5. The Warren Buffett Rule 1:Keep It Simple “Invest in businesses that an idiot could run, because at some point, an idiot will.”
6. The Warren Buffett Rule 2:Build & stick with a concrete method Understandable business Strong, passionate team Defensible moats Models that generate cash Tonight’s Scope
9. Moats (in 2010) Deliver users something they want. Build share & leadership. Improve value to users & repeat. Attract second stakeholder group to reinforce value to users.
10. Users want PCs that are cheap, lots of apps. Developers build for Windows. WinTel gains share. Developers need audience for their products
11. Apple builds Iphone. Developers build for Iphone. Users drool & buy. Apple offers developers a platform.
12. Google offers outstanding search product. Ad revenue funds improvements in search. Google grabs share. Advertisers need to spend most effectively.
13. Users are drawn to service with best teachers Teachers create and market great classes 20% royalty to teachers. Megastudy Large user base & commissions draw best teachers.
14. Build something children love, parents value Reinforce core value with more fun content, better results to parents Grow share & credibility Moonshoot Collect data on children & learning, reinforce value to parents, educators, and children.
15. Build something users love Reinforce core value Grow share Your Company Attract another stakeholder to build on your value.
24. “Know Your Numbers” Ask tons of questions, do the analysis Connect with customers & market Build conviction that model works Close to pin works
25. Recent Example Entrepreneur’s Estimate to VC: “Microsoft Small Business Server has an Installed Base of 30M” --Unsourced analyst Jay’s Estimate VC emails me. Microsoft Small Business Server has an Installed Base of around 4M
26. Closing Moats ABC: Always Be Constructing Business Models Have a plan. You can always change it later. Monetize when it makes sense. Industry Models Always be hungry to learn more Work to stay grounded in reality