Durable advantage check
OfficialOfficial · updated Nov 4, 2026 · v1.0.1
Tests each claimed moat for a benefit and a barrier, sorts it into one of seven types of durable advantage, matches it to the company's stage, and says what to build now.
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When to use it
- Someone claims a moat and nobody has asked what stops a rival
- Writing the competitive-advantage section of a memo or deck
- Choosing which advantage a growing company should build next
What you give it
- What the business sells, to whom, and named rivals
- The claimed advantages
- Evidence: prices, unit costs, churn, contracts
- The company's stage
What you get
A table of claims with type, benefit, barrier, materiality, and verdict; a stage-fit note; and decisions on what to protect, stop claiming, and build now, with owners.
Changelog
- v1.0.1 · Nov 4, 2026 · Example: the flat-fee claim is rated Barrier only against hourly firms until its benefit is shown, since a Power needs both benefit and barrier.
- v1.0.0 · Nov 4, 2026 · First release.
Sources
- Synopsis - 7 Powers (Hamilton Helmer's book site) (2026-11-04)
- About the Author - 7 Powers (2026-11-04)
- Foreword by Reed Hastings - 7 Powers (2026-11-04)
- 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy (2016) - Open Library (2026-11-04)
- 7 Powers with Hamilton Helmer - Acquired (episode and transcript) (2026-11-04)
- Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers) - Lenny's Podcast (2026-11-04)
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