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Article 40

How to Choose a Business Model

By

03 August 2009 | Category: Web Apps

In this 30 minute video from the FOWA Tour, you'll learn the key points you need to consider when deciding on the business model for your product or service.

Topics include ...

  1. Finding your niche
  2. Should you charge or go 'Freemium'?
  3. Understanding the psychology of free
  4. Agile business development

[Editor's Note: We'll be covering topics like How to Build a Web App from A-Z and Kick-ass Online Marketing Techniques at FOWA London.]

The Video

Presentation slides

You can also view Roan’s slides below …

Photo Credit: flickr.com/photos/kimberlyg

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Comments

  • http://www.silverado.co.uk Silverado

    A very interesting and informative post.

    Thank you for providing an insight into the kind of content that is available at web conferences.

    Steve

  • http://zyzik.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/24-design-tech-and-web-related-links-for-you-to-enjoy-and-share/ 24 design, tech and web-related links for you to enjoy and share =) « Adrian Zyzik’s Weblog

    [...] HOW TO: Customize Your YouTube Channel 30 essential Mac time-saving shortcuts News TechRadar UK Carsonified How to Choose a Business Model [CSS]5 http://avant.interactionconsortium.com/australian_internet/# Warning: Oil supplies are [...]

  • http://martypitt.wordpress.com Marty Pitt

    Hi

    Thanks for this – it’s great. Really enjoyed the talk, and found the points compelling.

    In the video you mention a link to a talk DHH gave (you mention the hamburger analogy he uses). Any chance you could post the link to this talk?

    Thanks

    Marty

  • http://www.freeagentcentral.com Roan Lavery
  • Ryan Carson

    Hey Marty – the link is here.

  • http://www.sosmedia.org SOS Media – Boulder Web Design

    Thanks for the info. I’ve got a bunch of ideas, and a few interested parties, but the business model stuff is always a challenge. Nice!

  • http://www.onlineassociates.ae/ Fahed

    I was reluctant to watch a 30 minute video. Not being able to sleep and having an empty feed reader, I went ahead and watched it.

    Thanks for putting it up. Very valuable indeed.

    Allows me to ground all of those late night ideas that go through my mind.

  • http://www.onlineassociates.ae/ Fahed

    I was reluctant to watch a 30 minute video. Not being able to sleep and having an empty feed reader, I went ahead and watched it.

    Thanks for putting it up. Very valuable indeed.

    Allows me to ground all of those late night ideas that go through my mind.

  • http://www.cottonrohrscheib.com/blog Cotton Rohrscheib

    Thanks for posting this. I had a hard time understanding him (low volume and his accent) but what I was able to understand was very good information.

  • http://www.cottonrohrscheib.com/blog Cotton Rohrscheib

    Thanks for posting this. I had a hard time understanding him (low volume and his accent) but what I was able to understand was very good information.

  • http://www.9636.org exchange

    Thanks for putting it up. Very valuable indeed.

  • http://www.9636.org exchange

    Thanks for putting it up. Very valuable indeed.

  • Brian

    There’s some great information in there. Thanks for sharing!

  • Brian

    There’s some great information in there. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://htxt.org William

    Thanks, but the audio is way too low even at full volume on my ipod.

    Maximize people.

  • http://htxt.org William

    Thanks, but the audio is way too low even at full volume on my ipod.

    Maximize people.

  • Ryan Carson

    Sorry about that :( We’ll change that next time.

  • Ryan Carson

    Sorry about that :( We’ll change that next time.

  • http://blog.dotmariusz.net/2009/08/07/tgif-followfriday-design-finds-3/ TGIF: #followfriday & design finds « Mariusz Ciesla | Designing for the web

    [...] How to Choose a Business Model from Carsonified [...]

  • http://task-software-review.blogspot.com/2009/08/task-software-review-fruitfultime.html Task Software

    I love the presentation and your slide… it’s very valuable for me. Great work.

  • http://task-software-review.blogspot.com/2009/08/task-software-review-fruitfultime.html Task Software

    I love the presentation and your slide… it’s very valuable for me. Great work.

  • http://buttonpresser.com Pete Fecteau

    This was so helpful. Thanks for putting this out there. Not only did I take away most, if not all, of your message. I also just signed up for an account at FreeAgent. I just repositioned my “business” as a venture development company. I’ve been looking for a way to iron out the ideas I’ve had for my business model and this put it all in perspective. Keep up the great work. I’ll be looking for more stuff from you for sure.

  • http://buttonpresser.com Pete Fecteau

    This was so helpful. Thanks for putting this out there. Not only did I take away most, if not all, of your message. I also just signed up for an account at FreeAgent. I just repositioned my “business” as a venture development company. I’ve been looking for a way to iron out the ideas I’ve had for my business model and this put it all in perspective. Keep up the great work. I’ll be looking for more stuff from you for sure.

  • http://www.duno.uk.com Darren

    “You can watch the video, download the MP3, subscribe to the audio or view the slides.”

    How about reading the video? :-P

    I’m Hard of Hearing, so the video is pretty useless for me without subtitles/captions – any chance of providing a transcript of this?

    Cheers

  • http://www.duno.uk.com Darren

    “You can watch the video, download the MP3, subscribe to the audio or view the slides.”

    How about reading the video? :-P

    I’m Hard of Hearing, so the video is pretty useless for me without subtitles/captions – any chance of providing a transcript of this?

    Cheers

  • http://www.Start-an-Internet-business.net Jane

    The key is to choose a business model that fits your Life Plan. This will ensure that you spend the right number of hours each week, take the right level of risk (some models involve more risk than others), are practical in terms of your financial wherewithal, and gain the kind of satisfaction and success that only you can define. First off, you have to make a key choice: How much time do you want to devote to your business? When you go for a full-time business model, you leave behind whatever you were doing previously to commit yourself completely to your startup. When you make this leap, expect to spend more hours working than you ever did working for someone else. In contrast, you can start up part-time. With this model, you adapt your business to time-consuming obligations you already have, such as your day job, parenting responsibilities or any other activities that would keep you from making your startup your total focus.

  • http://www.Start-an-Internet-business.net Jane

    The key is to choose a business model that fits your Life Plan. This will ensure that you spend the right number of hours each week, take the right level of risk (some models involve more risk than others), are practical in terms of your financial wherewithal, and gain the kind of satisfaction and success that only you can define. First off, you have to make a key choice: How much time do you want to devote to your business? When you go for a full-time business model, you leave behind whatever you were doing previously to commit yourself completely to your startup. When you make this leap, expect to spend more hours working than you ever did working for someone else. In contrast, you can start up part-time. With this model, you adapt your business to time-consuming obligations you already have, such as your day job, parenting responsibilities or any other activities that would keep you from making your startup your total focus.

  • http://www.freeagentcentral.com Roan Lavery

    @Jane: That’s an excellent point. In my talk I’d wanted to talk about the different levels of commitment to a business and how this effects your overall life, but there simply wasn’t time.

    Many people thinking starting up their own business means they will have more free time, because they are their own boss, but the reality is very different due to amount of sacrifice you need to make to get a business off the ground.

    We ran FreeAgent as a part-time project while we held down day jobs/freelance work for almost 2 years, before we were able to commit full-time to it. This was incredibly difficult juggling 2 jobs, family life etc.

    But the hard work was worth it for us.

  • http://www.freeagentcentral.com Roan Lavery

    @Jane: That’s an excellent point. In my talk I’d wanted to talk about the different levels of commitment to a business and how this effects your overall life, but there simply wasn’t time.

    Many people thinking starting up their own business means they will have more free time, because they are their own boss, but the reality is very different due to amount of sacrifice you need to make to get a business off the ground.

    We ran FreeAgent as a part-time project while we held down day jobs/freelance work for almost 2 years, before we were able to commit full-time to it. This was incredibly difficult juggling 2 jobs, family life etc.

    But the hard work was worth it for us.

  • http://flatsourcing.com/2009/08/03/beyond-dev-choosing-the-right-business-model/ Beyond Dev – Choosing the Right Business Model – Flatsourcing

    [...] Ran across this really fascinating post, choosing the right business model, from client and all around friend of Flatsourcing, Ryan Carson’s blog and wanted to pass it [...]

  • http://www.orlandomortgageguy.com Ross Hudson

    Thanks for the thought provoking concept….Free vs. Paid. You gave me some good food for thought regarding my own business model. Being from across the pond…couldn’t understand all your talk and couldn’t hear well…but picked up enough to make it worthwhile.

  • http://www.orlandomortgageguy.com Ross Hudson

    Thanks for the thought provoking concept….Free vs. Paid. You gave me some good food for thought regarding my own business model. Being from across the pond…couldn’t understand all your talk and couldn’t hear well…but picked up enough to make it worthwhile.

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    good concept

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  • http://www.financealexa.com/ Exchange mark

    yes,it is really very good!

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