This work offers a summary of the book "IT'S A WIRED, WIRED WORLD: Business the AOL Way" by David Stauffer.
David Stauffer is a business writer, with articles published in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Across the Board and other business periodicals. Mr. Stauffer, who heads his own firm Stauffer Bury, Inc., is also the author of Nothing But Net: Business the Cisco Way.
AOL is the world's most successful Internet company and the most valuable brand name of the digital business era.
In It's A Wired, Wired World, Stauffer argues that the fact the company has been able to achieve preeminence in such a highly competitive marketplace is impressive, considering it didn't even exist until 1985. The company's longevity and ability to move forward in the face of intense competition is unmatched.
Clearly, something about the AOL business model works. Exactly what the "secret sauce" is may be subject to speculation and further analysis, but Stauffer identifies 6 elements of the AOL business model.
In short, AOL is a great template for how to succeed. Anyone who develops a similar business model, and who follows the same principles of success AOL uses, stands a better-than-even chance of enjoying comparable success.
