Harvard Business Review on Rebuilding Your Business Model

Sometimes markets are constrained because products are too expensive for mass consumption. Sometimes the need for expertise limits a market to those with special training.

Where are there barriers that constrain consumption

Who are the industry’s worst customers?
An industry’s worst customers might sound like the last place to look for new growt

Those compensating behaviors signal that customers do not have access to the ideal product

What jobs can’t our existing customers get done

To spot markets that have a high potential for a disruptive approach, we ask three basic questions

The Bottleneck Buster: Democratize a Limited Market
What it is: Expand a market by removing a barrier to consumption.
When it works best: When some customers are locked out of a market because they lack skills, access, or wealth. Competitors ignore initial developments because they take place in seemingly unpromising markets.
Historical examples: Personal computers, balloon angioplasty, Sony Walkman, eBay

The Back-Scratcher: Scratch an Unscratched Itch
What it is: Make it easier and simpler for people to get an important job done

One way to generate a precise customer value proposition is to

hink about the four most common barriers keeping people from getting particular jobs done: insufficient wealth, access, skill, or time. Software maker Intuit devised QuickBooks to fulfill small-business owners’ need to avoid running out of cash. By fulfilling that job with greatly simplified accounting software, Intuit broke the skills barrier