Snooker and entrepreneurship

I quick though on a seminar I attended last night on entrepreneurship. Starting a company is like playing a game of snooker. Your first shot is often defensive since you have no way of knowing what is to come next. As the balls started to spread out, it is much easier to plan your next move. To win, your lead has to collide with target first before you earn the right to pot your prized color ball. Your ability to plan, skill of where the lead ball will land after the collision determines your next move. And when the going gets tough, you need to somehow make it difficult for your opponent to proceed by placing obstacles in the right place.

外婆

王瑾！幫我引個針吧！外婆最常叫我做的事就是請我幫她引線，小小年紀的我一直都不了解為什麼引個線有這麼難。

外婆給我的印象永遠是疏個巴巴頭穿了一身唐裝，小腿裹著肉色的襪子再套上一個小到不能再小的布鞋。外婆的鞋都是自己做的因為市場上的鞋都不適合他那對三寸金蓮的腳。

外婆的房間幾乎整個都是一片挑高個榻榻米，如果下頭生個火的話那就跟她老家的抗沒什麼差別。外婆大部分的時間都坐在她的炕上，不是做他的鞋子，縫補衣服嘛就是幫我們縫被套。小的時候我們的棉被是沒有被套的。每一個棉被套都是用兩塊布組成的。外婆會先在炕上鋪一大塊白色的布，再把棉被放在正中間，另一塊布比棉被稍微小一點但質料柔軟也有花色，這個是放在棉被的上方。外婆會把底層多出來的布往上折，把棉被四邊都包覆著，再跟上層的布做一個交疊。被的四個角落都美美的折成45度的對角。外婆然後會用線一針一針的把他們全部縫和起來。我如果記得沒錯的話媽媽被是紅色的我的大概是綠色的吧。

外婆對被單是非常講究的，每一個被單都先要漿過，也就是把洗好的被單上塗一層米湯調出來的漿糊。再用電熨斗把它燙平。可惜那個時候的熨斗沒有蒸氣孔，市面上也買不到噴霧瓶，外婆會在口裡含一口水，憋著嘴，把水從嘴中逼出來，這道也達到了噴霧的效果。現在想起來外婆還真有一套，但這方法是乎有點不衛生。

記得我第一次出國的時候外婆總是嘮嘮叨叨的一直叮嚀我一定要好好讀書不要貪玩，但是等我一年以後回國又出國的時候，外婆卻哭得好傷心，外婆說他有個預感他再也見不到我了。我當時只能掐著他散出微微菜味的手安慰的跟他說我會很快地回來看她的，但是他卻哭得更傷心。外婆的預感的確沒有錯，我再一次見到外婆的時候確是在木柵的墓園裡。外婆墓碑的照片就像是我27年前的記憶一樣還是疏個巴巴頭。看著看著也不知道為什麼突然心頭有點緊，鼻子有一點酸，眼淚就溢滿我的眼眶，外婆嚴肅的照片可能也因為眼淚折射的的關係變柔和了甚至於還帶著淺淺的微笑，好像是跟我說：王瑾，我們又見面了。

買油磨刀麥芽糖

小的時候賣油的是拉著車子一路叫賣，外婆一定會給我一點錢和一個油瓶叫我去買油。賣油的會拿一個長長的勺子往他的大油桶裡頭把油舀出來，小心翼翼地用漏斗把油放進我的瓶子中。

賣油的不但賣油他還幫我們磨刀，他有一個轉動很快的磨刀盤。磨刀的時候總是會發出桔紅色的火花。刀磨完以後他還會用一組丁字型的銼刀把刀面的班銹銼光打亮。

如果家裡有多餘的玻璃瓶，我也會帶給他換取麥芽糖。麥芽糖的多少要看瓶子的大小，每一次給他的瓶子以後我就迫不及待的想知道他這一次會給我多少糖。沒錯，他的麥芽糖是很大很大一塊，每一次他會用那一隻髒髒的手捏一小塊麥芽糖出來，麥芽糖的尾端會呈現出細細長長的絲狀，在微微的夜風中翩翩起舞。賣油的會拿一根竹棍輕輕的把它接住，轉呀轉呀把所有的麥芽糖都繞在竹棍上，有時候他的指紋還可以清晰的印在麥芽糖上，但小時候的我只顧吃糖哪還管他有多髒。

小時候的記憶總是片片段段的。有時候是清晰的有時候是模糊的。想起來的時候如果不把它馬上記起來，過一會兒就忘了，再想把它找回來卻是一點頭緒都沒有，只留下一個退不掉的傷感。

世界稱霸戰

美國在第二次世界大戰後崛起，成為世界上最大的經濟體。美國在戰後，領悟到要稱霸世界如果用武力只會引起公憤。錢才是最有用的武器。美國的第一部就是把美金當作一個衡量國家財富的標準。美國第二步是用它的財富來發展最新武器。再用它的錢和武器跟“邦交國”做交換來鞏固它在地域的霸權。萬一邦交國不聽話，他就找機會把它職權者幹掉。美國第三步就是以高薪吸收全世界最優秀的人才來積極的研發科技並以智慧財產權的名義，威脅所有後起的新秀。

但是美國萬萬也沒有料到中國會在這麼短一段時間崛起。感覺像黃禍又要第二次的來到世界。臺灣人民天天都在擔心中國會把臺灣吃掉。其實美國已經吃了臺灣很多年了。想想看臺灣做代工毛利祇有5%，美國呢？

可能美國人比較可愛比較有禮貌，中國人個個面目可憎。請問這是事實嗎？我想你們應該是看了太多好萊塢的電影與電視吧。好萊塢最會推廣的就是美國是一個有血，有淚，有愛心的慈善國家。他們永遠為正義而戰，英雄永遠是美國人，壞人都是別人。臺灣人醒醒吧，剝削我們的是美國人還是中國人？

不義之財，不易之財

由於貧富不均的問題，而導致於年輕人對貧富的觀念有極端的看法；集團都是邪惡的。有錢人的財富都是壓榨個人而得到的。事實上一些成功的企業家，他們成功的過程是相當艱苦的。有些為了自己事業犧牲家庭，有些在過程中連續失敗到天天以泡麵為食，但是他們都有一些相同的優點，就是有信心，有毅力，有願景。我們的年輕人只想玩。賺錢是為了想玩。當然願景衹是^完^。

臺灣的基本薪資低，導致於他們玩的^力不從薪^。所以呀他們大家一起來請政府管管這些有錢人吧！房價高，打房！薪水低，加薪！所得高，加稅！窮富不均是不公平的。窮富平均才是公平的。等到有一天臺灣的競爭力歸於零的時候，大家都變成一樣窮這就公平嘍。奇怪呀！中國共產黨不是就是這樣子造反的嗎？

Disseminate the Nested Two-sided Network Strategy

Traditional one-side businesses are referred as supply-side economies of scale, cost is spread across a large customer base. Unfortunately, growth beyond some point usually leads to diminishing returns: Acquiring new customers becomes expensive as values are diluted across larger customer base. In contrast, a two-side network exhibits demand-side economics of scale, larger the customer base, greater is its ability to attract more customers; value improves as customer base grows (Eisenmann et al., 2006; Lee 2001).

Past papers on two-sided business model have mostly based on pricing decisions affecting the volume of transactions (Demange & Gale, 1985; Eisenmann et al., 2006; Evans, 2002b; Hagiu, 2006; Rochet & Tirole, 2003). The idea is to create a positive cross-side network externality when one side, attracted in volume, becomes highly valued by the other side. To bring both side on board, platforms usually subsidize the quality and price sensitive side (subsidy side) and let the other side (money side) paid the dues to reach it (Eisenmann et al., 2006). In other words, the price structure matters and platforms must design it so as to bring both sides on board (Evans & Schmalensee, 2013). Value grows as the platform matches demand from both sides (Eisenmann et al., 2006).

Indeed, pricing structure plays an important role in balancing the two sides, but past literature on two-sided network has not examined how the subsidy side is able to sustain its attractiveness to the masses over time, more specifically, past literature has not consider the existence of a two-side network nested within the subsidy side of its parent which could be responsible for large part of the overall value creation. With this research gap in mind, I am proposing that many of large two-sided business platform adopts a business strategy of hosting nested two-sided platforms as ways to add value to its primary business. In a sense, a nested two-sided platform could be viewed as a strategic asset that could either be indigenous to or acquired by a parent network. It also could be viewed as a group having a “stake” in the parent’s primary business that it is to the best interest of the parent to manage it effectively to achieve its primary objectives.

In our conceptualization of nested two-sided business strategy, we took the account that not all nested two-sided networks are created equal. Some are indigenous to the parent platform and others are acquired through merger or related through alliance. Those that are indigenous to the parent can either be pecuniary or non-pecuniary in nature and those that are acquired or allied are likely be able to sustain independently. With this note, we answer the question of how nested two-sided platform can increase the value of its parent’s primary business and what the mechanisms are through which the nested two-sided network can capture value.

To demonstrate the validity of this setting, we present a longitudinal case study examining four major, but very different firms– Amazon.com, Apple, Inc., Facebook, Inc., and Google Inc. Each firm has a clear two-sided platform nested under its primary business. The analysis is conducted on Amazon's product review, Apple’s iTunes, Facebook’s Farmville, and Google’s YouTube. Our analysis is conducted using secondary data including annual reports and financial statements, news releases, as well as existing research evidence such as prominent case studies, journal articles, books, etc. The results of our study show that all four companies have successfully adopted nested two-sided strategies resulting substantial increase in value and growth.

The results contribute theoretically to the two-sided network literature by analyzing the role of nested two-side network on its parent, which was not explicitly studies in the past. The analysis also brought new insights from the perspective of network complementarity and stakeholder view. Empirically, we analyze how nested two-sided network are utilized and combine these insights with theoretical development, resulting in propositions on the nature of nested two-sided network and its role in value creation and reciprocation.

The remainder of this study is formulated as follows. First, we discuss the key concepts of the study. Second, we develop a theoretical model from existing literature. This is followed by a longitudinal case study of each of the four firms in term of their nested platform strategy. Next, we put forward a set of propositions on the nature and the role of the nested two-sided platform and the rationale of nurturing such network within the subsidy side of the parent firm. Finally, we present our conclusions and suggestions for further research.