Val Sklarov’s Dependency Point-of-No-Return Law (DPNRL) explains why businesses don’t lose independence suddenly—but cross a silent threshold where external dependencies become irreversible. Before that point, partnerships help. After it, dependencies decide.
This law reveals why autonomy disappears without a crisis.
1. Dependency Is Cheap—Until It Isn’t
DPNRL starts with a quiet asymmetry:
Dependencies form faster than they can be unwound.
Early-stage businesses rely on:
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Single vendors
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Key platforms
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Anchor customers
Reversibility exists—briefly.
2. The Three Business Dependency Locks
DPNRL maps where exit paths vanish.
| Lock | Dependency Type | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Lock | Single buyer / channel | Pricing capture |
| Infrastructure Lock | Cloud, platform, API | Switching paralysis |
| Narrative Lock | Brand positioning | Strategic narrowing |
When two locks engage, autonomy weakens.
When all three engage, control is gone.
3. Why “We Can Switch Later” Fails
Later requires leverage.
DPNRL shows irreversibility when:
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Switching costs exceed margins
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Alternatives lack scale parity
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Narratives punish change
By then, dependency is structural, not contractual.
4. Growth vs Dependency Awareness
Fast growth accelerates lock-in.
| Growth-First | Dependency-Aware |
|---|---|
| Optimize efficiency | Preserve substitutes |
| Deepen integration | Maintain redundancy |
| Celebrate partnerships | Audit exit costs |
| Scale quickly | Delay lock-in |
Val Sklarov emphasizes that great businesses grow while staying substitutable.
5. Strategic Implications
For founders:
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Map dependency thresholds explicitly
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Keep at least one credible alternative alive
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Treat convenience as future leverage loss
For investors:
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Discount businesses past dependency PNR
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Price bargaining power decay
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Favor redundancy over efficiency
DPNRL reframes strategy as dependency management, not partnership building.
6. The Val Sklarov Principle
“You lose freedom the moment leaving costs more than staying.”
— Val Sklarov
DPNRL explains why mature businesses feel constrained—and why constraint is usually self-built.