A lot of us at Aveus have been spending a lot of our time on airplanes. Since we often fly out of and into the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, we log many of our flight hours on Delta planes.

Yesterday a ruckus broke out when Linda and I found that we shared a common frustration about the Delta safety video - specifically the wagging finger of shame. Take a look for yourself.

A recent HBR article “A New Framework for Business Models” by Mark W. Johnson had me hopeful as I began reading and shaking my head as I finished. Within about two pages, Mr. Johnson falls into the very trap he’s trying to solve: presenting a ‘new business model’ framework that strikes a balance between what he calls the overly reductionist approach (citing Peter Drucker) and the overly complex (“everything-in-your-value-chain”) approach. What he presents is neither new nor very balanced.

I was hopeful for a new idea. Over my collective years of experience, first as a corporate executive and now as a consultant, I’ve often confronted this question: What is a business model? I agree with Mr. Johnson, the term gets thrown around a lot and is poorly defined and understood. Where I part with him is his approach.