Reading Guide  /  Founder

7 Powers

Scaling and Operating the Company

7 Powers

Hamilton Helmer

The VMT Review — Founder library

Helmer offers a rigorous framework for understanding durable competitive advantage through scale economies, network economies, counter-positioning, switching costs, branding, cornered resources, and process power. It is conceptually demanding but useful for founders and investors thinking beyond initial product-market fit.

What the reader will learn

Readers learn to distinguish temporary product superiority from structural advantage and consider when in the company’s development each form of power can emerge.