Page 20 - The Bootstrapper Bible

ChangeThis computer game of the year. It didnʼt cost id very much to allow someone to download the game, but the company wasnʼt receiving any income at all. Whenever a market or a technology changes, there’s a huge opportunity for new businesses. In stage two, id offered a deluxe version of Doom with more levels, more monsters, more everything. Partnering with a big guy (GT Interactive), it got the software into stores around the country. And sold it directly by mail order. With a user base of millions of people, id got to call the shots. Instead of being at the mercy of the gatekeepers of distribution, it was courted by distributors and retailers. By inventing a completely different business model, a model in which it had nothing to lose, id redefined a business and won. Take a look at all the attributes listed in this chapter. Id took advantage of the seven that help the bootstrapper and steadfastly avoided the five that help the big company. By redefining the game and playing on its home field, it trounced companies valued at more than half a billion dollars. | iss. 6.01 | i | U | X | + | h 20/103 f