[projectvrm] The free customer and the three base business models ...

[Johannes Ernst < >]

Doc's talking about the "free customer" got me thinking.

There are only three base business models I can think of:

1. Compete on the merits, with negligible switching costs for the customer
2. Acquire and exploit a critical resource
3. Regulatory capture.

(For detail, I just blogged about it here: 
http://upon2020.com/blog/2013/12/there-are-only-three-base-business-models/ )

It seems to me that only the first of these models is compatible with the 
idea of a "free customer". 

If I am right, this means that all of our business models are severely 
constrained if we pay more than lip service to VRM and related things. I 
don't mean "constrained" in a negative sense, but certain business models 
would have to be rejected out of hand for new companies. And existing 
companies will never "do VRM" unless they buy wholesale into my model #1.

Thoughts?

Cheers,



Johannes.