Snapchat: the legendary app that allows users to send second-long pictures, with text. Since the birth of Snapchat, smartphone users across the world have fallen in love with this revolutionary style of instant messaging. The founders of Snapchat have, as well, been taken aback by the wealth generated, from $0 to $3 billion in two years. The value proposition of Snapchat is very unique. The customer segment the app targets is tech-savvy teenagers with lots of time to spare and many friends to share it with. The points of parity of this company are that they are an instant messaging service that allows users to send photos. The point of difference, however, is that these photos only last a maximum of ten seconds, and it is very easy to take a photo and send it to a friend.

Overall, Snapchat has got it figured out. The app is intuitive and easy to use, the updates feature new and improved technology, and new users are added every day. The customers are very happy with the product, and Snapchat is on it’s way to becoming the most popular instant messaging service out there. Snaps for Snapchat!

See the original blog post here: https://blogs.ubc.ca/pierrenoujeim/2013/11/15/0-to-3-billion/

How did Victoria do it? Since the company’s founding in 1977, Victoria’s Secret has steadily risen to be one of the top retail brands in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In 2012, sales were $6.12 billion. This staggering number will only rise with each new store opening, such as the flagship store opening on the corner of Robson and Burrard in Vancouver.

As the store opened at the intersection of the most popular part of Downtown Vancouver, it is evident that Victoria’s Secret has marketing strategies that are unparalleled by other companies. One strategy that the company uses is its annual fashion show, which generates interest in customers by using world-famous models and entertainers, such as Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. Sure, this fashion show is an expensive one to put on, with last years costing a total of $13 million, but the revenue it generates is worth it. As well, Victoria’s other secret is having product that can be used across many generations. Their online and print advertisements enable many women to want their products, and they offer in-store deals.They make apparel for both young and old alike, appealing to teenage girls and older women.

http://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-is-the-top-brand-2013-1

Whole Foods Market has, since its opening, been a success story of a supermarket. The fresh, organic produce that it offers, combined with local foods and ready-made meals, has allowed Whole Foods to be a mecca for healthy living. A point of parity for Whole Foods is that it is an organic supermarket, and there are dozens similar. However, the points of difference is that it offers far more options than the next supermarket, with products such as its 365 brand, on the lower end of the price scale, all the way up to gourmet chocolates, such as Thomas Haas, which would be much more pricey.

The Value Proposition of Whole Foods targets wealthy, health conscious individuals with a passion for fine food and the means to afford it. These people see importance in purchasing well-made food. Looking at the business model canvas, it is clear that Whole Foods has a very strong relationship with its customer. The service provided by this above-average grocery store allows customers to keep coming back, because the staff at Whole Foods are very knowledgeable about their products, and they know how to treat their customers. Whole Foods Market is truly “organic living at its finest.”

Whole Foods Market: Organic Living at its Finest

Arc: a continuous progression or line of development

The Sauder School of Business Arc Initiative strives to join Canadian entrepreneurs and businessmen to business owners in other communities around the world. By hosting conferences and workshops, professors and students from Sauder successfully train local entrepreneurs to utilize different business tools, such as the SWOT diagram, Porter’s Five Forces, and the Business Model Canvas in their own companies, in order to increase sales and maximize revenue. One example of a company that has undergone Arc Initiative training is Salem’s Ethiopia, a craft boutique in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I would like to someday go an Arc Initiative trip. I feel like this experience would be a worthwhile and great learning venture. The learning and teaching that happens on these trips is a two-way passage; an adventure for both parties involved. I would like to learn about local customs, especially when it comes to the business world, of different cultures. I’m sure that many entrepreneurs have their own methods to increasing sales, which Sauder students can learn when they go to different countries. The development that occurs on these trips is one that never ends.

http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/News/2012/Sauders_Arc_Initiative_mentors_entrepreneurs_in_Ethiopia

In 2012, Kellogg purchased Pringles from Proctor & Gamble for $2.7 billion. Kellogg previously owned several other snack brands, such as Keebler and Cheez-It, and hoped to expand internationally through Pringles’ products. Rather than relying on the cereal business for revenue, Kellogg has tried to turn to snacks to bring in revenue.
Looking at the business model canvas, Kellogg is expanding its value propositions. They are satisfying the customers’ desire for snack foods, rather than focusing on the cereal aspect of business. In addition, they are looking deeper into their customer segments to see what the customer wants them to provide. Their key partners, key activities, and key resources change with every additional brand purchase that they make. The key resources in this case relate to “the potential for increased scale in Europe and a good entry point into snacking in Asia and Latin America.” As Pringles generates about $1.5 billion in annual sales, Kellogg will have made back their costs of buying the company in two years. According to analysts, “The company already has a dominant position in the snacks category, including fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, crackers, etc.” All in all, Kellogg simply sees an opportunity to seize with Pringles.

In the summer of 2011, I traveled to Sydney, Australia to learn more about my cousin’s independent business, an online organic yarn store called Ecoyarns. While I was there, I was exposed to the challenges that a small business owner faces on a day-to-day basis. It wasn’t until recently, when I learned about the Business Model Canvas, that I connected all of the different aspects of Ecoyarns to each other. Vivian, my cousin, and the owner of Ecoyarns, clearly has so much on her plate when it comes to maximizing revenue and cutting down as much cost as possible in the yarn business. The value proposition for Ecoyarns includes providing the customer with naturally dyed, environmentally friendly and ethical wool and fibres from all across Australia. While the yarn business Down Under is a competitive one, Ecoyarns’ points of difference, including hand-dyed, hand-spun wool, create a market of its own. The relationship Vivian has with her online customers is a close one, as her customers trust that she will deliver only the finest products straight to their door (another point of difference!). Australians and knitters all around the world are very lucky to have a source like Ecoyarns!

http://http://ecoyarns.com.au/