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Platforms & Marketplaces
Practical lessons and observations from my work, especially around platforms and marketplaces.
The real cost of trying to be everything at once
By Alan W One thing I keep noticing, in my own work and in the businesses I spend time with: the moment you try to communicate everything, you communicate nothing. It happens easily. You start solving one problem. Then you notice three more problems next door. You can genuinely help with those too. So you expand — the offer, the message, the positioning. And before long, nobody quite knows what you do, including, sometimes, you. This is not a strategy failure. It's a clarity
Small course corrections.
By Alan W You don’t always need a new strategy. Sometimes you just need a small course correction. Although I’m using a platform business model in this example, the principle applies to almost any business. Things change while you’re building. Customer behaviour changes. Demand changes. Supply changes. Priorities change. If you don’t notice it early enough, you can end up solving the wrong problem. I think of it like a pilot flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town. If the wind
Network Effects for Every Business: How AI Accelerates the Loops
By Alan W Most people think network effects are only for giant platforms like Uber, Airbnb, or LinkedIn. But the truth is: network...
AI Isn’t Just About the Product – It’s About the Business Behind It
By Alan W When founders think about AI, the focus is usually on the product side — recommendation engines, smarter search, dynamic...
AI Helped Me Solve One of the Biggest Platform Headaches.
By Alan W One of the most frustrating challenges in platform/marketplace building? Users who sign up but then go silent. They browse once...
The New Code: Why Every Business Needs a Strategy & Spec — Especially Now
By Alan W At DNA-Business, we work with founders across all kinds of industries — platforms, marketplaces, creatives, service businesses...
Design Your Flywheel, Not Just Your Features.
By Alan W Most founders I work with want traction. But what they really need is momentum. And that’s where the flywheel effect comes in....
Slow Doesn’t Mean Stuck: How to Keep Building When It Feels Quiet
By Alan W June was a quiet month. ClearShift didn’t fall apart — but it didn’t take off either. And to be honest… I didn’t either.I kept...
Your Platform Is a Project
By Alan W Why momentum beats motivation — and what founders get wrong about building platforms. Most platform founders believe they’re...
AI First: The New Way to Build Smarter
By Alan W Ten years ago, Luke Wroblewski said we should design for mobile first. Not because mobile was better. But because it forced us...
5 Questions to Build (or Fix) Your Platform or Marketplace
By Alan W Starting or scaling a platform or marketplace is a unique challenge. You're balancing multiple user groups, ensuring a seamless...
The Network Effect Myth: Why More Users Won’t Save Your Platform
By Alan W Content here..... One of the most persistent myths about platforms is that they win simply by having more users. The belief...
Lessons Learned: Why Choosing People Over Features Was the Key to ClearShift’s Success
By Alan W As a platform advisor, I’ve worked with many startups, but some of the most valuable lessons come from the simplest...
Platforms Are Everywhere - Even in Your Old VHS Collection
By Alan W When we think of platforms today, we tend to picture apps, marketplaces, and software connecting millions of users. But...
The Difference Between a Platform and a Platform Business Model (And Why It Matters)
By Alan W I’ve noticed that when people talk about “platforms,” they often mean very different things. Some are referring to a piece of...
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