BLOGNAME: LOUDER THAN WORDS

An informal, stream-of-consciousness reflection on business ideas, events and issues in modern business, modern life and with some specifics to the web-software industry by Paul Tomori, Internet Entrepreneur

From Tiny Acorns Mighty Oaks Do Grow By Paul Tomori Friday, May 29, 2009 at 17:13:47 (EDT) Some inspiration for the weekend as we role into June... Success is in the idea and the execution... A lot can be said for a disruptive business model. Do you think you are up against all the odds and an incumbent leader whose dust you taste in every breath? The world's biggest web success was originally designed in a campus student office by two young guys. They moved from there to a rented garage at a person's house. The goliath for them was a multi-billion dollar juggernaut. They had nothing but their ingenuity to start off with.... The disruptive business model was to create a clean interface for their search engine when EVERYONE else had more clutter than substance. They gave people what others couldn't. Better search results. The company is Google. The world's most successful investor does not operate from New York city. In fact, he doesn't even pay much heed to Wall Street activity. He operates from corn country in a small city called Omaha, Nebraska in the heartland. The disruptive model of business is to focus not on stock pricing, but on inherent value that companies have. He is Warren Buffett. The company is Berkshire Hathaway. The world's biggest consumer computer manufacturer started by selling computers out of his car which he put together in his tiny dorm room. His company surpassed incumbents like IBM who had ruled the roost for decades. The disruptive nature of his business. Sell direct to consumers instead of through retail channels. The company is Dell. The world's biggest retailer had humble origins serving small town USA in places where the incumbent heavyweight retail franchises showed zero interest. Driven by a man who LOVED retail, this company learned the ropes while staying off the radar of all the leaders. Then, they brought their disruptive business model of discount department stores served by a computerized distribution network to a world that was accustomed to paying high markups to retailers who had inefficient distribution systems. The man was Sam Walton. The company, Wal-Mart, still operates from Bentonville Arkansas. What is their edge? Ingenuity. Perseverance. Inventiveness. Hard work for the love of it.... and most importantly... a willingness to swim against the stream of current assumptions about how things should be. To sum up... they saw things not as they are but as they ought to be. Return To Blog Index