I finished Lisa Gansky's "The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing"
ZipCar, Kickstarter and time-sensitive group-buying services like Bakersfield Daily Deal are just a few examples of relatively new collaborative business models that have gained widespread growth over the past year. The concept of sharing a business with others is a tough one to grasp. But when the mix is right -- like private owners renting out their cars when they're otherwise sitting idle -- blinders come off traditional business models.
I've been tossing around a few ideas on how a newspaper company might play in a "mesh" environment but haven't come up with something worth pursuing. But I'm thinking.
To get your brain churning, check out a fun outgrowth of Gasnky's book called Meshing It, an ever-growing list of businesses that fit the book's theme. You'll be amazed to find hundreds of creative business models that once were right under our noses.