Not only is there an educational cost to new business models but it can also be extremely difficult to figure out a monetization strategy that will work.

Other business models that are struggling

Even startups that are able to scale up on the back of new business models can run into problems.

Take Netflix for example. They grew into an $84B market cap streaming juggernaut using a flat-fee subscription for “all you can eat” streaming. On top of that, Netflix isn’t just a middle-man that distributes other media companies’ content. Unlike cable companies, which also charge a flat fee price, they produce a lot of their own original content.

Now, having seen its growth stall out, Netflix is exploring a lower-priced subscription tier that will include ads. Such a move mirrors the pricing strategies of other streaming services.

Then there is Robinhood and how it monetizes its business model. Prior to Robinhood entering the market, most trading platforms charged a per-trade fee. The startup disrupted the market and saw enormous growth in part due to its model of no-fee trading. Instead, the company makes money through a Payment for Order Flow agreement with other trading companies. This allows those other vendors to see which trades retail investors are making and use that intelligence in their own trading. Before Robinhood, few to no other trading platforms were leveraging such a business model. It was a strategic decision that allowed the startup to have massive growth. Now there is talk of regulation being passed that will eliminate or hamper Payment for Order Flow models.

Reading the Tea Leaves

Anytime you can successfully differentiate your business from your competitors you are gaining an advantage. But, entrepreneurs need to be mindful that those advantages usually come with a tradeoff.

Pricing structures that focus purely on customer acquisition and not profitability are only viable when your business can raise enormous amounts of capital to fund growth in that way. Growth at all costs isn’t going to work with investors who are tightening their belts in today’s economic environment.

You also have to be mindful of business models that don’t align well with your customer’s habits or the other options your customers have. Netflix was able to structure its pricing the way it did because it had very little competition in the beginning. Now there are a lot of other streaming options, and good ones at that.