An ant outmaneuvering an elephant –
A Cool story of how a small hand soap maker competed with P&G -
It's the early 1980s, and you've created an entirely new concept in an old industry: a liquid hand soap called Softsoap.
A Cool story of how a small hand soap maker competed with P&G -
It's the early 1980s, and you've created an entirely new concept in an old industry: a liquid hand soap called Softsoap.
1/n
Looming is Procter & Gamble, a 100-ton gorilla able to crush you the minute the new concept gains traction. What do you do? You buy time. A small Minnesota business made the risky decision to buy up the entire U.S. supply of plastic pumps—some 100 million units
Looming is Procter & Gamble, a 100-ton gorilla able to crush you the minute the new concept gains traction. What do you do? You buy time. A small Minnesota business made the risky decision to buy up the entire U.S. supply of plastic pumps—some 100 million units
2/n
, effectively blocking P&G from launching a competitive product.
It found a bottleneck in the process and then controlled it.
Apple has used this formula repeatedly by identifying a critical component in key devices and locking up the supply for a significant period,
, effectively blocking P&G from launching a competitive product.
It found a bottleneck in the process and then controlled it.
Apple has used this formula repeatedly by identifying a critical component in key devices and locking up the supply for a significant period,
3/n
notably, the flash memory drives used in its iPods. In the 19th century, John D. Rockefeller purchased the company that made the iron rings used to make oil barrels. By controlling this small but critical component of the oil industry, he thwarted competitors.
notably, the flash memory drives used in its iPods. In the 19th century, John D. Rockefeller purchased the company that made the iron rings used to make oil barrels. By controlling this small but critical component of the oil industry, he thwarted competitors.
n/n
The Softsoap story is all the more remarkable because it is about an ant outmaneuvering an elephant
Book SRc- The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time: How Apple, Ford, IBM, Walmart, and Others Made Radical Choices That Changed the Course of Business
The Softsoap story is all the more remarkable because it is about an ant outmaneuvering an elephant
Book SRc- The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time: How Apple, Ford, IBM, Walmart, and Others Made Radical Choices That Changed the Course of Business
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