Alter the Playing Field
#leverage
John D. Rockefeller began building his oil empire in the 1860s. He was buying up the smaller oil refineries. Adding to the share of the market he controlled. Eventually, people caught on and started to rebel. Rockefeller's ability to swiftly overtake competitors was met with resistance. Instead of pushing forward, he decided to change the playing field by buying up railroads and growing his control in other ways. Now when he went to buy them out and the owner refused, he ruined their business by raising transportation fees. They had no choice but to submit to his offers — no matter the cost.