Chapter 3

Creating a Business Model

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Examining who needs a business model

Bullet Finding out what all business models have in common

Bullet Breaking a business model into its simplest form

Bullet Perusing popular business models

Bullet Considering how competitive advantage fits into your business model

So what is a business model, anyway? Is it the way you make money? Yes, in part. Is it competitive advantage? Yes, in part. Is it your business plan? Not really. Simply put, a business model is your profit formula. It’s the method you use to acquire customers, service them, and make money doing so. You can break down a business model into three primary areas: Offering, monetization, and sustainability. What is your offering? How will you monetize the offering? How will you sustain it?

Many businesspeople mistakenly believe that a business plan and a business model are one and the same. They’re not. Your business model is the core concept upon which you build your business plan. Therefore, your ...

Get Starting a Business All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.