cover of episode Interview: Hamilton Helmer & Chenyi Shi on How to Build an AWS-Like Second Business

Interview: Hamilton Helmer & Chenyi Shi on How to Build an AWS-Like Second Business

2023/4/4
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Hamilton Helmer 认为经济活力取决于强大的创业领域,商业战略能够为创业者提供有益的思路。他以iPod和Bomar为例,说明创新不足以保证长期成功,战略规划至关重要。他提出了“七种力量”框架,该框架简洁明了,涵盖大多数情况,能够帮助企业家识别更有可能获得成功的模式。他还强调,产品市场契合度和企业实力的考量应该同步进行,而非顺序进行。他认为,七种力量理论的本质(基因型)简单易懂,但其具体表现形式(表型)却复杂多样,需要深入分析。他以保时捷为例,说明如何通过固定设计来不断优化性能,从而建立持久的商业模式。他还讨论了企业战略和商业战略的区别,前者关注的是多业务单元公司中的战略,后者关注的是单个可防御实体中的战略。他研究了S&P 100公司,发现约50%的利润来自非原始业务,这说明企业转型至关重要。他还指出,企业转型很难把握,因为这涉及到动机和理解两个方面。他认为,理解企业实力能够帮助企业更好地进行转型。 Chenyi Shi 认为七种力量框架能够帮助企业识别并专注于最重要的战略问题,从而提升竞争力。她认为,该框架能够帮助企业识别哪些因素真正具有战略意义。她还指出,该框架并非一成不变,仍在不断发展完善中。她解释了商业战略和企业战略的区别,并以Uber和Netflix为例,说明如何利用现有优势进行转型。她认为,理解企业当前的优势,并判断其是否能够延伸到新的细分市场,是企业转型成功的关键。她还讨论了规模经济、网络经济和转换成本这三种常见的企业实力类型,并以Uber为例,说明如何根据核心业务实力来选择转型方向。她认为,如果无法基于现有优势进行转型,企业就需要如同创业一般从头开始,并优先考虑利用现有能力服务于不同客户需求。她还强调了企业家在转型过程中的重要性。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Hamilton Helmer's journey to becoming a business strategy expert stemmed from a desire to contribute to the entrepreneurial sector. His research led him to identify seven key "powers" that contribute to a company's long-term success, distinguishing between creating economic value and capturing that value for the company itself.
  • Seven Powers framework focuses on defending a company's position, not just on product-market fit.
  • The framework helps entrepreneurs identify patterns that lead to long-term profitability.
  • Persistence of profitability is a key indicator of strong underlying economic structures.
  • The seven powers are simple categories, but their application is complex and nuanced.

Shownotes Transcript

7 Powers author Hamilton Helmer and his Strategy Capital colleague Chenyi Shi join us again to discuss their latest research on a topic that’s highly relevant to the recent Acquired canon: how to build a second business line. This incredibly important “transforming” question faces every great company who has achieved initial product success (as well as their investors). Do we continue solely along the established path, or do we attempt to grow new branches on the tree? Some companies grow new businesses with tremendous success — Amazon and AWS, Nintendo and video games, Nvidia and CUDA — yet many others fail miserably. For the first time Hamilton and Chenyi share their research-based playbook on how companies should approach this decision and choose wisely. Tune in!

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**Sponsors:**Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24)Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta)Crusoe: https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoe)

Link to Hamilton's 2-Axis Chart)

Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.