Warby Parker, an eyewear brand renowned for its direct-to-consumer (D2C) business model, and Allbirds, an eco-friendly shoe brand that went public on NASDAQ in 2021, exemplify innovation in connecting manufacturers directly with consumers without intermediaries. This model promotes a positive image by endorsing an eco-friendly business approach. However, the disclosure of the companies’ financial statements revealed that both had accumulated losses greater than anticipated. While it would have been ideal for manufacturers to supply products directly to consumers, the burden of inventory increased along with rising administrative and marketing costs. Distributors in the middle shared profits, but they also shouldered the financial burden. Choosing eco-friendly options often incurs higher costs due to the search for alternatives, which can lead to accumulating losses. Pollution negatively impacts both consumers and suppliers, and business deficits further inflict additional damage that c...
Capitalistic thinking is not about domination by capital; it refers to financial thinking. The economy revolves around exchange. The performance of the counterparty corresponding to what I want to exchange is called ‘consideration,’ and a ‘transaction’ is the accumulation of added value by exchanging equal considerations. However, among transactions, this consideration is not relative but absolute; trading solely in one fiat currency as consideration is termed 'finance.’ When I obtain a loan, the bank lends me fiat currency (the bank’s consideration), but my obligation is to return the fiat principal plus the contracted interest. The consideration in this transaction is unidirectional, involving only one fiat currency. In contrast, when I buy shoes, the seller has an obligation to hand over the shoes to me, and I have a counterpart obligation to pay in fiat currency. Once these two considerations are exchanged, an industrial transaction occurs. However, as noted earlier, in financi...