What Are Recurring Revenue Streams, The Different Types Of Recurring Revenue Streams, The Benefits Of Having Recurring Revenue Streams, And The Challenges Of Building Up Recurring Revenue Streams That Entrepreneurs Can Encounter


Book Description

This essay sheds light on what are recurring revenue streams, demystifies the different types of recurring revenue streams, reveals the benefits of having recurring revenue streams, and delineates the challenges of building up recurring revenue streams that entrepreneurs can encounter. Recurring revenue streams are revenue streams that are expected to be able to generate revenue on an ongoing basis. The revenue generated from a recurring revenue stream is far more predictable than the revenue generated from a non-recurring revenue stream. A recurring revenue stream has the latent potential to provide revenue on an ongoing basis. It is preferable if a revenue stream has the latent potential to provide revenue in perpetuity and has an unlimited earning potential that is not tethered to your time. A company’s recurring revenue streams that generate substantial recurring revenue are able to do so as long as the target market is willing to pay recurring fees on an ongoing basis. Recurring revenue streams are for instance generated by companies that provide subscription services. In exchange for access to its subscription services, the company’s subscribers for instance pay a subscription fee on a periodical basis, such as a monthly basis, which thereby provides the company with recurring revenue. The more subscription services a company offers, the more recurring revenue streams that they can bring to fruition. Recurring revenue streams provide companies with revenue from ongoing payments on a periodical basis, such as a monthly basis. Subscribers are amenable to paying ongoing payments on a periodical basis, such as a monthly basis, to be able to avail themselves of continuous access to a service. Lamentably, even though revenue generate from a recurring revenue streams is not guaranteed, it is far more predictable than the revenue generated from a non-recurring revenue stream, especially since customers who provide companies with recurring revenue are content with making ongoing payments to have access to a service. Companies are also able to generate recurring revenue by providing access to products as a service which can provide their subscribers with access to products as long as they continue to pay a recurring subscription fee to access them. Recurring revenue streams can also be generated from investment securities. A company does not need to provide services nor access to products as a service to generate recurring revenue since it can own investment securities that can provide them with recurring revenue, such as equities that have high dividend yields. Providing people with access to assets can also generate recurring revenue for the owners of the assets. Car dealerships for instance can lease out cars and trucks to customers in order to generate recurring revenue. Boat dealers can lease out boats to customers in order to generate recurring revenue. Aircraft dealers can lease out aircraft to clients in order to generate recurring revenue. Real estate firms can rent out rental real estate properties to tenants in order to generate recurring revenue. Parcel deliver companies can rent out mail boxes to clients in order to generate recurring revenue. Storage companies can rent out rental storage units to tenants in order to generate recurring revenue. Manufactured home park companies can lease out land to tenants in order to generate recurring revenue. Investors understand the eminent importance of generate recurring revenue. Investors generate recurring revenue from investment securities. Stocks that have high dividend yields provide investors with recurring dividend payments. Corporate bonds provide investors with recurring coupon payments for a prolonged period of time. Passively managed index mutual funds provide investors with recurring distribution payments. Passively managed exchange traded funds provide investors with recurring distribution payments. Passively managed exchange traded funds provide investors with recurring distribution payments. Rental real estate properties provide real estate investors with recurring rental payments. Even though it is possible for an investment securities that provide recurring revenue and real estate properties that provide recurring revenue to no longer do so, they are inapt to cease providing recurring revenue. Companies that offer high dividend yields for their stocks are inapt to discontinue offering dividends payments to their shareholders. Companies that offer AAA Corporate bonds that provide investors with recurring coupon payments for a prolonged period of time are inapt to default on their debt obligations to their bond holders.




Why Startups Fail


Book Description

If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.




Ecommerce Evolved


Book Description

Introduction -- The 12 core principles of ecommerce -- pt. I: Evolved strategy : Funnel-based ecommerce ; Recurring income core -- Think before you sell ; Conversion tricks, sales boosts, and profit maximizers -- pt. II: Evolved intelligence : Your target market ; Your competition ; Exploit your data -- pt. III: Evolved marketing : Advertising channels ; Front-end marketing ; Back-end marketing-- Final thoughts.




The Automatic Customer


Book Description

The lifeblood of your business is repeat customers. But customers can be fickle, markets shift, and competitors are ruthless. So how do you ensure a steady flow of repeat business? The secret—no matter what industry you’re in—is finding and keeping automatic customers. These days virtually anything you need can be purchased through a subscription, with more convenience than ever before. Far beyond Spotify, Netflix, and New York Times subscriptions, you can sign up for weekly or monthly supplies of everything from groceries (AmazonFresh) to cosmetics (Birchbox) to razor blades (Dollar Shave Club). According to John Warrillow, this emerging subscription economy offers huge opportunities to companies that know how to turn customers into subscribers. Automatic customers are the key to increasing cash flow, igniting growth, and boosting the value of your company. Consider Whatsapp, the internet-based messaging service that was purchased by Facebook for $19 billion. While other services bombarded users with invasive ads in order to fund a free messaging platform, Whatsapp offered a refreshingly private tool on a subscription platform, charging just $1 per year. Their business model enabled the kind of service that customers wanted and ensured automatic customers for years to come. As Warrillow shows, subscriptions aren’t limited to technology or media businesses. Companies in nearly any industry, from start-ups to the Fortune 500, from home contractors to florists, can build subscriptions into their business. Warrillow provides the essential blueprint for winning automatic customers with one of the nine subscription business models, including: • The Membership Website Model: Companies like The Wood Whisperer Guild, ContractorSelling, and DanceStudioOwner offer access to highly specialized, high quality information, recognizing that people will pay for good content. This model can work for any business with a tightly defined niche market and insider information. • The Simplifier Model: Companies like Mosquito Squad (pest control) and Hassle Free Homes (home maintenance) take a recurring task off your to-do list. Any business serving busy consumers can adopt this model not only to create a recurring revenue stream, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to cross-sell or bundle their services. • The Surprise Box Model: Companies like BarkBox (dog treats) and Standard Cocoa (craft chocolate) send their subscribers curated packages of goodies each month. If you can handle the logistics of shipping, giving customers joy in something new can translate to sales on your larger e-commerce site. This book also shows you how to master the psychology of selling subscriptions and how to reduce churn and provides a road map for the essential statistics you need to measure the health of your subscription business. Whether you want to transform your entire business into a recurring revenue engine or just pick up an extra 5 percent of sales growth, The Automatic Customer will be your secret weapon.




Lean B2B


Book Description

Get from Idea to Product/Market Fit in B2B. The world has changed. Nowadays, there are more companies building B2B products than there’s ever been. Products are entering organizations top-down, middle-out, and bottom-up. Teams and managers control their budgets. Buyers have become savvier and more impatient. The case for the value of new innovations no longer needs to be made. Technology products get hired, and fired faster than ever before. The challenges have moved from building and validating products to gaining adoption in increasingly crowded and fragmented markets. This, requires a new playbook. The second edition of Lean B2B is the result of years of research into B2B entrepreneurship. It builds off the unique Lean B2B Methodology, which has already helped thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators around the world build successful businesses. In this new edition, you’ll learn: - Why companies seek out new products, and why they agree to buy from unproven vendors like startups - How to find early adopters, establish your credibility, and convince business stakeholders to work with you - What type of opportunities can increase the likelihood of building a product that finds adoption in businesses - How to learn from stakeholders, identify a great opportunity, and create a compelling value proposition - How to get initial validation, create a minimum viable product, and iterate until you're able to find product/market fit This second edition of Lean B2B will show you how to build the products that businesses need, want, buy, and adopt.




Subscription Marketing


Book Description

The marketing playbook for the Subscription Economy, now in its 3rd edition Subscriptions are upending industries and reshaping customer expectations. Have you changed your marketing practices to thrive in this new reality? A successful subscription business is built on lasting relationships, not one-time sales. Stop chasing sales and start creating value. The third edition of this ground-breaking book offers updated advice for solopreneurs, small businesses, fast-growing start-ups, and large enterprises alike. You’ll find creative practices that will help you build and sustain the customer relationships that lead to long-term success. The revised third edition includes: – Updated research and case studies reflecting the rapid growth of subscription-based businesses – New chapters focusing on the needs of solopreneurs or small businesses and entrepreneurs/start-ups. – An expanded look at the risks and rewards of values-based marketing Whether you already have subscription revenues or you want to build an ongoing relationship with existing customers, you can adopt the practices and mindsets of the most successful subscription businesses. Find out why Book Authority considers Subscription Marketing to be one of the top marketing strategy books of all time.




Built to Sell


Book Description

Run your company. Don’t let it run you. Most business owners started their company because they wanted more freedom—to work on their own schedules, make the kind of money they deserve, and eventually retire on the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, most owners find that stepping out of the picture is extremely difficult because their business relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, their company—no matter how big or profitable—is essentially worthless. But the good news is that entrepreneurs can take specific steps—no matter what stage a business is in—to create a valuable, sellable company. Warrillow shows exactly what it takes to create a solid business that can thrive long into the future.




Subscribed


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CMI MANAGEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD Today's consumers prefer the advantages of access over the hassles of ownership. It's not just internet services like Netflix and Spotify; even industrial firms like GE and Caterpillar are reinventing themselves as solutions providers. Whether you sell software, clothes, insurance, or industrial machines, you need to master the transition to the subscription model. Adapting to the subscription economy takes more than just deciding to sell subscriptions instead of products. You'll have to reinvent your company from the inside out -- from your accounting to your entire IT architecture. No matter how large or small your company, Subscribed gives you a practical, step-by-step framework to rebuild your business around a customer-centric, recurring revenue model.In ten years, we'll be subscribing to everything: information technology, transportation, retail, healthcare, even housing. Informed by insights straight from the servers of Zuora, the world's largest subscription finance platform, Subscribed is the book that explains how this shift really works -- and how business leaders can prepare and prosper.




Business Model Generation


Book Description

Business Model Generation is a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers striving to defy outmoded business models and design tomorrow's enterprises. If your organization needs to adapt to harsh new realities, but you don't yet have a strategy that will get you out in front of your competitors, you need Business Model Generation. Co-created by 470 "Business Model Canvas" practitioners from 45 countries, the book features a beautiful, highly visual, 4-color design that takes powerful strategic ideas and tools, and makes them easy to implement in your organization. It explains the most common Business Model patterns, based on concepts from leading business thinkers, and helps you reinterpret them for your own context. You will learn how to systematically understand, design, and implement a game-changing business model--or analyze and renovate an old one. Along the way, you'll understand at a much deeper level your customers, distribution channels, partners, revenue streams, costs, and your core value proposition. Business Model Generation features practical innovation techniques used today by leading consultants and companies worldwide, including 3M, Ericsson, Capgemini, Deloitte, and others. Designed for doers, it is for those ready to abandon outmoded thinking and embrace new models of value creation: for executives, consultants, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all organizations. If you're ready to change the rules, you belong to "the business model generation!"




On Startups: Advice and Insights for Entrepreneurs


Book Description

Note from the Author Hi, my name is Dharmesh, and I’m a startup addict. And, chances are, if you’re reading this, you have at least a mild obsession as well. This book is based on content from the OnStartups.com blog. The story behind how the blog got started is sort of interesting—but before I tell you that story, it’ll help to understand my earlier story. As a professional programmer, I used to work in a reasonably fun job doing what I liked to do (write code). Eventually, I got a little frustrated with it all, so at the ripe old age of 24, I started my first software company. It did pretty well. It was on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies three times. It reached millions of dollars of sales and was ultimately acquired. I ran that first company for over 10 years working the typical startup hours. When I sold that company, I went back to school to get a master’s degree at MIT. I’ve always enjoyed academics, and I figured this would be a nice “soft landing” and give me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. As part of my degree requirements, I had to write a graduate thesis. I titled my thesis “On Startups: Patterns and Practices of Contemporary Software Entrepreneurs.” And, as part of that thesis work, I wanted to get some feedback from some entrepreneurs. So, I figured I’d start a blog. I took the first two words of the thesis title, “On Startups,” discovered that the domain name OnStartups.com was available, and was then off to the races. The blog was launched on November 5, 2005. Since then, the blog and associated community have grown quite large. Across Facebook, LinkedIn, and email subscribers, there are over 300,000 people in the OnStartups.com audience. This book is a collection of some of the best articles from over 7 years of OnStartups.com. The articles have been topically organized and edited. I hope you enjoy them.