Miley Cyrus flashed one highly publicized boob during a shot while hosting the MTV VMVAs. It gave new meaning to the term “boob tube”.

That’s what we know to be Miley Cyrus, right? Shoving the envelope of overt, public sexuality, and what at one time was fringe behavior right down our throats via our 36” flat screen TVs.

But that’s Cyrus’ brand. Right or wrong in our opinions (this isn’t meant to be a discussion on morals), it is clearly, unequivocally, without question, her brand du jour.

From a marketing perspective, Miley has been tagged “Marketing Genius”. Her brand of controversial sexuality serves somewhat of a niche market in some ways,yet it has an appeal that is broad enough to meet the needs of multiple markets at the same time.

Who was her infamous boob flash has targeted at?

Definitely for consumers who are regularly feed on MTV content. Men. And very young women who want to emulate that image, push boundaries of their own, or live vicariously through her actions. And music fans, of course. Let’s not forget media. But also for the producers and sponsors of events that want $$arket share (translate cash flow).

Through her choice of marketing efforts, Miley Cyrus has achieved product and market diversification (translate smart business).

From a business perspective, Cyrus’ choice of business model is nothing new. It’s a tested, proven business model. She’s not reinventing the wheel here. Think Madonna, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Marilyn Monroe, Cleopatra . . . I’m sure you can add to the list.

This is cliche but “sex sells”. It has shock value, can attract attention, and blow up social media.

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, what is your business model?

Or do you align yourself with the thought that choosing a business model is an outdated, archaic, crusty, old 20th century business notion that was developed during the Industrial Revolution?

Think again.

Whether you have an online business or you have a brick-and-mortar business with an online presence, putting the right business model in place is the foundation of your future growth, success, and sustainability.

If you’re an online business owner, having a business model is critical to your survival.

What is the online business model, anyway? It wasn’t part of my study of business models when I was working on my business degree.

There are currently three Internet business model categories: B2C, B2B, and C2C. Within these categories are at least six subcategories that are generally familiar to online entrepreneurs. Whether intuitively or by design, seasoned entrepreneurs operate by at least one of these models. More often than not, business models are changed or combined according to need.

Why is this important?

The choice of business model lays the foundation for how a small business owner is going to make money. Then it provides a basis for making all other business decisions including marketing, product, program, and service development, team-building, and business scalability.

If you’re new to the online biz world, you may not be aware of the choices. If you’re not a newbie, a quick refresher may be a good idea. After all, business changes at a faster pace than it ever has before. We have to keep up at a minimum or we fall behind.

Bottom line, whether or not we approve of Miley Cyrus’ choice of business model, it provides a reminder that how we decide to operate our own ventures is critical to our profit potential.

Want to know more about how to use online business models to develop your business as a whole or products, programs, and services? Email me at starr@starroldorff.com.