CH 6 | Series: Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. Reflections | Author: Brent Parker, Resilience Repurposed LLC

Chapter 6 Breakdown: Can You Build a Moat Around Your Idea? — Creating Defensible Businesses

Series: Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. Reflections | Author: Brent Parker, Resilience Repurposed LLC

🛡 Welcome to Chapter 6 of the Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. Reflections Series
Growth is great. But what protects you from competitors once they see your success? In Chapter 6, Colin Campbell explores how to build a “moat” — a strategic advantage that keeps copycats at bay while you scale.

This chapter breaks down types of moats, real examples, and a defensibility rating system that you can use today to evaluate your own startup’s protection plan.

🔐 Defensibility Is About Protection, Not Perfection

Campbell explains that you don’t need to build an impenetrable wall around your business — just enough of a moat to slow down or deter competitors (Campbell, 2023).

🏰 Types of Moats

• Legal Protections: Patents, trademarks, copyrights.
• Exclusivity: Exclusive supply or distribution deals.
• Brand Loyalty: Reputation, trust, or emotional connection.
• Technology: Proprietary platforms or processes.
• Data: Unique or hard-to-replicate datasets.
• Search Engine Dominance: Ranking for key terms in your niche.

📏 Defensibility Rating System

Use this scale to measure how defensible your idea is:

• 1 – No Moat: You have no idea how to protect it.
• 2 – Conceptual Moat: You know of ways to defend it but haven’t acted yet.
• 3 – Basic Moat: You’ve taken one or two protective steps.
• 4 – Strong Moat: You have multiple protections in place (e.g., a patent + exclusivity).
• 5 – Ironclad Moat: Patents, contracts, SEO dominance, and industry trust.

⚙️ Moats Must Be Built Early

Waiting to protect your idea until it’s “worth” protecting is a trap. Campbell urges founders to think defensibility early — especially before fundraising or launching public campaigns.

💡 Final Takeaway:

Chapter 6 is a reality check: if your idea catches fire, people will try to clone it. Building your moat early may be what separates your success from someone else’s copycat win.

🔁 Coming Next: Chapter 7 – Stage Gates

In the next breakdown, we’ll examine how to use stage gates to evaluate, validate, and scale your startup step-by-step without burning out or getting lost.

💬 Rate Your Moat

Drop a comment or tag me on LinkedIn @Brent Parker and let me know your defensibility rating. Let’s compare strategies and build better businesses together.

📚 References (APA Style)

Campbell, C. C. (2023). Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. Wiley.