One of the startups I admire is a Chinese company called Bytedance. Established in 2012, it has now become one of the most valuable startup unicorns. Bytedance is the parent company of Tiktok, the fast growing, albeit controversial,artificial intelligence-supported short video app known as Douyin in China. Douyin was launched in 2016, and they created the TikTok spinoff for international […]
Search Results for: Business Model
A decade ago, I introduced the Business Model Innovation seminar, featuring the “11 Building Blocks of a Business Model.” The Mansmith Business Model Map has two more elements — value chain and reconfiguration — compared to popular business model canvas models. The value chain, as defined by Harvard’s Michael Porter, is a set of activities a firm operating in a […]
Leandro Leviste is the President and CEO of Solar Philippines, a company he founded in 2013 and is today’s largest solar company in Southeast Asia’s. He shares the business model and strategy of Solar Philippines Q1: On Target Market – What made you choose the commercial / industrial segment over the residential segment first? A: Commercial projects have economies of […]
Stripe allows web developers to embed a web payment service in about five minutes, making it as easy as embedding a YouTube video. Founded by two Irish college dropouts, brothers Patrick and John Collison, who have since moved to Silicon Valley, their early investors include the founders of a competing company, PayPal, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. Stripe is disrupting […]
Waters Philippines is market leader in home water purifiers in the Philippines. Launched in 1995 as the first consumer durable network marketing company in the Philippines, it struggled in the initial years with the need to educate sellers on the difference between network marketing (also known as MLM or multi-level marketing) versus illegal pyramiding, as well as the culture difference between a […]
At the height of typhoon Yolanda a year ago (2013), I was sick and immobilized at home but I felt I had to do something to help those affected by the storm. Having initiated fund raising campaigns in the past for Zamboanga Fund for Little Kids (original name was Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation) and the Godparents Program of Markprof Marketing Leadership Bootcamp […]
Across Manila, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, one force is reshaping markets: public outrage, not just at corrupt politicians, but also at ‘nepo baby’ influencers, entrenched institutions, and once-untouchable brands. In today’s hyperconnected world, trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Lose it, and you lose customers. Scandals involving misused funds, political favoritism, and influencer complicity aren’t just headlines; they’re changing how Filipinos and […]
During two visits to Taipei in 2025, I noticed a seemingly small, everyday action: handing over a credit card to a server that reflected something much larger: how trust shapes both business and society. With decades of studying market trends and consumer behavior, I’ve seen firsthand how trust influences business interactions. This article reflects those insights, particularly in Taipei and […]
In celebration of Mega Prime’s 50th anniversary, we had the privilege of speaking with its visionary chairman, William Tiu Lim, whose leadership has transformed the company from a small fishing operation to the market leader in canned sardines in the Philippines. Under his guidance, Mega Prime has continuously redefined industry standards through innovation, from investing in advanced fish preservation technologies […]
Entrepreneurs must navigate four gates to reach the “House of Prosperity”, which is the desired outcome of entrepreneurs with the promise of financial independence, personal freedom, and the realization of their deepest desires. These gates or hurdles that entrepreneurs need to overcome to attain business success are (1) the preparation gate, (2) the marketing gate, (3) the execution gate, and […]