Youtube giant Machinima is pushing the envelope on the broadcast television model. Traditionally, networks spend massive amounts of money developing shows and content to be mass disseminated over controlled networks.  Barriers to entry are high as well as the...

I think I have bumped into one too many clients with the issue of over-investment of inventory lately, so I am pulling out an excerpt of my book The 51 Fatal Business Errors and How to Avoid Them. You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t have an inventory.”  Yes you...

A few posts ago, we discussed the Pandora business model.  Pandora.com has been a huge success capturing musical market share and has a terrific business model in many ways.  However, there are some difficulties with the model, particularly, the direct relationship...

In an odd move, Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL.N) will buy a Pennsylvania oil refinery from ConocoPhillips for $150 million. In a throwback to the 1920s Ford Motor company vertical integration strategy, Delta says that the first ever purchase of a refinery by an airline...

If you are like most people, you think that drivers who zip around the city in shiny, red sports cars are the ones who pay the most for car insurance. You may also think that older adults pay more for life insurance, and people with preexisting health conditions pay...

Internet radio giant Pandora Media is the world's largest Internet and mobile radio service. In June 2011, the company went public at $16 per share. Quickly after the IPO, investors drove the stock down, concerned about Pandora's ability to generate profits and fend...

Angry Birds Space just broke a new record becoming the first app to hit 50,000,000 downloads in only 35 days, two weeks better than Draw Something, the previous record-holder.  Across all platforms, Angry Birds boasts over 700 million downloads. With the Angry Birds...

Entrepreneurs are the best people in the world. They are ever-hopeful and optimistic. They believe there is a solution to every problem; and they are usually right. However, this same optimism tends to lead entrepreneurs to believe that all business problems can be...

As I found myself engrossed in Ken Burns’ well told Prohibition story, I noticed an underlying business model theme.  Back in the 1800’s beer companies effectively controlled the retail distribution of beer.  The brewery business model of the time was to offer free...

It seems that many entrepreneurs have crawled into their caves to wait out the recession.  For many of them, the battle cries have become: If in doubt, don’t spend Just ride it out Change is dangerous, one small mistake might break the camel’s back This general...