TIP727: 7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer

We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network

Stig Brodersen

Education, Investing, Business

4.6 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Clay explores Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers framework, breaking down each of the seven sources of enduring competitive advantage. While companies all over the world offer benefits and value to society at large, few have barriers in place that prevent competitors from easily replicating those advantages. Whether you’re an investor or business operator, this episode is an essential listen to understand the critical ingredients for long-term success in business. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 01:34 - What it means for a company to have Power. 07:04 - The power of scale economies. 12:12 - Why network effects are one of the best competitive advantages a business can have. 18:05 - Why counter-positioning is Hamilton Helmer’s favorite Power. 30:19 - The types of switching costs that can keep customers locked in for years. 38:24 - Why customers are willing to consistently pay up for a great brand name. 51:24 - How companies can capture a cornered resource that even well-funded competitors are unable to replicate. 56:46 - Why process power is the rarest of the all the powers. 01:03:00 - A case study on Netflix and how they built multiple Powers outlined in the book. And so much more! Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the exclusive ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Mastermind Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. Hamilton Helmer’s book: 7 Powers. Mentioned Episode: TIP600: Business Durability and Strategy Masterclass w/ Hamilton Helmer. Follow Clay on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠X⁠. Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Study Billionaires Starter Packs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow our official social media accounts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Finance Tool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy exclusive perks from our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠favorite Apps and Services⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠best business podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: SimpleMining⁠ ⁠Hardblock⁠ ⁠AnchorWatch⁠ ⁠Unchained⁠ ⁠Human Rights Foundation⁠ ⁠Onramp⁠ ⁠Fundrise⁠ ⁠Vanta⁠ ⁠Netsuite⁠ ⁠Shopify HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rating and review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://premium.theinvestorspodcast.com/ Support our show by becoming a premium member! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to TIP.
0:02.7	On today's episode, we're diving into what I believe is one of the most practical frameworks
0:07.8	for understanding business strategy and competitive advantages, and that's Hamilton-Helmer's
0:12.2	book, Seven Powers.
0:14.0	Warren Buffett has long emphasized the importance of owning high-quality businesses, and a key
0:18.5	trait of these businesses is their ability to sustain high
0:22.0	returns on capital over long periods of time. To do that, they need a moat. But what exactly
0:27.3	makes up a moat and what makes a business defensible and keeps competitors at bay? That's exactly
0:32.9	what Hamilton Helmer sets out to answer in Seven Powers. After decades of investing and consulting,
0:39.2	he distilled his findings into a clear framework that identifies seven distinct sources of
0:44.2	enduring competitive advantages. In this episode, we'll walk through each of the Seven Powers in-depth
0:49.9	and explore examples like Netflix, Facebook, SAP, Tiffany, Vanguard, and Toyota.
0:57.0	Without at least one of the Seven Powers, a business is destined to deliver average returns
1:02.2	on capital and is vulnerable to disruption.
1:05.0	So with that, I hope you enjoy today's episode on Seven Powers by Hamilton Helmer.
1:14.4	Since 24. Hope you enjoy today's episode on Seven Powers by Hamilton Helmer. Since 2014 and through more than 180 million downloads,
1:18.4	we've studied the financial markets and read the books that influence self-made billionaires the most.
1:24.0	We keep you informed and prepared for the unexpected. Now for your host, Clay Fink.
1:33.6	Welcome to the Investors podcast.
1:39.7	I'm your host, Clay Fink, and today I'll be sharing the key takeaways I learned from reading
1:44.3	Seven Powers by Hamilton Helmer. And hopefully, you'll pick up a nugget or two to add to your
1:49.3	toolkit as an investor or a business person yourself. Helmer put together the Seven Powers
	...

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