Analyzing Your Business Model 171 Part III: Dealing with Change 185 Chapter 14: Knowing that All Business Models Erode 187 Chapter 15: Looking for Signs that Your Business Model Is Weakening 195 Chapter 16: Detecting Hidden Problems and Adapting before It’s Too Late 207 Part IV: Business Model Innovation  219 Chapter 17: Figuring Out Where to Begin the Innovation Process 221 Chapter 18: Starting the Innovation Process 233 Chapter 19: Using Disruptive Innovation 243 Chapter 20: Crowdsourcing as Advanced Business Model Innovation 255 Chapter 21: Utilizing Virtualized Sales Processes 269 Chapter 22: Profi ting from the Dynamics of Insurance 285 Part V: The Part of Tens 299 Chapter 23: Ten Terrifi c Business Models 301 Chapter 24: Ten Signs You May Have an Issue with Your Business Model 319 Chapter 25: Applying Ten Sources of Business Model Innovation 329 Chapter 26: Ten Things a Venture Capitalist Never Wants to Hear About Your Business 339 Index 347

Jim Muehlhausen is the founder and President of the Business Model Institute as well as consultant and speaker to businesses large and small. He is the author of The 51 Fatal Business Errors and How to Avoid Them and a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur, Businessweek, and dozens of other publications.