6 ms·

Give her more credit for what? She did a fashion startup for a few years and she never figured out that nearly every luxury company gives 10% to 15% commission

by switch 15y ago

Give her more credit for what? She did a fashion startup for a few years and she never figured out that nearly every luxury company gives 10% to 15% commissions? If she really thinks it's 3 to 8% then she's blissfuly ignorant. She doesn't get the fundamental concept of capturing the starting point. If a site becomes the destination for fashion i.e. where people go to search for the next thing they buy. Then that site can very easily expand into selling that very thing. At some point we say - Instead of getting 15% from this luxury watch maker, we ask for 25%. Then we say - Let's make stuff ourselves and see if we can get more than 25%. What Google is doing and what Facebook is trying to do is very similar. Expand and take over all the profits. But first you need to be the starting point or decision point for something (search, social interactions, dating, buying clothes).

rokhayakebe 15y ago
Do you have an example of a site that started as an affiliate and ended up creating its own products? I think this is would be very very difficult.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- switch 15y ago
  Replace affiliate by middleman and you get a lot of examples. Obviously it's difficult - because everyone's trying to do it and it gives you so much power. Look at what Amazon is trying to do with books and music. What Apple is doing. What Google is trying to do. What Facebook is doing. they are all doing the same thing. Become a middle-man and then try to take up power and start producing stuff themselves. It's why Google is buying content companies. It's why Facebook is a walled web - they want to replace the Internet. Don't focus on her post. Because her post (not her, just her post) is very short-sighted. You don't want to read it and catch the disease of not realizing the real prize. The real prize is not becoming a small service company for the incumbents. The real prize is to take over a part of the supply chain or customer to product pipeline. Then collate all power. It's how Google and the Internet has made most content worthless. That's what all the fashion startups have as their end goal. She can't see it because she's caught in her concept of what fashion should be/could be. As opposed to the real underlying dynamics. In sports terms - she's focused on a particular pitcher vs batter when the real game has a lot more than just how one batter does against one pitcher.
- switch 15y ago
  Replace affiliate by middleman and you get a lot of examples. Obviously it's difficult - because everyone's trying to do it and it gives you so much power. Look at what Amazon is trying to do with books and music. What Apple is doing. What Google is trying to do. What Facebook is doing. they are all doing the same thing. Become a middle-man and then try to take up power and start producing stuff themselves. It's why Google is buying content companies. It's why Facebook is a walled web - they want to replace the Internet. Don't focus on her post. Because her post (not her, just her post) is very short-sighted. You don't want to read it and catch the disease of not realizing the real prize. The real prize is not becoming a small service company for the incumbents. The real prize is to take over a part of the supply chain or customer to product pipeline. Then collate all power. It's how Google and the Internet has made most content worthless. That's what all the fashion startups have as their end goal. She can't see it because she's caught in her concept of what fashion should be/could be. As opposed to the real underlying dynamics. In sports terms - she's focused on a particular pitcher vs batter when the real game has a lot more than just how one batter does against one pitcher.
rokhayakebe 15y ago
I think you killed your reply. Still read it. You may have a point. In the case of Google you can see this happening, and Jason Calacanis pointed earlier this week that "Google is now buying content companies and just giving you the answer". So you are right. However I think when you are dealing with physical products the dynamics are truly different.
melanie_io 15y ago
Back in the real world, it is actually happening the other way around. Retailers and brands (which have all the power and money) are becoming the content creators and poaching talent from the publishing industry. Quote below from a Business of Fashion article earlier this year. "What began as a trickle is now starting to look more like a mass exodus. Jeremy Langmead, formerly of Esquire, is now at Mr. Porter. Andrea Linett, formerly of Lucky magazine, is now at eBay. Dennis Freedman, formerly of W, is now at Barneys. Fiona McIntosh, formerly of Grazia, is now at My Wardrobe. And the list goes on. It seems that there are almost weekly reports announcing that yet another magazine veteran has fled a traditional publishing company to take up a position at a brand or retailer. Recently, it was British Vogue that was in the headlines, when creative director Robin Derrick and fashion director Kate Phelan both announced within days of each other that they were leaving the magazine. Phelan is set to become creative director of Topshop, while Derrick’s plans have yet to be revealed. By now, it’s a well-known fact that times are tough for traditional, ad-supported editorial outlets. For example, from 2007 through 2009, Condé Nast — publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and others — saw about $500 million in revenue disappear, a decline from which it has yet to recover. In fact, Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townshend recently admitted to the Wall Street Journal, “My eyes are wide open. I don’t consider [the traditional ad-revenue model] to be a perennially sustainable stream of revenue.”

by switch 15y ago

rokhayakebe 15y ago

Do you have an example of a site that started as an affiliate and ended up creating its own products? I think this is would be very very difficult.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
switch 15y ago
Replace affiliate by middleman and you get a lot of examples. Obviously it's difficult - because everyone's trying to do it and it gives you so much power. Look at what Amazon is trying to do with books and music. What Apple is doing. What Google is trying to do. What Facebook is doing. they are all doing the same thing. Become a middle-man and then try to take up power and start producing stuff themselves. It's why Google is buying content companies. It's why Facebook is a walled web - they want to replace the Internet. Don't focus on her post. Because her post (not her, just her post) is very short-sighted. You don't want to read it and catch the disease of not realizing the real prize. The real prize is not becoming a small service company for the incumbents. The real prize is to take over a part of the supply chain or customer to product pipeline. Then collate all power. It's how Google and the Internet has made most content worthless. That's what all the fashion startups have as their end goal. She can't see it because she's caught in her concept of what fashion should be/could be. As opposed to the real underlying dynamics. In sports terms - she's focused on a particular pitcher vs batter when the real game has a lot more than just how one batter does against one pitcher.
switch 15y ago
Replace affiliate by middleman and you get a lot of examples. Obviously it's difficult - because everyone's trying to do it and it gives you so much power. Look at what Amazon is trying to do with books and music. What Apple is doing. What Google is trying to do. What Facebook is doing. they are all doing the same thing. Become a middle-man and then try to take up power and start producing stuff themselves. It's why Google is buying content companies. It's why Facebook is a walled web - they want to replace the Internet. Don't focus on her post. Because her post (not her, just her post) is very short-sighted. You don't want to read it and catch the disease of not realizing the real prize. The real prize is not becoming a small service company for the incumbents. The real prize is to take over a part of the supply chain or customer to product pipeline. Then collate all power. It's how Google and the Internet has made most content worthless. That's what all the fashion startups have as their end goal. She can't see it because she's caught in her concept of what fashion should be/could be. As opposed to the real underlying dynamics. In sports terms - she's focused on a particular pitcher vs batter when the real game has a lot more than just how one batter does against one pitcher.

rokhayakebe 15y ago

I think you killed your reply. Still read it. You may have a point. In the case of Google you can see this happening, and Jason Calacanis pointed earlier this week that "Google is now buying content companies and just giving you the answer". So you are right. However I think when you are dealing with physical products the dynamics are truly different.

melanie_io 15y ago

Back in the real world, it is actually happening the other way around. Retailers and brands (which have all the power and money) are becoming the content creators and poaching talent from the publishing industry. Quote below from a Business of Fashion article earlier this year. "What began as a trickle is now starting to look more like a mass exodus. Jeremy Langmead, formerly of Esquire, is now at Mr. Porter. Andrea Linett, formerly of Lucky magazine, is now at eBay. Dennis Freedman, formerly of W, is now at Barneys. Fiona McIntosh, formerly of Grazia, is now at My Wardrobe. And the list goes on. It seems that there are almost weekly reports announcing that yet another magazine veteran has fled a traditional publishing company to take up a position at a brand or retailer. Recently, it was British Vogue that was in the headlines, when creative director Robin Derrick and fashion director Kate Phelan both announced within days of each other that they were leaving the magazine. Phelan is set to become creative director of Topshop, while Derrick’s plans have yet to be revealed. By now, it’s a well-known fact that times are tough for traditional, ad-supported editorial outlets. For example, from 2007 through 2009, Condé Nast — publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and others — saw about $500 million in revenue disappear, a decline from which it has yet to recover. In fact, Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townshend recently admitted to the Wall Street Journal, “My eyes are wide open. I don’t consider [the traditional ad-revenue model] to be a perennially sustainable stream of revenue.”