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Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

How This Company Beat Amazon

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

Money News Network

Education, Self-improvement, Business

4.41.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2023

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim McKelvey and Jack Dorsey created the payment tool Square to fix a problem small businesses had with credit card transactions. In the early days of Square, Amazon made a competing tool. For most small businesses, that usually means the beginning of the end. But not for Square. Jim and Jack did the unthinkable: they beat Amazon. Jim tells Nicole how they did it through what Jim calls Innovation Stack. Find Jim's book The Innovation Stack here: https://www.jimmckelvey.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm Nicole Lapin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand.

0:07.0

It's time for some money we have.

0:15.2

We're often told that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

0:20.0

But let's be honest, everyone hates a copycat.

0:23.2

Well everyone except to my guest today, Jim McHelvie.

0:26.8

Jim created the product Square alongside his co-founder Jack Dorsey.

0:31.1

Square is a payment tool that has been a real game changer for small businesses.

0:35.2

You've probably made a purchase through Square even if you didn't realize it at the time.

0:38.8

And when Jim and Jack started Square, they did the unthinkable.

0:42.6

They beat Amazon.

0:44.8

In the early days of Square, Amazon made a competing tool which, in the case of most small businesses

0:49.6

competing with the behemoth, means the beginning of the end.

0:53.0

But not for Square.

0:54.8

Jim and Jack beat Amazon.

0:57.0

And today, Jim explains how they did it through what Jim calls innovation stack.

1:04.4

Jim McHelvie, welcome to Money Rehab.

1:06.4

Hey Nicole, thank you for having me.

1:08.2

You have written so much about an awesome phenomenon that you call innovation stack.

1:14.4

You say it's an asset that Square used to beat what you call the scariest monster on

1:18.8

the planet.

1:19.8

Who is the scariest monster on the planet?

1:21.4

Well, if you're a startup, it's Amazon. And when Amazon decides that they want to take

...

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