What is a
business model      ?
           Summary from




            And other resources
"A business model is
   the proprietary
methodology used to
acquire, service, and
retain customers.” --
 Jim Muehlhausen Author “The 51 Fatal
Business Errors and How to Avoid Them”
Your business model is:
• your secret sauce.
• what makes your business unique.
• the formula you use to outsmart
  your competitors, provide ongoing
  value to customers, and continually
  grow your business.
Business Model
Eight essential areas to a
       business model
• Must have excellent margins
• Must be easy to sell
• Must have The Four Capitals©: Intellectual Capital,
  Financial Capital, Human Capital and Brand Capital
• Must be able to maintain ongoing competitive
  advantage
• Must have quality customers
• Must have longevity of the industry
• Must provide for the owner’s graceful exit
• Must avoid pitfalls
Criteria #1: Excellent Margin
Margin is the fuel that drives the business.All
meaningful components of your business are
paid for with a sufficient dollar volume of
margin:
• Marketing/Branding/Sales
• Paying quality staff
• Rent/Equipment/Facilities
• R & D, Business Development
• Fair return on your equity
       Margin is oxygen for a business. Without adequate margin, all
            functions in your business will be short of breath.
Criteria #2: Easy to sell
• Is your product or service offering
  “sellable?”
• Relatively easy to sell and have a
  proven and repeatable sales process.
• “Selling ice to Eskimos,” the market is
  telling you something: either “We don’t
  like your current offering that much,” or
  “We have better options than yours,” or
  “Your value proposition is so weak that
  you have to add an ingredient called a
  talented salesperson into the mix in
  order to make your offering worth
  bothering with.”
• With ordinary skill can sell a reasonable
  amount.
Criteria #3: The Four Capitals©
Intellectual Capital
• Patents, trademarks, copyrights, business processes, best practices and
   trade secrets.
• Intimate knowledge of customers, vendors, or a good CEO.
Financial Capital
• Strong balance sheet
• Strong cash position
• Low break even
• Likelihood additional fundraising will be needed
• Good cash flow
Human Capital
• The ability to attract and retain top talent
• Talent of ownership
Brand Capital
• Is your brand meaningful to the market?
• Your brand is what your product or service “means” to your customers and
   prospects.
Criteria #4: Ongoing competitive
            advantage
    • Harvard Professor Michael Porter
      determined that competitive advantage
      occurs when an organization acquires or
      develops an attribute or combination of
      attributes that allows it to outperform its
      competitors.
    • Access to natural resources
    • Access to highly trained and skilled
      personnel human resources.
    • New technologies and information
      technology either to be included as a part of
      the product, or to assist making it.
The Five Forces Model




                  Michael Porter
Criteria #5: Quality Customers
Quality customers are important because:
• Price-conscious customers tend to be not only
  lower-margin customers, but typically are more
  demanding of customer service and
  organizational resources
• Quality customers create the financial foundation
  of your business
• If you never create a base of quality customers,
  you will spend the bulk of organizational
  resources attracting new customers
Some of the factors that do NOT
 constitute a quality customer are: high
percentage of your total revenues, high
cost of attraction, slow pay, stressful for
 customer service employees, or could
          become a competitor.
Criteria #6: Longevity of
            business/industry
• Over half of the startup businesses fail after
  four years.
• If you continue “business as usual,” you will
  always have to worry about how much longer
  your business can last.
• What similar customers can you serve?
• What related offerings can you attack?
Criteria #7: Graceful Exit
• King vs Rich
• Over 30% of small business are never sold, but
  there are no employees or children to take over
  the business and it simply closes.
There are many ways to gracefully exit a business:
• Using a business broker
• Selling to a competitor or vendor
• Initial Public Offering
• Transfer or Sell to a Key Employee
• Take the CEO Emeritus Role
Criteria #8: Avoidance of Pitfalls
• Hiring cheap employees.
• Focusing on only one area of your business.
• Not testing or measuring anything.
• Trying to cost-cut your way to success.
• Competing on price and price alone.
• Taking on a wrong business partner.
• Thinking the business idea will make the
  company.
• Thinking too small.
© Wong Poh Kam



        What is a Business Plan?
       A feasible Business Model
                    +
      A FinancingModel that aligns
      the purposes of Stakeholders
            and Entrepreneurs
What is business model
What is business model
What is business model
What is business model
What is business model

What is business model

  • 1.
    What is a businessmodel ? Summary from And other resources
  • 2.
    "A business modelis the proprietary methodology used to acquire, service, and retain customers.” -- Jim Muehlhausen Author “The 51 Fatal Business Errors and How to Avoid Them”
  • 3.
    Your business modelis: • your secret sauce. • what makes your business unique. • the formula you use to outsmart your competitors, provide ongoing value to customers, and continually grow your business.
  • 5.
  • 7.
    Eight essential areasto a business model • Must have excellent margins • Must be easy to sell • Must have The Four Capitals©: Intellectual Capital, Financial Capital, Human Capital and Brand Capital • Must be able to maintain ongoing competitive advantage • Must have quality customers • Must have longevity of the industry • Must provide for the owner’s graceful exit • Must avoid pitfalls
  • 8.
    Criteria #1: ExcellentMargin Margin is the fuel that drives the business.All meaningful components of your business are paid for with a sufficient dollar volume of margin: • Marketing/Branding/Sales • Paying quality staff • Rent/Equipment/Facilities • R & D, Business Development • Fair return on your equity Margin is oxygen for a business. Without adequate margin, all functions in your business will be short of breath.
  • 11.
    Criteria #2: Easyto sell • Is your product or service offering “sellable?” • Relatively easy to sell and have a proven and repeatable sales process. • “Selling ice to Eskimos,” the market is telling you something: either “We don’t like your current offering that much,” or “We have better options than yours,” or “Your value proposition is so weak that you have to add an ingredient called a talented salesperson into the mix in order to make your offering worth bothering with.” • With ordinary skill can sell a reasonable amount.
  • 12.
    Criteria #3: TheFour Capitals© Intellectual Capital • Patents, trademarks, copyrights, business processes, best practices and trade secrets. • Intimate knowledge of customers, vendors, or a good CEO. Financial Capital • Strong balance sheet • Strong cash position • Low break even • Likelihood additional fundraising will be needed • Good cash flow Human Capital • The ability to attract and retain top talent • Talent of ownership Brand Capital • Is your brand meaningful to the market? • Your brand is what your product or service “means” to your customers and prospects.
  • 13.
    Criteria #4: Ongoingcompetitive advantage • Harvard Professor Michael Porter determined that competitive advantage occurs when an organization acquires or develops an attribute or combination of attributes that allows it to outperform its competitors. • Access to natural resources • Access to highly trained and skilled personnel human resources. • New technologies and information technology either to be included as a part of the product, or to assist making it.
  • 16.
    The Five ForcesModel Michael Porter
  • 17.
    Criteria #5: QualityCustomers Quality customers are important because: • Price-conscious customers tend to be not only lower-margin customers, but typically are more demanding of customer service and organizational resources • Quality customers create the financial foundation of your business • If you never create a base of quality customers, you will spend the bulk of organizational resources attracting new customers
  • 18.
    Some of thefactors that do NOT constitute a quality customer are: high percentage of your total revenues, high cost of attraction, slow pay, stressful for customer service employees, or could become a competitor.
  • 19.
    Criteria #6: Longevityof business/industry • Over half of the startup businesses fail after four years. • If you continue “business as usual,” you will always have to worry about how much longer your business can last. • What similar customers can you serve? • What related offerings can you attack?
  • 20.
    Criteria #7: GracefulExit • King vs Rich • Over 30% of small business are never sold, but there are no employees or children to take over the business and it simply closes. There are many ways to gracefully exit a business: • Using a business broker • Selling to a competitor or vendor • Initial Public Offering • Transfer or Sell to a Key Employee • Take the CEO Emeritus Role
  • 21.
    Criteria #8: Avoidanceof Pitfalls • Hiring cheap employees. • Focusing on only one area of your business. • Not testing or measuring anything. • Trying to cost-cut your way to success. • Competing on price and price alone. • Taking on a wrong business partner. • Thinking the business idea will make the company. • Thinking too small.
  • 23.
    © Wong PohKam What is a Business Plan? A feasible Business Model + A FinancingModel that aligns the purposes of Stakeholders and Entrepreneurs