Bottom of the Pyramid: Why Effort Doesn’t Compound
Let’s talk about the people at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP)—not as a statistic, but as human beings inside systems . What “Bottom of the Pyramid” really means The phrase became popular through the book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid , but the idea itself is older than business theory. It refers to billions of people who: Live on very low or unstable income Operate in cash economies or informal systems Have limited access to healthcare, education, credit, and infrastructure Are often excluded from traditional markets—not because of lack of ability, but lack of access This is not a lack of intelligence, effort, or ambition. It’s a lack of leverage. The most important truth (that rarely gets said) People at the bottom of the pyramid are not “behind.” They are overburdened . They are: Making high-stakes decisions with low margins for error Paying more for basics (food, credit, utilities) than wealthier gro...