Business Model Inspiration — be inspired by innovative business models

ISTOCKPHOTO

What they do?
iStockphoto is a member-generated design and image community that offers users millions of royalty-free photographs, video footage, illustrations, audio tracks and flash files.
What is special about the model?
iStockphoto was the first to utilize an open market, community-based system for buying and selling a variety of images.

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PROCTOR & GAMBLE

What they do?
Proctor & Gamble (P&G) is the world’s largest maker of consumer products, offering a diverse range of products.
What is special about the model?
P&G has shifted its focus to placing greater emphasis on finding innovation from outside of its organization. More than 50 percent involve notable collaboration with external innovators.

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APPLE

What they do?
Apple designs a number of high-end products such as personal computers and media devices.
What is special about the model?
The company’s ability to masterfully bundle its devices tightly to content distribution has proven to be both a winning and profitable business strategy.

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LEGO

What they do?
Lego is toy manufacturer that created a building system based on interlocking blocks.
What is special about the model?
It has successfully found ways in which to collaborate with its devoted users in the product design process.

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CELLBAZAAR

What they do?
CellBazaar is an electronic marketplace designed for individuals to buy and sell products via cell phones.
What is special about the model?
The formalized use of cell phones as a market.

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EXPRESS

What they do?
Free newspaper
What is special about the model?
As a free newspaper, The Express is solely supported by advertising dollars generated. To achieve profitability, it works to keep costs low by following a strict standardized tabloid-style format, maintaining a comparatively cheap distribution system and a small editorial staff.

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CIRQUE DE SOLEIL

What they do?
Cirque de Soleil offers artistic performances that are a unique blending of the circus and theatre.
What is special about the model?
Cirque did not focus on attempting to target circus-goers, but instead worked to create new demand in an uncontested market space.

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AMERICAN GIRL

AG has excelled at creating a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy that works with this multi-channel approach.

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CLARITY LAW GROUP

What they do?
The firm offers clients access to a team of attorneys operating in different specialty area through a variety of tiered, flat-rate subscription plans.

What is special about the model?
It offers what some have characterized as a timeshare business model to law services.

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PEEPOOPLE

What they do?
Peepoople provides access to dignified and hygienic personal sanitation solutions. One of its primary products is the Peepoo bag, a single use personal toilet that is self-sanitizing and biodegradable.
What is special about the model?
At a price point of 4 cents euro/each, the Peepoo bag is marketed as a low-cost solutions suitable for users with even the weakest purchasing power.

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