Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
7 Powers summary
Hamilton Helmer
The Foundations of Business Strategy
16 mins
Brief summary
7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer is a strategic guide that explores the seven most important business powers that can be leveraged to create long-term success. It provides valuable insights and frameworks for analyzing and building a winning business strategy.
Table of Contents
7 Powers
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Netflix
Back in 2007, Netflix finally left Blockbuster in the dust. They had already given Blockbuster a run for its money by positioning themselves as the rent-from-home company. Even though Blockbuster tried its own version of mailing DVDs, the name Netflix had become solidly associated with the practice.
However, what Netflix did even better was foresee the future. They knew that DVDs had a limited lifespan. Netflix realized that streaming capabilities would soon make it viable for people to view shows and movies via streaming rather than DVD. So, in 2007, they made their way into the streaming market.
This foresight wasn’t a one-time thing for Netflix. Throughout the course of developing their streaming platform, Netflix found it difficult to manage the contracts that would allow them to use properties in various regions for various timespans. They knew that to retain power, they would need to do something different. So in 2012, they ventured into originals with Lilyhammer and House of Cards.
At that time, Netflix had over 30 million users. A single episode of House of Cards cost $4.5 million to make – meaning that per episode, they would need to be making $0.15 off each user.
Where it gets interesting is when you think about the economics of this. The price per episode is not a fixed thing, but is dependent on the user base. So the more users Netflix could attract, the lower the cost per user to provide content.
This is called scale economy, and it is the first power. Scale economy exists when your cost of doing business decreases as your product supply increases.
It is extremely difficult to unseat the company that has the power of scale economy. Imagine being a newer streaming platform with only three million users and trying to create House of Cards. Your cost per user would be ten times Netflix’s cost, so the cost of beating them at their game becomes prohibitive.
Scale economy constitutes power because it represents the potential for long-term entrenchment at the top of the industry, and it’s very challenging for competitors to overcome.
Want more?
Read or listen to the key ideas
from 7,500+ titles
Read or listen to the key ideas
from 7,500+ titles
Key ideas in 7 Powers
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is 7 Powers about?
The 7 Powers (2016) is about the strategic positions that have won great success for many companies and brought great failure to others. It gives case studies for each power as well as insights into why these powers did or didn’t work.
7 Powers Review
7 Powers (2016) by Hamilton Helmer is a thought-provoking book that explores the seven fundamental sources of enduring business success. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical frameworks that allow businesses to navigate complexity and make informed decisions.
- Helmer combines real-world examples and analysis to illustrate each power, making it applicable and relatable.
- The book's insights into strategy, competition, and long-term success keep readers engaged and excited about the possibilities of business growth.
Who should read 7 Powers?
- Entrepreneurs
- The Executive Suite
- Business Students
Categories with 7 Powers
Book summaries like 7 Powers
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
32 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
7 Powers FAQs
What is the main message of 7 Powers?
The main message of 7 Powers is understanding and leveraging key sources of power to achieve business success.
How long does it take to read 7 Powers?
The reading time for 7 Powers varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is 7 Powers a good book? Is it worth reading?
7 Powers is definitely worth reading. It provides valuable insights and strategies for achieving long-term success in the business world.
Who is the author of 7 Powers?
The author of 7 Powers is Hamilton Helmer.
What to read after 7 Powers?
If you're wondering what to read next after 7 Powers, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Strategy Sprints by Simon Severino
- Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
- Smart Leadership by Mark Miller
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- One Summer by Bill Bryson
- Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore
- Pricing For Profit by Peter Hill
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin
Featured Titles
- The Language of Flowers
- The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business
- This Is Not a T-Shirt
- Trump-Style Negotiation
- Way of the Wolf: Straight Line Selling
- What It Takes
- Work for Money, Design for Love
- Work Less, Make More
- Your Erroneous Zones
- Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale