💼Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure
Write a one-page Five Forces memo for your own market — scoring buyers, suppliers, entrants, substitutes, and rivalry the way Porter meant, using worked examples from airlines, SaaS, and coffee.
Phase 1Reading Industry Structure Like Porter Does
Trace Porter's 1979 framework and read industry structure
Structure beats strategy — Porter's 1979 argument
6 minStructure beats strategy — Porter's 1979 argument
Five arrows point at you, not at each other
6 minFive arrows point at you, not at each other
Airlines: the industry Porter picks to scare MBAs
7 minAirlines: the industry Porter picks to scare MBAs
Each force has a dial: what makes it high or low
7 minEach force has a dial: what makes it high or low
Phase 2Scoring Each Force: Airlines, SaaS, Coffee
Score each force using airlines, SaaS, and coffee
Rivalry — how slow growth silently eats your margin
7 minRivalry — how slow growth silently eats your margin
Threat of entry — who could show up on Monday?
7 minThreat of entry — who could show up on Monday?
Buyer power — how your customer reaches into your pocket
7 minBuyer power — how your customer reaches into your pocket
Supplier power — the mirror image of buyer power
7 minSupplier power — the mirror image of buyer power
Substitutes — the force that kills you from outside the room
7 minSubstitutes — the force that kills you from outside the room
Phase 3Where Five Forces Fits in Your Strategy Stack
Connect Five Forces to SWOT, Value Chain, and limits
Your new hire built a SWOT. It's wrong — but not in the obvious way.
8 minYour new hire built a SWOT. It's wrong — but not in the obvious way.
You know the industry is tough. Now where inside your firm do you fight?
8 minYou know the industry is tough. Now where inside your firm do you fight?
A VC tells you Five Forces is dead in platform markets. Is she right?
8 minA VC tells you Five Forces is dead in platform markets. Is she right?
The board wants a one-page Five Forces. What will they miss?
8 minThe board wants a one-page Five Forces. What will they miss?
Phase 4Your Own One-Page Five Forces Memo
Draft your own one-page Five Forces memo
Write the memo — one page, five scored forces, one recommendation
20 minWrite the memo — one page, five scored forces, one recommendation
Frequently asked questions
- What are Porter's Five Forces and why did he write them in 1979?
- This is covered in the “Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- Is Porter's Five Forces still relevant in digital and platform markets?
- This is covered in the “Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How is Five Forces different from SWOT analysis?
- This is covered in the “Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How do you actually score each of the five forces?
- This is covered in the “Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- Why is industry structure a better predictor of profit than company strategy?
- This is covered in the “Learn Porter's Five Forces: Reading Industry Structure” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
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