1. A business model is a system, not an idea
Business model·The design of creating, delivering and capturing value: for whom, what value, how delivered, how paid. Change the payment logic and the whole business changes.
The same product can be sold, rented, or paid by outcome. Model innovation targets the transaction structure, not the product itself.
2. Four questions and one curve
For whom?
＋ One precise payer beats everyone
－ Fuzzy segments scatter the product
适合 Positioning and repositioning
What value?
＋ Value a customer can quantify
－ Spec sheets are not value propositions
适合 Product and pricing design
How delivered?
＋ Channels shape experience and cost
－ Broken delivery breaks the promise
适合 Scaling and replication
How paid?
＋ Subscription, fee, usage, or one-off
－ Ignoring CAC and payback creates fake models
适合 Profit design and fundraising
3. How to launch the second curve
Watch signals
Slowing growth, rising CAC and churn are early signs of the peak.
Separate the team
Give the new business its own team and metrics so the core cannot strangle it.
Set guardrails
Agree on budget caps, milestones and a stop-loss line before starting.
Start early
Launch while the core still funds it; turnaround attempts rarely get second chances.
4. What AI changes
- Product becomes service: AI makes outcome and usage pricing measurable.
- Cost structures get rewritten: content, support and code become cheap, reviving small niches.
- Platforms open up: internal capabilities become products; revenue shifts from margin to take rate.
5. Two visible curve shifts
Microsoft moved from license sales to cloud subscription, rewriting how it gets paid. Xiaomi extended from phones into an ecosystem of connected devices, rewriting what it delivers. Neither added a side business; both rewired the transaction structure.