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The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing
by
Lisa Gansky
A simple, powerful idea that's reinventing the way smart, adaptive companies do business.
Most businesses follow the same basic formula: create a product or service, sell it, and collect money. What Lisa Gansky calls "Mesh" businesses throw this model out the window. Instead, these companies use social media, wireless networks, and data crunched from every available sourc...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 23rd 2010
by Portfolio Hardcover
(first published September 21st 2010)
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Etukäteen olin kuullut kirjasta seuraavan arvion: "The Mesh on vähän kuin samaan aikaan ilmestynyt Rachel Botsmanin ja Roo Rogersin 'What's Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption'. Arvio piti kutinsa varsin hyvin. Ganskyn kirjoitustyyli ei ole yhtä letkeä ja vetävä, eikä hänen lähestymistapansa ole yhtä analyyttinen kuin Botsmanilla ja Rogersilla. Koska kirjat ilmestyivät niin samaan aikaan ja kuvaavat niin samaa ilmiötä, toista ei - Ganskyn epäonneksi - voi mainita ilman toista.
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The book discusses the increasingly recurring themes of openness and platform that have been discussed in other books like Open Leadership by Charlene Li and Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson.
The core premise of Mesh businesses is: "When information about goods is shared, the value of those goods increases, for the business, for individuals, and for the community."
The author says that, "fundamentally, the Mesh is based on network-enabled sharing--on access rather than ownership. The...more
The core premise of Mesh businesses is: "When information about goods is shared, the value of those goods increases, for the business, for individuals, and for the community."
The author says that, "fundamentally, the Mesh is based on network-enabled sharing--on access rather than ownership. The...more
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1. The core offering is something that can be shared, within a community, market, or value chain, including products, services, and raw materials.
2. Advanced web and mobile data networks are used to track goods and aggregate usage, customer, and product information.
3. The focus is on shareable physical goods, including the materials used, which makes local delivery of services and products -- and their recovery -- valuable and relevant.
4. Offers, news, and recommendations are transmitted largely...more
2. Advanced web and mobile data networks are used to track goods and aggregate usage, customer, and product information.
3. The focus is on shareable physical goods, including the materials used, which makes local delivery of services and products -- and their recovery -- valuable and relevant.
4. Offers, news, and recommendations are transmitted largely...more
OK, this is what I'm talking about. Progressive, thought- and innovation-provoking, useful.
Gansky outlines the ramifications of network-enabled sharing of assets, both tangible and intangible (i.e., goods, like Zipcar and ideas/information of a million ilks, new models for banking, ownership, collaboration). She peppers the book with hundreds of examples of this new model in action, across markets, disciplines and geographies. She clearly illustrates how companies beholden to old-school, proprie...more
Gansky outlines the ramifications of network-enabled sharing of assets, both tangible and intangible (i.e., goods, like Zipcar and ideas/information of a million ilks, new models for banking, ownership, collaboration). She peppers the book with hundreds of examples of this new model in action, across markets, disciplines and geographies. She clearly illustrates how companies beholden to old-school, proprie...more
If you’re interested in the shifts in consumerism and business, then I recommend reading Lisa Gansky’s The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing. Gansky unveils a shift from the traditional “buyer-seller” model to a “sharer-networker” model. And the network is “the Mesh”.
The sharing concept isn’t brand new. Hotel and rental cars are based on consumers “sharing” products for specific amounts of time. What’s new is the role that information about the consumer plays. Companies are now able to...more
The sharing concept isn’t brand new. Hotel and rental cars are based on consumers “sharing” products for specific amounts of time. What’s new is the role that information about the consumer plays. Companies are now able to...more
The Internet is a wonderful thing. In the 20-odd years since we have gotten used to email, websites, instant messaging and spam, the world has taken to the idea of being connected wholesale. I cannot imagine a facet of life nowadays that doesn’t have an online presence. Even my Mum shops online now!
It is this world that Lisa Gansky has written her new book ‘Mesh’, to demonstrate that there is still a world of development and progress that we can make in the virtual world. Whereas, Web 1.0 ga...more
It is this world that Lisa Gansky has written her new book ‘Mesh’, to demonstrate that there is still a world of development and progress that we can make in the virtual world. Whereas, Web 1.0 ga...more
A great look at how sharing is changing business. I think this is a must-read for anyone starting a business today, in order to understand how technology and social values are shifting away from the ownership model and more towards temporary use of items. Zipcar and Netflix are the best examples of this so far, but the book discusses a bunch of other smaller companies which are finding successful niches.
My favorite example from the book is ThredUp, which lets parents swap their kids clothes once...more
My favorite example from the book is ThredUp, which lets parents swap their kids clothes once...more
Book describes the idea of businesses and initiatives based on network and sharing. Shows possibilities of re-using things and resources we have. May be an eye-opener in our times when people focus on having things for their own that in a lot of cases is unnecessary and wasteful. The author tries to prove (in a successful way in my opinion) that creating Meshes allows to achieve better results, better customer satisfaction and easier life with lower costs and in the way more favorable and less p...more
It is a shame this book was so painful to read, because there is some good stuff here, hidden amongst the repetitive, unnecessary business jargon and other distracting tactics. If I could put the book in a pot and boil it down to its valuable essence, we would reduce page count by 80% or a bit more, and eliminate my irritation level entirely. We get it: there are a set of conditions that enable a business to identify itself as a new economy "mesh" business, and because of recent social and econo...more
The Mesh is the new way that people and companies are doing business. Businesses appeal to users (often offering incentives to get their opinions/feedback) and use the information they receive from and about their customers to refine and improve the services they offer. Products are shared, repairable, and/or recyclable. Information is shared between businesses. Initial costs are kept down by using existing infrastructures for payment, shipping, communication etc. Lisa Gansky gives many examples...more
I thought it was a good business book, and cleverly describes the most obvious trends of the next few decades. I gave it three stars not because of the quality of the content or the nature of the writing (flippant but engaging) but because the layout was such that a two-page spread of special information would be inserted into a chapter, often in the middle of a sentence, which made me flip back and forth a lot to remind myself what the author had been talking about. Worse yet, these asides were...more
Is it self-dealing to review a book when you're quoted on the back? If so, I'm guilty. What I'm quoted as saying on the back of The Mesh is "Gansky's book is an important read for anyone who cares about the planet or is looking to make a ton of money." I firmly believe it. I am a fan of the many emerging businesses in what is now being called "collaborative consumption" (e.g., RelayRides, AirBnB, etc.). They make good sense economically and they are certainly better for the world. Lisa Gansky wa...more
This is a must read book on what is in store for us for the future. Sharing resources online and offline is a growing business model that has pushed traditional business aside (Netflix vs. Blockbuster).
Showing how others have done it, Lisa Gansky shows many different models and the corresponding pitfalls and successes. Learning a new way of doing business that is really an old way of doing business brought back to life by global connectivity could transform your future planning.
Definitely pick u...more
Showing how others have done it, Lisa Gansky shows many different models and the corresponding pitfalls and successes. Learning a new way of doing business that is really an old way of doing business brought back to life by global connectivity could transform your future planning.
Definitely pick u...more
Excellent book that captures the zeitgeist of the coming business revolution. The combination of a push for more sustainable products that take into account TCO, a focus on experiences not stuff, the idea of the long tail, social networks, the data revolution and tech innovations that commidify large tech backends (Cloud Services, SaaS, Amazon Web Services, GetSatisfaction, etc) make it easier that ever to create a new "mesh" business focused on satisfying the consumer. Lisa Gansky deftly and su...more
While reading about all the great examples of businesses that use Mesh, I found Goodreads! I kept of imagining all the possibilities of this business concept and though I have not grasped a niche that I believe will be utterly successful, I know that mesh businesses may be a way to go.
Other than details of the book, I specifically enjoyed Gansky's idea because she was able to support it with various current examples. While reading the book, I was searching online for the websites that she menti...more
Other than details of the book, I specifically enjoyed Gansky's idea because she was able to support it with various current examples. While reading the book, I was searching online for the websites that she menti...more
This was a quick read 'cause the last 1/4 of the book is a PRINT directory of Mesh businesses/sites like...Goodreads. Which just about sums up the entire Achilles' Heel of this book: It's late, it's in print where it should be an ongoing discussion, and it's mostly just condensing and summarizing what anyone can figure out from looking at, say, Zipcar or Netflix or crowdsourcing.
That said, sometimes it's nice to have a pithy summary that reminds you these businesses did not always exist and doi...more
That said, sometimes it's nice to have a pithy summary that reminds you these businesses did not always exist and doi...more
Every now and then, you pick up a book which offer such a compelling new idea that you simply cannot put down. The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing by Lisa Gansky is one such title.
In an increasingly crowded, economically uncertain, and enviromentally damaged world, people are becoming increasingly wary about the financial and personal burden of buying and owning stuff. Aided by social media, wireless networks and data crunched from every available source, people are moving towards sh...more
In an increasingly crowded, economically uncertain, and enviromentally damaged world, people are becoming increasingly wary about the financial and personal burden of buying and owning stuff. Aided by social media, wireless networks and data crunched from every available source, people are moving towards sh...more
I picked up this book because it was mentioned in some article - "librarians know The Mesh." It is a helpful description of the popular trend of share-platform businesses (think Netflix and Zipcar) and how to determine a niche and how to get your business venture into the Mesh through social networking. I liked the author's reminders that this new way of doing businesses - providing expensive products for people to use and share - is very green and economical. However, after reading these same p...more
May 26, 2012
Jeff Vankooten
added it
This book dealt with the new way of doing business today: Make money by having customers buy less but use more. For speakers, just having a keynote and a book isn't enough. You need to have a multiplicity of delivery channels (twitter, Facebook, linkedin, blog, webinar, etc) to deliver information. Much of it should be given away to build trust and create life long customers for the products that are profitable.
Though The Mesh opens the door to a new way of thinking about business in the new decade, author Lisa Gansky struggles only in her ability to make the actual book read as wonderfully as her idea does. Gansky has, without a doubt, offered a perspective on business that is bound to influence many other authors, innovators, and entrepreneurs; The Mesh concept is well-supported by a sack full of terminology, examples, and ideals. The book is a quick read, but it is unnecessary to read from cover to...more
The hard sell on new lingo turned me off. Uses Zipcar, Netflix, and Kickstarter as examples of "the Mesh," that is, businesses that profit via shared services or products, as if that's something new. I think the book's ultimate purpose was to create a new buzzword, but I'm not buying it.
To compete and survive in business today and in the future, this is a must read. Gansky is brilliant in this idea of MESH BUSINESS and leaves you with a desire to search out more in the world of Green. Recycle,Reuse, Repurpose, Share. Looking forward to her next work.
An interesting concept, well excutied, about how mesh businesses, those that involve lending rather than owning goods, are the wave of the future. The book was quick read, but a thoughtful one. I would recommend that you read rather than listen to it. It's read by the author, a smart woman with a dull, lifeless voice.
Great ideas about sharing and networking and how it can improve communities and the lives of individuals. There's a nice section at the end of the book with resources organized by interest categories like "art", "travel", "education" etc that is very helpful. This book offers a look at a future of sharing resources and working together to make our lives better. It also illustrates the positive impact the internet can have on the world. If you are trying to start a business, read this book to lea...more
Worth buying for the first chapter alone (zip cars). Am looking forward to the remainder and the book. Well-paced, well-written and inspirational to any entrepreneur in the 21st century. Highly recommend.
The right book to understand how the new business is about platform to share everything. It is cool, fun, social and green. 40% of the book is a directory of web sites You can find also on http://www.meshing.it
Lisa Gansky discusses how we're in an era where information technology allows us to better use our resources. Cars can be shared with little overhead and clothes can be traded easily. This short read will show you the sheer scope in which the concept of sharing services is exploding, and reshaping business.
Good ideas. Should have been a slim volume instead of a full book.
Don't bother unless you're starting a business specifically around sharing (like, say, Good Reads).
Don't bother unless you're starting a business specifically around sharing (like, say, Good Reads).
Lots of things to think about. If this book doesn't inspire everyone in even the slightest little way then we are all certainly doomed.
This is an interesting concept, but like many business books, it really doesn't require more than a chapter to get the idea.
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