Bundling And Unbundling: The Only Ways To Succeed In Business

You are either putting something together or taking something apart. 

There’s building the castle with the Legos. 

There’s taking the castle apart and putting it back in the bin. 

The bin, full and untouched, is an opportunity awaiting action. 

The bin, empty and exhausted, is an opportunity requiring deconstruction. 

Jim Barksdale is famous for saying “The only way to make money is bundling and unbundling.” 

This is what he’s talking about. 

Look at any existing business, think in terms of Legos. 

What could I bundle that up inside of? Could it be a structure within my even bigger castle walls? An extension on the perimeter? 

What could I break that down into? Could I turn this castle into 3 cars? A smaller house with a garage and spaceship?

Now do your business. Think the same way. 

What are you building towards or deconstructing from? 

If you’ve never encountered it, check out this HBR article featuring snippets of conversation between Marc Andreessen and Jim Barksdale discussing it, “How to Succeed in Business by Bundling – and Unbundling,” by Justin Fox.