$100M Founder Reveals The Secret To Making Data Profitable
About This Episode
Anand Sanwal, founder of CB Insights, joins the pod to share the framework that scaled his data business to $100M in revenue and explains why most data-driven startups fail by prioritizing collection over customer utility. He also reveals his new venture, a specialized boarding school for entrepreneurs, while brainstorming several high-margin business models in the physical and digital space.
Episode Description
Show Notes
- 0:00Anand’s data arbitrage playbook
- 9:51Starting weird as Chubby Brain
- 12:03Don't run 100mph in the wrong direction
- 14:53Edge, Collection, and Opportunity
- 19:24IDEA: High-end Glassdoor
- 27:00IDEA: C-Suite Head Hunting Service
- 28:57IDEA: HomeOptions for Founder Exits
- 32:17Anand's School of Entrepreneuring
- 36:03Learn how to think, not what to think
- 38:18The Die-At-Your-Desk Life Philosophy
- 39:26Competency-based curriculum
- 42:47IDEA: Slime Museums
- 46:40IDEA: Autonomous HOA Convenience Stores
- 51:32IDEA: Online Addiction Centers
- 58:51Leadership lessons from legendary coaches
Links
- [Steal This] Get our proven writing frameworks that have made us millions
- CB Insights
- Bloomberg article
- Blackbaud
- HomeOptions
- IMG Academy
- American Addiction Centers
- Weapons of Mass Instruction
- Chasing Perfection
- The Score Takes Care of Itself
- The Talent Code
- The Learner Lab
- Grab HubSpot's free AI-Powered Customer Platform and watch your business grow
Check Out Sam's Stuff
Key Takeaways
Apply the ECO framework (Edge, Collection, Opportunity) to validate B2B data businesses: first define the specific competitive edge the data provides before evaluating how to collect it.
Institutional data products should use extreme price anchoring, such as offering a $12,000 entry-tier PDF alongside a $100,000 'exclusive access' package to maximize contract value.
The most successful data businesses evolve into 'data cooperatives' that combine proprietary information with workflow tools like CRMs to become indispensable to a customer's daily operations.
Business Ideas Mentioned
High-end Glassdoor for Hedge Funds
SaaS
Executive Vesting Data for Recruiting
SaaS
Venture Capital Founder Options
Acquisitions
Next-Gen Slime and Interactive Museums
Boring Business
Autonomous Residential Convenience Stores
AI & Automation
Digital and Online Addiction Centers
Boring Business