Recently I was asked to speak at the Athlone online business conference on conversion optimization and converting online traffic to sales, below is my talk from the conference and the Q&A session at the end.

The talk focuses on the basics of online business and how to use data to work out conversion rates, then implementing an equation to make the requirement of a “marketing budget” a thing of the past as the marketing cost becomes a variable sunk into the sale price on each unit sold.
Ronan athlone presentation 21.6

Lately I’ve been studying the difference between new business models that improve on the current model of how an Industry does business Vs a business model that is so different compared to what the industry is currently doing, that the existing players are unable to take them on because doing so would admit that the model and strategy that they currently rely to deliver results is no longer relevant. As such by reaching far out past incremental improvements in strategy and model adjustments, an entrepreneur can create an uncontested field where they can thrive in the fledging years. Ofcourse as their success grows others will replicate their models, however the initial period of an uncontested market means margins that allows them grow at supernormal rates.

The below lecture by professor Clayton Christensen (HBS), of the Innovators Dilema fame, gives great insight to competitive markets and strategy when faced with the 3 year mark after the introduction of disruptive business models.