The business model is one of the key drivers of success for Internet companies today. But rethinking the money chain is not the panacea for all businesses. Strategies that worked for one company may be the demise of another. The lesson is to look for the leverage points in your business. It's about instant scale, network effects, and value matching.
Great people make a business successful, but a powerful business model changes the game altogether.
Jennifer Fonstad is a director at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which invests in early-stage technology companies.