logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
34m 14s

How Small Companies Compete with — and B...

Harvard Business Review
About this episode
In an era driven by network effects, smaller players struggle to compete against bigger platforms. The trick to gaining ground on a much larger rival, says Harvard Business School professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee, is choosing a strategy that can’t easily be imitated. A good example is TaoBao’s strategy for displacing eBay in China, back in 2007. 
Up next
Jun 25
An Announcement from HBR On Strategy
For the last two years, HBR On Strategy has been a collection of the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. But the time has come for HBR On Strategy to hit pause on new episodes. We ... Show More
1m 5s
Jun 25
The Strategic Advantage of Tapping Freelancers
The rapid pace of technological change is making a big impact on hiring. Some organizations are dynamically securing freelance workers through platform apps like Upwork and Freelancer. Other companies are investing heavily in work enabled by artificial intelligence. John Winsor a ... Show More
30m 26s
Jun 18
The Promises, Pitfalls, and Trade-offs of the Circular Economy
Most businesses are built on a linear model: take, make, and discard. But that norm is reaching its limits, and leaders are under pressure to find smarter, more sustainable ways to operate. Weslynne Ashton is a systems scientist and professor at the Illinois Institute of Technolo ... Show More
20m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Why Some Start-Ups Fail to Scale
Managing rapid growth is a huge challenge for young businesses. Even start-ups with glowing reviews and skyrocketing sales can fail. That’s because new ventures and corporate initiatives alike have to sustain profitability at scale, according to Harvard Business School senior lec ... Show More
26m 13s
Jun 2024
Why You Need to Stress Test Your Strategies (and Tactics)
While many teams and organizations engage in scenario planning, most don't go far enough. Arjan Singh, consultant and adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, says a more disciplined approach, borrowed from the military, can help leaders truly test how their strategies ... Show More
28m 39s
May 2021
Business Weekly
On this edition of Business Weekly, we look at the battle between the makers of one of the world’s biggest computer games, Fortnite, and the world’s biggest tech company, Apple. The court case could have implications for how app stores and payment models are run in the future. We ... Show More
49m 56s
Jun 2023
The basics of marketing are available to us all - how to build a basic marketing strategy for small businesses, Joe Glover
If Aliens landed on planet earth and walked into a marketing conference, they would be forgiven for thinking that the only companies who engaged in marketing activity was Apple, Patagonia, Nike, and the overlord of our profession was Ryan Reynolds. Now - I’m not saying the world ... Show More
10m 18s
Apr 2024
6 tips on being a successful entrepreneur | John Mullins
Sometimes, you need to break the rules to innovate — but which ones? Entrepreneurship professor John Mullins shares six counter-conventional mindsets for entrepreneurs looking to think strategically, navigate challenges and change the world. After the talk, Modupe expands on the ... Show More
18m 41s
May 2019
How Having a Rival Improves Performance
Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at The Wharton School, argues that individuals and companies alike can benefit from having rivals. He has studied sports and business rivalries and believes they often add up to more than just zero-sum competition. Grant explains how we can ... Show More
25m 25s
Apr 2021
Streamlining Your Company’s Strategy
Felix Oberholzer-Gee, professor at Harvard Business School, says many organizations spend so much energy on strategy that it overwhelms with conflicting priorities. Instead, he argues companies should simplify and focus on two value drivers: customer satisfaction and employee sat ... Show More
26m 23s
May 2021
Raising the Capital Gains Tax, and Creating Better Simpler Strategy
Youngme , Mihir , and Felix debate whether it makes sense to raise the capital gains tax. They also discuss how companies can create better and more creative competitive strategies – the topic of Felix’s new book, [Better Simpler Strategy](https://www.amazon.com/Better-Simpler-St ... Show More
37m 53s
Oct 2019
How To Stand Out From The Crowd – Small Business Marketing Tips
Business and entrepreneurship is the toughest sport in the world. There are many challenges and obstacles to building a highly successful and profitable business. That’s why, in this episode, Dan sits down with Kate Delaney and discuss the biggest mistakes in business that you sh ... Show More
15m 21s