Business Models For Dummies

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, complementors, and other network effects; develop a competitive strategy; and much more.

• Shows you how to define the purpose of a business and its profitability to customers
• Serves as a thorough guide to business modeling techniques
• Helps to ensure that your business has the very best business model possible

If you need to update a business model due to changes in the market or maturation of your company,Business Models For Dummies has you covered.

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.