What "Platform" Doesn't Explain About Business Models

Hims & Hers Turned the Prescription Into a Subscription

Traditional pharmacies had the patients, the chronic conditions, and the refill relationships. They never owned the prescription trigger. Hims & Hers did. Read the full article on Substack: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/hims-hers-prescription-to-subscription [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/hims-hers-prescription-to-subscription] Learn more at www.ericdnoren.com. [http://www.ericdnoren.com./] Additional Links: Periodic Table of Business Strategy: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/the-2025-periodic-table-of-business [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/the-2025-periodic-table-of-business] Strategic Formula: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage]

You Don't Have a Competitive Advantage, and That's Okay

True competitive advantage is rarer than most leaders think. Operational Parity names the gap — and Peloton shows what it costs to mistake one for the other. Read the full article on Substack: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/operational-parity-competitive-advantage [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/operational-parity-competitive-advantage] Learn more at www.ericdnoren.com. [http://www.ericdnoren.com./] Additional Links: Periodic Table of Business Strategy: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/the-2025-periodic-table-of-business [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/the-2025-periodic-table-of-business] Strategic Formula: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage]

Your Retention Is Fine. That's the Problem.

Ancestry's traffic is down 40% while revenue holds. That combination isn't good news — it's the signal subscription businesses are worst equipped to see. Read the full article on Substack: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/ancestry-subscription-traffic-decline [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/ancestry-subscription-traffic-decline] Learn more at www.ericdnoren.com. [http://www.ericdnoren.com./] Additional Links: Strategic Formula: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage] Strategic Breakpoint Analysis: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-breakpoint-analysis [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-breakpoint-analysis]

What Just Died in Martech, and What Dies Next

The 2026 martech contraction was architectural, not competitive. Learning-Loop Economics explains why. The AI Susceptibility Index names what's next. Read the full article on Substack: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/martech-cull-2026 [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/martech-cull-2026] Learn more at www.ericdnoren.com. [http://www.ericdnoren.com./] Additional Links: AI Susceptibility Index: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/ai-susceptibility-index-how-to-assess-and-mitigate-risk [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/ai-susceptibility-index-how-to-assess-and-mitigate-risk] Learning-Loop Economics: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/learning-loop-economics [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/learning-loop-economics] Chiefmartec Landcape Report: https://newsletter.chiefmartec.com/p/here-s-your-ungated-copy-of-the-state-of-martech-2026-report [https://newsletter.chiefmartec.com/p/here-s-your-ungated-copy-of-the-state-of-martech-2026-report]

What "Platform" Doesn't Explain About Business Models

"Platform" accurately names a class of business. It doesn't tell you whether two companies share a business model, a strategy, or a competitive advantage — or what happens when those advantages cancel against each other. A structural decomposition using Amazon, Uber, Apple, and Facebook. Read the full article on Substack: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/what-platform-doesnt-explain [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/what-platform-doesnt-explain] Learn more at www.ericdnoren.com. [http://www.ericdnoren.com./] Additional Links: Strategic Formula: https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage [https://bankshotstrategy.substack.com/p/strategic-formula-business-model-strategy-advantage]