Learnings from Thomas Watson / IBM of the 1920s. Scary how good business models & practices repeat throughout time. Watson himself learned from John Patterson of National Cash Register, improving on the few weaknesses he noticed at NCR. 1/5
Watson leased equipment creating recurring revenue + competitive barrier to entry, turning a customer's large, upfront capital expense into a small, recurring operating expense. He combined that with a razor / razor blade model. 2/5 
Watson built the business FOR key stakeholders; customer success=salesperson success, & shareholder returns were a natural byproduct. He sold an outcome, not a product, & employed a consultative selling model, providing a continuous customer feedback loop & thus captivity. 3/5
Finally, Watson created a cult. He organically wove himself into every important facet of employees' lives, but to their ongoing benefit. Not just $, but education, healthcare, entertainment. 4/5
5/5 taken from amazon.com/New-Ideas-Dead…
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