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AcquiredApril 6, 2022
Platforms and Power (with Hamilton Helmer and Chenyi Shi)
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We sit down once again with one of the world’s very best strategy thinkers, 7 Powers author Hamilton Helmer — this time joined by his impressive Strategy Capital colleague Chenyi Shi — to discuss platform businesses, and how the Power framework applies to them. If you’re building, investing in, or just curious about the dynamics of platforms, this episode is a must-listen. We owe a huge thanks to Hamilton and Chenyi for sharing their work-in-progress insights on this very special category of companies. Tune in! This episode has video! You can watch it on YouTube .
3 book mentions in this episode.
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Books Mentioned
The Matchmakers
Evans and Schmalensee
“Hamilton and I both really enjoyed reading and learned a lot from. They took their title from or in reference to the Chinese ancient village matchmakers who would keep a knowledge base of single men and women in the village and pair them up for dates.”
Sentiment: Highly Recommended
Trigger: understanding platforms
For: Economists and business strategists
Key quote: “There's a book that Hamilton and I both really enjoyed reading and learned a lot from. It's called The Matchmakers from Evans and Schmalensee.”
The host mentions 'The Matchmakers' to highlight its insightful exploration of platforms and their historical context. The book provides a framework that connects ancient matchmaking practices to modern platform dynamics, making it relevant for understanding today's business models.
ASIN: B0FJPJHLD7
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“The excerpt discusses the concept of surplus leader margin from the book 'Seven Powers', which relates to pricing strategies in business.”
Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: business frameworks for platforms
For: executives and business strategists
Key quote: “my colleague Chenyi and I have been developing a new framework for how executives can apply seven powers for platform businesses, which are way more complicated.”
The host mentioned 'Seven Powers' in the context of discussing a new framework for executives to apply its principles specifically to platform businesses. This highlights the evolving nature of business strategies and the importance of adapting established concepts to modern challenges.
ASIN: 7521752929
Buy on AmazonClick the book cover image to open the affiliate link.
The Everything Store
Brad Stone
“The mention of 'The Everything Store' relates to understanding scaling in platform businesses and the dynamics of market power.”
Sentiment: Passing Reference
Trigger: flywheels and platforms
For: Entrepreneurs and business strategists
Key quote: “Because I read the everything store.”
The host mentioned 'The Everything Store' to illustrate the concept of flywheels in successful companies. It serves as an example of how certain companies leverage their scale to maintain competitive advantages.
ASIN: B00FJFJOLC
Buy on AmazonClick the book cover image to open the affiliate link.