Aug 4, 2020Member-onlyDistribution, Banking and the Innovator’s DilemmaI think the application of the Innovator’s Dilemma (TID) as an explanatory business theory has shifted dramatically with the rise of the internet. We’ve heard about TID and how it neatly explains the disruption we’ve seen in the technology industry in years past. …Fintech4 min readFintech4 min read
Published in Coin Labs·May 25, 2020Member-onlyProduct-Market Fit and MonetizationI think how we measure product-market fit needs to change. If customers want your product, but what they are willing to pay for AKA what you can charge can’t support the business’s operations, you don’t have product-market fit. Monetization and unit economics ARE parts of the product. I. B2C vs. B2C Monetization A business should…2 min read2 min read
Jan 26, 2019Trust, Liquidity and Peer to Peer Marketplaces“I met the buyer/seller from Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace/OfferUp in the Target parking lot and didn’t get stabbed!” is not ringing a endorsement of those platforms. It’s actually the opposite. It means the platforms still lack high trust, but the marketplace is liquid enough to complete the sale. The overall experience is…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Nov 15, 2018Product Management, Distribution and Other Things You Learn While Building Great ProductsHere’s a non-exhaustive list of lessons I’ve learned since becoming a product manager focused on customer products. None of the lessons are meant to be prescriptive; just helpful ways to think about the craft of product management. Distribution D.R.E.A.M. — distribution rules everything around me. If you’ve built a good and…Product Management2 min readProduct Management2 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Oct 29, 2018Commerce Case Studies: Food Delivery, Grocery Delivery and Viable MarketsOwning demand is the most important goal for a marketplace. If a company owns demand, it can have greater pricing power with customers. Pricing power refers to the effect that change in price has on customer demand (ie. whether increasing price reduces demand for a product). Companies gain and maintain…On Demand4 min readOn Demand4 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Oct 16, 2018The Under-The-Radar Reasons For Retail’s StrugglesRafat’s tweets hit on some very important truths about retail and why certain segments in the sector are struggling mightily. Sure, Amazon’s e-commerce dominance has played a significant role, but that isn’t the whole story. The fall of mid-tier retail is as much a story about investment as…Retail2 min readRetail2 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Oct 8, 2018The Time is Now for a Serious Challenger to FacebookI think there is a massive opportunity to take on Facebook by unbundling its utility and community features, at least in the US. I could be completely wrong. If I were an investor or founder, I’d focus on this opportunity because: There is a real need for an alternative to…Facebook1 min readFacebook1 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Apr 5, 2018Publishing, Subscriptions and the Share of Wallet ProblemEv Williams, founder of Medium and Twitter, wrote an interesting piece on this website titled The Rationalization of Publishing. In the post, Ev made some thoughtful arguments about subscriptions and text content bundles being the future of publishing. …Media4 min readMedia4 min read
Published in Coin Labs·Mar 17, 2018Thoughts on Ownership vs. AccessI’ve been thinking more and more about the American middle and lower classes, why they’re struggling and may unfortunately continue to struggle. From the lens of consumerism, I think it comes down to access and ownership of good and services as drivers and measures of the economy. …Facebook2 min readFacebook2 min read
Dec 30, 2017Bitcoin, Debt Relief and FOMOI spent the last five days in southwest Virginia/Northeast Tennessee, an area that many affectionately call “coal country.” Ironically, coal has not been a major employer here for decades. That honor goes to paper mills and chemical factories. …Student Loans4 min readStudent Loans4 min read
