Transforming Business Models in a Changing Economy
Chosen theme: Transforming Business Models in a Changing Economy. Welcome to a practical, story-rich guide for leaders and creators ready to rethink value, revenue, and operating systems. Join us as we explore real examples, clear frameworks, and bold actions worth taking today.
Why Business Models Must Evolve Now
Persistent inflation, shifting interest rates, accelerated AI adoption, and changing regulations are reshaping cost structures and customer expectations. These forces don’t simply compress margins; they rewrite the math of value. What market signal has most challenged your current model this year?
Mapping Your Current Business Model
Value Proposition Reality Check
Interview at least five customers using jobs-to-be-done language. Ask what they hire you to accomplish, and when you disappoint them. Capture exact phrases. Real wording reveals gaps far faster than internal debate or dashboard vanity metrics.
Unit Economics Under Stress
Rebuild contribution margin with current input costs, acquisition dynamics, and retention patterns. Run three scenarios: optimistic, base, defensive. If the defensive case breaks, your model needs redesign, not tweaks. Invite finance and product to co-own the spreadsheet.
Hidden Constraints and Assets
List constraints that slow growth—capacity bottlenecks, compliance hurdles, channel conflicts—and assets you underuse—data, brand trust, or idle inventory. Often, the next model emerges by pairing a neglected asset with a customer pain you can uniquely solve.
From Products to Platforms and Services
Platform Thinking, Practically
Start with two sides you can genuinely help connect, then reduce their biggest friction with standards, trust, and tools. Track leading indicators of network health, not just revenue. Momentum lives in engagement, contribution, and successful matches.
Servitization in Action
Shift from selling products to guaranteeing outcomes. Rolls‑Royce charges for uptime, not engines. Could you sell guaranteed performance, reliability, or cost savings? Outcome contracts align incentives and often surface rich data loops for continuous improvement.
Community-Led Growth
Treat your community as part of the product. Feature practical playbooks, office hours, and customer showcases. People stay for connection, not just features. Join our newsletter to co-create a library of model shifts that actually ship and stick.
Operating Models That Match the Strategy
Instrument leading indicators tied to your new model—trial-to-paid, activation time, time-to-outcome. Review weekly with cross-functional owners. Short feedback loops convert ambiguity into learning, preventing strategy drift and costly, slow-moving surprises.
Operating Models That Match the Strategy
Not every capability should be built in-house. Map differentiators versus commodities. Partner where speed matters, buy where reliability wins, build where advantage compounds. Ecosystem strategy often accelerates transformation without bloating fixed costs.
Design for Return and Reuse
Engineer products for easy disassembly and refurbishment. Build reverse logistics with clear customer incentives. Programs like Patagonia’s repair ecosystem demonstrate how circularity deepens loyalty while opening profitable, lower-cost revenue streams.
Monetizing Waste Streams
Audit byproducts for secondary markets. Industrial symbiosis can transform costs into revenue while reducing environmental exposure. Share a quick example from your operations—we will feature compelling stories in a future deep dive.
Reporting That Builds Trust
Tie sustainability metrics to financial outcomes. Publish consistent, comprehensible dashboards. When you connect emissions, durability, and margin, stakeholders understand the value logic. Subscribe for templates that translate impact into board-ready narratives.
Small Business Story: A Bakery’s Pivot
From Foot Traffic to First-Party Data
They launched a simple newsletter, collected flavor preferences, and offered seasonal pre-orders. The list became their most valuable asset, guiding production and enabling sellouts before dawn. What first-party data could spotlight your next confident shift?
Your 90-Day Transformation Plan
Run ten customer conversations, map your model, and stress-test unit economics. Identify two promising model shifts with clear assumptions. Publish hypotheses internally so everyone understands the why behind upcoming experiments.
Your 90-Day Transformation Plan
Prototype one new offer, package, or channel. Define success criteria before launch. Ship to a small segment, measure activation and retention, then iterate weekly. Celebrate learnings, not just wins, to maintain momentum.