Learning Path 11
Distribution and Growth
Owned audiences, rented reach, platform risk, and building distribution that compounds.
- Intermediate
- ~12h estimated
- 11 modules
- 68 topics
Why this path matters
The best product routinely loses to the best distributor. Channels are the real contest.
What you will understand
- Why the biggest players do things that look irrational.
- The best product loses to the best distributor.
Modules in this path
Losing Money on Purpose · Hidden Economics
- Companies Intentionally Losing Money
- Acquisition Subsidies
- Venture Pricing Distortion
- Predatory Pricing
- Loss Leaders
- Razor-and-blade Economics
Pricing as a Weapon · Hidden Economics
- Cross-subsidization
- Ecosystem Lock-in
- Switching Costs
- Network Effects
- Two-sided Marketplaces
- Data Flywheels
Lock-In and Flywheels · Hidden Economics
Moats at Scale · Hidden Economics
- The Costco Model
- Software Margins
- Bank Economics
- Insurance Float
- Airline Economics
- Restaurant Failure Economics
Famous Economic Machines · Hidden Economics
- Viral versus Sustainable
- Market Share versus Profit
- Businesses Built to Be Acquired
- The Payment Network and Why a Slice of Every Swipe Goes Somewhere Else
- The Streaming Catalogue and Content as a Depreciating Asset
- The Semiconductor Foundry and the Economics of Extreme Capital Intensity
Feedback Loops and Increasing Returns · Hidden Economics
- The Flywheel and What Separates a Real Loop From a Diagram
- Increasing Returns and Why the Winner Keeps Winning
- Path Dependence and the Accidents That Decide a Market
- Standards Races and the Fight to Become the Default
- Learning Curves and the Cost That Falls with Cumulative Volume
- Critical Mass and the Tipping Point Where a Market Stops Being Contested
Owned vs Rented Audiences · Distribution
- Distribution versus Product
- Owning an Audience
- Renting an Audience
- Email as a Channel
- SMS Marketing
- Search Traffic
- Social Media Channels
Channels That Work · Distribution
- Creator Partnerships
- Influencer Economics
- Affiliate Systems
- Referral Systems
- B2B Outbound
- Cold Email
- Cold Calling
Outbound and Partnerships · Distribution
- Local Outreach
- Partnership Channels
- Channel Sales
- Reseller Networks
- Strategic Distribution
- Marketplace Dependence
- Platform Risk
Platform Dependence · Distribution
- Algorithm Risk
- Search Dependence
- Building a Brand Outside Platforms
- Audience Arbitrage
- Attention Arbitrage
- Local SEO
- Reviews as Distribution