This is Matt Reustle. Today, we are breaking down the technology conglomerate Samsung. Only Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon ranked higher than Samsung in Interbrand's latest brand value rankings, with Samsung being the fifth most valuable brand in the world. It's everywhere around us: our phones, our TVs, our refrigerators, our washing machines. But, it's not those finished products that drive the majority of Samsung's profits. To break down Samsung, I'm joined by David Samra, Managing Director and Founding Partner of the Artisan Partners International Value Team. We go inside this vertically integrated technology giant and talk about the history of the business, the manufacturing DNA and what it means to create hardware components, and how those hardware components unlock significant opportunities in the smartphone market for Samsung. Please enjoy this breakdown on Samsung. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by 10 East. 10 East is a platform where qualified investors can co-invest on a deal-by-deal basis across private equity, private credit, real estate ventures, and other one-off opportunities typically unavailable through traditional channels. It's no surprise that founders, executives, and portfolio managers from leading investment firms are using 10 East to diversify their personal portfolios. Their level of sourcing and diligence is institutional grade. To learn more, check out 10east.com. CSIMA, Columbia Student Investment Management Association, is hosting its 27th annual conference in New York on Friday, February 9th. Keynote speakers include John Griffin from Blue Ridge, Ian McKinnon from Sandia, Jan Hummel from Paradigm, and Sally Krawcheck from Ellevest. Get your tickets at csima.info/conference. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (04:28) First Question - How he defines Samsung compared to other brands (09:13) Samsung's history and what led them to their capabilities today (13:59) Unique growth and shared gains in the semiconductor industry   (18:08) Where Samsung compares to other chips in the semiconductor space  (22:08) Risks moving into other chip production areas  (25:53) The disparity in margin profile between divisions  (31:29) Potential for local competitors to bring chips into the market  (32:48) How he thinks about growing the barriers to entry for the separate businesses    (35:15) Leaving the handset business  (36:31) How he thinks about the business on a consolidated basis  (41:19) Risks associated with the business (44:09) The regulatory climate in South Korea  (48:33) Things he learned from studying Samsung Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You never own a Patek Philippe, you merely watch over it for the next generation. I'll say it's the best marketing campaign in history, a campaign appropriate for the world's premier watchmaker and a watchmaker worthy of a Business Breakdown. Our guest today is John Reardon from Collectability. John has worked at Sotheby's, the auction house, and spent a decade at Patek Philippe in the early 2000s. He continues to write for Patek Philippe Magazine while he has launched Collectability, a brand dedicated to vintage and preowned Patek Philippe. We cover what makes Patek such a special brand. There is an almost 200-year history in craftsmanship and countless patents (like that self-winding mechanism that powers all automatic watches today.) What Philippe Stern did in 1989 could be worthy of a 10-episode series, so there is much to learn from this episode. Please enjoy this breakdown of Patek Philippe. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by 10 East. 10 East is a platform where qualified investors can co-invest on a deal-by-deal basis across private equity, private credit, real estate ventures, and other one-off opportunities typically unavailable through traditional channels. It's no surprise that founders, executives, and portfolio managers from leading investment firms are using 10 East to diversify their personal portfolios. Their level of sourcing and diligence is institutional grade. To learn more, check out 10east.com. ----- CSIMA, Columbia Student Investment Management Association, is hosting its 27th annual conference in New York on Friday, February 9th. Keynote speakers include John Griffin from Blue Ridge, Ian McKinnon from Sandia, Jan Hummel from Paradigm, and Sally Krawcheck from Ellevest. Get your tickets at csima.info/conference. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:04:21) First Question, The main differences between Patek Philippe and Rolex   (00:08:12) An introduction to Patek Philippe’s brand  (00:10:27) The founding story of the business (00:12:54) Henry Graves and the watches that he made for the brand  (00:18:26) The production process for making a Patek Philippe watch (00:21:36) A look at the 1989 and its importance to the business (00:23:48) The types of people who were interested in the brand and purchasing at auction in 1989 (00:26:21) An overview of the successful marketing campaigns of the 1990s  (00:29:06) Patek’s strategy at auctions, embracing both consignment and buying (00:32:18) The general size and scope of the Patek Philippe secondary market (00:34:00) The brand’s perspective of the secondary market and whether it affects the way they market new items (00:38:27) John’s personal experience working at Patek Philippe  (00:42:16) The company’s distribution strategy   (00:45:22) Breaking down the points of sale, branded dealers versus authorized dealers (00:46:09) The mindset behind consolidating dealers and the exclusivity it created as a byproduct  (00:48:02) How the LVMH acquisition of Tiffany has affected Patek Philippe (00:50:58) The potential of Patek Philippe being acquired by another company (00:55:28) Lessons learned from Patek Philippe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're running our Business Breakdown on Rolex. This episode of Rolex is one of our most popular breakdowns of all time, so it's always worth revisiting. But, it's also a timely revisit…Later this week, we'll be releasing a Business Breakdown on Patek Philippe and this episode of Rolex is the perfect appetizer for that discussion.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:03:01) First question - His favorite Rolex watch ever (00:04:24) What makes the Rolex Daytona such a special watch  (00:07:19) The job-to-be-done for high-end watches beyond just telling them the time (00:12:18) The strategy behind marketing luxury products: The Luxury Strategy (00:14:34) An overview of the Rolex business (00:19:38) The history of Rolex  (00:38:45) Their genius in marketing and distribution  (00:41:55) How they make decisions and what others can learn from them (00:47:14) The financials of Rolex and other luxury watch brands (00:49:02) Most important business lessons others can learn from Rolex (00:52:54) Other luxury brands worth studying  (00:57:26) Negative lessons gleaned from Rolex Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down the largest privately-owned software business in Europe, Visma. Visma is a software company with over 15,000 employees offering accounting, payroll, and HR software products for customers across the Nordic, Benelux, and Baltic regions. Founded in Oslo in 1996, Visma grew organically and via acquisition of 178 companies. We're joined by Nic Humphries, the Senior Partner and Executive Chairman of Hg Capital, which is one of the leading software investors in Europe. Nic is intimately familiar with Visma, given Hg owns over 50% of the business and has been invested for over 17 years. Hg initially invested as part of a take-private transaction in 2006 at just a $450 million valuation and based upon the latest recap completed in December, today, the business is valued at over $21 billion. As part of this conversation, we discussed the business history, growth, and recent leadership transition. Please enjoy this breakdown of Visma. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:02:44) First question - Introducing Visma and its operations (00:10:51) Identifying Visma's unique attributes in the payroll sector (00:13:32) Assessing Visma's current scale and potential for growth (00:17:45) Considering the shift to a cloud-native approach (00:20:49) Reflecting on key lessons from past errors (00:23:19) Strategies for scaling the business effectively (00:28:15) Weighing cash reinvestment against shareholder distributions (00:31:39) Øystein Moan's influence within the company (00:33:06) Deciding the right time for an IPO (00:39:23) Analyzing the risks facing Visma (00:41:22) Exploring Visma's competitive advantages Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle. Today we venture into the world of HVAC to break down Trane Technologies. Now, it's not often that I come across an industrial company with a $50 billion market cap that I just hadn't heard of. So when our guest today, Brett Larson, investor at NZS Capital, suggested Trane, it was as easy of a 'yes' as they come. Brett and I cover the long corporate history of Trane, the dynamics that separate residential HVAC from commercial HVAC, and how Trane has helped create this unique consolidated industry. You may never look at your thermostat the same after this episode. Please enjoy this breakdown of Trane Technologies. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00) Show Introduction (01:59) Brett tells us what Trane is  (02:34) The companies corporate history and how it became Trane (04:05) Overall size of the commercial market  (05:18) He explains the go to market sales strategy  (09:20) An additional breakdown of business cost (10:12) Trane software uses (10:55) Revenue received from Trane software (10:11) A breakdown of the residential sales market (14:53) Trane’s market share in the residential space (15:52) Differentiated products available on the commercial side (17:17) Included commercial software components (18:16) New equipment versus replacement equipment  (18:51) Growth expectations from aftermarket service providers (19:15) Average life cycle for commercial units   (19:26) He explains what a chiller is (19:49) Comparing chiller systems to energy storage systems  (21:19) Demand on commercial and residential sides of the market (25:31) The cyclicality of the business and how revenue has trended over time    (24:34) Revenue visibility being backlog versus forward facing     (27:35) A look at share gains and industry consolidation over recent years (31:09) How the management team is viewed by the industry (32:48) Trending margin points for each market  (34:10) How much net income converts to free cash flow  (34:46) Key contributions from MNA and future consolidation     (36:11) Relation to the reefer and life sciences transportation business (37:02) Data center demand for HVAC units (38:20) Framework used to evaluate this type of business (39:40) Transport refrigerators key role in the industry market   (41:02) Risks associated with the business (42:52) The importance of international growth  (43:30) What he’s learned from studying Trane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle. Today we are breaking down Live Oak Bank. Our guest is Stephen Vafier, the Founder of Storri Labs Capital Partners. Live Oak is a bank that received a charter right before the financial crisis. It does not have the a 100+ year histories of many of the banks that we know so well today, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and the other too-big-to-fail banks.  This is a new story with very interesting DNA in terms of how they built up this bank. They targeted specific industries and the SBA loan program and they had technology in their inception. Live Oak has done some unique things to build assets on the balance sheet to build equity in this bank and really build a name within a sector that is incredibly difficult to break into. This is an interesting case study on how you can think about out-dated industries, which seemingly have massive barriers to entry. Please enjoy this breakdown of Live Oak Bank. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:16) - (First question) - The unique market opportunity that the founders saw when starting this business (00:04:39) - How Live Oak differentiated its approach to make a more successful business model (00:06:03) - How they approached the SBA loan program differently (00:09:04) - The Live Oak sales strategy  (00:10:06) - Their strategy for trading partially guaranteed government-backed loans  (00:12:12) - Overcoming challenges to attract clients to specialized loans (00:15:44) - A brief history of Chip Mahan’s career (00:20:23) - Chip’s technology-centric approach without relying on physical locations (00:22:49) - Traditional banking security with high-upside ventures, contrasting with neo banks  (00:27:51) - The balance between the traditional lending business and technology-focused ventures (00:31:48) - How Live Oak intends to scale the business  (00:36:52) - How the surge in SBA programs during COVID impacted Live Oak (00:40:02) - Handling the effects of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse (00:42:32) - The strategy for deposit growth and how pivotal is it for the bank's competitiveness (00:46:13) - How Live Oak navigates threats from entities employing similar strategies  (00:53:36) - The significance of Chip Mahan's role and his influence on the organization's future  (00:56:43) - Potential risks that Live Oak faces (00:59:44) - Lessons learned from researching Live Oak Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down Moody's Corporation. Moody's was founded by John Moody in 1909 with the idea of broadening access to credit information and codifying how people viewed credit statistics by producing manuals of stats related to bonds. In 2000, Moody's was spun off from Dun & Bradstreet as a separately traded public company. Today, it is nearly a $75 billion enterprise business, producing approximately $6 billion in revenue at 45 percent margins.  To break down Moody's, I'm joined by Brian Yacktman, the Founder and President of YCG Investments. During this conversation we explore the business's origin story, how the financial crisis impacted the trajectory of the business, and the role that credit ratings play in the broader investment ecosystem. Please enjoy this breakdown on Moody's. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:30) - (First question) - Introducing Moody's and its operations (00:05:13) - Analyzing Moody’s revenue structure (00:06:13) - Highlighting Moody's business strengths (00:07:40) - Discussing Moody’s business model transformation (00:12:29) - Evaluating entry barriers in Moody’s field (00:17:06) - Exploring the network effects within the company (00:23:01) - Examining Moody’s profit margins (00:26:26) - Comparing Moody’s to S&P Global (00:28:08) - The impact of the financial crisis on Moody's (00:29:46) - Assessing economic sensitivities affecting Moody's (00:35:25) - Key takeaways from Moody’s business strategies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today, we are breaking down Pernod Ricard, a business whose history dates back to 1797. Today, the business is the second-largest global producer of wine and spirits with a portfolio of 17 of the top 100 spirits brands, including Absolut Vodka, Beefeater Gin, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Malibu rum. The portfolio produces north of EUR 12 billion in sales and generates an impressive 60% gross margin and high 20% operating margin. To break down Pernod Ricard, I am joined by Swetha Ramachandran, a fund manager at Artemis Investment Management. During this conversation, we explore the interplay between luxury goods and spirits, the post-COVID normalization, and consumption trends. We hope you enjoy this breakdown of Pernod Ricard. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes [00:03:00] - Introduction to Pernod Ricard and the Spirits Industry [00:04:11] - Pernod Ricard's Brand Portfolio and Acquisition History [00:09:36] - The Strengths of the Spirits Business [00:14:37] - The Shift in Consumption Patterns [00:20:21] - The Appeal of the Spirits Conglomerate Business Model [00:24:04] - Understanding the Current Challenges in the Spirits Industry [00:26:41] - The Role of Emerging Markets in the Spirits Industry [00:31:45] - The Influence of the Ricard Family on Pernod Ricard [00:35:46] - Innovation and Distribution in the Spirits Industry [00:34:17] - The Impact of Market Trends and Consumer Preferences [00:40:15] - The Future of Spirits in the Chinese Market [00:42:26] - What Makes Pernod Ricard Special [00:44:01] - Lessons from Pernod Ricard's Business Model Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke. Today we are breaking down Ferrari. Ferrari was founded in 1929 as a race team by Italian driver, Enzo Ferrari, but it wasn’t until 1947 when Enzo was 50 that Ferrari sold its first car. Today, the car company is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, in large part because of its history in Formula 1, where it is both the oldest and most successful team ever. To break down Ferrari, I’m joined by Brian Lum, an Investment Manager at Baillie Gifford. We discuss how Ferrari went from racing team to a $70 billion business, the various ways it looks more like a luxury goods company than a car maker, and how its business model both nurtures and monetizes its famous red brand. There aren’t many things money can’t buy, but in many instances, a Ferrari is one of them. The ways in which the company manufactures scarcity are fascinating, and this conversation dives into all the aspects that make Ferrari so successful and unique. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Ferrari. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:31) - (First question) - An introduction to the numbers behind the Ferrari brand (00:04:26) - Exploring Ferrari's roots to understand the impact on the brand's present-day business landscape (00:07:06) - Enzo Ferrari’s dedication to the company extended to the location of his house (00:07:50) - A look at the brand’s racing heritage over the last 75 years (00:13:04) - A unique way of structuring a marketing budget, wholly focused on F1 (00:17:51) - Ferrari's restraint in capitalizing on the SUV market to uphold their brand identity (00:21:40) - A look at the product portfolio and how they cultivate exclusivity for their “collectors” (00:23:51) - A unique buying experience, how existing Ferrari owners become frequent buyers (00:26:50) - How Ferrari sets itself apart from its competitors (00:29:20) - An overview of Ferrari’s financials (00:35:21) - Alternative strategies beyond volume growth to uphold scarcity without compromising the brand's prestige (00:36:40) - A look at other segments of the business like fashion (00:38:44) - The business’ cost profile and its significant investment in R&D (00:41:27) - Ferrari’s approach to electrification and hybrid cars (00:48:31) - Comparing electrification and luxury watchmakers during the quartz crisis (00:52:39) - Looking at Ferrari’s future and incremental evolution (00:54:47) - Lessons learned from studying Ferrari Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle. Today we are breaking down the cable giant Charter Communications. Tony Coniaris and John Sitarz of Harris Associates join us for this deep dive on the cable market and Charter's business. We've spent a big portion of the first half of the conversation outlining the history of cable, the asset itself, what it does differently versus some of the alternatives, and then we flash forward to how the industry is operating today. The idea of cord cutting has become very consensus, but it's not very obvious in terms of how that actually impacts a business like Charter and its flagship product Spectrum. We go into some of the case studies that have recently occurred and then tie it all back in terms of the business model. There's so many different lessons that you can take out here thanks to Tony and John. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown on Charter Listen to Invest Like the Best: A Conversation with Charlie Munger & John Collison For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag| @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:04:07) - (First question) - The role of Charter Communications in daily life (00:07:28) - Charter Communications as an infrastructure entity (00:08:15) - Mapping the cable market landscape (00:12:51) - Evolution of competition within the cable industry (00:14:01) - Tracing the origins of Charter Communications (00:19:18) - Initiating business restructuring (00:20:20) - Exploring the capabilities of cable assets (00:23:40) - Emerging challengers in the cable arena (00:29:58) - Examining mobile data trends (00:30:54) - Exploring the potential of fixed wireless access (00:33:48) - Conducting business analysis (00:36:10) - Assessing the impact of consumers 'cutting the cord' (00:42:16) - Comparing internet-only customers to full cable bundle subscribers (00:47:53) - The value of comprehensive service packages (00:49:08) - Identifying major cost factors in the industry (00:52:35) - Outlining the market structure for cable businesses (00:57:16) - Anticipating potential industry risks (00:58:03) - Understanding compute capacity and its implications (01:01:21) - Reflecting on insights gained from Charter Communications Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down Vistra Corp. Vistra is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company, through its subsidiaries, is involved in electricity generation and wholesale and retail energy sales to commercial, municipal and residential customers across the U.S. The company serves 4 million Americans across 20 states producing 37,000 megawatts of capacity, enough to power 20 million homes. To break down Vistra, I'm joined by John DeGulis, Partner and Portfolio Manager at Sound Shore Management. We go through the dramatic evolution of the industry, the acquisition track record of Vistra, and zoom out on the broader electricity production & distribution business and history in the United States. Please enjoy this conversation on Vistra Corp. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:52) - (First question) - A brief history of Vistra (00:10:57) - An overview of Vistra’s business model  (00:14:11) - Navigating the value chain of merchant power from generation to retail and how Vistra positions itself within the industry (00:27:28) - The contrast between financial analysis and consumer perspectives and Vistra’s strategic cash flow allocation toward renewables and shareholder returns (00:32:49) - The limitations when charging for electricity utilities  (00:35:23) - A breakdown of Vistra Vision, the allocation of profits from traditional energy generation for growth in renewable energy (00:39:29) - Vistra’s management team and the key players  (00:42:58) - Vistra’s potential expansion plans into solar, wind and nuclear  (00:46:30) - How Vistra could be an integral part of the nation's energy transition to low or no-carbon electricity (00:49:28) - The lessons learned from studying Vistra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle. Today we are breaking down Entegris, a supplier of advanced materials and process solutions for semiconductors. Small interferences with the different materials that exist within the semiconductor will slow it down and make it inoperable, and that's where Entegris comes into play.  We get into that discussion with our guest, Daniel Pilling from Sands Capital. He joins us to talk through the history of semiconductors in his own terms, what makes it such a fascinating industry to cover, and what makes Entegris unique operating as a small player in an overall huge universe, dominated by major players. Please enjoy this breakdown of Entegris. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:00) - (First question) - Why semiconductors is an interesting industry for Daniel (00:05:45) - An introduction to Entegris and its business (00:07:19) - A look at the chemicals produced for computer chip manufacturing (00:09:39) - A historical look at the importance of chemicals in chipmaking (00:11:45) - The cost of chemicals within a chip (00:13:55) - The backstory as to how Entegris started operating and their competitors  (00:17:03) - How the business has been able to remain so independent (00:21:57) - The stickiness of the business and how they aim to be the partner of choice (00:23:22) - A look at previous execution and any issues that have occurred in the past (00:23:56) - The cyclicality of the semiconductor industry historically (00:25:45) - An overview Entegris’ pricing power and maintaining margin profile (00:28:32) - Operating leverage within the business and how the margin profiles differ between the different segments (00:30:03) - A look at the business’ research and development spend (00:32:01) - How the business has approached mergers and acquisitions over the years (00:34:04) - Whether the business has ever been a target acquisition for a larger player  (00:34:48) - The outlook for Entegris’ revenue growth, expected margin expansion due to operating leverage (00:37:05) - Possible threats to the business from new technology (00:39:04) - A look at other potential risks to Entegris (00:41:18) - Should the industry’s growth slow or even decline how it could affect Entegris  (00:42:46) - How Daniel values the business comparing it to its peer group (00:45:04) - Other risks to the business not mentioned (00:46:00) - The lessons learned from Entegris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today we are breaking down The Coca-Cola Company. On May 8th, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brought this perfected syrup to Jacobs Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, where the first glass of Coca-Cola was poured for five cents a glass. Today, more than 1. 9 billion servings per day of Coke are served worldwide.  To break down Coca-Cola, I'm joined by Freddie Lait, Founder and Managing Partner at Latitude Investment Management. We cover the business of Coca-Cola and how its bottling network is imperative to its capital light business model. We discuss recent acquisitions like Costa Coffee & Body Armor and the Coca-Cola Company's expansion beyond its flagship brands and products with legacy Coke representing just 50% of their offering. Please enjoy this breakdown of the Coca-Cola Company.  Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:33) - (First question) - Exploring Coca-Cola's unique business model (00:05:57) - Comparing Coca-Cola's size to its competitors (00:07:30) - Delving into the history of the company (00:12:28) - Contrasting a bottling business with brand building and distribution (00:18:53) - Examining how Coca-Cola has maintained consistent growth and driven revenue (00:23:49) - Discussing Coca-Cola's 20% ownership of Monster Energy  (00:27:11) - Assessing Coca-Cola's approach to capital allocation for value creation (00:30:33) - Highlighting the most dynamic growth segment in Coca-Cola's portfolio (00:33:43) - Breaking down Coca-Cola's business by region (00:37:39) - Adjusting to emerging risks in the marketplace (00:41:11) - Lessons learned from studying Coca Cola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are breaking down FedEx. FedEx has a more direct impact on the U.S. economy than 99.9% of U.S. businesses - an actual statistic from Dun & Bradstreet. It was a business started in 1973 by the famous Fred Smith, as his planes delivered 186 packages to 25 cities. Today, FedEx moves about 15 million packages a day, all over the world. To break down the business, I'm joined by Staley Cates, Vice Chairman of Southeastern Asset Management. We cover the business of FedEx, how this network operates, the integration of Express and Ground services, and its history and valuation relative to UPS. Please enjoy this breakdown of FedEx. Founders Podcast: #151 Frederick Smith (FedEx) For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes: (00:04:27) - First question - An overview of Staley’s relationship with FedEx (00:05:06) - How FedEx is doing as a business in general (00:06:46) - A look at the different segments of FedEx’s business (00:08:08) - The differences between FedEx’s express and ground services (00:09:51) - A brief history of Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx and the opportunity he saw in the market (00:14:03) - How eCommerce and other trends have affected FedEx over the years (00:18:36) - FedEx’s position on whether to battle UPS for Amazon’s shipping alternative option (00:20:25) - A look at the United States Postal Service and its role in the overall eCommerce system (00:21:39) - The reasons behind the upside in FedEx Ground margins  (00:26:07) - A look at LTL margins when it comes to FedEx Express services (00:28:20) - Potential opportunities for FedEx moving forward (00:31:24) - The re-fleeting of FedEx planes and other potential areas in FedEx’s business that may require capital expenditures (00:33:19) - The challenges FedEx faced when integrating the acquisition of TNT (00:36:04) - Bringing together FedEx’s different businesses to get an overview of the entire organization (00:38:34) - Wage inflation and how that will affect FedEx’s margin profile overall (00:42:56) - The potential for FedEx to compete with Amazon more directly (00:45:42) - FedEx’s current stock price and its potential  (00:50:29) - FedEx’s use of railroads and its expansion over the past two decades (00:52:54) - An overview of the risks FedEx could face in the future (00:54:19) - The lessons learned from studying FedEx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss. Today I am joined by Yanev Suissa, Managing Partner at SineWave Ventures, to break down the private company Databricks. Born out of a UC Berkeley research lab in 2013, Databricks has grown rapidly, and after 50% growth this summer, it was rumored to have last raised at a $43 billion valuation. In the most simple terms, Databricks provides tools for ingesting, transforming, and analyzing large sets of data from multiple sources in multiple formats in order to inform business and engineering decisions. Databricks is on a crash course with Snowflake to amass market share. In this conversation, we explore the nuances of structured and unstructured data, discuss data lakes, and what it entails to get "Hadooped." Please enjoy this breakdown of Databricks.  Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes: (00:02:32) - (First Question) - What Databricks is and why it is so successful  (00:04:38) - Real world examples of how customers use Databricks  (00:07:23) - How issues were handled historically before Databricks was available  (00:08:39) - Key examples of what helped accelerate Databricks’ success  (00:10:52) - Databricks revenue model and how it converts into bottomline   (00:12:13) - How Databricks competes with competitors like Snowflake  (00:14:11) - Competition versus symbiosis when compared to large organizations  (00:14:11) - The overall size of Databricks as a business (00:18:09) - Costs incurred when using a database service like Databricks (00:19:47) - The founding story of Databricks  (00:22:53) - When SineWave recognized the database's potential  (00:24:29) - The importance of partnerships and how they help grow the business  (00:27:07) - Legacy solutions that they are disintermediating or replacing in their growth   (00:27:57) - What being Hadoop’d means  (00:21:50) - A breakdown of the complexity behind switching to different database providers  (00:32:07) - The success of these businesses breaking into legacy regulated industries  (00:34:47) - Why AI is so impactful to the database  (00:37:40) - How AI is helping these businesses go to market with their software  (00:39:50) - Democratization of data access and businesses taking the opposite approach  (00:43:00) - Key reasons for investing in Databricks and potential risks to be considered   (00:46:12) - Lessons learned from studying Databricks  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the giant of online dating. Even if you found love the old-fashioned way, you're likely familiar with the Match brands like Tinder and Hinge, amongst many others. To break down Match, I'm joined by George Hadjia, founder of Bristlemoon Capital. George goes through a background on this industry, what made Match who it is today, and all of the key debates that are driving this stock and all the commentary around it. Please enjoy this breakdown of Match Group. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus Converge — the first virtual event centered on the world of investor research. When twin brothers Tom and Mike Elnick realized that the research process for investors was broken, they founded Tegus to fix it. Now the people behind the most trusted research platform are bringing institutional investors together to investigate the state — and the future — of fundamental research. On November 8th, join industry luminaries like IGSB Founder Reece Duca and Daniel Gross, AI Expert, Entrepreneur and Investor, to dig into the latest research trends and breakthrough technologies shaping the investment landscape. Register today at tegus.com/register. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:10) - (First question) - George’s response since releasing his recent report on Match (00:04:55) - A general overview of the online dating market (00:10:55) - Comparing the different brands within the dating app industry   (00:14:10) - The reason for the existence of so many niche brands in the market (00:18:55) - The different avenues for these brands when it comes to monetization  (00:21:25) - The breakdown of revenue per customer and the different tiers dating apps offer  (00:24:10) - Customer turnover due to the nature of dating and how the retention rate differs between the different apps (00:28:40) - A snapshot of how the industry has been growing over recent years (00:29:50) - Determining normalized earning profiles and margins when taking into account the lack of marketing spend historically (00:32:40) - The historical percentage of revenue that goes into marketing expenses (00:35:10) - How Bumble’s advertising expenditure differs from Match Group brands (00:36:40) - Price competition between different brands and a look at Tinder’s introduction of premium monetization tiers (00:39:20) - Dissecting top-line growth and the percentage due to recent price increases  (00:40:10) - An overview of the business’ capital allocation and how they intend to invest in the growth of the business (00:42:50) - The new management team’s strategy and how it differs from the previous regimes (00:46:25) - Potential changes to Apple app store fees and how it could affect the business  (00:51:10) - A forward outlook at where George expects the business to go in the coming years (00:54:40) - The key risks to the business moving forward (00:57:20) - The threat that Facebook poses in terms of its entry into the market  (01:02:20) - The lessons learned from researching Match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Olin Corporation. Olin is a key player in industrial chemicals but many of those chemicals are used in products that we encounter on a day-to-day basis. To break down Olin, I'm joined by Yinan Zhao from Pzena Investment Management. Together we cover the chlor-alkali market, what it means to be the lowest-cost producer of a given commodity, and how Olin has shifted its business model and its operational model to help sustain earnings through cycles. Please enjoy this breakdown of Olin Corp. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. Subscribe to Colossus's New Show: Art of Investing For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:01:33) - (First question) - An elevator pitch for Olin (00:02:56) - Investors looking at DuPont also look at Olin from a subsector perspective  (00:03:55) - A brief history of Olin’s business (00:07:40) - The process of creating Chloralkali and its uses (00:11:25) - The similarities and differences when comparing the crude oil refining process and the creation of Chloralkali (00:12:21) - The use of Olin’s chlorine in residential public pools  (00:12:48) - The breakdown of manufacturing operations of Olin, control versus outsourcing (00:18:14) - A snapshot of the revenue percentages of Olin’s businesses (00:19:13) - The percentage range of Olin’s cyclical commodities  (00:20:06) - The end markets that Olin integrates itself in (00:22:47) - A background on CEO Scott Sutton and the shift in operating philosophy (00:29:09) - Olin’s confidence in its new optimization strategies (00:33:49) - The downside risk to Olin’s new business model (00:35:53) - A breakdown of Olin’s CapEx spending  (00:37:17) - The margin profile and EBITDA growth, historically and how it looks now (00:38:20) - The difficulties in forecasting and similarities with oil refinery volatility (00:40:02) - Market futures activity and hedging (00:41:49) - The Winchester business and its position within the overall Olin pie (00:43:49) - The announcement to the departure of Scott Sutton and the risks posed (00:48:11) - Other potential risks to Olin’s business moving forward (00:49:11) - A look at Olin’s ESG ranking  (00:51:35) - Valuing the business and what investors might think about Olin (00:53:12) - Lessons learned from researching Olin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down WEX, a big fish in a less known pond. WEX is a leader in the fleet card market - they offer trucking businesses special credit cards which help secure advantaged rates on fuel among many other things. This is a business with a long history as WEX is headquartered in Maine, and really came to life in the 1980s.  To break down WEX, I'm joined by Mark Tomasovic from Energize Capital, a multiple-time guest on Business Breakdowns. We get into the history of this industry and how WEX found a very creative way to accelerate adoption within this market. Please enjoy this breakdown of WEX. Subscribe to Colossus's New Show: Art of Investing Buy a ticket to Patrick and David Senra's live show. Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus Converge — the first virtual event centered on the world of investor research. When twin brothers Tom and Mike Elnick realized that the research process for investors was broken, they founded Tegus to fix it. Now the people behind the most trusted research platform are bringing institutional investors together to investigate the state — and the future — of fundamental research. On November 8th, join industry luminaries like IGSB Founder Reece Duca and Daniel Gross, AI Expert, Entrepreneur and Investor, to dig into the latest research trends and breakthrough technologies shaping the investment landscape. Register today at tegus.com/register. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:57) - (First question) - An overview of what WEX is and what they do (00:03:50) - A summary of the market that WEX operates in (00:05:59) - The history of the company’s creation (00:08:53) - The importance of signing up large gas companies rather than retail locations (00:11:33) - Value propositions behind providing fleet cards  (00:12:53) - How the economic model works for the cards   (00:13:48) - The percentage of spend equivalent to Visa or Mastercard (00:14:31) - The difficulty behind switching from one fleet card provider to another  (00:17:05) - The role fuel prices play in the total revenue of the business (00:20:09) - Threats to consider on the supply end of the business   (00:21:57) - Recharging at home and the process of receiving a credit (00:23:06) - Other businesses WEX is involved in (00:24:27) - A comparison between all of WEX’s businesses and where they direct focus (00:25:13) - A look into their health and employee benefits line  (00:26:39) - The overall financial profile from a revenue and margins standpoint (00:28:43) - How big players like Amazon or Walmart play a part in potential business (00:30:02) - The threat of Visa or Mastercard entering the same space (00:31:17) - Total amount of revenue generated from electric vehicle fleets   (00:33:27) - Electric charging locations and the process of building these facilities (00:35:13) - Technology invested into creating faster charging stations (00:35:50) - An overall look at risks for the business (00:37:54) - Other parts of WEX that stand out (00:40:10) - Lessons learned from studying WEX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the data services giant, Equifax. Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax have built this fascinating oligopoly worth studying, but the business has extended well beyond the credit checks on mortgages. Their employee verification tool, The Work Number, may be their most valuable asset today. To break down Equifax, I'm joined by Mo Spolan, analyst at Weitz Investments. We dive into both sides of the business, the unique industry structures that they sit in, the history around competition, and Equifax's future outlook. The newest podcast from Colossus, Art of Investing is dropping next week! This is going to be a series of discussions with the world's best investors, company builders, academics, athletes, artists, and any human beings devoted to exploring the joys of compounding in all its forms. The first two episodes will be released on Monday, October 9. Art of Investing: Trailer Interested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:00:58) - (First question) - How Equifax extends beyond credit checks (00:05:02) - Evolution from the Wild West of credit to a tech-driven, regulated oligopoly (00:10:21) - Give-to-get model builds network; compiles detailed credit history (00:12:16) - How credit bureaus grow with GDP and loan volumes (00:15:19) - The shift from three to two credit checks for mortgages (00:23:16) - Facing cyclical shifts, credit bureaus' margins decline with IT investments (00:25:29) - How The Work Number, acquired by Equifax, has evolved into a critical income verification service (00:28:50) - Ingesting exclusive data, Equifax dominates income verification via a large network (00:32:51) - How Work Number stays atop the verification market despite competition (00:43:36) - Increasing Work Number margins lift Equifax; HR paperwork still strategically important (00:44:57) - Work Number poised for solid double-digit growth; boosts overall business outlook (00:51:15) - The 2017 Equifax breach led to executive shakeup and strategic focus shift (00:55:57) - Increasing competitive intensity, aggressive pricing, and potential regulation are key risks for Equifax (00:59:46) - Lessons learned from studying Equifax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Boeing. Founded in Seattle in 1916 by William Boeing, the company has produced thousands of commercial and military aircraft over the past century. It is an important national and global asset and one-half of arguably the most famous duopoly in business, alongside Airbus. To break down Boeing, I’m joined by Jon Ostrower, founder and editor-in-chief of The Air Current. You can split Boeing’s business into three segments: commercial, defense, and services. For this discussion, we focus mostly on Boeing’s commercial business, which accounted for nearly 40% of its revenues last year. We talk about the cost and complexity of building new airplanes, how the 737 MAX disaster changed the business, and why the future of commercial planes may look radically different. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Boeing. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:38) - (First question) - An introduction to the aerospace industry and Boeing's role in it (00:05:41) - Boeing's business model today (00:09:52) - How the aerospace industry settled into a duopoly (00:12:30) - Costs associated with airplane manufacturing (00:14:02) - The life expectancy of an aircraft (00:14:46) - Dealing with the supply coordination problem (00:17:39) - The Boeing and McDonnell Douglas merger (00:20:51) - Problems Boeing has faced over the past five years (00:25:44) - How leadership turnover has permeated through Boeing (00:28:03) - Competitive headwinds Boeing can face (00:33:10) - How Boeing will grow in the aerospace industry (00:37:39) - Boeing's eVTOL strategy (00:41:42) - What is impacting the profitability of the business (00:43:38) - The biggest challenge facing the aerospace industry (00:44:57) - Lessons learned from studying Boeing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we’re breaking down an Irish business that has become the global leader in insulation products for buildings. Founded in 1965, the business is called Kingspan and today it has a market cap of nearly 13 billion euros. The bulk of their business comes from insulating big, commercial new builds – Tesla Factories, Apple’s Headquarters, the Emirates Stadium in London – all places where you’ll find Kingspan’s products. To break down this business, I’m joined by Nick Griffin, the Founding Partner and CIO of Munro Partners. We talk about the ESG tailwinds behind this business, how they’ve grown through acquisitions, and their interesting go-to-market motion. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Kingspan. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:35) - (First question) - He gives us a detailed description of Kingspan (00:03:28) - Investing in a company based on the other side of the world (00:05:14) - Whether Kingspan is more commercial or residential driven  (00:05:55) - Kingspan’s origins (00:08:35) - Description of an insulated panel and how it is used (00:12:38) - What makes their panels the best in the world (00:15:25) - The benefits of doing both commercial and residential panels (00:16:08) - Industry characteristics and its overall market share (00:17:54) - The pricing mechanism and pricing power behind the product (00:21:26) - Kingspan’s expansion into the world market  (00:22:53) - The secret sauce behind the success of Kingspan  (00:25:01) - Kingspan’s economy to scale (00:27:42) - What he finds interesting about Kingspan’s financial profile  (00:29:15) - Splitting revenue growth between organic and inorganic growth (00:32:35) - The visibility of Kingspan’s products and their measurable efficiency       (00:34:50) - His expectations for Kingspan’s growth over the next 10 to 15 years (00:34:05) - The margin structure of the acquired businesses (00:37:12) - The life expectancy of the insulation product (00:38:35) - Risks behind insulated panels and the industry (00:42:22) - His evaluation of business modeling for acquisitions  (00:43:23) - Which competitors does he watch most closely    (00:44:49) - The lessons learned from studying Kingspan for 10 years  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today’s breakdown is a little different. Last week we looked at the most popular sport in the world in Football. Today, we break down the business behind a sport in its relative infancy - Padel. This racket sport started in the late 60s in Mexico and became big in many Spanish speaking countries. It then got a significant COVID bump and momentum has remained strong since. To break down this burgeoning sport, I’m joined by Alan Flatt, CEO and President of EEP Capital. We look at the dynamics of the sport that are making it popular, the investment characteristics of Padel Clubs, and how sustainable its recent growth is. We also cover the differences to a sport that has become big in the US, Pickleball. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Padel. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:41) - (First question) - A background on the sport of Padel (00:03:38) - The size and scope of Padel today (00:05:35) - The origins of the sport and its growth around the world up until now (00:06:31) - Covid and Pickleball’s impact on the growth of Padel over the last 5 years (00:07:08) - The main differences between Padel and Pickleball (00:09:12) - Padel’s universal attraction being its ease of entry for beginners (00:10:41) - Alan’s story of how he became involved with Padel as an investment (00:12:16) - Investing in Padel clubs and looking at Padel’s previous growth in other territories  (00:15:53) - What makes an attractive location for a Padel club (00:18:14) - The costs involved with starting a Padel club (00:21:53) - A look at the Padel Brooklyn location’s business model (00:25:12) - The margin profile of a Padel club (00:26:51) - Other sports and businesses with comparative models (00:28:55) - How the current supply issue can be resolved (00:33:06) - The current state of the US Pro League and how it might change (00:37:50) - A breakdown of the teams and schedule of the US Pro League (00:39:32) - The makeup of a Padel Pro League team (00:40:49) - The strategic priority list for the Pro League in order to meet its growth goals (00:44:28) - As a whole, how the sport of Padel can grow and the target markets for adoption (00:46:07) - How close the sport is to becoming an Olympic sport (00:48:20) - The risks that Padel faces (00:51:46) - The lessons Alan has learned and can share with operators and investors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we’re breaking down the business behind the most popular sport in the world, Football or Soccer. It’s a vast market. 3 billion people around the world watch the sport and more than €30 billion euros are spent within the football ecosystem in Europe alone each year. But aside from a huge addressable market and reasonable revenue, is it actually a good business? Why do investors keep buying Football clubs? Is there any economic rationale behind that? Is there a link between sporting and financial success? Has middle-eastern money distorted the transfer market for good? These are some of the questions I asked our guest, Dr Rob Wilson, who is a football finance expert and Head of the finance, accounting, and business systems department at Sheffield Hallam University. I hope you enjoy us breakdown the business of football. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 drivable global models hand-built by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:16) - (First question) - Defining the European football market (00:05:12) - How the Premier League defined itself as the world’s best league (00:08:16) - The delegation of funds based on a team’s final position in the league (00:11:19) - A brief introduction to the breakaway European Super League (00:12:53) - The sale of Manchester United and how it affects the scope of the footballing world (00:18:34) - The role emotion plays when it comes to buying and selling of football clubs (00:20:47) - The makeup of a well run football club (00:23:54) - The four-pillar model and exploring new revenue streams in football (00:25:59) - The utilization of ‘access all areas’ type documentaries as a source of revenue (00:28:40) - Breaking down the return on investment for football clubs building new stadiums  (00:33:51) - Financial regulations in football and a brief history of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (00:40:41) - The correlation between sporting and financial performance (00:42:23) - The different types of football club ownership profiles    (00:44:51) - Reasons why investors choose to enter the football market (00:48:12) - Changes to the football landscape since sovereign wealth funds have entered the market (00:51:36) - The importance of the transfer market to football clubs (00:53:03) - How the fans fit into the sport moving forward (00:55:52) - Potential opportunities for TV revenue streams by entering new market places  (00:56:55) - The relationship between the clubs and the leagues (00:58:20) - The lessons learned from researching the football industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going into the land of convenience stores to break down Casey's General Stores. Casey's currently operates in 16 states in the Midwest and Southern US. As of this recording, they have close to a $10 billion market cap and are the number three player in their market. To break down Casey's, Matt Reustle is joined by Markus Hansen, portfolio manager and senior analyst at Vontobel Asset Management. We cover the industry of convenience stores, including the competition that exists in this market and the unique geographical considerations. We also discuss the financial model, drivers of gasoline performance versus in-store purchases, and margin profiles across the different segments of this business. This is another fascinating story hidden in plain sight. Please enjoy this breakdown of Casey's. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:42) - (First question) - The concept of Casey’s General Stores  (00:06:04) - Casey’s competitors and the market share in different regions (00:10:52) - The main differences between Casey’s and a regular gas station   (00:14:09) - A brief history on Casey’s beginnings and its founder (00:17:25) - A breakdown of the business’ revenue (00:19:14) - Casey's growth despite the changing environment standards raising operational costs (00:23:52) - The business’ margin profile (00:26:53) - How Casey’s General competes with its peers and fuel pricing (00:29:33) - The focus for Casey’s with regards to expansion opportunities  (00:33:06) - The hurdles involved with building new gas stations versus acquiring existing stores (00:35:08) - Casey’s stance on franchising (00:38:02) - The company’s attractiveness to buyers (00:40:52) - Casey’s General’s average stock performance (00:44:26) - Key risks of Casey’s (00:47:30) - The main lessons learned from Casey’s General Stores Important Information: Information provided represents the views of a company of the Vontobel Group (“Vontobel”) and should not be considered investment advice and/or legal, tax, financial or other advice. Further, not a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell any investment and no representation is given that the securities discussed are suitable for any particular investor. Although Vontobel believes that the information provided in this document is based on reliable sources, it cannot assume responsibility for the quality, correctness, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in this document. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Take-Two Interactive Software. If you listened to our Business Breakdown on Electronic Arts, Take Two is another giant in the video game publishing space. They are best known for their Grand Theft Auto and 2K franchise. To break down Take-Two I'm joined by Eric Kress, principal at Gossamer Consulting Group. Eric spent multiple decades inside the video game market, both as an investor and as an operator, and we tap into his perspective from both sides of the table. We drill into historic IP, the strategy behind new releases and what mobile means for the market, and specifically for Take Two. Please enjoy this breakdown of Take-Two. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:35) - (First question) - Brief overview of Take-Two (00:03:32) - Take-Two's acquisition of Zynga represents a significant push into mobile gaming (00:05:05) - Mobile gaming faces challenges from Apple's IDFA removal and Google's changes (00:06:37) - Apple's privacy changes benefit them but hurt mobile publishers (00:07:50) - How Take-Two evolved from PC and console to mobile (00:10:48) - Console and PC target AAA games; mobile reaches a broader, less premium market (00:12:53) - Creating new iconic AAA gaming IP is nearly impossible due to high costs (00:15:08) - Big IP success in gaming historically depended on retail relationships and distribution (00:17:39) - Sports games have almost 100% revenue visibility; others like GTA fluctuate (00:19:31) - GTA's next release is anticipated and guaranteed to sell millions, but post-launch is uncertain (00:25:24) - Risk of new console alignment affects expectations for next GTA game release (00:27:57) - Updating titles for different consoles has become less complicated with PC architecture (00:29:44) - Pricing at $60-$70; new tech may boost in-game spending (00:31:30) - GTA's mature nature makes in-game advertising tough (00:32:59) - NBA license with 2K is a partnership, not exclusive (00:35:28) - Take-Two lacks profitable titles beyond GTA and 2K (00:37:57) - EA smartly bought Respawn and built studios; Take-Two lacks similar capability (00:39:29) - Gaming industry consolidated to fewer franchises; similar to film industry's trend (00:44:07) - Zynga's acquisition was ill-timed; it's a declining asset with no value (00:47:32) - Microsoft's deal may lead to Amazon or Comcast buying Take-Two (00:50:11) - Valuing these businesses often relies on traditional PE methods (00:52:06) - Key risks for Take-Two are overhyped GTA expectations and service burnout (00:53:37) - Lessons learned from studying Take-Two Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Nubank. The Brazilian-based neobank has gone from nothing to extraordinary scale in a short period of time. 10 years after its founding, the company counts 46% of Brazil’s adult population as customers, is the largest Fintech in Latin America, and has a market capitalization of $37 billion. The fact that it’s achieved this in an environment that heavily favored the large incumbent banks makes its story all the more impressive. To break down the business, I am joined by Daniel Bakalarz, Managing Partner at Unison Asset Management. Dan has a long history with this business and it shows in our discussion. We discuss the confluence of factors that made this business possible, the economics of a typical Nubank customer, and the competitive dynamics of banking in South America. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Nubank. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 drivable global models hand-built by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:44) - (First question) - A background on neobanks and how Nubank is unique (00:04:17) - The company’s origin story and how it moved up the value chain over time (00:09:43) - Nubank’s rise to a becoming a market leader in just a decade since its formation in 2013 (00:17:04) - The backdrop in Brazil that led to the opportunity for Nubank to enter the market (00:23:34) - A breakdown of Nubank’s revenue (00:29:06) - The makeup of a mature Nubank customer and the company’s average revenue from that customer (00:33:33) - Reasons for the business pricing its annual percentage rates so aggressively  (00:34:18) - The comparison between the business and traditional bank holding companies in the US and South America (00:43:40) - Potential opportunities for Nubank in the future (00:52:12) - The biggest risks to the company moving forward (00:57:30) - Brazilian regulator's opinion on Nubank’s rise in the market in context of its large established peers (00:59:54) - Lessons learned from studying the business (01:05:06) - Dan’s parting wisdom on Nubank and what he wants people to take away from this breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital. Today, we're breaking down Argenx, an immunology company founded in 2008 by its three founding partners. Today, it's a $30 billion company set to produce over a billion dollars in sales. They're known for their skill in developing antibodies for complex disease targets and owe a large part of their medical breakthroughs to llamas, which have similar antibodies in their immune system to those found in humans.  To break down Argenx, I'm joined by Julia Angeles, an investment manager at Baillie Gifford. Throughout this conversation, we'll discuss how Argenx navigates the complex world of drug development, clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and the ultimate commercialization of autoimmune therapies. We'll also learn more about their transition from a venture capital backed business to its 2017 IPO, and today, a meaningful revenue generating business. We hope you enjoy this business breakdown. Note: This conversation was recorded on 19 July 2023. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Shownotes (00:03:49) - (First question) - Ways the immune system protects us and fails us (00:06:00) - Current patient treatments and evolving solutions to existing problems  (00:07:52) - The key difference between how the biotech community is addressing big diseases versus autoimmune disorders (00:09:55) - What sparked Julia’s interest in Argenx (00:14:01) - Explanation how we use animal antibodies to help research progression (00:15:25) - The foundations of the business (00:17:57) - The evolution of the business and its commercial success thus far (00:20:22) - Transitioning from lab antibodies to a commercial product ready for consumers (00:23:42) - The infrastructure needed to maintain and grow Argenx (00:26:43) - Indicators of commercial success (00:29:27) - The basic revenue model for this business type (00:30:49) - Go to market strategies for developed drugs  (00:34:39) - Pricing and patient protection of these newly developed drugs  (00:37:46) - Cures versus creating treatments with recurring revenue streams (00:39:38) - The importance of the current team composition  (00:41:44) - Julia’s perspective on what they are willing to invest to grow the company (00:43:49) - Normalized profitability for biotech companies such as this (00:45:59) - Potential risks to the current business model (00:49:22) - Lessons learned from studying Argenx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the vehicle auction giant, Copart. You may be unfamiliar with Copart but, at the time of this recording, the company has a $40 billion market cap. They operate in over 200 locations across the globe and they sell north of 3 million cars per year on behalf of their unique customer base. Copart is a unique story in a very concentrated industry where they likely have 50% market share. It's a story defined by evolution. Its founder, Willis Johnson, didn't merely adopt a junkyard mentality. He was born into it, molded by it. To break down Copart, I'm joined by Adam Mead, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Mead Capital Management. We cover all the angles of this unique industry giant. Please enjoy this breakdown of Copart. Access Adam's Copart writeup for free here. Choose the October 2022 Copart issue and use the code "Breakdowns" for 100% off.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:32) - (First question) - An overview of Copart (00:04:16) - The size and scope of the market  (00:04:52) - The process of a vehicle entering into Copart’s system  (00:06:36) - The other side of the marketplace, who buys from Copart (00:08:16) - Selling cars whole or dismantling and how this has changed from the early days of the business (00:09:55) - An overview of Willis Johnson’s career, forming Copart and his involvement today  (00:13:26) - The financial structure of the business in the early days (00:14:59) - Copart’s differences from the competition  (00:18:42) - Biggest drivers of supply. Accidents, natural disasters, wear and tear   (00:22:12) - Cashflow flow through, the economics for Copart (00:24:08) - Associated costs with regards to the sale and movement of vehicles  (00:26:12) - Average inventory numbers throughout the year (00:27:32) - The margin profile of the business on a normalized basis (00:29:29) - A breakdown of the CapEx budget on a yearly basis (00:33:42) - The major drivers of growth for Copart  (00:37:16) - The buyback history, stated goal and philosophy on dividends (00:38:38) - Historical and potential future risks to the business   (00:42:00) - The insurance companies’ opinion of the business, net positive or net negative (00:43:37) - The framework investors use when valuing this business (00:47:17) - Lessons learned from the research and analysis of Copart  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Lululemon Athletica. The Canadian company, founded by Chip Wilson in 1998, has grown from a pop-up store in a yoga class to a $45 billion apparel business. Along the way, it pioneered the trend of athleisure and forever changed what women and men wear to work out in. To break down the business, I am joined by John Zolidis, president and founder of Quo Vadis Capital. We explore the origins of Lululemon’s direct to consumer growth strategy, how it has remained relevant in an industry known for fleeting success, and how its business model compares to apparel giants like Nike. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Lululemon.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:30) - (First question) - An overview of Lululemon (00:03:27) - Lululemon's success lies in branding, innovation, and community involvement (00:05:53) - Evaluating their growth story and investment potential (00:09:57) - Chip Wilson’s history and influence (00:16:53) - Management transitions, operational issues, and turnaround under new leadership (00:20:01) - Lululemon's success lies in its functional product and strong brand message (00:23:13) - Fending off competition through unique branding and customer engagement (00:26:31) - Lulu aims to grow men's business to complement women's dominance and reach (00:28:46) - China offers significant growth potential for Lululemon (00:32:35) - Focusing on vertical integration and limited wholesale channels (00:34:21) - Lulu's higher gross margins stem from product mix and DTC focus (00:37:08) - Increased capital expenditure is primarily allocated to store openings (00:40:18) - Mirror acquisition didn't meet expectations, unlikely to repeat such deals (00:42:30) - Significant risks for Lululemon's future (00:44:48) - Lessons learned from studying Lululemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down the vertical market software business, Toast. Toast is a software platform built specifically for restaurants. Their operating system gives restauranteurs all the tools they need to serve customers, from taking orders to allocating shifts. It was founded in 2011 and went public a decade later. Today, it’s used by nearly 80,000 restaurants across the US. To breakdown Toast, I’m joined by Will Schreiber, the co-founder and CEO of Bottle – an ecommerce platform built for subscription businesses. We cover the different ways that Toast minimises the complexities of operating a restaurant, how their deep vertical focus has helped them outcompete Square, and how much room there is for potential growth. Please enjoy this breakdown of Toast.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:01:42) - (First question) - An overview of Toast (00:04:16) - Toast's origins and pivot to Point-of-Sale (POS) solutions (00:07:35) - Convincing restaurants to switch from antiquated systems to modern POS solutions (00:09:48) - The complexity of restaurant operations requires efficient POS systems (00:13:04) - An overview of the POS revenue model (00:17:16) - Addressable market and limiting it intentionally with pricing  (00:20:04) - How their tech expertise enabled them to build a hardware and software ecosystem (00:23:23) - The Toast network effect and their potential margin profile at full scale  (00:26:19) - Their revenue mix impacts its margin profile, with transaction revenue dominating (00:27:37) - How they aim to dominate the restaurant industry with comprehensive services (00:29:59) - APIs enable integration, yet in-house features may risk partner relationships (00:33:45) - The key risks for Toast moving forward (00:38:40) - Why expanding beyond restaurants could challenge Toast (00:41:02) - Third-party integrations may erode Toast's point-of-sale dominance (00:44:36) - Lessons learned from studying Toast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down the biggest manufacturer of chip making equipment in the world, Applied Materials. Last week, we looked at the other leading equipment maker in the semi-industry, ASML, and while that business currently has a higher market cap, Applied Materials generated more revenue and profit last year. It earned $26 billion, spent $3 billion on R&D and currently has 17,300 patents. To explore the business behind those numbers, I’m joined by Dylan Patel, Chief Analyst at SemiAnalysis. Dylan takes us through the industry’s evolution, how Applied’s business differs to ASML, and how geopolitics is a double-edged sword. Please enjoy this breakdown of Applied Materials. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:33) - (First question) - An overview of the vital and diverse semiconductor industry (00:05:11) - The shift to specialization in semiconductors (00:09:04) - Geopolitical factors that impact the sector (00:12:16) - The dynamic evolution of Applied Materials (00:15:22) - What differentiates Applied Materials from their competitors (00:18:52) - Strong margins, growth, and efficient capital allocation drive their financials  (00:22:00) - The cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry (00:24:36) - Optimizing equipment for next-gen chips through collaboration with manufacturers (00:29:09) - How Applied Materials' specialization limits equipment changes for manufacturers (00:32:54) - Contributing factors to Applied Materials' continued growth (00:36:05) - Market share varies by equipment and processes (00:39:13) - Biggest risks for Applied (00:41:23) - AI's growing demand for semiconductors (00:43:20) - Lessons learned from studying Applied Materials Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are back covering the semiconductor value chain. ASML was once a forgotten subsidiary of Philips. Today, it's one of the most important technology companies in the world. To break down ASML, I'm joined by Tom Walsh, a portfolio manager at Baillie Gifford. Tom helps explain what's happening inside an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, and how ASML came to pioneer this technology from the Netherlands. It was a non-traditional path to say the least. This breakdown pairs very well with our breakdowns on AMD, Qualcomm and Cadence. And I'd also highlight the Founders Podcast episode #8 on the Intel Trinity. Please enjoy this breakdown of ASML. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:44) - (First question) - The ASML back story (00:06:14) - A deep dive into what semiconductors and Lithography are   (00:08:04) - Alternate business directions ASML could have pursued  (00:19:39) - How large ASML is in the industry today (00:10:37) - A look into the management team over time (00:14:03) - Moore’s Law and the key components of chip production (00:15:09) - Overall size of the machines manufactured (00:16:14) - The evolution of UV light and its important role in the advancement of Lithography  (00:20:29) - Other competing companies within the field  (00:23:10) - A detailed look into the cost of production industry wide (00:24:04) - Unlocked innovations associated with the development technology  (00:25:32) - The life cycle of a lithography machine (00:27:04) - Revenue gained from new versus refurbished machines (00:27:27) - The cyclicality of the ASML machine revenue (00:29:32) - Potential production limitations due to capacity (00:31:00) - Margin profile and how ASML sets prices (00:32:33) - What the concentration of customers looks like (00:37:00) - Reasons why an acquisition has not taken place to date (00:38:42) - He explains where investor cash flow is directed (00:40:01) - An investors perspective on ASML opportunities  (00:42:24) - How milestones in new technology are regulated and measured (00:45:40) - Potential business risks (00:49:21) - Lessons he’s learned from studying ASML Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we are breaking down Roku. With all the hype about social media and smartphones, it’s easy to forget that the average American still spends over 5 hours a day watching TV. And while the streaming wars get most headline attention, the battle for the user interface of smart TVs also has billions of dollars at stake. Here, Roku has emerged as an unlikely frontrunner, ahead of Samsung, Google, Amazon and other giants. To breakdown Roku, I am joined by Joe Frankenfield, Portfolio Manager at Saga Partners. We cover Roku’s history, dive into its income statement, unpack why it is the leading Smart TV platform in the US, and what the future holds for it. Please enjoy this breakdown of Roku. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show notes (00:02:35) - (First question) - What is Roku: its scale and business model (00:04:37) - The history of Roku, major milestones, and the evolution of streaming (00:09:04) - The evolution of the content landscape after the inception of Roku’s device  (00:10:59) - The steps Roku is taking to become the choice provider for consumers (00:14:10) - A breakdown of Roku’s revenue streams (00:18:04) - Advertising versus subscription models (00:18:37) - Mental models for determining the size and scope of the company  (00:19:48) - How Roku acquires new customers, how marketing differs from old-school cable acquisition methods (00:21:20) - Reasons why Roku has won the majority market share (00:28:00) - Roku’s founder Anthony Wood’s importance to the business nowadays (00:29:04) - How Roku distributes its profits (00:31:14) - Roku’s acquisitions to date and the reason why the company has not yet been acquired by a bigger player (00:32:38) - Internal and external factors that could make or break Roku’s  growth expectations over the next 5 years (00:39:09) - The lessons that can be taken from the Roku story for platform builders and investors (00:41:37) - Learn more about Roku: Media in the Digital Age | We Now Disrupt this Broadcast | The Business of Media Distribution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the mobile gaming industry. It was several months ago that I was reading an industry report for our Business Breakdown on Electronic Arts. I was shocked to see that mobile gaming was now 50% of the overall gaming market. What really stood out to me was just how different the business model is. You have smaller game developers operating with a completely different monetization model. It's the same industry but with drastically different strategies. To break down the industry, I'm joined by Eric Seufert. Eric spent his early career in the heart of mobile gaming, notably as a Vice President at Rovio, which developed Angry Birds. Today, Eric is the creator of Mobile Dev Memo, a publication focused on mobile monetization. For this conversation, Eric details the history and inflection points for mobile gaming, what the market structure looks like today, and how regulation and privacy have impacted the business model and strategies.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 35+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:24) - (First question) The year mobile gaming took off and the leaders in game development at that time (00:04:34) - The evolution of mobile game publishers since 2012   (00:08:50) - Mobile gaming business models; why “freemium” has thrived   (00:14:04) - The 95% rule for freemium; revenue per user is not as important when working truly within a freemium model    (00:21:18) - The ratio of average user retention vs great user retention; and measuring retention using DX values  (00:24:19) - Comparing game revenue before and after the decline curve of user base at the 30 day mark (00:29:23) - How much in-game advertising revenue makes up in the total revenue for a game (00:34:22) - The current business model for mobile gaming; 25 good games vs 1 viral hit game (00:37:32) - Balancing in-game advertising between outside revenue and a developer’s gaming portfolio; determining high-potential players based on their immediate in-game behavior  (00:43:17) - Eco-system development or consolidation; The enduring theme that Eric expects to stick around for the next 3-5 years (00:47:18) - The overall health of the mobile gaming market; how the Digital Markets Act in Europe may lead to the fracturing of app stores and the benefits to the industry of that Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down First Citizens Bank. I'm joined by investors with plenty of experience investing in banks - Bill Nygren and Alex Fitch of Oakmark. First Citizens is a bank with 125 years of history but they don't operate like the bulge bracket Wall Street Banks. They don't even host quarterly conference calls. They have a playbook and they execute it, and their recent acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank fell into that playbook. In this conversation, Bill and Alex offer a really unique macro and micro view on bank investing and what stands out about First Citizens. Please enjoy this breakdown of First Citizens Bank.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:47) - (First question) - A primer on investing in banks (00:09:27) - The appeal of First Citizens Bank (00:15:18) - How they leverage acquisitions, including FDIC auctions, for a competitive edge (00:21:42) - How their risk management and protective measures foster resilience and growth (00:26:22) - The significant impact of prioritizing relationship-based and specialized lending (00:28:51) - Why they adjust risk parameters during the integration with other banks (00:30:38) - How they leverage loyal customers and low costs to achieve strong profitability  (00:33:21) - Rapid fund movement during the SVB event raises market change concerns (00:36:58) - Overview of bank investment opportunities (00:42:48) - The key drivers of their business model (00:47:43) - Rebuilding relationships with former depositors to retain SVB deposits (00:51:23) - Their emphasis on relationships and strategic acquisitions (00:53:30) - How the regulatory framework plays a key role in de-risking the banking system (00:57:00) - The key risks for First Citizens moving forward (00:58:39) - Why volatile interest rate changes impacted banks (01:00:08) - Lessons learned from studying First Citizens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we’re breaking down PayPal. PayPal has been at the forefront of digital payments since the early days of the internet. Founded by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and others, who have since become household names, PayPal is a payments marketplace that facilitates transactions between merchants and consumers. It found product market fit as the trusted way to send money over the internet, was quickly acquired by eBay, and had its second founding moment in 2015 when it was spun off into a public company again. The platform serves 435 million consumers and merchants and processed $1.4 trillion of payments last year. To break down the business, I’m joined by Elliot Turner, managing partner and CIO at RGA Investment Advisors. We discuss the acquisitive history behind this business, how their portfolio of brands like Braintree, Venmo, and Honey operate within the ecosystem, and why VISA threatened to go nuclear on PayPal. Please enjoy this business breakdown of PayPal.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 55,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:40) - (First question) Important milestones leading to the genesis of PayPal (00:08:18) - eBay's acquisition of PayPal and the subsequent separation (00:12:13) - The size and scope of PayPal today (00:15:08) - Where PayPal fits within the overall payments ecosystem (00:18:33) - The various transaction types involved in their business economics (00:22:03) - How PayPal protects its users against fraudulent behavior (00:24:37) - PayPal’s business strategy of getting people comfortable with using digital money (00:27:31) - The value that driving customer engagement has on the bottom line (00:31:41) - How PayPal utilizes cash within its ecosystem (00:33:15) - Why Braintree has been such a success, and who they compete with (00:38:50) - How PayPal revenue is split into cash flow and profits (00:42:40) - What enables PayPal to maintain such a large advantage over its competitors  (00:46:03) - Identifying PayPal’s main competitors and partners (00:48:30) - The dynamics of PayPal's relationship with Apple (00:50:44) - How acquisition and R&D fosters their growth and innovation   (00:55:12) - Strategic changes adopted by PayPal to recover from the COVID period (00:56:42) - Speculation on who could replace Dan Schulman as PayPal’s CEO (00:58:52) - His thoughts on potential growth opportunities for PayPal’s next CEO (01:01:40) - Potential risks that PayPal may encounter in the future (01:04:10) - Lessons learned from studying PayPal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Restoration Hardware. The average person would call RH a furniture company but RH is a company where the CEO feels as important as the business, and CEO Gary Friedman has aspirations well beyond selling furniture. To break down RH, I'm joined by Drew Cohen of Speedwell Research. You may remember Drew from our breakdown of Floor & Decor. We cover how Gary Friedman took Restoration Hardware from the brink of bankruptcy and has built it into a brand with luxury aspirations. We go deep on the business model, why has RH been leaning into this in person experience despite a massive e-commerce boom, the reality of interior designers, inventory management, and orchestrating a supply chain when you sell monstrous couches. There's a lot to talk about here. It's a fascinating business with a fascinating person sitting at the middle of it. Please enjoy this breakdown of RH.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:27) - (First question) - Restoration Hardware’s relevance in the market (00:04:37) - The origin story of Restoration Hardware (00:07:58) - Insight into Gary Friedman’s backstory and his entry into RH (00:09:52) - The current RH business model and how Gary has shaped that over time  (00:17:14) - Their unique marketing funnels  (00:19:47) - Their move into the luxury brand market (00:21:24) - Explaining how the product collections are made up (00:22:32) - Updated supplier relations model  (00:25:25) - Insight into the RH sales model (00:28:04) - Overview of the membership model and how it impacts the business (00:31:42) - Peers within the industry that are using similar business models (00:32:49) - Cyclical macro exposure sales growth over time (00:34:09) - Their operations and logistics model (00:39:03) - The impact of COVID-19 (00:40:15) - Expected working capital for RH and other furniture peers (00:42:36) - Peer group average margin growth (00:45:56) - Key decisions and investments that need to go right (00:48:41) - European housing sizes and issues with American furniture (00:49:52) - Capital allocation history within RH (00:51:15) - How RH stays in style as decor tastes change over time (00:54:02) - His overall insight towards Gary’s ideas and risky business experiments (00:55:37) - His capital structure perspective for the future  (00:58:09) - How RH is moving into the luxury market as other brands move out  (00:59:09) - Lessons learned from studying Restoration Hardware Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Fair Isaac Corporation, commonly known as FICO. FICO is best known for its consumer credit scores product, which has become a common language across the world of consumer loans and banking. Less well known, but a major piece of the business, is FICO’s software offering that helps financial businesses with fraud detection, CRM, and loan origination. Between these two offerings – scores and software – FICO earned $1.3 billion last year. To break down the business, I’m joined by Dev Kantesaria, managing partner at Valley Forge Capital Management. In going through its history and business units, Dev explains why it would be tough to design a better business model than FICO. Please enjoy this breakdown of FICO.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 55,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:40) - (First question) - What attracted him to FICO as a business (00:03:31) - An overview of their key products and the value they provide (00:06:01) - How FICO collaborates and competes with credit bureaus (00:11:23) - Their ability to sustain steady growth in a cyclical environment (00:12:48) - How FICO's software offerings complement their credit score business (00:14:13) - Who their competitors are (00:23:16) - The potential competitive risks of emerging A.I. technology (00:25:57) - Why the push for VantageScore in the mortgage industry created more competition for credit bureaus  (00:27:58) - The differences between their B2C and scores businesses  (00:30:38) - A breakdown of the software side of the business and its significance (00:34:26) - All about FICO’s Falcon Fraud Manager and Triad Customer Manager  (00:39:20) - FICO’s capital-light business model in detail (00:41:59) - The aspects of the business that investors often overlook or underestimate (00:45:18) - Lessons learned from studying FICO  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we’re breaking down Bayern Munich. Bayern is Germany’s most successful football club and one of the world’s biggest. Most importantly, it makes a great case for being the best-run club in football. It has an enterprise value close to €3 billion, no debt, has been profitable for 3 decades, and is majority owned by fans. Plus, it has a trophy cabinet to rival any club worldwide. Bayern has won a record 32 national Bundesliga titles, including the last ten in a row, and has won the prestigious Champions League, six times. To break down the business behind the club, I’m joined by Marie Schulte-Bockum, a football journalist and Munich resident. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of FC Bayern Munich. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 25+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:38) - (First question) - Overview of Bayern Munich (00:05:37) - How Bayern’s been able to maintain such consistent success writ large (00:12:39) - What the 50+1 rule is and its implications for German football clubs (00:17:24) - Major differences between the Bundesliga and other European leagues (00:22:30) - What it takes to run a high performance team like Bayern Munich (00:28:39) - Driving profits and the three major revenue buckets for Bayern Munich (00:35:48) - Germany’s influence being the biggest economy in the European Union (00:38:40) - How important European football is to every major club and broadcasting revenue (00:43:20) - Whether Bayern are buyers, builders, or borrowers in regards to their team  (00:51:15) - Overview of their expenses and the size of their wage bill  (00:53:43) - What financial fair play is and how it protects football clubs (00:57:27) - How they’ve managed to cultivate one of the biggest fanbases in the world (01:02:14) - Potential risks for Bayern Munich’s continued success (01:04:18) - League-level discussions around sharing revenue equitably  (01:05:34) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Bayern Munich’s story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down MTN Group. MTN is the largest mobile network operator in Africa and one of the 10 largest in the world. It has over 270 million subscribers, operates in 20 different markets, and is also one of the largest FinTech’s in the continent. To break down MTN, I’m joined by Benjamin Isaac, founder and Chief Investment Officer at Brizo Capital. We unpack their mobile money business in some detail, contrast the development of Telcos in Africa with what we’ve experienced in the US, and explore the competitive dynamics of operating in Africa. Please enjoy this breakdown of MTN.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors. Stretch your research budget with flexible expert calls you can trust. At a fraction of the cost of traditional expert networks, Tegus customers pay only what an expert charges – with zero markups and no confusing call credits – netting an average 70% savings. Don’t want to conduct a full hour call? Tegus offers the ability to schedule 30-minutes, an offer you won’t find anywhere else. And they don’t stop there. With white-glove custom sourcing for every project and robust compliance measures, including a dedicated 50+ analyst team that vets every call transcript, Tegus ensures your privacy and protection. As the industry innovator for qualitative insights, Tegus helps you find the right experts you need at a quality and speed that can’t be matched. For a limited time, as a listener, you can trial Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:24) - An overview of MTN Group today (00:04:13) - Contextualizing the scale and trajectory of the business vis-à-vis  its strong African demographic (00:05:52) - MTN Group’s unique position in the value chain (00:10:37) - The origin and the evolution of MTN Group (00:13:19) - The business’ current and future revenue models and how they differ domestically and internationally (00:15:52) - Comparing ARPU in North America and Africa (00:18:03) - His take on why the international fintech market is developing as rapidly as it is (00:22:48) - Understanding use cases for MTN Group’s mobile money products (00:27:57) - The low market share held by credit card companies in Africa, and the opportunity it represents for MTN Group (00:29:07) - Regional differences, local competition, and the overall market structure (00:30:42) - The architects, visionaries, and capital allocators behind MTN Group (00:34:33) - What structural separation means for a business like MTN Group (00:36:31) - Measuring the size and scale of the business (00:38:53) - Investing in emerging markets (00:42:59) - The importance of location in a mobile fintech company listing (00:45:09) - Risks and challenges facing MTN Group (00:49:53) - How African mobile and fintech markets fared during COVID (00:51:23) - Framing the business’ current and future picture of profitability (00:56:23) - Lessons learned in studying the story of MTN Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Roper Technologies. Roper is a fascinating case study in how an old industrial business can pivot into a new world focused on software and technology. Roper was founded in 1890 as a manufacturer of industrial equipment and home appliances but, today, it is one of the most profitable software businesses in the world. Much of the pivot and subsequent value creation can be credited to Brian Jellison, who took over in 2001. To break down Roper, I’m joined by Joseph Shaposhnik, portfolio manager of the TCW New America Premier Equities Fund. We discuss the business’s roots, Jellison’s acquisition strategy, and how Roper compares to other niche software acquirers like Constellation Software. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Roper Technologies. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors, and provider of Canalyst. Tired of calculating fully-diluted shares outstanding? Access every publicly-reported datapoint and industry-specific KPI through their database of over 4,000 driveable global models handbuilt by a team of sector-focused analysts, 25+ industry comp sheets, and Excel add-ins that let you use their industry-leading data in your own spreadsheets. Tegus’ models automatically update each quarter, including hard to calculate KPIs like stock-based compensation and organic growth rates, empowering investors to bypass the friction of sourcing, building and updating models. Make efficiency your competitive advantage and take back your time today. As a listener, you can trial Canalyst by Tegus for free by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:38) - (First question) - Basic overview of Roper (00:05:24) - The businesses history and its pivot away from its roots (00:08:53) - Brian Jellison’s background and his appreciation for software businesses (00:14:23) - The way Brian Jellison would distinguish himself from others in his space (00:20:35) - His focus on acquiring new businesses vs building them himself (00:26:08) - The 3 dials he used to assess capital allocation decisions and the performance of companies (00:29:12) - How they are able to grow and expand margin after acquisitions (00:30:58) - Difference between other vertically integrated businesses like Constellation (00:34:19) - The succession plan at Roper (00:38:00) - Risks to that people should think about when it comes to Roper (00:41:44) - Lessons learned from Roper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Dolby Labs. Our favorite Breakdowns are those businesses, which are widely known but barely understood. Dolby fits the bill. You see the logo everywhere but what does Dolby technology do and how does the business work? To answer those questions and break down Dolby, I was joined by Paul Vincent and William Nott from investment manager, Ninety One. We cover the backstory of Ray Dolby, what Dolby's actually building and selling, and how the business model works. Please enjoy this breakdown of Dolby. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. (for me - https://joincolossus.com/episodes/69279744/vincent-dolby-the-sound-standard)  ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the modern research platform for leading investors. I’m a longtime user and advocate of Tegus, a company that I’ve been so consistently impressed with that last fall my firm, Positive Sum, invested $20M to support Tegus’ mission to expand its product ecosystem. Whether it’s quantitative analysis, company disclosures, management presentations, earnings calls - Tegus has tools for every step of your investment research. They even have over 4000 fully driveable financial models. Tegus’ maniacal focus on quality, as well as its depth, breadth and recency of content makes it the one-stop, end-to-end research platform for investors. Move faster, gather deep research to build conviction and surface high-quality, alpha-driving insights to find your differentiated edge with Tegus. As a listener, you can take the Tegus platform for a free test drive by visiting tegus.co/patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:50) - (First question) - The problem that Dolby initially set out to solve (00:05:02) - Some of the well-known products Dolby offers today  (00:08:41) - The path from noise reduction to enhancing the listener experience  (00:13:23) - Invisalign: Patents, Patients, Profits; How their codec technology is actually implemented  (00:16:40) - Whether or not how we record and what we record on can inhibit our ability to use Dolby’s products (00:18:32) - What the end markets for Dolby look like today   (00:21:04) - Whether or not they can offset against the consolidation of consumer technology  (00:22:54) - Targeting manufacturers as customers (00:26:55) - The trouble in defining Dolby’s total addressable market  (00:28:15) - Metrics used for measuring the size and relevance of the business  (00:31:23) - Outlining their royalty pricing model, its evolution, and the model’s dynamics   (00:34:54) - Whether or not the decline of movie theaters will impact their growth  (00:38:01) - Thoughts about Dolby’s cyclicality and potential trend impacts   (00:42:38) - The margin profile and how capital intensive the business is  (00:46:03) - His views on the potential risks to Dolby’s future  (00:50:30) - What stops Amazon or Apple from producing Dolby adjacent products in house (00:53:18) - How risky it is for Dolby to start pushing into the visual side of entertainment  (01:00:53) - Lessons for investors and builders when studying Dolby’s story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the iconic video game publisher, Electronic Arts. EA’s corporate history dates back to the 1980s and the business has evolved with all of the industry shifts in the decades since. To break down EA, I am joined by the author of The10thMan blog. We cover the role of a publisher in the video game ecosystem, the history and dynamics behind crown jewels like FIFA and Madden, and what the growth in mobile and new forms of monetization mean to a business like EA. Please enjoy this breakdown of EA. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:02:18) - (First Question) - EA’s role as a video game publisher within the broader industry (00:05:06) - EA’s size and scale today compared to its competitors  (00:08:15) - The founding story and the company’s background (00:16:12) - The impact of licensing agreements with sports games like Madden and FIFA (00:28:31) - The proportion of their games made for mobile, console, and PC (00:32:29) - Economics of a typical new game development and launch (00:34:38) - Expected lifespan of a game or its peak popularity (00:35:57) - How the industry is shifting from up-front sales to in-game sales (00:38:19) - The cost of keeping games up to date and working properly (00:40:00) - Working with third-party game engines versus developing a proprietary engine (00:44:45) - In-game purchases like loot boxes and the legal risks of being deemed gambling (00:48:26) - The video game M&A landscape and a discussion of Microsoft and Activision (00:50:19) - How EA uses a subscription model to unlock value from their back catalog (00:51:43) - Hypothetical top-line growth in the future and the bull case for EA (00:55:48) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying EA’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re breaking down India’s largest jewelry business, Titan. Titan began life as a watchmaker in 1984 through a joint venture between India’s biggest conglomerate, Tata Group, and the Tamilnadu state government. Today, the vast majority of its $4 billion in revenue come from its collection of jewelry brands, and Tanishq in particular. To break down the business, I’m joined by Saurabh Mukherjea, the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Marcellus Investment Managers. We cover the importance of jewelry to Indian consumers, the intricacies of retailing across India, and how Titan stands head and shoulders above its competitors in terms of profitability. Please enjoy this breakdown of Titan. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt Show Notes (00:02:45) - (First question) - What Titan is, where it operates, and its size and scale (00:06:50) - The bulk of the demand when it comes to Indians buying gold  (00:08:24) - Getting their start in watches in the 80s and evolving into what Titan is today  (00:14:52) - What a typical Tanishq store looks like and overview of store economics (00:18:58) - How their return profile is changing and what types of stores they want to open (00:23:51) - What gold on lease is and the implications of it for their business model  (00:25:33) - Why make jewelry when they could just be selling gold for savings purposes (00:27:36) - Managing inventory and keeping costs under control at the store level (00:31:54) - Whether or not they have artisans spread out across the country and difficulties of shipping and freight at their current scale in India  (00:33:38) - How they’re attracting customers to stores and store-level marketing strategies (00:37:57) - Splitting their business into middle class, premium, and wedding jewelry  (00:39:22) - Where e-commerce figures into the scope of their business (00:42:47) - Thoughts and philosophy on allocating surplus capital and acquisitions  (00:45:38) - Additional competitive advantages Titan has (00:48:42) - Building brand trust in a low trust economy in such a short time period  (00:50:22) - Where future growth will come from and if they can sustain their current growth rate (00:54:04) - The bull case for their business and what a Saree is (00:57:03) - Risks the business faces as they look out at the future  (01:00:12) - What he’s learned as an investor studying Titan’s business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the National Basketball Association. The NBA topped $10bn in revenue last season, in line with MLB and behind only the NFL in terms of major sports leagues. The initial headlines for the next media rights deal, which is coming in 2025 suggest a 200% to 300% increase versus the previous contract. But what's particularly interesting about these data points is that they stand in sharp contrast to declining viewership numbers.  To break down the NBA, I'm joined by Ethan Strauss. Ethan has been intimately involved with the league for the past decade and often writes about why the NBA, like other sports leagues, is not a traditional business. We cover who and what made the NBA into the giant it is today and whether that's getting stronger or less strong. Please enjoy this breakdown of the NBA.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:11) - (First Question) - His background and his entry into the basketball business (00:09:24) - Key turning points that enabled the league to mature to what it is today (00:12:53) - An overview of the league’s economics and scale (00:16:01) - The dynamics of negotiating national and regional TV deals (00:18:57) - How viewership is faring with an increasingly fractured TV audience (00:22:40) - The counter-intuitive notion that lower TV viewership can help extract more media rights profits (00:25:47) - The international market for the NBA (00:31:06) - The unique role of the NBA commissioner and how it compares to other sports (00:34:12) - How individual teams and their owners influence league dynamics (00:37:27) - Rough splits between the NBA’s various revenue streams (00:39:32) - Astronomical franchise purchase prices and owner dynamics (00:41:34) - The possibility of expansion and the creation of new franchises (00:44:41) - How the NBA’s star players draw in fans but also wield power over the league (00:50:07) - The extent to which players’ popularity depends on nationality (00:54:03) - How much players make in salary versus endorsement deals (00:58:11) - Variables that could threaten the success of the league as a whole (01:00:26) - Probable drivers for future success and growth of the NBA (01:02:14) - The role of marketing in the NBA’s continued success (01:04:15) - Cues the NBA could take from other leagues in terms of its media presence (01:07:15) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying the NBA’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Compound248 is back to host another episode of Business Breakdowns. His most recent podcasts have focused on digital infrastructure and today we continue with that theme, but with a twist. Our guest is Wall Street Legend Jim Chanos, famed for bringing a skeptical eye to a credulous world. Together, we walked through his short thesis on the US Data Center REITs, his bear case for commercial real estate, and some broader wisdom on how management can thoughtfully respond to short sellers. Let's get started. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke Show Notes (00:03:30) - (First question) - His counter-narrative thesis of shorting traditional data centers (00:09:34) - How data center hyperscalers have been shifting the industry since 2016 (00:12:14) - The size, margins, and depreciation profile of the data center industry (00:16:14) - The cash burn problem with digital REITs (00:18:30) - How he thinks about interest rates, liquidity, and leverage in the space (00:20:25) - More on why the value of these data centers is so elusive (00:21:57) - The extent to which macro tech slowdowns intersect with his thesis (00:23:13) - What investors see in these businesses that he discounts (00:26:59) - Risks for the short and the bull case for data centers (00:29:04) - Big concerns about the broader commercial real estate market (00:36:34) - The best way for operators to handle a short thesis about their company (00:39:49) - Critical mistakes he recommends managers avoid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down Markel. Markel is an insurance and investing business. It shares the same operating structure as Berkshire Hathaway in that it uses insurance underwriting profits to fund an investing portfolio that includes both minority and controlling interests in public and private businesses. It was founded in 1930 by Sam Markel to insure Jitney buses and today it is a Fortune 500 company with a market value of $17 billion. To break down Markel, I’m joined by Peter Keefe and Saurabh Madaan. Peter is an investor at Avenir and longtime Markel shareholder, while Saurabh was the Deputy CIO at Markel and is now the founder and managing member of Manveen Asset Management. We discuss why the Berkshire comparison is unfair, how a specific set of values is so deeply embedded in the business, and we use Markel as a lens to talk about capital allocation and the psychology of investing more broadly. Please enjoy this breakdown of Markel.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.    -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes (00:02:34) - (First question) - How they would explain Markel’s unique business model to a friend (00:04:24) - The values and systems that make Markel stand out (00:08:57) - Subtleties that differentiate Markel from Berkshire (00:11:22) - Markel’s stance and perspective in the larger insurance industry (00:15:31) - The structural factors that enable Markel’s excellence across many different classes of insurance (00:18:55) - Why this specialized business model is still not widely replicated (00:20:18) - The disproportionate amount of legacy companies in the insurance industry (00:22:58) - The evolution of Markel’s investment portfolio and investing style (00:29:22) - Key differences between Markel Ventures and the public equity portfolio (00:32:25) - How their decision-making and allocation process differs from traditional funds (00:36:42) - How their small team is able to outperform the bigger competitors (00:39:50) - Summoning patience to reap the benefits of holding positions long-term (00:42:37) - The famous American Tower investment story  (00:46:10) - How they would evaluate Markel from an outside investor perspective  (00:53:43) - Key-man risk in Markel’s agile leadership (00:55:33) - Other risks and challenges they think about with Markel (00:57:05) - How experience with Markel has informed their perspective on the insurance industry (01:00:50) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Markel’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down The Walt Disney Company. Disney needs no introduction. We have all interacted with the entertainment empire in some capacity. It was founded 100 years ago as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio and over the ensuing century, the business has grown into a conglomerate of entertainment properties that includes the likes of Pixar, Marvel, Disneyland, ESPN, National Geographic, and Disney+. To explain how the business fits together, I’m joined once again by Ben Weiss, the Chief Investment Officer of 8th & Jackson. We talk about Disney’s famous flywheel, its push into streaming, and why it's such a difficult business to manage. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Disney.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.    -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes (00:02:23) - (First question) - Overview of Disney and their size and scale today  (00:05:15) - Major milestones across Disney’s one hundred year history  (00:07:17) - What lead to their decision to buy ABC and subsequently ESPN  (00:08:00) - Disney’s Original Flywheel; How Disney’s flywheel compounds on top of itself (00:10:11) - Characterizing their competitors and the markets they play in   (00:12:58) - Overview of Disney’s theme park business  (00:15:07) - Fixed costs, growth, and thoughts about volume for their theme parks (00:17:40) - Their cable business and the drivers of growth and success for it  (00:21:33) - Netflix: The Original; What’s different about Disney+ compared to Netflix and why they’re losing money  (00:23:14) - Disney+ verses Netflix in the competitive landscape  (00:24:45) - How far Disney can extend their content offering without degrading their brand (00:27:42) - Overview of Disney’s movie business and its growth levers  (00:29:04) - Creativity, Inc.; A revenue case study of the Cars franchise (00:33:08) - Company culture in running an effective enterprise as big as Disney  (00:35:43) - The recent leadership transition and his thoughts on it as an investor (00:37:24) - Reasons behind the Marvel acquisition in 2009 (00:40:05) - What will have to go right if Disney became the next trillion dollar company (00:43:32) - Possible reasons why Disney could fail over the coming decade   (00:45:56) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Disney’s story (00:48:54) - Learn more about Disney; Creativity, Inc., The Ride of a Lifetime  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are breaking down the world’s fastest-growing sports league, The Indian Premier League. The Indian Premier League, often shortened to IPL, is a cricket competition that takes place in India every year between the end of March and end of May. There are 10 teams, 74 matches, and the competition starts and ends within 2 months.  The biggest sports leagues tend to come with long histories. You can trace the NFL back to 1920, the NBA to 1946, and Formula 1 to 1950. In stark contrast, the IPL and its teams were founded in 2008. But despite its relative youth, the IPL is already a sporting giant. It has revolutionized the game of cricket and is the second biggest sports league in the world if you measure it on a per-game basis. To break down the story and business, I’m joined by Ed Cowan. Ed played professional cricket for Australia in the early 2010s and is now an investor at TDM Growth Partners. Please enjoy this breakdown of the Indian Premier League.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.    ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes (00:03:05) - [First question] - An overview of the Indian Premier League (IPL) today (00:07:41) - How cricket fits in the context of Indian culture and markets (00:11:06) - The mechanics of T20 cricket and its history (00:19:33) - The genesis of the IPL (00:21:42) - How the original eight teams were sold by the league and seeded by investors (00:24:44) - The IPL’s conception and the rockier aspects of its startup phase (00:30:13) - The revenue structure and business model broken down into their many streams (00:33:44) - How Indian culture influences media deals in cricket (00:41:55) - How operators have structured the IPL to optimize for media rights  (00:44:53) - More on league-level economics, costs, and IP monetization  (00:47:22) - Dynamics of individual franchises within the league (00:55:19) - The infrastructure model and overhead costs for individual franchises (00:59:03) - A deep dive into the player auction and how it works (01:07:48) - Fanbase demographics and the importance of female representation in the IPL (01:12:38) - How IPL creates and leverages scarcity value (01:17:26) - The increasing international reach of the IPL draft (01:19:32) - How the BBL in Australia stacks up against the IPL (01:25:18) - Premortem case for the IPL (01:28:22) - Why he thinks cricket and the IPL won’t be disrupted any time soon (01:31:59) - Lessons for operators and investors when studying the IPL story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Wise. Wise helps individuals and small businesses move money across borders. It offers significantly faster and cheaper international transfers than traditional banking routes because of its innovative closed-loop system. Twelve years after its founding, Wise serves six million customers and earned close to £1 billion in income last year. Investors currently value the business, which is listed in London, at £6 billion. To break down Wise, I’m joined by former payments exec and now investor at Sydney-based TDM Growth Partners, James Revell. We cover the broken system of correspondent banking, which has led to slow, opaque, and expensive transfers and then explore how Wise has counter-positioned itself to take advantage of this large market. Please enjoy our breakdown of Wise.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.    -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes  [00:02:27] - [First question] - Overview of Wise, their key product, and core competency  [00:04:17] - The founding story of Wise and the road leading to today [00:09:18] - Wise’s size and scale today compared to 2011 [00:11:07] - Their competitive advantages and how it informs their goals  [00:19:24] - Exploring Wise’s closed loop system and why their model can’t be copied [00:21:28] - Unique characteristics of their business model that allows them to capture such robust margins [00:25:32] - Overview of Wise’s unit economics and their revenue model [00:34:49] - Interchange fees and how Project Zero guides the business [00:36:44] - Why their lower take rate doesn’t destroy the industry  [00:38:24] - Ways Wise’s business model can’t simply be copied and replicated  [00:44:35] - Thoughts on who their true competitors are [00:48:10] - Their customer acquisition flywheel  [00:49:49] - Float, increasing net margin, and how they contribute to durability [00:53:55] - Key risks associated with Wise when evaluating the business [00:58:35] - Reasons behind the decision to raise money as a direct listing in the UK [01:01:03] - How people looking at Wise should think about margins over time [01:03:32] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Wise’s story   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Europe's largest airline, Ryanair. As we do more breakdowns, we start to look for patterns of successful business models that succeed across different industries. Ryanair is another case study in low-cost shared economies of scale. To break down Ryanair, I'm joined by Holland Advisors’ founder and portfolio manager, Andrew Hollingworth. On this episode, we talk about what makes airlines such a difficult industry for investors, how CEO Michael O'Leary has taken a truly unique approach to building this business, and how to frame cyclical versus secular dynamics in the airline market.  Now, one quick note before we transition to the episode. You'll hear Andrew and I talk about O'Leary's unique PR approach with shareholders, the union, and pretty much anyone that he deals with. If you're interested in that type of dark arts of communication and media, make sure to check out our newest show at Colossus, Making Media. It operates as an ongoing Business Breakdown of our own business, Colossus, and we spend a lot of time studying the world of communications and media more broadly. You'll find a link to that series in our show notes. Make sure to subscribe.    For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.    -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes [00:03:12] - [First question] - Why airlines have such a bad reputation with investors  [00:04:20] - An overview of Ryanair and its size and scale today  [00:05:43] - Unique characteristics about Ryanair’s business model that distinguishes them from their competitors [00:09:10] - What keeps customers coming back to Ryanair [00:10:49] - What else stands out about Michael O’Leary that is key to Ryanair’s success [00:12:16] - Michael O’Leary: Turbulent Times for the Man Who Made Ryanair [00:14:22] - How Ryanair’s business model has evolved against cycles and opportunities [00:19:29] - What else goes into their cheap seat cost structure  [00:23:10] - Approaching labor in light of a unionized industry and workforce  [00:28:07] - The cyclicality of margins and how theirs look compared to their competitors [00:33:47] - Interesting data on airplane utilization and dynamic pricing   [00:36:40] - What’s contributing to the lack of growth at easyJet  [00:42:37] - The risks to Ryanair’s growth as a shareholder   [00:44:00] - Industry responses to cycles and recessionary environments  [00:46:31] - The main takeaways from Ryanair that could be applied elsewhere Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Constellation Software. Constellation is a conglomerate which owns more than five hundred vertical market software businesses. It was founded by Mark Leonard in 1995 and has delivered remarkable returns to shareholders since going public on the Toronto stock exchange in 2006. To break down Constellation, I’m joined by Chris Cerrone, a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Akre Capital Management. We discuss Mark Leonard’s genius, why Constellation is the gold standard for employee compensation plans, and how the business has perfected its acquisition engine, which allows it to buy dozens of software businesses each year. Please enjoy this breakdown of Constellation Software.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcooke   Show Notes [00:02:37] - [First question] - How Chris and Akre came across Constellation Software  [00:05:21] - An overview of Constellation [00:08:40] - The origins of Constellations’ 30-year legacy of extraordinary returns [00:11:57] - A deeper explanation of vertical market software as it relates to Constellation [00:15:30] - The impressive scale of Constellation despite its niche-targeted portfolio [00:18:04] - Their incentive structures and their avoidance of stock-based compensation [00:21:05] - Additional ways in which Constellation stands out, relating to the Rule of 40  [00:23:20] - The barriers that keep competitors and copycats from overtaking them [00:28:00] - The three legs of Constellation’s acquisition engine [00:32:57] - Recent spin-offs of assets as opposed to straight acquisitions [00:35:45] - How Constellation is planning for the future [00:38:13] - Why they’re considering expansion towards non-VMS acquisitions [00:40:30] - Capital allocation and Mark Leonard’s outlook more broadly [00:43:46] - How the business reflects Mark’s nature and values [00:47:31] - How much technology risk does the business face? [00:50:56] - Is organic growth a concern?  [00:57:40] - Lessons for operators when studying Constellation’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and this week is a little different. It’s Super Bowl week and to get in the mood, we’re doing a sports special as we break down the business behind 3 iconic sports - The NFL, Formula 1, and the PGA Tour. Now, these are not new episodes. We have covered each of these sports over the past two years on Business Breakdowns. But for this episode, we have condensed those conversations into 100 minutes of action, focusing on the similarities and differences between these major leagues. In terms of revenue, the NFL dwarfs the other two sports. But in terms of eyeballs, Formula 1 is the clear global leader. And from a strategic perspective, it’s fascinating to see the evolution since we aired these episodes. For example, you’ll hear Formula 1’s CEO talk about the US being a key growth market, and then you’ll notice that last week Red Bull unveiled their 2023 car in New York. This year’s calendar has 3 US races. Similarly, the upcoming weekend is the second in a series of PGA Tour events designed to bring more of the top golfers together on a regular basis. Neil explains why that was desperately needed in more detail towards the end of this episode. Finally, before we jump into the action. I wanted to highlight our newest Colossus show, Making Media. If you enjoy Business Breakdowns, I think you’ll enjoy that show too. I think of it as a real-time Business Breakdown of our media business, Colossus, and the media industry writ large. Make sure to check it out if you like the sound of it. You’ll find a link in the show notes. Now, without further ado - let’s get to the Business of Sport, starting with the NFL.   Making Media: Hunting for Magicians with Patrick O’Shaughnessy The National Football League Formula 1: The Iconic Motor Sport PGA Tour: Playing Under Pressure   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:10] - PART 1: THE NFL (LINK TO FULL EPISODE) [00:35:25] - PART 2: FORMULA 1 (LINK TO FULL EPISODE) [01:07:41] - PART 3: PGA TOUR (LINK TO FULL EPISODE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we're breaking down Qualcomm. When you think of semiconductors, Qualcomm isn’t necessarily the first name that comes to mind but its size and utility in our lives is truly striking. The business has an enterprise value of $150 billion and set the standards for 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile connectivity that we rely on so heavily in our daily lives today. I bet that if you don’t have a Qualcomm product in your pocket right now, you most certainly have one in your home. To break down the business, I’m joined by Jay Goldberg, a semiconductor industry consultant and partner at Snowcloud Capital. Please enjoy this breakdown of Qualcomm.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. I’m a longtime user and advocate of Tegus, a company that I’ve been so consistently impressed with that last fall my firm, Positive Sum, invested $20M to support Tegus’ mission to expand its product ecosystem. Whether it’s quantitative analysis, company disclosures, management presentations, earnings calls - Tegus has tools for every step of your investment research. They even have over 4000 fully driveable financial models. Tegus’ maniacal focus on quality, as well as its depth, breadth and recency of content makes it the one-stop, end-to-end research platform for investors. Move faster, gather deep research to build conviction and surface high-quality, alpha-driving insights to find your differentiated edge with Tegus. As a listener, you can take the Tegus platform for a free test drive by visiting tegus.co/patrick.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:41] - [First question] - Describing what a semiconductor is for laypeople  [00:03:51] - Distinguishing between chip designers and producers [00:04:53] - Why the semiconductor industry evolved the way it did  [00:05:57] - The history of Qualcomm from the 50s leading up to today  [00:08:40] - Where Qualcomm fits into the world of wireless phones  [00:12:01] - What winning the war of standards means for their economics writ large [00:13:42] - The dynamics within the business that influenced their growth  [00:16:00] - Qualcomm’s direct competitors as they exist today  [00:17:20] - The relationship between Qualcomm and Apple [00:19:42] - What’s happened over the last couple of years in the industry [00:21:05] - The possibility of a structural tailwind in a digitally interconnected world  [00:22:56] - Some of the competitive hostility in the semiconductor space [00:26:58] - Unique directions Qualcomm could be taken beyond positioning  [00:29:02] - What they can do with their abundant free cash flow  [00:30:24] - Variables that preserve and could threaten their margins  [00:32:58] - Where Qualcomm sits within the global struggle for chip dominance geopolitically  [00:35:00] - Capacity constraints that could impact them directly  [00:36:51] - Lessons for investors and operators when studying Qualcomm’s story [00:39:50] - Unique characteristics of Qualcomm’s company culture   [00:41:06] - Thoughts about Steve and Aman as CEOs [00:43:08] - Where Meta, Apple, and Microsoft source their chips  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the fitness franchise, Orangetheory. I have wanted to do a deep-dive on franchising for a while now and I always knew who the guest would be. I’m joined by a man fully dedicated to all things franchisee and franchisor - the Wolf of Franchises. We talked through the origin story of Orangetheory and the tech-enabled concept that helped differentiate them during the boutique group fitness boom. Wolf walks me through the economics for both the franchisees and the franchisor – and he helps compare this to the rest of the franchise system throughout the conversation. If you’re in any way curious about franchises – I think you’ll enjoy this episode. And if you do, make sure to check out Wolf’s work at wolfoffranchises.com – it’s the exact type of niche dedicated content that I love. Enjoy this breakdown of Orangetheory.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:55] - [First question] - What makes Orangetheory unique from their competitors [00:04:47] - Orangetheory’s founder and origin story [00:06:53] - What it looks like going from an initial concept to a franchise  [00:08:56] - Whether or not early franchises have pricing and adjacent benefits  [00:11:17] - How their franchisee numbers rank compared to their competitors  [00:13:09] - How their location numbers rank compared to their competitors  [00:15:39] - What it would look like applying for and becoming an Orangetheory franchisee [00:17:52] - How much Orangetheory cares about their franchisees being good operators [00:20:35] - Upfront franchise fees and other parent company revenue streams  [00:23:15] - How much revenue is actually going back to the Orangetheory parent company [00:25:41] - Whether or not the parent company helps with upfront costs [00:28:01] - Overcoming the barrier of up front capital for a franchise  [00:29:33] - Unit economics and business models for fitness instructors  [00:30:53] - Rules of thumb and variables to break even on an Orangetheory franchise [00:34:04] - The average cash flow generated by a mid-tier Orangetheory franchise  [00:35:16] - Where an owner might have to reinvest their profits into the business [00:37:14] - Additional marketing and mandatory costs required of an owner  [00:38:47] - How franchisees are protected by new locations  [00:40:47] - The main risks to an ecosystem like Orangetheory over the next five years  [00:44:17] - Key takeaways for operators and investors from Orangetheory’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down one of the most important apps in the world, WeChat. WeChat is the default operating system for life and business in China. Founded inside of Tencent in 2011, it is the original super app and its 1.3 billion monthly active users can order food, message friends, play games, pay bills, shop, and more on the service. To break down WeChat, I’m joined by Connie Chan. Connie is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and is well-known across Silicon Valley for her deep knowledge of the Chinese consumer technology landscape. We discuss WeChat’s legendary founder, how trust is integral to the app’s success, and why we haven’t seen super apps proliferate in the West. Please enjoy this breakdown of WeChat.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:40] - [First question] - Overview of the super app model [00:04:43] - How apps and software from the Western world differ from WeChat [00:06:19] - WeChat’s history in China and why it dominates [00:08:27] - Seeing WeChat as an OS within an app [00:09:19] - How service unification in WeChat affects privacy, identity, and marketing [00:13:16] - High-level analysis of their business model and reach [00:16:53] - What Westerners would find surprising about using WeChat [00:18:04] - History and functionality of WeChat Pay [00:23:14] - The importance of their integrated Mini Programs  [00:25:56] - Factors impacting their margin structure [00:28:51] - Holistic design philosophies for maintaining user engagement and trust [00:30:44] - WeChat’s saturation point and how future growth might look [00:32:02] - How they leveraged mobile-only coding, self-disruption, and internal competition [00:37:21] - Initial app build - simplicity for steady growth [00:38:36] - How her understanding of WeChat influences her investment decisions [00:41:47] - Western companies that have super app potential [00:43:52] - Exporting the philosophy of treating your app users like friends to Western developers [00:44:25] - The relationship between WeChat and the suppliers on their platform [00:47:14] - Uncertainty caused by software regulations in China [00:47:53] - Attributes of her typical investments [00:49:42] - Lessons for operators and investors when studying WeChat’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s breakdown has been at the top of our to-do list since the show started. There are few brands as strong as this one and the way the Dumas family has nurtured it over six generations is remarkable. We are, of course, talking about one of the ultimate status symbols, Hermès. What began as a specialty saddles business in the mid 1850s has become famous for iconic handbags and other luxury items. Last year, the business earned $9 billion at 70% gross margins. It does things differently and to explore the details behind its difference, I’m joined by long-time shareholder, Mark Urquhart. Mark is a partner at Baillie Gifford and head of their Long Term Global Growth team, which he co-founded in 2003. Hermès was in the original portfolio when it launched in 2004 and has been held since then. Please enjoy this breakdown of Hermès.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:29] - [First question] - The iconic Birkin and Kelly bags explained [00:04:41] - New price and resale price for a Hermès bag [00:06:13] - Production and distribution dynamics of Hermès bags [00:08:11] - Overview of the company’s scale and structure [00:09:52] - The basic margin structure and history of Hermès [00:12:10] - Defensibility of investing in a luxury brand like Hermès [00:15:48] - Market size and potential for future growth [00:21:20] - The power of Hermès’ long heritage history [00:26:37] - His definition of luxury and the role of luxury products in culture [00:30:49] - The Hermès manufacturing model and their focus on craftsmanship [00:35:28] - Strategies that Hermès has chosen to avoid [00:38:51] - The importance of their six-generation family stewardship [00:42:42] - How the family has maintained the business for so long [00:45:41] - Overview of retail sales and their distribution model [00:48:28] - Learnings from Hermès’ marketing strategy [00:52:08] - How he would set up a brand if he needed it to compete with Hermès [00:54:28] - Companies that come close to Hermès from an investment perspective [00:56:20] - The complexity of Hermès’ valuation and growth potential [01:00:59] - Why Hermès maintains a conservative capital allocation model [01:03:07] - The importance of their consistently simple products and business model Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle, and today we are breaking down the personal care giant, L'Oreal. Founded in the early 1900s by a French chemist, L'Oreal and its long list of iconic brands have been driving cosmetics innovation for over a century. To break down the business, I am joined by Zehrid Osmani - Head of the Long-Term Unconstrained team at Martin Currie. We cover the history of brand innovation, global expansion, and all of the dynamics that played a role in L'Oreal's success. I'd mention this episode is an excellent pairing with our Founders podcast episode 217 on Estee Lauder. The two dominant players in the beauty market have fascinating beginnings, and their stories clearly aren't over. Please enjoy this breakdown of L'Oreal.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:27] - [First question] - Origins of L’Oreal and its scientific approach [00:04:01] - Structure and market share of L’Oreal today [00:04:36] - Outline of L’Oreal’s brands and consumer products [00:07:30] - Licensed agreements versus fully owned brands [00:08:48] - Market split between mass market, high-end, and professional products [00:09:31] - Strategy-driven growth by division since 2014 [00:11:03] - Reasons why acquisitions are a key part of L’Oreal’s strategy [00:14:26] - Noteworthy competitors in the same markets [00:16:03] - Sales and marketing strategies within stores and e-commerce [00:19:47] - How L’Oreal deals with the logistical challenges of e-commerce [00:21:59] - Margins and long-term growth [00:24:40] - Overhead costs and the proportion spent on advertising [00:25:57] - Advertising campaigns and legacy of L’Oreal’s advertising strategy [00:30:03] - L’Oreal’s R&D strategy and budget [00:33:09] - Breakthroughs in the development of new products [00:34:42] - L’Oreal’s global presence and price stratification to serve diverse geographies [00:39:59] - The company’s potential future growth opportunities [00:42:19] - Operating margin and profitability over time from an investor’s perspective [00:44:39] - Re-investment in the company versus dividend payout [00:45:14] - More on acquisitions as a piece of the overall model [00:46:25] - Key risk categories for the business  [00:51:43] - L’Oreal’s commitment on sustainability and ESG broadly [00:55:52] - Lessons learned from analyzing L’Oreal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is the second half of our mini-series on the two major levers to reduce the impact of climate change. Last week, we covered Carbon Removal with Nan Ransohoff. Today we're focused on Carbon Reduction. To break down the business of decarbonization, I'm joined by Christian Anderson. Christian is the co-founder of Watershed, which helps companies like Monzo, Spotify, and Walmart measure, report, and act on their emissions. We discuss the impact on financial statements, why debt financing is key, and why people say no to climate programs. Please enjoy this breakdown. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:14] - [First question] - Climate change as a result of the inertia of capital [00:03:44] - Financing a capital stock transformation for decarbonization [00:05:22] - Decreasing dependence on legacy tech to mitigate humankind’s energy debt [00:08:32] - System of incentives to use and invest in clean technology [00:10:59] - Banks and debt financiers getting into the climate effort [00:12:46] - How Watershed’s individual corporate customers approach decarbonization [00:15:30] - Complexity and recent progress to decarbonize industry [00:18:25] - How more effective energy will accelerate the decarbonization of supply chains [00:20:58] - Surprising cost curves for various clean energy processes [00:24:16] - Energy solutions for the most energy-intensive applications [00:26:44] - The impact on corporations’ balance sheets and stakeholders [00:29:49] - Why sophisticated companies are needed to drive the decarbonization transition [00:31:46] - How companies measure and then modify their carbon footprints [00:35:00] - Companies getting serious about climate issues in the past year [00:37:29] - Capital flowing to tech niches and the problem of infrastructure regulation [00:40:35] - Digital tools for decarbonization projects [00:42:43] - How new businesses approach the climate issue from inception [00:44:39] - Structure of Watershed’s buyers [00:46:53] - Why people and businesses say no to Watershed [00:48:55] - Perspectives across Watershed’s global markets  [00:51:36] - The most worrisome aspects of the climate crisis [00:53:26] - Simplicity in the complex domain of climate change [00:54:39] - The overall sentiment toward the climate movement  [00:57:37] - Forces that antagonize the climate movement [00:59:25] - An exemplary case study of Apple’s climate work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week and next week we will break down the two biggest levers we have in the fight against climate change. Carbon reduction and carbon removal. Today, we will focus on carbon removal. To break down where we stand and what needs to be done, I’m joined by Nan Ransohoff. Nan is Head of Climate at Stripe and she also leads Frontier, which is an advanced market commitment of some $1 billion to kickstart a market for carbon removal solutions. We discuss the broad climate picture, the state of technology today, and the potential for good if we can scale up low carbon energy sources. Please enjoy this primer on Carbon Removal. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:14] - [First question] - Overview of the presence of carbon in the environment [00:03:35] - Relevant trends in carbon emissions and energy use [00:05:17] - How to handle a continued rise in energy consumption [00:06:49] - Energy demand and electricity grids as supply chains [00:08:09] - Why carbon removal is important [00:09:52] - Current state of carbon capture technology and methods [00:13:10] - Promising carbon removal concepts for the future [00:14:02] - Demand level for carbon removal solutions companies [00:15:22] - Carbon offsets versus proper removal [00:16:53] - Constraints on arable land for removal projects [00:17:24] - How Stripe Climate sparked interest and showed that demand exists [00:21:17] - Logistics of engaging companies to build carbon removal solutions [00:24:39] - Governments are gradually accelerating decarbonization efforts [00:28:03] - Her personal motivations for decarbonization [00:29:49] - Roles of for-profit and nonprofit entities in carbon removal [00:31:50] - Frontier’s philanthropic motives [00:32:16] - The role of geopolitics in global carbon pollution [00:34:31] - Key geophysical attributes of different regions in the world [00:35:24] - Increasing investment in hard tech for climate problems [00:36:57] - Biggest technological players today in the space [00:37:30] - Best and worst potential outcomes of decarbonization efforts [00:39:24] - Resources to learn more and the positive side effects of decarbonization [00:41:58] - Lessons learned from creating a marketplace for carbon removal [00:43:21] - What it’s like working as a climate-focused branch of a big company [00:46:40] - What she’s most excited about in the near future for carbon removal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are running a bonus Business Breakdown borrowed from the newest Colossus series, Return on India. Saahil Goel, founder of Shiprocket, joins Romeen Sheth to break down the business. If you enjoy this episode and would like to learn more about the Indian business landscape, subscribe to Return on India.   ----- My guest today is Saahil Goel, founder and CEO of Shiprocket. Over the last decade, a number of startups that have reached escape velocity in India have followed the X for Y startup model. They've taken influence from something that works in the US and western markets and applied it to India. The next generation of winners will build Native India use cases, and Shiprocket is a perfect example. The business started out as Shopify for India and eventually pivoted to an e-commerce logistics aggregator when they realized the underlying infrastructure that made Shopify successful in the west didn't exist in India. Fast forward, and Shiprocket is one of the fastest-growing and most well-positioned technology companies in India today. We unpack how to build for India, from India, how to capture value from India's long tail merchant segment, which is over 60 million businesses, and the common headline pitfalls investors fall into when evaluating startups in India. Please enjoy my conversation with Saahil Goel.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Return On India is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Return On India, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @RomeenSheth | @joincolossus   Show Notes [00:02:47] - [First question] - The first iteration of Shiprocket back in 2012 called KartRocket [00:08:26] - What drove the pivot from KartRocket to Shiprocket [00:12:13] - Examples of why US eCommerce models just don’t take off in India  [00:19:28] - The challenges of building businesses for consumers outside of India [00:25:54] - Courrier aggregation and capturing value in this type of business model  [00:31:22] - Why the large pre-existing couriers aren’t attacking this space successfully  [00:34:35] - Unpacking what RTO is and its scale and challenges specifically in India  [00:39:56] - How software and intelligence drives the ability to know the consumer in a way that larger infrastructure and couriers can’t in India  [00:43:31] - Similarities between the rise of Shiprocket and the prior evolution of the Chinese eCommerce and tech ecosystems    [00:46:59] - The next pieces that need to be built for Shiprocket for them to continue growing and succeeding at the rate they are [00:53:07] - The tension of vertical integration without building out capital-intensive infrastructure  [00:55:53] - Thoughts about the opportunity set for India going forward  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital. Today, I’m joined by Matt Newberg of HNGRY to help us break down DoorDash, the popular food delivery service. DoorDash was founded in 2013 by 4 Stanford students who saw an opportunity to make it easier for people to get the food they love delivered to them. Today, DoorDash’s three-sided marketplace serves as one of the largest local delivery companies in the world. It serves millions of customers and partners with hundreds of thousands of restaurants across 27 countries, run-rating at over $50 bn of gross merchandise value. We will discuss how DoorDash is working to build the infrastructure for local commerce; expanding its offering beyond restaurants, introducing a vertically owned convenience channel, ghost kitchens, and advertising to build a durable competitive advantage and work towards a sustainably profitable business model. We hope you enjoy this breakdown of DoorDash.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - The size and scale of DoorDash and the industry today  [00:04:35] - Early growth and business history [00:08:33] - Unit economics of a DoorDash order [00:11:37] - Creative ways DoorDash is maintaining margins and driving growth [00:13:33] - Optimizing delivery operations to minimize overhead [00:16:45] - White-labeling versus first-party logistics [00:20:03] - How restaurants maintain their own margins and customers while using DoorDash [00:23:04] - Overview of their recruitment and labor model for delivery drivers [00:24:36] - Implications of new legislation treating delivery drivers as employees [00:27:51] - Positive and negative impacts of DashMart, ghost kitchens, and automation [00:30:53] - The importance of ghost kitchens and how they work [00:36:23] - Automation and its role at DoorDash [00:39:15] - Virtual brands in the restaurant industry [00:43:18] - Advertising sales models on DoorDash and similar apps [00:45:20] - What ads look like on these apps [00:46:22] - How grocery store profits from slotting fees translate to delivery [00:47:33] - Main takeaways from studying DoorDash as a business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle, and today we are breaking down the specialty retailer, Floor & Decor. Now prior to this Breakdown, I cannot say that I thought much about Floor & Decor. It felt like the stereotypical specialty store that sat somewhere between a mom-and-pop shop and a home improvement giant. Little did I know....Floor & Decor had compounded revenue at nearly 30% over the past decade, and it was another business driven by the things you "don't see," like an inventory and logistics strategy that feels proper for a brick-and-mortar business in the 21st century. To break down Floor & Decor, I am joined by Drew Cohen of Speedwell Research. I hope you enjoy the episode. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:54] - [First question] - The origin story of Floor & Decor  [00:04:41] - Size of the flooring market and the ongoing battle between hard surface and carpet flooring [00:07:26] - A shift in ownership in 2009 and how much that changed the business [00:08:08] - High level overview of the business today writ large [00:09:30] - Independent players and their competitive landscape  [00:12:34] - Unique differentiators that give them a competitive advantage  [00:15:42] - Their customer split between pros and DIY consumers [00:16:30] - Key drivers that allow them to leverage their position with inventory providers [00:18:46] - Whether or not they’ve considered doing private label or in house products [00:19:45] - Their store model from top to bottom and the economics involved  [00:22:03] - What their maturity looks like and what metrics they’re watching  [00:22:46] - Existing commercial opportunities for Floor and Decor [00:26:04] - Overview of their earnings profile from a bottom line perspective  [00:27:05] - The Home Depot: The Pro Builder’s Choice; Drivers of their 500 basis point differential in terms of their mature margin profile [00:29:17] - Nick Sleep’s 2005 Letter; Considerations about franchising  [00:29:48] - How he thinks about growth beyond their existing footprint and potential growth impacts from the economy  [00:32:06] - The level of revenue generated from the Decor side of their business [00:33:02] - How ecommerce might impact their growth, if at all  [00:35:44] - Overview of their good, better, best pricing strategy  [00:37:56] - Variance of store level performance from region to region  [00:39:20] - The chemistry of all their strategies that contribute to sustained growth  [00:41:37] - The general investment sentiment around their brand   [00:44:37] - Other potential risks to Floor and Decor  [00:45:48] - The Secret of our Success [00:47:24] - Key lessons for investors when studying Floor and Decor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we're breaking down Netflix, the pioneer in entertainment streaming. Founded in 1997, Netflix has evolved over the years to become the leader in streaming entertainment with over 200m subscribers globally. To break down Netflix, I'm joined by Ben Weiss, the Chief Investment Officer of 8th & Jackson. In this breakdown, we go into detail on Netflix, from their culture and tech advantages to how content drives the business to how they may start generating substantial free cash flow in the future. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Netflix. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:14] - [First question] - What Netflix is and their size and scale today [00:03:49] - What portion of their content is original versus pre-existing licensed content [00:05:01] - Netflix’s founding story and the three stages of their evolution  [00:07:06] - Their culture and leadership from an investor’s perspective [00:08:50] - Examples of courageous decisions Reed Hastings made  [00:10:08] - Overview of the streaming market and how it’s impacted Netflix [00:11:28] - How to think about the competitive landscape as it exists today   [00:15:36] - Overview of their P&L starting from revenue and working down to EBITDA [00:17:51] - Thoughts about unit economics and customer churn  [00:20:28] - Evaluating how much pricing power they have  [00:22:47] - How much headroom there is in the US for incremental subscription growth  [00:25:43] - Other big revenue drivers and potential opportunities to sustain their trajectory  [00:27:21] - The impact on Netflix’s churn rate when Disney Plus launched  [00:28:31] - Capital allocation and profits spent producing original content  [00:31:25] - Content spend compared to their competitors and the economics of licensing existing content  [00:36:09] - Noteworthy numbers and strategies when it comes to marketing  [00:38:19] - R&D spend and technology advantages that Netflix has [00:45:34] - Other unique aspects about Netflix that are worth mentioning   [00:46:44] - The bull case for Netflix and what would allow for their continued success [00:49:54] - The biggest risks for Netflix and the bear case for the business  [00:51:12] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Netflix’s story [00:55:10] - Where to go to learn more about Netflix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the giant alternative asset manager, Brookfield. Today Brookfield boasts $750bn in assets under management, and it’s a global footprint that includes many noteworthy office buildings and key infrastructure assets. To break down Brookfield, I’m joined by Nima Shayegh from Rumi Capital Partners. We cover Brookfield's powerful history, the evolutionary changes in the operating structure, and what separates Brookfield from other big managers. We started with Blackstone, we covered Vanguard, and now we hope you enjoy this breakdown of Brookfield.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:19] - [First question] - The size and scale of Brookfield and what they do [00:04:52] - How they invest through their balance sheet [00:06:54] - How Brookfield achieved the scale it has today  [00:10:36] - What differentiates Brookfield from their competitors in alternative assets [00:14:31] - Their unique employee compensation strategy   [00:18:19] - The various segments of their business that helped them achieve their scale [00:21:05] - Breaking down the economic structure of their revenue streams [00:25:50] - Percentage of revenue generated by performance and management fees [00:27:13] - Complex corporate structure and getting comfortable with it as an investor [00:29:33] - Overview of their ownership structure and its prior scrutiny  [00:32:32] - Brookfield’s philosophy on debt writ large  [00:36:04] - Their strategy and approach to capital allocation [00:40:11] - Important growth metrics they track most closely  [00:45:57] - Insights and benefits behind merging with other alternative managers [00:47:23] - How interest rates impact an asset manager like Brookfield [00:50:12] - Correlation between rising inflation and dividend stock selloffs  [00:52:38] - Other major risks that might pose a threat to Brookfield’s growth   [00:53:51] - Major lessons from intimately studying Brookfield  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we’re breaking down Harvard Business Publishing. The media arm of Harvard’s world-famous business school was founded in the early 90s, but the seeds were sown a century ago, in 1922, when the first edition of the Harvard Business Review was printed. 100 years on, this secretive business has been through significant change. But the roots of influencing managers through academic research remain firmly intact. And despite its not-for-profit status, Harvard Business Publishing generates an impressive and growing income stream for its parent institution. To explore the business, I’m joined by our Colossus CEO, Matt Reustle. Please enjoy this breakdown of Harvard Business Publishing.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:19] - [First question] - A one hundred year old business that no one will talk about on the record, and their size and scale today  [00:04:54] - The history of the business from the 1920s leading up to today  [00:07:49] - What happened in the 90s and how that changed the trajectory of HBP [00:09:24] - Changes over the past twenty years given the decline of print media  [00:14:08] - Detailed overview of HBP’s business model and offering case study access to the public [00:21:19] - What else is published by them and how they monetize those offerings [00:25:05] - How they interact with their parent groups, who owns them, and their relationship with them   [00:28:24] - Who reads the content they publish and who their customer base is [00:30:05] - Which brand is more influential to which business and thoughts on their brand overall [00:35:59] - When they first put up a paywall for their content and how successful it was  [00:39:24] - Anything they’ve done from a tech perspective that’s unique and noteworthy  [00:41:27] - Factors that will contribute to their continual future growth   [00:42:54] - Potential risks to Harvard Business Publishing in the years ahead  [00:47:48] - What Matt’s learned from studying HBP so closely for this episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Vanguard. Vanguard and its founder, Jack Bogle, have ushered in an era of low-cost investment, which has left its mark on the entire industry. Today, the business commands $7.5 trillion of assets under management and owns approximately 8.5% of any given public company in the US. To break down Vanguard, I’m joined by Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg and author of The Bogle Effect. We explore the firm’s unique ownership structure, which in large part enabled its success, look at the potential for regulation to slow Vanguard down, and assess the unique figure that founded the business, Jack Bogle. Please enjoy this breakdown of Vanguard.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:24] - [First question] - The size and scale of Vanguard as it exists today  [00:05:45] - Some of the secular forces that has allowed Vanguard to capture so much of the market [00:09:04] - How Vanguard generates revenue and thoughts on its ownership structure [00:12:36] - What the fee structure would look like as an investor buying an ETF versus a fund [00:15:10] - The key differences of investing in a Vanguard ETF compared to a mutual fund  [00:18:20] - Market share of the key players and the industry landscape [00:21:24] - How big of a player ARK is in relation to how much media coverage they get [00:22:33] - Jack Bogle’s history, his thesis on mutual funds, and starting Vanguard  [00:28:07] - What it was like transitioning to new leadership given Jack’s fans and supporters  [00:32:10] - The thing that allows Vanguard to attract more funds despite their competitors  [00:35:58] - Complimentary services their competitors are offering that Vanguard is considering to capture more market share [00:42:59] - Potential regulatory risk that could pose a threat to Vanguard’s growth  [00:47:27] - How Vanguard has managed to avoid headlines unlike Blackrock [00:48:56] - The lessons for investors and builders when studying Vanguard’s story   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the home improvement giant, The Home Depot. In the US, The Home Depot is a key ingredient to a nice little Saturday but beyond the power tools and building supplies is an excellent story of business execution. Why has Home Depot been such a strong performer following a housing crash in the e-commerce revolution? I’m joined by Sean Stannard-Stockton of Ensemble Capital to break that down. We cover how Home Depot transitioned their approach to business, from customer focus to capital allocation, and while Home Depot has reported strong earnings growth over the past decade, and beyond that, this isn't a simple story about a growing footprint. Please enjoy this breakdown of The Home Depot.   Don’t miss our first written Breakdown. David Kim from scuttleblurb joined us to break down the best in class trucking business, Old Dominion Freight Line. You can read the interview here.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:10] - [First question] - What the customer strategy is for Home Depot and how it differs from Lowe’s [00:05:28] - How the sales process works for a pro versus a DIY builder  [00:07:38] - The size of the addressable market and how much of it Home Depot controls [00:08:47] - Home Depot’s history and its role in developing and growing their industry  [00:11:39] - When Home Depot was founded and their original go-to-market strategy  [00:13:38] - What drove their decision to stop expanding stores and honing their offering [00:14:56] - Their revenue model and growth over time and the correlation between revenue and the housing market  [00:18:10] - How much revenue growth can be traced to in-store traffic and what’s driving it [00:21:55] - Overview of their economic model as a whole [00:23:42] - Their earnings profile and overall leverage compared to Lowe’s  [00:24:54] - How they position themselves for more of their business to be done online and thoughts on their CAPEX budget [00:27:56] - Who Home Depot purchases from and how they navigated the pandemic [00:37:09] - Thoughts about Home Depot’s growth over the next three to five years [00:41:40] - How much historically there has been a growth lag after bubbles and crashes  [00:44:12] - Whether or not new home purchases and refinancing during the pandemic might impact Home Depot’s trajectory [00:47:27] - Thoughts on Amazon potentially becoming a competitive threat [00:49:37] - Other risks that are top of mind when thinking about Home Depot’s future [00:53:51] - Lessons for investors and builders when studying Home Depot’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down Cameo, a video-sharing marketplace where you can buy personalized videos from your favorite celebrities. Cameo was founded in 2016 and reached unicorn status last year after producing millions of messages since its founding. To breakdown Cameo, I'm joined by the company’s CEO and Founder, Steven Galanis. In this breakdown, we discuss the unusual origin story of the business, how they manage the two-sided marketplace, and discovering a scalable pricing model. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Cameo. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:51] - [First question] - What Cameo is and their size and scale today [00:03:51] - An overview of Cameo’s value proposition for creators and customers [00:05:28] - The most common events tied to someone wanting a Cameo   [00:07:15] - Case study of a creator making Cameo a meaningful income source [00:09:10] - The early inspiration for the idea that eventually became Cameo   [00:11:46] - Biggest differences between Cameo today and its original form   [00:13:26] - What the competitive landscape looks like today in this space [00:14:51] - How they compete and what makes them defensible  [00:16:44] - The potential market size for this type of business and the supply side [00:19:01] - Describing their business model from a high viewpoint   [00:21:55] - Managing the supply side and the metrics used to do so  [00:24:15] - Important data points to consider for customer acquisition [00:27:09] - Interesting supply and demand dynamics that drive each other [00:29:01] - Thoughts about customer retention and expanding Cameo’s use cases [00:30:35] - Important sub drivers of pricing and how it affects the business and demand [00:34:43] - How the B2B side of the business has evolved and its overall potential [00:37:41] - Growth levers inside the core marketplace and new initiatives  [00:39:08] - Overview of overhead, costs, and their revenue model  [00:40:29] - The Represent acquisition and philosophy of M&A [00:43:28] - A tendency to have legends who’ve retired joining the platform [00:44:56] - What would contribute to an explosive future for Cameo’s trajectory in ten years [00:47:18] - The biggest potential risks to Cameo as a business [00:48:40] - Thoughts about brand in terms of building Cameo’s industry presence    [00:50:04] - Competing with OnlyFans and how brand plays a role in that  [00:51:46] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Cameo’s story   [00:54:42] - Where to go to learn more about Cameo and talent marketplaces  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Archaea Energy. Archaea is one of the largest and fastest growing providers of renewable natural gas in the US. The company uses methane produced by landfills as its feedstock to create renewable electricity and natural gas. To break down Archaea, I’m joined by Chadd Garcia. Chadd is lead portfolio manager of the Ave Maria Focused Fund and co-portfolio manager of the Ave Maria Growth Fund. You may have seen Archaea in the news this week. On Monday morning, BP announced a deal to buy Archaea for $4.1 billion US. We recorded on Friday before this news broke. The bulk of our discussion, therefore, does not touch on BP. It serves as an explanation for what BP has bought and why they found it to be an attractive asset. At the end of our conversation, we asked Chadd for his quick reaction to the news. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Archaea Energy.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:59] - [First question] - Defining landfill gas and its historic and current state [00:05:50] - What Archaea is, their business scale, and economic profile [00:07:44] - The waste hauling value chain and how money is made in the ecosystem  [00:11:33] - How Archaea takes something that’s perceived to be worthless and profits from it [00:15:47] - The way the company is organized to capture and capitalize on this opportunity set [00:17:56] - How much visibility they have into their future earnings [00:19:04] - The renewable fuel standard and how revenue is derived from it  [00:20:10] - Explaining how you produce renewable natural gas from a landfill [00:24:52] - The unit economics of a single Archaea landfill to gas site  [00:25:40] - How much capital can be deployed into one of their projects [00:26:45] - What differentiates and makes Archaea defensible from private equity companies  [00:27:51] - The history of the company, how it was founded, and its major players [00:29:57] - Thoughts about the size of the untapped opportunity in this sector [00:31:57] - Where is Europe in doing something comparable to this  [00:32:59] - Free cash flow conversion and financing requirements [00:34:18] - The current state of the competitive landscape    [00:37:37] - The key risks for a business like Archaea [00:40:30] - Lessons learned from studying Archaea from an investor’s and operator’s perspective [00:43:02] - His reaction to the news of Archaea being purchased  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Breakdown is a little different. For one, I’m Ali Hamed, an investor at Crossbeam and CoVenture, and I’ll be your host. Secondly, in this conversation, we are studying a private company that you’re unlikely to have heard of. That business is Spotter, and they play a fascinating role in the flourishing creator economy. Specifically, they provide capital and knowledge to a number of the world’s most influential creators, including Mr Beast. So in the process of discussing Spotter, we will also dive into the inner workings of YouTube and their creator platform. To break down Spotter, I’m joined by their CEO, Aaron DeBevoise. Aaron has spent his career at the intersection of entrepreneurship, investing, and digital content. I’ve worked with Aaron for a number of years and learned a ton about this ecosystem from him. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Spotter.    For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - How the YouTube ecosystem became what it is today [00:05:52] - The transition from mobile to professional television quality content [00:08:58] - How advertising on YouTube works and generates revenue for its creators  [00:11:47] - The moment YouTube had to differentiate themselves from Google’s ad auction [00:13:20] - How the pandemic has accelerated the pace of their ad revenue  [00:16:19] - Why YouTube nailed monetization in a way that other platforms haven’t  [00:18:53] - His background and how he came to learn so much about YouTube [00:22:57] - Capital deployed and projects financed so far in the YouTube ecosystem [00:25:13] - Overview of the main ways to fund a YouTube creator  [00:27:30] - Thoughts on pricing and his risk reward perspective [00:30:49] - The breadth of uses for proceeds when creators invest in their brands [00:36:42] - What ad optimization and asset management means in this asset class [00:38:48] - The order of magnitude people are willing to pay for premium content [00:40:06] - Where the barriers to entry are that make Spotter so defensible [00:45:06] - The future of YouTube in the next five to ten years [00:47:03] - Something he used to believe about YouTube that has changed  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we are breaking down Intuit. Started by a former Procter & Gamble employee in 1983, Intuit has grown into the premier platform for consumers and small businesses to manage their finances and pay taxes. Along the way, it has fought off significant competition from the likes of Microsoft and others, and delivered handsome returns for its shareholders. In recent years, it has spent over $10 billion adding Credit Karma and Mailchimp to its platform of services. To break down this $100 billion market cap business, I’m joined by John Feeley, Deputy CIO and a Portfolio Manager at Findlay Park. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Intuit.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:19] - [First question] - What Intuit does and their various offerings [00:04:14] - The size and scope of their business lines and customer bases [00:06:20] - Power to the People; How Intuit was founded  [00:09:47] - Evolving from Quicken to the core franchise of small business accounting and consumer tax   [00:13:30] - The value proposition of their products and their economic models  [00:17:43] - Whether or not Intuit’s offerings have a network effect similar to Microsoft Office [00:21:56] - The barrier to entry for competition and what makes them so defensible  [00:26:04] - High level overview of the financials of the business [00:30:22] - The competitive advantage of their culture and managerial style  [00:34:49] - Capital allocation historically for the company  [00:37:09] - The commercial imperative to acquire Credit Karma and Mail Chimp [00:40:18] - Why acquire Mail Chimp given how different it is from their existing offerings [00:43:06] - Potential risks for Intuit given the stride towards tax simplification   [00:45:31] - The key drivers of their growth beyond their expected GDP percentage  [00:49:45] - Lessons for investors and builders to take away from Intuit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital and today we are breaking down Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s is not a typical grocery chain. Their stores offer less choice, very few brands, constantly changing product lines, and no online option. Yet, they are adored and highly profitable. Their NPS score is industry leading and from what we can tell, despite offering lower prices, they generate more revenue per square foot than any dedicated grocery in the market.   To break down Trader Joe’s, I’m joined by Cristina Berta Jones, a long-time ecommerce and grocery investor who is now building an online supermarket business called Picnic. Together, we unpack the elements that have made this private grocery chain so successful for such a long period of time. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Trader Joe’s.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:16] - [First question] - Comparing and contrasting Trader Joe’s to conventional grocery stores and supermarkets [00:06:05] - Where Trade Joe’s fits into the food retail market and their size and scale [00:09:36] - The different sections of a store layout and what it feels like to shop there [00:11:47] - How many stores there are and how that compares to other large scale food retailers [00:13:17] - Some of the most interesting parts of the history of Trader Joe’s [00:15:15] - How Joe applied his market observations to building the company  [00:21:12] - The evolution and success of Trader Joe’s private label brand [00:24:31] - Differences between US and European grocery markets and overview of what a hard discounter is  [00:28:25] - Unique and different strategies on slotting fees and trade spend [00:31:23] - Reinvesting their overhead savings to offer lower prices to their customers [00:33:04] - Success despite not being a store where one does a full basket shop [00:34:08] - The way that the pandemic and delivery services impact grocery stores  [00:37:17] - The crossroads many grocers face between physical and online stores [00:41:43] - What makes Trader Joe’s defensible  [00:44:51] - Trader Joe’s approach to shrinkage and having better margins than their peers [00:47:05] - Self-distribution and what separates them from their competitors  [00:48:30] - Lessons for builders and investors from Trader Joe’s story    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are breaking down Polaroid. For 30 years, Polaroid monopolized the instant photography industry, producing one Nobel-caliber breakthrough after another. As their products dazzled, sales grew from just under $1.5 million in 1948 to $1.4 billion in 1978. Today, the business is a shadow of its former self but the lessons from its history and especially from the founder endure. Edwin Land is not the most familiar name in business history, but he has had an outsized influence on the world in which we live. In particular, he was Steve Jobs’s hero. To break down Polaroid, I’m joined by David Senra, who studies history’s greatest entrepreneurs through his Founders podcast. David is uniquely qualified to distill the lessons and secrets behind Edwin Land and his life’s work, Polaroid.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:04] - [First question] - How unique Edwin Land was [00:08:58] - What he was like and how he solved the problem that lead to Polaroid [00:13:20] - Defining what a polarizer is at a high level [00:16:36] - How scope of ambition can overcome humble beginnings [00:18:59] - The story of the instant camera and how much of a leap forward it was   [00:26:11] - Revealing the Instant Camera; The marketing side of Polaroid beyond the initial magic Land created [00:31:40] - Why they were so successful in building a four decade moat around their patent [00:34:59] - Living in the space of the important and the impossible  [00:38:50] - Optimism as a moral duty that we can take away from Land [00:42:59] - Lessons from the aftermath of Polaroid after Land’s death  [00:48:02] - What the story of Polaroid most represents that is useful for entrepreneurs [00:49:52] - A Triumph of Genius Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the historic General Electric. Honestly, approaching this episode was a unique challenge. Today’s GE barely resembles what was once the largest company in the world. So rather than purely focus on what’s remaining, we decided to use a lens of “then versus now”. To break down General Electric I am joined by Josh Aguilar, a GE Analyst at Morningstar and enthusiast on all things capital allocation. It’s a theme we revisit throughout the conversation on GE's time as a conglomerate, and its rise and fall. If you’d like to hear more on the early years of General Electric and particularly Thomas Edison – make sure to check out our newest Colossus teammate David Senra and his podcast Founders. David conveniently dropped a new episode on Edison this week, and after my conversation, you’ll hear a preview of that episode. So stay tuned for that, after my conversation with Josh. Please enjoy this breakdown of General Electric.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:04:05] - [First question] - What GE looks like today compared to its peak [00:07:42] - The reasons why GE lost so much of its power [00:15:14] - How much of their success can be attributed to being propped up by leverage   [00:17:18] - The strategy they’re operating with today and the businesses within GE [00:24:05] - Drivers in the decision to split up their business and end the conglomerate era [00:25:34] - Would they have made disposals if they were operating from a strong position  [00:27:15] - What their capital allocation and free cash flow will look like going forward [00:29:38] - GE’s centralized thought process of the past and their management style now [00:31:14] - Exxon Mobil: An Aging Energy Empire [00:32:23] - Driving factors behind their decision to transition towards green energy [00:34:36] - How the margin profile plays out and competitive dynamics of renewables [00:35:16] - Thoughts about conglomerates and what will work in the future  [00:37:07] - What could lead to GE’s success in the future over the coming years [00:39:43] - Main takeaways from his analysis of GE [00:43:52] - Clip from Founders about GE’s founder, Thomas Edison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down a global semiconductor company known as AMD. AMD isn’t the biggest and hasn’t always been the best chip maker in the world. But as cyclical and structural changes take place in the semiconductor industry, AMD serves as a great proxy for what’s going on and why. To break down the details, both behind the company and the industry, I’m joined by Jay Goldberg, a semiconductor industry consultant at D2D Advisory and Partner at Snowcloud Capital. We explore the rise of custom silicon, AMD’s competition with Intel and Nvidia, and whether or not chip making is a good business at all. Please enjoy this breakdown of AMD.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:27] - [First question] - Where to start when it comes to understanding semiconductors  [00:04:21] - Why semiconductors were created in the first place   [00:04:57] - Key milestones and players in the semiconductor industry  [00:07:35] - What are the factors that determine who wins and loses [00:08:37] - The semiconductor industry map today writ large [00:12:05] - How the changing geopolitical landscape affects power in this sector  [00:14:15] - Why we can’t just throw unlimited money at this problem to solve it  [00:15:30] - Whether or not chip businesses are actually defensible and good businesses [00:17:37] - Differences between CPUs and GPUs and how everything we do uses them [00:22:56] - AMD’s history with CPUs and GPUs and how they’ve evolved over time [00:26:55] - Why there is such a high barrier to enter and disrupt the chip design market [00:31:54] - A future where we transition to specific and specialized use-case chips  [00:35:36] - Companies like Google and Apple building their own in-house chips [00:38:55] - Other industries where this dynamic exists outside of semiconductors [00:41:57] - The scope and economics of AMD today  [00:44:26] - What’s important to know about AMD and Intel’s capital allocation strategies [00:47:28] - What he’d focus on if he was the capital allocator for a big chip company [00:48:55] - One major lesson that this industry has taught him about investing [00:50:28] - Major lessons about AMD and the world writ large that isn’t addressed yet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we are breaking down CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity provider. Founded in 2011 by George Kurtz, the former CTO of McAfee, CrowdStrike differentiated from firewalls and anti-malware by building a platform that actively predicts threats rather than blocking attacks that have happened before. Today, CrowdStrike serves over 18,000 customers globally and is valued at $45 billion.   To break down CrowdStrike, I’m joined by Roneal Desai, a senior public market investor focused on enterprise software. In our conversation, we discuss how CrowdStrike reinvented cybersecurity for the cloud era, why the pandemic and remote work drove a paradigm shift in the industry, and how the company helped the DNC identify Russian hackers during the 2016 election. Please enjoy this breakdown of CrowdStrike.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:29] - [First question] - Overview of what CrowdStrike is [00:05:28] - The size and scale of CrowdStrike today  [00:07:10] - Customer use-cases before and after CrowdStrike [00:08:45] - What software would have been used prior to CrowdStrike  [00:12:17] - How many customers could there be and who CrowdStrike is taking share from [00:16:41] - What their prior estimates lacked in terms of TAM  [00:17:17] - Whether or not Palo Alto Networks is a true competitor [00:19:33] - The criteria used for deciding which service is better than the other  [00:21:16] - The early days and founding story of CrowdStrike and their structural advantages [00:27:30] - What about COVID opened up an opportunity for CrowdStrike’s growth [00:29:44] - The P&L and the special parts of the business that show up there [00:34:21] - Strategic acquisitions and product expansion [00:39:21] - What’s behind their distinctive growth  [00:40:54] - Other noteworthy aspects of their gross margin and R&D  [00:44:17] - Distinctive aspects of their sales and marketing strategy  [00:50:00] - What their unit economics looks like today [00:52:35] - Key factors that would contribute to the bull case for CrowdStrike in ten years  [00:54:14] - Why a security company would become the integrated layer   [00:55:47] - Biggest risks and threats to CrowdStrike over the next decade   [00:57:41] - Lessons for builders and entrepreneurs   [00:59:05] - Lessons for investors [01:00:09] - Where to go to learn more about CrowdStrike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the Swedish industrial giant, Atlas Copco. With a market cap hovering around $50 billion US dollars, Atlas Copco is a dominant player in the air compressor and vacuum pump markets. It has returned 40x over the past 20 years for its shareholders and to break down the business I’m joined by Stephen Paice, Head of European equities at Baillie Gifford. Baillie Gifford has owned this business for 4 decades and Stephen still has the handwritten research notes from the mid-80s so we thought it was a proper fit.    We cover the rich corporate history, including how one family - the Wallenbergs (also referred to as the Swedish Rockefellers) - have played such a major role in the history, we get an overview of pneumatic energy and the importance of the air compressor market, and we explore what makes this corporate culture so noteworthy to both insiders and outsiders. Please enjoy this breakdown of Atlas Copco.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:12] - [First question] - What makes Atlas Copco such an interesting business  [00:03:52] - What they’re selling and who they’re typically selling to  [00:06:02] - Whether or not there are alternatives to air compressors [00:07:03] - What a vacuum pump is and how their industrial vacuum business works [00:08:55] - Metrics used to measure how Atlas Copco is a market leader  [00:10:25] - Some of the key milestones of their corporate history leading up to today [00:17:51] - How much the Wallenberg family owns of Atlas Copco today [00:18:48] - Walking through the income statement [00:21:47] - Service regularity and overview of revenue generated through service  [00:25:35] - Cost profile of the business and how their supply chain works [00:30:19] - Anything unique that contributes to their 6-7% revenue growth [00:31:55] - What the consolidated business margin works out to [00:33:23] - TransDigm; Being able to allocate 30-40% of free cash flow towards acquisitions in a fragmented market [00:35:16] - What the bull case for Atlas Copco is [00:39:46] - A metric he typically uses when thinking about these types of businesses  [00:40:47] - The most interesting and surprising takeaways from Atlas Copco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down ChargePoint. ChargePoint is the clear market leader in the United States for electric vehicle chargers. Founded in 2007 by five technical founders, the business has ridden the wave of EV growth and has manufactured some 40% of charging points in the US.    To break down ChargePoint, I’m joined by Mark Tomasovic, a principal at Energize Ventures and a previous guest on our show. We discuss the challenges of a commoditized business, how ChargePoint is leading the EV land grab, and why the US is at a particularly interesting point for EV adoption. Please enjoy this business breakdown of ChargePoint.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:16] - [First question] - What ChargePoint is [00:03:26] - Their size, scale and revenue today [00:04:21] - The history of ChargePoint and the EV charging sector  [00:06:25] - How the industry has evolved and important metrics to understand  [00:08:18] - Who the main players are in the EV charging infrastructure layer [00:10:46] - The role auto manufactures play and their relationship with this world [00:12:05] - Tesla’s closed wall network and ChargePoint’s open network [00:13:05] - Competitive advantages in the EV charging landscape [00:15:45] - Whether or not sales and marketing is unique to ChargePoint  [00:16:47] - Other unique arrangements that will unlock the pace of their land grab [00:18:37] - The various lines of P&L and how to think about them [00:19:34] - The three levels of chargers and costs associated with them  [00:21:52] - What goes into their gross profit margins and cost of revenue  [00:22:50] - How their gross margin compares to their competitors [00:23:41] - What they’re trying to accomplish with their high R&D spend [00:24:49] - What they’re investing in and betting on for the future by spending cash [00:25:38] - Expectations of future growth for the next couple of years [00:26:46] - Growth over the long-term trajectory and the car to charger ratio [00:29:14] - Their main flywheels that give them a competitive advantage  [00:30:53] - The big buckets of customer segments and end point leverage [00:32:09] - What the life expectancy of a charger is [00:33:13] - The regulatory environment writ large  [00:34:39] - Bull case for ChargePoint over the next five to ten years  [00:37:36] - Reasons why ChargePoint might not succeed over the next five to ten years  [00:38:58] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying ChargePoint  [00:39:51] - Learn more about ChargePoint; energize.vc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we are breaking down the freight railroad business, Union Pacific. Union Pacific is interesting for a number of reasons. Its first tracks were laid in a time of horsepower, over 150 years ago. It operates a duopoly in the West of the US with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, a rail owned by Berkshire Hathaway. And despite being capital intensive, it earns higher operating margins than Microsoft. But above all, it is a crucial link in the global supply chain, moving much of what the US economy is built on.    To break down this $140 billion railroad operator, I’m joined by Matt Reustle, the CEO of Colossus and a former transport analyst. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown of Union Pacific Railroad Company.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:01] - [First question] - A general overview of the transportation sector [00:05:38] - What a Class 1 railway is and what the railway industry looks like [00:07:40] - Is there cartel-like behavior and collusion between railway companies? [00:12:24] - What a rail network consists of at the unit and asset level [00:17:48] - Whether or not consumer railroads are independent from freight railroads  [00:18:57] - Interchange when goods are transferred from the east coast to the west coast  [00:20:17] - Who Union Pacific’s customers are, what they move, and their business writ large  [00:25:35] - The Box; Whether or not all transport volume in 50 years will be intermodal [00:26:37] - How they determine the rate they charge customers   [00:28:41] - Ways that geography impacts what is being transported  [00:31:28] - The income statement and economics of rails through the lens of UNP [00:36:11] - Improving efficiency and ROI while not having to submit to customers  [00:40:12] - How different policies affect railway margin profiles  [00:41:56] - Operating ratios and why they’re the metric most referenced for performance [00:44:38] - The nature of cyclicality and its driving forces  [00:48:15] - Thoughts about capital allocation given being high CapEx and their free cash flow [00:52:27] - How inflation and current events lately positively and negatively affect UNP [00:54:16] - What would make him nervous as an analyst looking at UNP in the years ahead [00:56:33] - Talk or plans to electrify and migrate away from fossil fuels  [00:58:22] - Lessons learned from UNP that could be applied to other industries and investing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital Management. Today we’re breaking down the world’s largest luxury business, LVMH. The LVMH story is deeply reflective of the vision of its 73 year-old founder and architect, Bernard Arnault. Today, the business generates €75 billion in sales across its 75 brands and 3 sector focuses. With a market cap of €350 billion, LVMH is not only the largest luxury business in the world but one of the largest businesses in the entire world.    To break down LVMH, I’m joined by Christian Billinger, the chairman of Billinger Förvaltnings. We discuss the paradox between scarcity and scale in the luxury industry, analyze some of the company’s high profile acquisitions, and delve into the history of this conglomerate’s famous founder. Please enjoy this breakdown of LVMH.     For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:30] - [First question] - How LVMH came to be and Bernard Arnault’s history [00:08:56] - Spread of revenue and margins across their various brands [00:13:38] - What it is about their business that has allowed them to achieve such tremendous scale given the scarcity of luxury goods [00:16:06] - Examples of Arnault reinvesting in the business for the long-term [00:17:04] - Ways all of their brands and different verticals work together to create value [00:18:56] - What the general view on success is after Arnault steps down  [00:21:19] - Key factors that allow luxury houses to enjoy handsome returns on capital historically [00:23:17] - What he’s noticed about luxury brands and their ability to redeploy capital  [00:26:25] - How their capital allocation strategy manifests in their financial profile [00:28:24] - The Arnault family’s control over LVMH [00:31:48] - The evolution of the industry in Europe and the strong getting stronger  [00:33:58] - Cultural differences internationally that allow some countries to thrive in luxury brands compared to others like the US [00:36:17] - Thoughts on the influence of the Chinese consumer on European luxury houses [00:40:30] - What has characterized their M&A strategy historically [00:44:08] - Overview of their recent acquisitions and what it means for LVMH going forward [00:47:46] - Their go-to-market strategy to acquire customers and build the brand [00:48:11] - Some of LVMH’s vulnerabilities and risks  [00:50:44] - Key takeaways for investors and operators when studying LVMH’s story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down DuPont. We admire leaders that are in the trenches with their team members; never above any task and willing to share in risks. But, wow, did the Dupont family set a standard in that category. Whether it was Pierre Samuel Du Pont's 1818 death fighting a fire at their powder mill, Alexis Du Pont’s 1857 death in an explosion at a powder yard, or Lammot Du Pont’s famous 1884 death in an explosion while experimenting with nitroglycerines. The Du Pont family pushed the limits.   In the 1900s the company evolved away from their roots in gunpowder and dynamite and it's hard to find an industry they haven’t touched since then. To break down DuPont, we are joined by Seth Goldstein from Morningstar. Seth covers what separates commodity chemicals from specialty chemicals, we get some quick chemistry lessons on what's happening to create these well-known products like Nylon and Tyvek, and why after all of the years as a behemoth in the industry, DuPont has "unbundled" into several independent companies. Please enjoy our Breakdown of DuPont.    For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:38] - [First question] - Key products that define Dupont’s history and where their products show up in our everyday lives [00:06:23] - The science that goes into developing their products and what being a speciality chemicals business looks like [00:10:30] - The thought process that went into their merger with Dow in December 2015 [00:13:21] - Commodity chemicals versus speciality chemicals [00:16:01] - The importance of patents and early products that first had them [00:19:47] - Their economic model and profile and current businesses [00:23:56] - How their EBITDA margins today compare to the business historically [00:25:27] - Overview and duration of their merger supply agreements [00:27:52] - Producing on a per-order basis or on market speculation [00:31:00] - Stability and internal investment of their cash flow cycle [00:32:28] - History of the Dupont family and key leadership changes [00:34:24] - Thoughts on the bull case for Dupont that will put them back on the pedestal  [00:36:28] - The percentage of the market they represent today and their current competitors [00:37:56] - Metrics used when valuing commodity and speciality chemical businesses [00:40:03] - Prior regulatory fines and potential risks going forward [00:46:44] - Key lessons for operators and investors from Dupont’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the financial institution known as Charles Schwab. Schwab is a financial behemoth. They report over $8 trillion in assets under custody and a market cap scratching $120 billion but I think the most fascinating part about this breakdown is the strategic pivot taken by Schwab. While the online brokerage market has been decimated in recent years from fee compression, Schwab has been pivoting their business model to that of a traditional bank. Now what does that mean? Today, Schwab makes the majority of their money earning interest on customer cash deposits.    To break down Schwab, I am joined by Holland Advisors’ Founder and Portfolio Manager, Andrew Hollingworth. Andrew has written extensively on Schwab, which we link to in our show notes. We cover what it means to operate as a bank vs online broker, how Charles Schwab himself grew this business out of a newsletter, and what’s on the horizon for Schwab in the future. We hope you enjoy this breakdown of Charles Schwab.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:03:30] - [First question] - Why Schwab isn’t well understood by the market  [00:05:18] - The story of Charles Schwab and how active he is in the company  [00:08:13] - The business model of Schwab itself; Holland Advisors Research [00:12:51] - Can it be compared to a franchise model; Another Flywheel [00:15:46] - What did they see in the space that convinced them to shift their business model [00:18:19] - How Schwab benefits from their customers keeping money in cash [00:20:18] - What stops competitors from copying the Schwab model [00:23:12] - Where Schwab stands out with cash on the balance sheet [00:24:17] - The reasoning behind the TD Ameritrade acquisition [00:30:38] - The Schwab customer base  [00:33:28] - Convincing new customers to transfer their accounts to Schwab [00:37:14] - How their market share has changed over the years [00:38:50] - Building their balance sheet  [00:46:34] - How their acquisition of TD Ameritrade helps their balance sheet [00:49:50] - Valuing a complex business like Schwab [00:56:43] - Key drivers of their earnings growth  [00:58:31] - How they use their net interest margin  [01:00:43] - What the market pullback this year has meant for Schwab [01:03:43] - Major lessons learned from analyzing Schwab Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down one of the strongest brands in the world - Rolex. Founded in the UK in 1905 under the name Wilsdorf & Davis, Rolex has become the leading name in luxury watches. But, while the company’s products are iconic, the business itself is highly secretive. Owned by a Foundation and run as a non-profit entity, little is known about Rolex.   To unlock the secrets, we are delighted to be joined by Ben Clymer, founder of HODINKEE, and an expert on all things luxury watches. Ben has had rare access to Rolex and the people behind the manufacturer, making him the perfect person to dissect this business with us. Please enjoy this excellent Breakdown of Rolex.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:01] - [First question] - Ben's favorite Rolex watch ever; Ben's Inside Rolex piece [00:04:24] - What makes the Rolex Daytona such a special watch  [00:07:19] - The job-to-be-done for high-end watches beyond just telling them the time [00:12:18] - The strategy behind marketing luxury products; The Luxury Strategy [00:14:34] - An overview of Rolex's business [00:19:38] - The history of Rolex  [00:38:45] - Their genius in marketing and distribution  [00:41:55] - How they make decisions and what others can learn from them [00:47:14] - The financials of Rolex and other luxury watch brands [00:49:02} - Most important business lessons others can learn from Rolex [00:52:54] - Other luxury brands worth studying  [00:57:26] - What Rolex hasn't gotten right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Polish grocer, Dino Polska. This wasn't a name on our radar at Colossus but the more we dug into the story, the more intrigued we became. It starts at the macro level in Poland, a country that transitioned away from communism in 1990 so the oldest private businesses are just north of 30 years old. And on a micro level, Dino operates a rigid playbook where they target small towns and replicate the same format store, which drives better efficiency and allows them to reinvest into new locations.   To break down Dino I am joined by Jon Cukierwar of Sohra Peak Capital Partners. Jon wrote an extensive presentation of Dino which can be found on our website. We break down the unique dynamics of the Polish consumer, how Dino differentiates from its competitors, and Dino's founder of mystery Tomasz Biernacki. Please enjoy this breakdown of Dino Polska.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:21] - [First question] - The fall of communism in the 1990s and how it shaped the business landscape of Poland today  [00:05:43] - Dino’s unique and differentiating characteristics as a grocery store  [00:08:55] - The current market landscape of superstores, proximity, and mom and pop grocers in Poland  [00:12:36] - The size and scale of Dino as a business today   [00:14:01] - Key players and main events in Dino’s history [00:20:03] - Where Dino’s margins fall relative to their competitors [00:22:47] - Their relationship to the construction side of their business [00:26:34] - The payback period of a new Dino store and how long until they reach maturity [00:29:09] - Owned land and other factors in their real estate strategy [00:31:10] - How much of their accessible market opportunity has been seized and their potential growth rate over the coming years [00:34:20] - What their growth rate would have to be to ensure they reach their projected scale [00:36:23] - How he values grocers as an investor in both Poland and the US [00:38:12] - Cyclicality in revenue streams and what impacts them [00:40:26] - Ways Dino finances their growth and if any capital has been given back to shareholders in dividends [00:42:13] - Potential risks and threats to their business [00:45:10] - How he grew and built conviction with risks in an emerging market [00:47:48] - The main lessons he’s learned from studying Dino Polska Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s business needs little introduction. Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest businesses in the world and run by arguably the most famous investors of our time, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.  To break down the business, I’m joined by Chris Bloomstran. Chris is the President and CIO of Semper Augustus and has gone as deep on Berkshire as anyone I’ve ever encountered, making him the perfect person to do this with. Given the reams of excellent content already out there about Buffett and Berkshire, we focused our conversation on the specific elements that make this business so special. Please enjoy this breakdown of Berkshire Hathaway.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:26] - [First question] - What Berkshire has taught the world about float [00:14:00] - How much of Berkshire's success was predicated on insurance  [00:23:17] - Whether or not Berkshire’s capital source has been more important than stock selection  [00:30:04] - Why there’s such a disparity between good stock pickers and holding companies [00:36:24] - What the major signposts of durability are when evaluating companies [00:38:29] - Acquiring Alleghany and using that as a case study that reflects their values [00:47:22] - The role that energy has played in Berkshire’s growth  [00:59:54] - Thoughts about the major pieces of Berkshire and the future of the company  [01:05:46] - Important lessons learned about investing and business from Berkshire’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are running a special episode in our Business Breakdowns feed. My guest is Alex Danco from Shopify - who you may remember from our Business Breakdown on Shopify in 2021. Our conversation focuses on a new concept, tokengated commerce, and how Shopify is building around this theme. Given the market turmoil in crypto assets, we talk about true use cases of tokengated commerce and why blockchain technology is unlocking something that was not possible otherwise. This episode originally ran in our Web3 Breakdowns feed and represents an interesting case study of corporations embracing blockchain technology. Please enjoy my conversation with Alex Danco.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   This episode is brought to you by Coinbase Prime. Coinbase Prime combines advanced trading, battle-tested custody, financing, and prime services in a single solution. Clients have used our comprehensive investing platform to execute some of the largest trades in the industry because they are the only publicly-traded company with experience trading and custodying crypto assets at scale. Get started with Coinbase Prime today at coinbase.com/prime.   -----   Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @Web3Breakdowns | @ericgoldenx | @patrick_oshag    Show Notes [00:02:16] - [First question] - What Shopify itself is as an ecosystem and service [00:05:14] - An example of interoperability and the power of platforms outside of Shopify  [00:07:02] - How interoperability and platforms come together [00:12:08] - Where a a constraint-standard resulted in failure  [00:14:26] - Why Shopify is so heavily invested in tokengated commerce [00:17:10] - Lessons learned about the scarcity function of tokens and how they’ll work [00:20:34] - Whether or not Shopify will be building their own crypto wallet   [00:24:48] - The important role blockchains play in tokengated economics [00:28:16] - Overview of the mechanics and offering Shopify is building  [00:32:16] - Tokens help establish protocol adoption [00:34:27] - Which blockchains and protocols will be mostly used in Shopify’s endeavor   [00:36:33] - Why can’t it be key-gated instead of tokengated [00:39:00] - Conjuring demand and how Shopify will create demand for their new system [00:45:46] - The differences between someone's identity and a token holder [00:47:55] - Signals that suggest tokengated commerce will be a big thing  [00:51:02] - Why this concept hasn’t been more widely adopted already [00:54:39] - When there will be a solution to easily create and distribute tokens [00:56:39] - Where things will go from here  [00:59:35] - Reasons why this might not have taken off in five years Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am @Compound248 and this is the next installment in our Business Breakdowns mini-series focused on Digital Infrastructure. In this episode, we will talk about a company that delivers that airbourne experience, Gogo. Known for its eponymous inflight WiFi service, Gogo is frequently misunderstood, having undergone a transformation to focus purely on the business, or private, aviation industry. It sells equipment that gets installed on a private aviation airplane, and then, in infrastructure like fashion, monetizes that equipment with high margin service revenue for decades. We’re fortunate to be joined by Oak Thorne, who has led Gogo for 20 years into the success it is today.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:04:02] - [First question] - Gogo’s history and how his history intersects with it [00:08:03] - His background and what lead him to joining Gogo  [00:10:01] - A primary focus on US airlines and high-end air travel specifically [00:12:33] - What the competitive landscape looks like today and how many planes they have [00:14:15] - Whether the formerly unaddressable planes will make their way into their fleet  [00:16:04] - Their product offerings today and the differences between them  [00:19:26] - Overview of their business economics and their digital infrastructure  [00:21:31] - Unit economics and labor and install costs [00:24:17] - CapEx, service revenue, and a projected 20% system growth  [00:25:55] - Cost structure margin on their recurring service revenue  [00:27:25] - Momentum of business growth year-over-year [00:28:29] - How the ATG network actually works and how the 5G connection improves it  [00:30:44] - What portion of their business comes from aftermarket installations [00:32:18] - Competitive nature of this sector and if someone could come after Gogo [00:40:42] - Describing the differences between GeoSatellite and Elon’s Starlink [00:46:19] - Reasons why Starlink might become a competitor [00:48:56] - How Gogo’s 5G and global broadband product are offensive and defensive  [00:51:24] - Portion of new US delivery aviation planes built with in-flight WiFi solutions [00:55:01] - How long he anticipates this growth runway to continue  [00:56:27] - Potential risks to Gogo from a legal and regulatory perspective  [00:59:50] - Cyclicality of their clients and suspended business periods   [01:04:57] - Two key lessons for others attempting to build and lead a company  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we’re breaking down Diploma. Diploma is a specialist distributor of medical equipment and industrial components listed in the UK. It’s a business you’re unlikely to be familiar with and, at first glance, may appear mundane. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a high-quality operator generating significant free cash flow through a mix of organic and inorganic growth channels.  To break down Diploma, I’m joined by Charlie Huggins, an investor in the business and Head of Equities at WealthClub.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @bizbreakdowns | @JoinColossus    Show Notes [00:02:23] - [First question] - The history of Diploma, what they do, and what’s attractive about their business model [00:04:39] - Size and scale of the business and their market capitalization [00:07:03] - Overview of what their life sciences business vertical looks like [00:10:00] - The cyclicality of the seals and controls business verticals  [00:13:45] - Returns on invested capital and thoughts on the capital intensity of seals [00:15:06] - What allows their businesses to keep growing and what characterizes a strong acquisition target for Diploma [00:19:14] - An example of how Diploma fits into the value chain [00:21:24] - How Diploma acquires for low multiples when making acquisitions  [00:23:41] - How they drive quantitative and qualitative returns in their acquisitions [00:27:35] - What management is like at Diploma and their longevity in the business [00:33:19] - Overview of their competitive landscape  [00:35:27] - What the business does with extra cash flow in the absence of M&A activity [00:38:01] - What Charlie finds special about Diploma and what has him excited for the future [00:41:22] - The key risks in each vertical and what worries him about them  [00:48:07] - Lessons for investors, business executives and operators from the Diploma story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Dom Cooke and today we are breaking down the PGA Tour. Alongside the four standalone majors, the PGA Tour is the pinnacle of professional golf. It’s where the best players in the world earn their living and tee it up for their place in golfing history. To break down the business behind the stars and action you see on the PGA Tour, I’m joined by Neil Schuster, co-founder of golf media business No Laying Up. Editor’s note: this conversation was recorded before the field for this week’s inaugural LIV golf invitational event was announced. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:27] - [First question] - What the PGA Tour is, it’s size today, and how it generates revenue [00:06:04] - Defining what the Tiger Tax is and its implications  [00:08:04] - When the PGA Tour was founded and the key moments leading up to today [00:15:40] - Deane Beman: Golf’s Driving Force; Changing the format of the Tour into a non-profit  [00:17:24] - Being a member run organization and player influence over the board [00:18:23] - Overview of the business structure and model of the PGA Tour  [00:22:27] - Reasons for the 72 hole stroke-play format   [00:24:43] - The distribution of over a billion dollars of revenue [00:27:59] - Why their capital allocation is unique and their incentive programs [00:31:37] - Unique pension structures of their deferred compensation plan [00:34:30] - The Champions Tour as a secondary way to make a living after the PGA tour [00:36:07] - Rival SGL and PGL tours and how they are trying to disrupt the PGA tour [00:44:42] - Having a legacy name advantage to bring players and capital in  [00:47:47] - Relying on growing viewership, ratings, and new sponsors over time [00:52:48] - Paths to becoming a more successful tour amidst the new startup tours [00:55:07] - Netflix’s partnership with the PGA Tour to try and bring in new viewers [00:56:54] - The most surprising lessons about the PGA Tour he’s learned    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down Anduril. Anduril builds high tech defense systems for the US Department of Defense and its allies. Crucially, it does so with speed that emanates from Silicon Valley. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, who previously built and sold Oculus to Facebook, Anduril has achieved the rare feat of challenging the established order in the defense industry.   To break down Anduril, I’m joined by the company’s CEO and co-founder, Brian Schimpf. We discuss the history of the defense industry, how Anduril’s business is counter positioned against the legacy cost-plus model, and what Brian has learned about selling to the DoD. Please enjoy this breakdown of Anduril.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - The history of defense technology and the technological and competitive landscape when he set out to build Anduril [00:08:22] - What the early experience was like when approaching the government and finding an early adopter [00:12:44] - Necessity being the mother of invention when it came to developing drones [00:16:37] - What it’s like to develop hardware and software products at the same time  [00:20:26] - How the defense business complex works economically and overview of the detailed cost plus model [00:24:44] - The state of military technology and military conflict today writ large [00:31:10] - Are we heading to a future where warfare is mostly machine against machine?  [00:33:34] - Comparing the ghost drone system to predator drones [00:38:40] - Guiding principles as a firm and deciding on their product roadmap [00:43:25] - An overview of their product lineup and what they’ve built so far  [00:48:13] - Having an open innovation policy to promote competition [00:49:37] - The nuance of politics when it comes to building and running their business [00:51:56] - Most difficult decisions he’s had to make through Anduril’s history  [00:53:51] - How he overcame Anduril’s lowest points and biggest challenges  [00:58:38] - Thoughts on effectively compounding hardware innovation  [01:02:23] - A moment he’s most proud of and regrets most in Anduril’s history [01:04:20] - Lessons learned from observing Palantir and SpaceX  [01:08:37] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the 150 year-old investment bank – Goldman Sachs. From the outside, investment banks like Goldman are black boxes of profits and the embodiment of “Wall Street”. But as with most things, the reality sits somewhere between the polarizing designations. Goldman is neither a vampire squid nor are they doing God’s work. To break down Goldman, I am joined by longtime financials analyst Marc Rubinstein. For loyal listeners, you will remember Marc from our popular episode on Blackstone. For those who haven’t listened, I think you’ll enjoy that one in tandem with this.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:24] - [First question] - Blackstone: Beyond Buyouts; What an investment bank is, what they do, and how they make their money [00:06:48] - Matt Taibbi’s Rolling Stone article; Why Goldman is perceived as the industry villain [00:10:34] - The scale of Goldman today and how it looked fifteen years ago in light of the financial crisis [00:13:55] - Industry size that Goldman operates in and their growth factors  [00:14:58] - How investment banking deals result in profits for Goldman and their ties to macro environments  [00:17:38] - Generating revenue and bottom line dollars in sales and trading as a market maker [00:21:01] - Margin differences between investment banking and trading  [00:23:52] - Asset management and profits generated from supervising over a trillion dollars in assets [00:26:30] - How investors value banks as a whole and the metrics and multiples used [00:29:35] - The differences between varying levels of assets and how a bank’s balance sheet looks like today compared to the past [00:34:40] - Whether or not there’s a way to quantify the differences of leverage and stepping into the consumer space [00:39:02] - The leadership at Goldman over the years and what David Solomon brings to the table [00:44:31] - Goldman’s outlook, the bull case and key drivers for success in the future [00:49:34] - Build versus Buy versus Partner; other potential competitors and risks to Goldman  [00:51:32] - Thoughts on the strength of their core business and classifying them [00:54:53] - Lessons for investors when studying Goldman’s story and what he’s changed his mind to as he’s worked in this industry for so long Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we’re breaking down Baytex Energy. With oil prices hovering over $100 a barrel, we thought it was a particularly good time to revisit this sector. Why Baytex Energy? The 80,000 barrel a day producer certainly isn’t a household name. And with a market cap just north of $3 billion, it’s far from a mega-cap. But Baytex has production in five different operating areas spanning across the US and Canada. Some of those fields are mature, some are emerging. The company has been allocating cash flow between unconventional wells, conventional wells, and debt reduction in recent years. When you take Baytex and everything that’s happening within that business, it offers a perfect lens to view the historically boom and bust industry of oil production. To help break down Baytex, I’m joined by oil and gas investor, Josh Young, of Bison Interests.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:19] - [First question] - The journey of producing a barrel of oil and how Baytex fits into the oil production ecosystem [00:05:29] - How $100 is dispersed amongst the value chain when a barrel of oil is purchased [00:08:03] - A broad overview of Baytex today and its history [00:13:05] - The production of a barrel of shale oil and unique characteristics of shale [00:16:25] - The main drivers of increased productivity and optimization in oil production [00:19:11] - What breaking even looks like today on a barrel of oil [00:23:20] - Describing the decline rate of a shale well compared to conventional plays  [00:25:22] - Overview of the differences of oil blends and quality coming out of Texas versus Canada [00:30:51] - A snapshot of what Baytex’s Canadian operations look like [00:35:38] - The other major Canadian assets Baytex has  [00:38:28] - The heavy oil decline rate of Canadian oil wells compared to US shale wells [00:39:59] - What makes Clearwater such an exciting and interesting opportunity for Baytex [00:43:30] - Identifying where oil might be and what that process looks like [00:47:02] - His process as an investor in evaluating new projects like Clearwater [00:56:00] - How to ascribe value to a project like Duvernay compared to Clearwater [01:00:05] - Baytex’s approach to hedging and how it differs from the rest of the industry [01:02:15] - How the management team at Baytex manages capital allocation [01:05:33] - Why return capital to shareholders  [01:07:41] - Metrics he uses to value an oil production company or adjacent business [01:11:19] - Rules of thumb to consider when it comes to evaluating the asset base [01:14:05] - Main risks that could drive stock underperformance [01:16:38] - Lessons and takeaways from his time investing and working with Baytex Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am Compound248 and today we are pleased to announce and kick-off a Business Breakdowns mini-series focused on Digital Infrastructure. This inaugural episode of the Digital Infrastructure Business Breakdowns mini series will begin with one of the broadest, most important companies in the industry, DigitalBridge. A company that is part private equity firm, part asset owner, and part infrastructure operator of assets across the digital infrastructure spectrum.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:04:22] - [First question] - What digital infrastructure means and how it came to be [00:09:58] - The nuance of digital infrastructure and how big the addressable opportunity set is [00:12:47] - How DigitalBridge became the company it is today  [00:19:06] - How he thinks about portioning the fee and value creation economics between shareholders and employees [00:23:15] - The differences between their earlier funds and current funds from how the economics split within the team and owners [00:25:53] - A look into their balance sheet today between funds and operating assets [00:28:39] - How big the digital infrastructure space could be in the future from an IM standpoint  [00:30:41] - Their US and non-US opportunity set and how towers and mobile infrastructure compare and contrast across their verticals [00:34:03] - How DigitalBridge professionals operate with portfolio companies and how they add value to them [00:38:47] - Changes in standard growth and the slow downs in the Hyperscale or Telco side of the business [00:40:37] - If Edge competes with their core assets and how it works across all of their portfolio companies [00:42:21] - Where we are on the 5G rollout and how it touches their businesses [00:43:39] - His view on building out Edge and data center capacity from a DigitalBridge standpoint [00:45:35] - How the competitive environment and risk and return profiles have shifted  [00:46:33] - How inflation affects the business and how he manages lease renewal [00:50:19] - If Elon Musk building Starlink is a threat or an opportunity  [00:52:12] - How DigitalBridge thinks about consumer facing digital infrastructure  [00:54:48] - What could happen to lead to their success and business evolution in the future  [00:56:28] - Two key lessons he’d give as advice to someone looking to build and lead a company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re breaking down AppLovin. It’s a business you may not recognize but have likely interacted with. Founded in 2012, AppLovin provides a platform for developers to market and monetize their mobile apps. The business also owns some of the most popular mobile games in the world, which they use to feed richer data into their software platform. To help breakdown the business, I’m joined by its CEO and co-founder, Adam Foroughi. Please enjoy this breakdown of AppLovin.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:41] - [First question] - The first risk taken when creating AppLovin and how it all began [00:05:05] - Why was there pushback against games and adtech back in 2012 [00:07:12] - What it was like in the early days to get the app in front of a customer  [00:08:54] - Building a platform and software product versus becoming an advertising agency [00:10:47] - The major components of AppLovin and how it works  [00:15:21] - The space or areas where most people interact with them and see their work  [00:16:26] - What he considers to be the next key chapters after AppLovin’s early days  [00:18:25] - How they determine strategy between the app developer side of the business and app ownership [00:25:50] - How AppLovin interacts with Apple, Android, and the relationship between products [00:27:11] - What he’s learned about the importance of scale in advertising  [00:28:58] - The major breakout points in the business that led to where he is today  [00:30:22] - Their revenue model and it how it breaks between software and apps [00:33:55] - The margins of gaming, its business proposition, and the future value of this side of the franchise [00:38:53] - His perspective on what defines great digital marketing today  [00:40:31] - Walking through the shifts in privacy, targeting, and data as technology changes [00:43:13] - His thoughts on emerging platforms as competitive threats and/or opportunities  [00:44:58] - How they’ve kept the business nimble and very product-focused on a corporate level [00:46:53] - Their concept of meetings and how they’ve learned to run them effectively [00:50:24] - The missing pieces in his strategic mission that he still wants to do in five years time [00:51:42] - What he’s learned from Facebook, Google, and game studios he’s worked with [00:54:32] - How he thinks about defensibility and power in the business as they evolve and grow [00:57:19] - His philosophy on the maturity of the business and if they’d pay dividends in the future [00:59:32] - How he has most improved in his career during his time with AppLovin  [01:02:03] - Questions that the world’s largest bear would ask him today [01:03:18] - The most interesting trends happening around him in the digital space [01:06:04] - His thoughts on the eventual impact of Facebook and Google becoming competitors rather than the collaborators they are today  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today’s episode is a follow up of last weeks’ Block episode, covering Afterpay the buy-now-pay-later giant. Founded in Sydney Australia in 2015, Afterpay was a rapid success in the buy-now-pay-later market before being acquired by Block for $29bn in 2021.    To breakdown Afterpay, I am joined by investor Joe Magyer. We cover how buy-now-pay-later compares to traditional credit cards, what differentiates Afterpay from direct peers, and how each player of its ecosystem benefits from its offering. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Afterpay.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - What is Afterpay and what it does [00:07:07] - Size and scope of Afterpay today [00:08:27] - The founding story and their growth being such a young company [00:12:11] - History of the buy now pay later industry [00:13:34] - How their payment models tend to work and how these companies make money [00:16:35] - Unit economics, transaction structure and how money is made [00:21:44] - How Afterpay drives leads to people via their app and merchant aggregation [00:23:39] - An early focus on fashion and expanding beyond their core clientele [00:27:13] - Cost of sales and thoughts on taking more credit risk [00:31:54] - Losses as a part of cost of sales and interest [00:33:48] - Unique things that Afterpay can do given their business model that others can’t [00:35:21] - Growth levers for this business  [00:38:29] - Other major things they’re spending money on and their acquisition by Block [00:44:28] - The competitive landscape in the BNPL industry [00:47:54] - Afterpay’s flywheel and how they’ve built it better than others [00:49:34] - Whether or not regulation plays a role in this space [00:52:21] - What will have gone right in the next five years to ensure Afterpay’s growth curve [00:55:01] - What will have happened if Afterpay’s growth doesn’t work out in the future [00:56:31] - Whether or not interest rate risk could turn south for them [00:57:30] - Lessons for investors, builders, and where to learn more about Afterpay’s story; Buy Now, Pay Later  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down Block – formerly known as Square. This software and financial services business was founded by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey in 2009. It has since expanded from its first product – a payments card reader – into a $75 billion market cap with six businesses that build on the firm’s mission of economic access and empowerment. Those are: Square, Cash App, Afterpay, Tidal, Spiral, and TBD.   To break down Block, I’m joined by payments expert and investor at TDM Growth Partners, Hamish Corlett. We cover the common threads that have enabled Block to organically build two major ecosystems in Square and Cash App, how the recent Afterpay acquisition can strengthen the connective tissue between those businesses, and the competitive frontiers Block faces. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Block.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - What is Block and what it does as a business [00:04:58] - How is Block organized, their scale, and how many merchants they serve [00:08:03] - Their founding story and the insight that lead to creating Block [00:10:49] - Major milestones in the last decade after releasing their card reader [00:13:47] - The story behind their Cash App and what it is [00:18:59] - What Afterpay is and how it creates connections for merchants [00:21:23] - Overview of the payment ecosystem and where Block fits into it [00:25:03] - The P&L of Square, its blended gross margin, and customer acquisition strategy [00:30:42] - How Cash App makes money and its P&L [00:35:54] - The balance sheet of Block and how they’ve stood out in a competitive space [00:38:31] - The ways their product organization allows them to move at a rapid pace [00:40:30] - How they avoid fraud that’s seemingly everywhere in financial service businesses [00:42:01] - His thoughts on the competitive environment and how they’re succeeding [00:47:56] - Highlights of M&A and how they reconcile them with their overall strategy [00:54:44] - Their view on Bitcoin and crypto and how it plays into Block’s business [00:59:09] - Things that could happen in a macro environment to aid their future growth [01:01:30] - What could go wrong in the future and the macro environment’s impact [01:03:49] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Block’s story [01:06:20] - Places to go to learn more about Block Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down McKinsey & Company, the world’s pre-eminent management consulting firm. Founded in the thick of the Industrial Revolution, McKinsey set about professionalizing the way businesses were managed. An accountant by trade, James McKinsey, took inspiration from a range of well-established professions like engineers, doctors, and lawyers to create a new category.    Today, some 100 years later, management consultants are entrenched in every part of the global economy and McKinsey continues to lead the field. To break down the business, I’m joined by Romeen Sheth, a McKinsey alum and the current President of Metasys Technologies. Please enjoy this business breakdown of McKinsey & Company.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:35] - [First question] - What is McKinsey & Company and what management consulting looks like [00:04:52] - Their project-based model and what’s being bought and sold when McKinsey makes a sale [00:07:36] - The scale of the business and how profitable it is [00:08:58] - How many projects McKinsey is running and how big of an opportunity management consulting is [00:10:37] - McKinsey’s famous ownership model and how it works [00:12:49] - The history of McKinsey, who started it, and how it has evolved in modern times [00:19:01] - How the firm has changed in the post-Bower era [00:22:12] - McKinsey’s biggest competitors, their dynamics of practice groups, and vertical projects [00:25:46] - How a CEO or top level manager decides which management consulting firm to do business with [00:27:38] - The overview of a normal project for McKinsey, what they sell, and costs associated with it [00:33:07] - The process of marketing and sales and their talent flywheel [00:36:07] - The traditional side of their sales and marketing and the McKinsey Quarterly [00:37:44] - How someone can pitch business to McKinsey and their sales process [00:39:47] - What makes the organization special and unique from a team or work perspective [00:41:01] - Their talent model and how they find and develop their talent  [00:45:14] - How their staffing model is unique and how they tie feedback into staffing [00:51:06] - Examples of the scandals that have happened and why [00:55:24] - The biggest growth levers of the business looking forward [01:03:52] - What could happen to make McKinsey a shell of its former self  [01:05:38] - Where Romeen would direct people to go for further study; The Firm [01:06:31] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying McKinsey’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji, and today we are breaking down Fanatics. If you’ve recently bought sports apparel online, you interacted with Fanatics. They power the entire digital commerce experience for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and hundreds of other sports leagues around the world.    To break down Fanatics, I am joined by an early investor, Deven Parekh, from Insight Partners. Deven has been an investor in Fanatics since 2011. We cover Fanatics' unique vertically integrated commerce model, how they redefined their TAM, and how the company is aggressively entering NFTs, real money betting, and other expansion areas. Please enjoy this business breakdown of Fanatics.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:40] - [First question] - What is Fanatics and the scale of the business today [00:04:26] - What the core business of Fanatics does [00:05:41] - The history of Fanatics and what led to its success [00:10:59] - Michael Rubin’s story and the role that GSI played in Fanatics’ growth [00:13:58] - How the licensing business works and how Fanatics’ relationship with the leagues differs from their competitors  [00:15:34] - The landscape of this industry before Fanatics [00:16:36] - Why the change from the best commerce experience to a broad digital sports platform [00:19:02] - Differences of Fanatics’ P&L compared to others in the industry [00:21:05] - How the real-time advantage helps drive growth in the business [00:23:12] - Whether or not the leagues participate in gross margins and how much of a focus they place on cost optimization  [00:25:25] - Distinctive things about Fanatics from an investor’s perspective   [00:26:22] - Why hasn’t Amazon stepped into this space yet [00:27:30] - Which leagues have opted out of working with Fanatics and interesting team and player dynamics [00:28:59] - Reasons behind getting involved with NFTs, trading cards, betting, and how it might evolve in the future [00:32:22] - Ways they’re taking the core business and augmenting other branches [00:34:36] - What will have gone right over the next five years for Fanatics to continue growing at the pace they are today [00:37:59] - What will have gone wrong over the next five years that will hurt Fanatics’ growth [00:39:59] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Fanatics’ story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode was originally featured in our Web3 Breakdowns feed. For listeners unfamiliar with Web3 Breakdowns, the concept was inspired by Business Breakdowns but intended to be a place fully dedicated to the emerging ecosystem around blockchains, crypto assets, and everything that makes up Web3. This Breakdown of Anchorage Digital has a foot in both camps, by diving into a business that’s enabling traditional institutions to participate in and profit from digital assets. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe to Web3 Breakdowns and enjoy our growing catalog of episodes.   My guest today is Diogo Monica, co-founder and President of Anchorage Digital. Diogo started Anchorage in 2017 to meet the growing institutional need to custody and use crypto assets. The business has since grown into a full-service financial platform for institutions, allowing them to securely participate in web3. Our discussion breaks down Anchorage’s business, explores what great digital security looks like, and reveals what new behaviors web3 is unlocking for traditional institutions. Please enjoy this breakdown of Anchorage Digital.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   This episode is brought to you by Coinbase Prime. Coinbase Prime combines advanced trading, battle-tested custody, financing, and prime services in a single solution. Clients have used our comprehensive investing platform to execute some of the largest trades in the industry because we are the only publicly-traded company with experience trading and custodying crypto assets at scale. Get started with Coinbase Prime today at coinbase.com/prime.   -----   Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @Web3Breakdowns | @ericgoldenx | @patrick_oshag    Show Notes [00:02:40] - [First question] - Why he got into the crypto space and what set him down the path that would to founding Anchorage  [00:05:53] - An overview of digital security, state of it today, and where people should spend their time learning about it [00:09:16] - A future of perfect authentication and data protection being so core to this space [00:13:29] - How custody should be considered in the modern world and with digital assets [00:18:59] - What it means to be a great qualified institutional custodian [00:25:17] - The business and unit economics of Anchorage [00:28:07] - What it was like working with their first big institutional client [00:30:52] - Speed as a component of digital security and its implications writ large   [00:35:51] - How they’re differentiated from their competitors by expanding beyond custody [00:39:46] - Different challenges between securing NFTs versus currencies and tokens [00:42:43] - New behaviors he finds most interesting about institutions due to Anchorage [00:48:46] - Breakdown of what players and services contribute to and create Anchorage’s clients today [00:51:24] - The best case scenario for the future of the business [00:53:37] - What would worry him about Anchorage’s development if it swayed from their original mission [00:55:55] - Opportunities he finds most interesting that haven't materialized yet  [00:57:46] - Will we need a public blockchain to create the infrastructure needed to bring the world to a more crypto-fluid place [01:00:07] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Zack Fuss and today we’re breaking down European-based payment business, Adyen. Adyen was founded in Amsterdam in 2006 by a group of payments entrepreneurs who had already built and sold a business in this space. Adyen was their chance to start afresh and build a modern solution to displace the patchwork legacy system that merchants were being forced to use.   To break down the business, I’m joined by Michael Willar, a portfolio manager at Stenham Asset Management. Our discussion covers Adyen’s single platform solution in detail, the driving force behind their track record of profitable growth, and why payments isn’t a winner take all market. Please enjoy this breakdown of Adyen.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:02:55] - [First question] What Adyen is and what they do  [00:05:54] - General overview of how payment processing works [00:07:29] - Flow of a transaction and how they manifest [00:09:52] - How the business generates revenue and their revenue model [00:11:25] - Where Adyen sits in the industry and the size of it today [00:13:37] - The reality of processing 50-60% of their addressable market  [00:16:19] - What about their culture and founding story makes them so nimble  [00:21:18] - The competitive strengths of the business and their innovative solutions  [00:24:07] - Key revenue drivers for Adyen  [00:26:01] - What is it about Adyen’s business structure that enables them to grow so rapidly while still being profitable [00:29:34] - Key growth drivers  [00:32:44] - What gives Adyen its competitive advantage over other payment providers [00:35:56] - Having one platform is beneficial but why isn’t it a more popular approach?  [00:37:42] - The secret sauce behind their successful growth trajectory [00:39:25] - The essence of Adyen’s culture and how it manifests in their day-to-day work [00:42:04] - What Adyen plans to do with all of the cash they produce [00:43:35] - What keeps him up at night and potential threats to the business [00:47:54] - Is there a chance anyone could build a platform comparable to Adyen? [00:50:06] - Key differences between Stripe and Adyen [00:56:23] - Lessons learned from studying Adyen and what payment service builders can learn from them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down Cadence Design Systems. Cadence operates in the semiconductor ecosystem where they offer electronic design automation software - also known as EDA software - which is used for chip design. Putting that in much simpler terms - our phones now carry an entire 1980s Radio Shack inside them, and Cadence makes that possible with software to design smaller and more powerful chips.    To break down Cadence, I'm joined by two well-known tech investors and experts in the semiconductor space, Brinton Johns and Jon Bathgate of NZS Capital. We cover the value chain of semiconductors, the evolution of Cadence and the EDA market, and how Cadence reduced it's cyclical exposure over the last decade. I think some of the most interesting lessons come from businesses that face adversity and truly re-invent themselves with a micro-strategic change. Cadence is a prime example. Please enjoy this breakdown of Cadence.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:15] - [First question] - Everyday products that Cadence helps bring to life [00:07:28] - The rise of Cadence and the origins of the semiconductor industry  [00:10:26] - Major players in the semiconductor space back in the 80s  [00:12:13] - Going from plan, to chip, to production [00:16:58] - The life cycle of a chip and the cost to design one  [00:19:19] - Differences between software design and embedded software  [00:21:25] - The history of Cadence and the size and scope of their business today  [00:28:05] - Existing customer base and how diversified they are [00:30:55] - What a contract actually looks like between Cadence and a customer [00:35:05] - Protection, off-the-shelf IP blocks and custom IP  [00:35:53] - Cadence’s revenue growth, important metrics, and their KPIs [00:37:03] - How correlated their revenue is to semiconductor cycles [00:39:30] - Unit economics and the margin profile of the business [00:42:13] - Contributing factors to growth and thoughts on pricing [00:45:46] - Benefits of scale and what they like to see as investors from their R&D spend [00:48:12] - Risks and competitors that may threaten Cadence’s success [00:50:22] - Potential scenarios where the ecosystem becomes more vertically integrated [00:52:56] - What would drive a 10x growth for Cadence in next five years [00:54:58] - Things that would affect their growth in the next five years  [00:57:38] - Lessons for investors when studying Cadence [00:59:15] - How they navigated the pandemic and how it impacted their business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down The New York Times. Since its founding in 1851, The New York Times has become known as the national “newspaper of record” through its focus on truth seeking and quality journalism. To underline that status, it has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, almost double its nearest competitor. However, the business behind the Times hasn’t always been easy and it has faced several existential threats over its history, most recent of which has come from the internet and digital mediums.   To break down The New York Times, I’m joined by Morning Brew co-founder and host of Founder’s Journal and Imposters podcasts, Alex Lieberman. It’s particularly interesting to hear a new media operator dissect the heritage and evolution of one of the most storied brands in his industry. Please enjoy this breakdown of The New York Times.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:55] - [First question] - What The New York Times is as a business [00:04:35] - Snapshot of the scale of The New York Times and it’s readership [00:08:06] - The origin story of The New York Times and becoming a national news source [00:11:40] - How the business is distinctive being family-run for five generations [00:15:00] - Unpacking the shift from physical to digital and how it impacted their numbers [00:20:00] - Course correcting after the first few years of their digital strategy not succeeding as anticipated [00:23:43] - The cost of sales and the margins of the business and growth levers [00:27:47] - Revenue differences between advertising and subscriptions  [00:29:37] - What does their non-digital advertising business look like [00:31:43] - The biggest levers for growing the topline and bottomline of the business [00:35:18] - Acquiring Wirecutter & historical M&A performance [00:37:57] - Other categories and businesses that help build a bigger audience [00:42:00] - Differences between the Netflix and New York Times subscription models [00:44:37] - Leaning into world events and politics [00:48:22] - Macro factors and specific things that would lead to reaching their subscriber goal in the future [00:51:10] - Mistakes and threats that could negatively impact their goals [00:55:43] - Biggest lessons for builders, entrepreneurs, executives and investors [00:58:30] - Learn more about the New York Times; Peter Kafka, Rich Greenfield, Lightshed Partners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Matt Reustle, and today we’re breaking down Europe’s leading low-cost gym operator, Basic-Fit. Netherlands based Basic-Fit is a story of rapid expansion. Today, they operate over a 1000 clubs across 5 countries, and have 2 million combined members in their system.   To break down the business, I’m joined by Jonathan Abenaim from Arlen House Capital, who is an investor in Basic-Fit. We cover a history of fitness clubs dating back to the late 70’s and early 80’s, how low-cost gym models have emerged as winners and created a large addressable market, and we talk about how Basic-Fit is putting its own spin on a successful playbook from the US. Please enjoy this breakdown of Basic-Fit.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:02:47] - [First question] - What it’s like to walk into a Basic-Fit gym [00:03:50] - Their footprint today in terms of geography, members and locations  [00:04:41] - The history of gyms in the US and differences between them and European ones [00:08:33] - Why US gym models lack influence and penetration in Europe [00:10:58] - The key insight that led to founding Basic-Fit  [00:13:40] - Economics of building and operating a gym in general and for Basic-Fit [00:16:47] - Typical churn for more established locations and their member demographic [00:20:33] - When Basic-Fit breaks even on a membership and how they battle churn [00:23:28] - Their cancellation policy and why they don’t leave for typical reasons [00:25:10] - Basic-Fit’s fortressing strategy and clustering philosophy [00:28:51] - Whether or not there’s data to support members using multiple gyms  [00:33:11] - The competitive landscape and whether other gyms adopt Basic-Fit’s strategy [00:35:21] - What drives country localizations for a particular gym chain [00:38:22] - Basic-Fit’s digital offering and at-home disruption from US brands  [00:42:31] - How they navigated the pandemic and if there’s any lasting changes [00:44:31] - The biggest threats to Basic-Fit over the next five years [00:46:23] - Major takeaways from studying Basic-Fit’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Zack Fuss and today we are breaking down UPS. With over 100 years of history, it's a business we all know as consumers and one many of us interact with on a daily basis. But in investing circles, UPS carries far less relevance and attention share despite its large market cap. To break down UPS and its rich history, I am joined by former Transport Analyst Matt Reustle. Please enjoy this breakdown of UPS.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:02:37] - [First question] - The footprint of UPS in the US economy [00:04:11] - What relevant metrics analysts use to understand UPS’ value [00:06:57] - How logistics networks work and operating leverage on their fixed assets [00:10:43] - UPS’ origin story and key differences between it, Amazon, and FedEx [00:18:24] - Whether or not Amazon is consuming the market or if the market is growing [00:22:20] - Decreased return on capital and the roadmap to increase returns going forward [00:25:14] - Making a decision to lean into their network and what it meant for their customers [00:27:33] - The importance of management and needing outsider management [00:31:40] - Capital investment programs and what Amazon’s growth means for UPS [00:34:41] - Secular changes versus historical cyclicality of fulfillment businesses [00:36:35] - Competitive impacts Amazon and USPS could have on UPS’ future success [00:42:26] - Why cross-border delivery is such a lucrative aspect of this market [00:42:51] - Lessons for investors and builders when studying UPS’ story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Zack Fuss, and today we are breaking down Twitter, a business that needs little introduction. Founded by Jack Dorsey in 2006, Twitter has become one of the most visited and influential platforms in the world. Yet, despite its rising social status, investors and users have been left frustrated by the company’s pace of innovation and shareholder returns. To help me break down Twitter’s business, I’m joined by anonymous professional investor, @Compound248. Please enjoy this breakdown of Twitter.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:02:40] - [First question] - The history of Twitter and where we are today [00:10:44] - The size and scope of Twitter and what drives their business and unit economics [00:18:54] - Reconciling differences between Twitter and competitive social media platforms [00:24:36] - Bridging the gap between Twitter and their competitors [00:29:38] - What about their legacy system had to be rebuilt in order to grow again [00:34:35] - Unique shareholder dynamics, activists in the boardroom, and leadership change; Compound's open letter to Management [00:43:35] - Capital allocation and how investment analysts look at and measure their ROI [00:49:00] - Efforts to innovate around new use cases and Twitter’s opportunity set [00:55:30] - What builders and investors can learn from studying Twitter’s story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we are breaking down ViacomCBS. This episode has a different format - you'll hear from both an investor and from company management.   Chris Marangi from Gabelli Asset Management starts us off with a history of ViacomCBS. He goes deep into the dynamics of content creation, curation, and distribution, hitting home the value of IP. Then he helps break down how ViacomCBS is transitioning from a shrinking linear business to a growing streaming business.   Next, I sit down with the CFO of ViacomCBS, Naveen Chopra. He shares his views on the business today, how he thinks about capital allocation, and how streaming will evolve for ViacomCBS. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes - Pt 1 with Chris Marangi [00:03:31] - [First question] - What is ViacomCBS [00:04:10] - What a typical media conglomerate looks like [00:06:45] - The scale and size of ViacomCBS today  [00:09:03] - Starting as a radio business and becoming a diversified conglomerate [00:11:25] - What the competitive landscape looked like fifteen years ago  [00:14:07] - Economics of a typical cable network channel like ESPN or MTV [00:16:23] - Key differentiators between a good and a bad channel revenue-wise [00:17:22] - The important roles movies play and how the film industry works writ large [00:18:12] - Durable competitive advantages in producing strong content  [00:19:26] - How much of their market cap is their catalog [00:20:04] - Adopting a streaming model and the impact of this inflection point [00:24:33] - Thoughts on customer acquisition in movies and streaming services [00:25:33] - What has to go right for their market cap to double in the next decade [00:27:55] - What will have gone wrong if they don’t grow over the next decade [00:28:26] - Lessons for entrepreneurs and investors when studying ViacomCBS’s story [00:29:33] - Learn more about ViacomCBS and the cable industry; Cable Cowboy   Pt 2 with Naveen Chopra [00:30:27] - [First question] - Overview of the different businesses within ViacomCBS [00:34:07] - Size of the broadcast arm of ViacomCBS’s business and the costs of running it [00:37:23] - How wide the range of content expenses can be  [00:39:35] - Thoughts on making movies and the business model pre-pandemic [00:42:47] - Is the box office opening night really that important? [00:44:40] - How much box office attendance is down post-pandemic [00:46:19] - Same day releases for streaming and box office can help acquire subscribers [00:51:45] - Leveraging intellectual property to generate revenue [00:53:23] - How much Netflix invests in content compared to ViacomCBS and competitors [00:54:11] - Thoughts on the business model for streaming service revenue [00:58:01] - Scaling Paramount+ to compete and compensate for pandemic impacts [01:02:16] - What he’s most excited about for ViacomCBS and Paramount+ looking forward [01:06:00] - Things in the macro-environment that could be good and bad for ViacomCBS [01:07:54] - Lessons for entrepreneurs and investors when studying ViacomCBS’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji, and today we’re breaking down Peloton. Peloton was founded over ten years ago with the idea of making the best in-person gym classes available at home. By delivering eye-catching hardware and compelling content, it has since become the largest interactive fitness platform in the world with over 6 million members. Peloton’s rise has not been without challenges, however, and the business’s economic model is under debate as we speak.   To break down Peloton, I’m joined by my brother Vinny Pujji, partner at Left Lane Capital, a growth-stage investment firm focused on consumer businesses. We discuss Peloton’s success in creating a new fitness category, the impact of the pandemic on its financials, and why it may make sense for Peloton to build its own music label. Please enjoy this breakdown of Peloton.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:03:37] - [First question] - What Peloton is and what they do [00:04:59] - How most consumers experience their brand [00:05:40] - Their customer base and the size of their business today [00:06:22] - The founding story and what lead to Peloton  [00:10:10] - What business they started with and how they’ve expanded their offerings [00:12:03] - Complexities of direct to consumer hardware distribution [00:13:01] - Scope of the global fitness and wellness market writ large [00:14:42] - Unit economics of Peloton’s business [00:19:03] - Contributing factors that draw on their cash and working capital  [00:22:46] - What would solve their current liquidity problem [00:25:11] - Their latest treadmill product and their subscription product [00:26:22] - Thoughts on why management has struggled with their forecasts [00:29:44] - The competitive landscape as it exists today and how they compete [00:33:16] - Whether or not Peloton will experience a boom and bust cycle [00:35:18] - What Peloton does very well that separates them from their competitors [00:36:52] - Gamifying fitness and incorporating a live feature [00:38:59] - How music plays into their business and its role in their future  [00:41:45] - Whether they are a subscription or hardware business [00:43:59] - What has to go right in order to scale their market cap in the next decade [00:45:08] - Their approach to marketing and what drives their engine [00:47:17] - What will have gone wrong if Peloton doesn’t survive the coming decade [00:50:28] - What can we learn from Peloton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jesse Pujji and today we are breaking down the emerging industry of cannabis. After spending decades as an illegal drug, US states have begun to make regulatory changes and build legalized marijuana marketplaces. To help me break down this market, I am joined by Jeff Hoffman of Marathon Partners Equity Management. Jeff is co-portfolio manager of a fund, which invests in US public cannabis companies. We discuss exactly what those regulatory changes look like, the difference between federal and state laws, and companies across the value chain that are showing up in public markets. I hope you enjoy this breakdown.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:03:40] - [First question] - What is cannabis and the current size of the industry today [00:05:44] - Differentiating between THC and CBD  [00:06:46] - Whether or not the whole market is growing writ large [00:08:08] - The history of cannabis, the changing legal landscape, and key players today [00:10:51] - What the argument was for making cannabis a schedule 1 narcotic [00:11:48] - Is cannabis addictive, objectively speaking? [00:13:27] - The differing levels of when cannabis is or isn’t legal  [00:14:05] - Overview of the value chain involved in getting cannabis to a dispensary [00:15:18] - What an MSO is, how their operations work, and the marketplace today [00:20:31] - Regulatory catalysts that would allow this market to thrive [00:23:19] - The income statement of an MSO, their expenses, and how they differ from traditional businesses [00:26:44] - Different business models for MSOs depending on their geography  [00:29:31] - How the economics of MSOs compare to mom and pop shops  [00:31:30] - Normalizing margins and incentives to compete on price or participate in discount wars [00:33:48] - D2C, mobile-first, and delivery trends influencing distribution [00:35:53] - Whether or not cannabis is considered perishable  [00:36:43] - How the finance industry is evolving around cannabis  [00:38:44] - The role COVID played in helping the cannabis industry grow [00:41:03] - Will cannabis see a pullback in public interest as the world returns to normal [00:42:25] - Form factors to consider as the industry shifts from medical to mature markets [00:44:20] - What will have to happen for the cannabis market to excel in the coming decade [00:47:07] - How M&A might play out as the market continues to evolve [00:49:06] - Lessons for builders when it comes to the cannabis industry [00:51:54] - Learn more about the cannabis industry; marijuanamoment.net   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is part business breakdown and part biology breakdown as we explore Finch Therapeutics and their novel work on the microbiome, which plays a crucial role in regulating our immune system.   To help break down these topics, I’m joined by Mark Smith, co-founder and CEO of Finch Therapeutics. Mark is a leader in the microbiome field and the perfect person to cross the bridge between business and science.   As Mark outlines, we’ve made a lot of progress in living longer, but we are yet to make significant steps to living better. In our discussion, we explore what the microbiome is, why it’s so important, and the role that Finch plays in helping patients transform their lives. We then turn to the business side of developing therapeutics drugs and what Mark has learned there. Please enjoy this breakdown of Finch Therapeutics.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----     Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes [00:02:55] - [First question] - What is the microbiome? [00:04:56] - Where the microbiome is inside the body [00:06:42] - Overview of what bacteria is in general terms and what they do for us [00:10:44] - What would happen to a human that didn’t have any bacteria [00:13:29] - Inflammatory auto-immune diseases and widespread antibiotics [00:14:32] - How seasonal allergies and gut bacteria are related [00:16:32] - Key contributors that have led to our current understanding of the microbiome [00:18:48] - Whether an absence or dominance of bacteria is more concerning [00:20:47] - The state of stool sample diagnostics today [00:22:52] - Tools available today for widespread microbial treatment and repair [00:24:48] - The science behind probiotics and whether or not they’re worth it [00:27:00] - Fecal transplants and supporting empirical evidence of their efficacy [00:31:39] - Addressable conditions that Finch Therapeutics seeks to solve [00:35:27] - What the end game looks like and the timeline to achieve it [00:40:05] - Is there a future where we use these therapeutics preventatively? [00:41:22] - Key risks that could threaten the growth of Finch in the coming decade [00:43:10] - What it’s been like running a company that is so different than its competitors [00:45:51] - Whether or not the regulatory and iterative pace of therapeutics will increase [00:48:19] - How much his lifestyle has changed given what he knows now in this field [00:50:50] - Other innovations taking place in the microbiome and related therapeutics [00:52:28] - What most has his attention outside of his field in health science today [00:53:24] - Learn more about the microbiome; I Contain Multitudes (book) [00:53:42] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’ll be breaking down the London Stock Exchange, now referred to as LSEG. LSEG is a nearly £40 billion market cap business that plays an integral role in the infrastructure of the world’s financial markets. Since 2000, there have been at least 11 attempts at mergers and takeovers of the business by other exchanges and banks. The company itself made a notable acquisition when it closed on its M&A of Refinitiv from Blackstone in January of this year. The company offers a wide range of services, financial markets, and data exchanges, which make it an essential player in the world’s markets. To break down the business, Zack Fuss is joined by Nick Shenton of Artemis, a UK-based fund manager. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:47] - [First question] - The industry LSEG operates in and its role within it [00:05:37] - How to think about LSEG as a business and what drives their growth [00:07:33] - The model that allows for such high profit and how its pieces work together [00:14:21] - Overview of the data analytics side of their business  [00:18:29] - Trading & banking as a key component of their data analytics revenue [00:22:09] - Its 300-year history and what has led them to become such a dominant player [00:29:25] - Thoughts on the Refinitive asset they’ve acquired and its role in future success [00:33:04] - Key factors that allow LSEG to sell in adjacent markets and their competitive advantage [00:38:57] - Drivers behind the growth of the digital financial market industry [00:41:26] - Structural risks that could impede LSEG’s growth over the coming years [00:45:29] - Simplifying their story to help investors better understand their underlying growth [00:47:35] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying LSEG’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down The National Football League or, as most know it, The NFL. It’s a sport that dominates American Sundays from late summer into early winter. Behind what happens on the field is a $15 billion dollar business with a unique operating and ownership structure and many stakeholders.    To help break down the NFL, Jesse Pujji is joined by Jay Kapoor. Jay is currently General Partner of venture fund VSC Ventures, and prior to his career as an investor, Jay worked in the League Strategy office at the NFL. During the conversation, we break down some of the fascinating dynamics of the NFL, including how it dominates linear TV, the unique revenue considerations for the league and its teams, and what makes the NFL stand out relative to other sports. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of the NFL.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:18] - [First question] - What is the NFL? [00:03:26] - The size and scale of the NFL as a business [00:04:55] - Points of growth on the league side and the team side [00:06:42] - The growth rate of the NFL over the past five years [00:07:24] - How many people are watching the NFL and the size of their audience [00:09:53] - The structure of the NFL compared to other major sports leagues [00:14:08] - Distribution of the revenue generated by media rights [00:15:53] - Other factors that make the NFL’s model unique  [00:18:11] - How the NFL came to dominate the landscape of American sports [00:21:26] - When the NFL became bigger than the MLB and why [00:23:00] - How viewership and media rights have changed over the years [00:24:52] - Complexity of scheduling games and creating scarcity [00:26:14] - How the NFL Schedule is Created [00:27:43] - Additional sources of revenue at the league level [00:30:54] - Major costs to operate the NFL at the national level [00:31:50] - Contributing factors that make annual operating costs $1.5 billion [00:32:29] - How much it costs to run an NFL game [00:33:35] - Major drivers and ways to increase the topline of the business [00:36:09] - How much of the league revenue share is distributed to team owners and players [00:39:06] - Seat sales, boxes, and sponsorship revenue [00:40:40] - Who owns stadiums and an overview from a management and cost perspective [00:42:43] - Non-player related operating costs [00:45:46] - Operating leverage as an owner in this business [00:47:08] - What a commissioner is and the governance model of the NFL [00:51:31] - Overview of an executive team beneath the owners [00:53:01] - Collective Bargaining Agreements  [00:57:15] - How enterprise value is created and why it’s growing so fast for the teams [00:59:11] - His perspective on comparing teams to assets generating revenue multiples [01:00:51] - Defining relevance in regards to the NFL and what it means for the future [01:04:39] - Plans to embrace a D2C model and the impact streaming might have on them [01:06:56] - How the Superbowl became such a pivotal sporting event and why they made it [01:11:35] - What will have to go right in order to grow exponentially over the coming decade  [01:17:34] - Potential risks and concerns that could negatively impact the NFL’s growth [01:22:21] - A big lesson we can learn from the NFL for entrepreneurs [01:23:29] - Lessons for investors when studying the NFL [01:24:48] - Learn more about professional sports and the NFL; The Game Plan; Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps (book) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Zack Fuss and today we’re breaking down NextEra Energy. NextEra is America’s most valuable energy firm and consists primarily of two businesses; a high-quality regulated utility and a renewables business that is the world’s largest generator of wind and solar energy. To help break down the business, I’m joined by Mark Tomasovic, an investor at Energize VC. In our conversation, we discuss the structure of the energy market, what’s changed in the renewables space over the past twenty years, and how NextEra takes advantage of its cost of capital advantage. Please enjoy this breakdown of NextEra Energy.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:16] - [First question] - Mark’s background and how he thinks about the energy markets  [00:03:46] - A broad overview of the electricity market and how it’s structured [00:05:22] - The value chain and production line of energy from facility to customer [00:06:59] - What informs how much an energy company is allowed to earn [00:09:16] - Unregulated versus regulated markets and the risks and benefits of both [00:11:29] - How the retail electric market looks today and alternative production methods [00:12:40] - NextEra’s business fundamentals and their current scope and scale [00:14:45] - The two business arms of NextEra [00:16:00] - Inputs and costs of the low cost regulated utility side of NextEra [00:18:33] - NEER being the world’s largest generator of wind and solar [00:19:43] - How they’re able to get contracts and how they work  [00:20:03] - Comparison of revenue generated between their different branches [00:21:26] - How the regulated and unregulated arms work together for NextEra vs its competitors [00:22:30] - What their most important benchmark is and thoughts on gross margin and profits  [00:24:33] - Natural cost of capital advantage given the growing focus on ESG  [00:25:33] - How COVID impacted the energy space, specifically in electricity  [00:28:20] - Conventional energy production becoming more expensive in the near future  [00:30:10] - How reliant NextEra is on government subsidies   [00:31:20] - Where they spend all their revenue, the price of projects, and ROI [00:33:01] - How they evaluate projects  [00:34:19] - Structural differences in renewable energy business models today [00:36:18] - What could happen that could negatively impact NextEra’s growth [00:38:22] - Considering risks when underwriting turbines  [00:39:15] - Is nuclear power a potential tail risk? [00:40:05] - Being forward-leaning when adopting digital technology and innovation [00:41:23] - Lessons that can be learned from NextEra for builders and investors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down Novocure, a global oncology company that has pioneered a new approach to cancer treatment. For over 100 years, the tools used to fight cancer have largely remained unchanged, but there are promising signs of a renaissance and Novocure is at the vanguard of that charge.   To explain the state of cancer research and how the business has developed over the past twenty years, I’m joined by Bill Doyle – Novocure’s Executive Chairman. Please enjoy this breakdown of Novocure.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:05] - [First question] - The current state of cancer treatment today writ large [00:05:43] - What cancer is and how it becomes life threatening [00:06:38] - Why uncontrolled cell growth is so bad [00:07:27] - The main three ways we currently treat cancer  [00:11:29] - Whether or not there are targeted ways we can treat cancer like mRNA [00:14:08] - How we’ve historically detected cancer and what future detection could look like [00:17:12] - Death rates of cancer in the US annually and the business side as it stands today [00:18:20] - Key players in the cancer treatment space that serve patients [00:19:13] - The pioneering technology that Novocure created to treat cancer [00:22:38] - The mechanism that allows their tech to target the right cells [00:25:35] - Overview of the actual procedure that takes place with their therapy [00:28:36] - The impact and results of their new treatment method [00:33:37] - A future where we can take this in a prophylactic and preventive sense [00:34:44] - Why this approach to cancer treatment isn’t more widely known and accepted [00:38:09] - Financials of Novocure and the opportunities it presents for their business [00:43:10] - How they spend their R&D dollars and horizontal and vertical growth [00:48:01] - Unique ways how they spend their revenue to scale their business [00:51:05] - Biggest criticisms of the size and scope of Novocure [00:52:18] - Broader business lessons learned while building a cancer treatment company [00:55:23] - The future of healthcare more generally and what has him most excited Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Zack Fuss, and today we’re breaking down AutoZone, the leading retailer and distributor of auto parts in the Americas. From the outside, AutoZone might look like a dull business in a mature industry, but once you dive into the details, you quickly realize it’s a hidden gem that echoes the best of Walmart and Costco, earns some of the highest returns on capital in retail, and has a long history of outsized shareholder returns.   To help break down the business, I’m joined by Freddie Lait, founder and CIO at London-based Latitude Investment Management. Please enjoy this fascinating breakdown of AutoZone.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:58] - [First question] - The general state of the auto part industry and its key players [00:06:14] - Similar and differing characteristics of AutoZone, O'Reilly, and Advanced Autoparts   [00:08:04] - The history of AutoZone and how they got to where they are today [00:12:11] - ESLs involvement with AutoZone and notable moments from that partnership [00:13:29] - Unit economics, sales per store, how much a store costs, and general features [00:16:32] - Other retail businesses that rank close to the unit economics of AutoZone [00:17:43] - How a customer interacts with their business [00:19:40] - What is being sold that allows them to earn such high gross profits [00:20:57] - Ways AutoZone has kept their competitors at bay [00:23:05] - Additional opportunities in their systems that offer competitive advantages [00:24:18] - Low inventory turnover working in specialty retail merchandise [00:26:14] - How they manage their stock locally and regionally to ensure a reliable supply [00:27:36] - Supplier finance mechanics overview for retailers [00:29:12] - Some of the private label programs they’ve had success with [00:31:40] - Failure oriented parts and what products inhabit this category [00:32:58] - How management and integrated culture find opportunities in DIFM [00:36:08] - Moving up and down the call list and gaining favor as a retailer [00:38:45] - The threat electric vehicles might pose to Autozone [00:37:48] - Whether or not an eCommerce giant may penetrate and disrupt this sector [00:44:58] - Paths AutoZone has taken to return capital to its shareholders [00:49:21] - COVID’s impacts and detriments to the business [00:53:04] - What we can learn as builders and investors from studying AutoZone’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Jesse Pujji and this is Business Breakdowns. Today we are doing a different kind of breakdown. We are covering an entire category, Amazon Aggregators. These are the companies that are buying up hundreds of Amazon’s third-party sellers. The concept of Amazon Aggregators is relatively new, tracing back to 2018 with the founding of Thrasio, but the ecosystem is already huge and growing. Most recent numbers peg it at around $300bn dollars in revenue and growing faster than Amazon itself. These aggregators have unique moats and high-quality entrepreneurs.   To help break down the marketplace and business of acquiring Amazon storefronts, I’m joined by Ali Hamed, a partner of CoVenture, who is also a popular guest on Invest Like the Best. In our conversation, we discuss the three superpowers Amazon sellers have, why there’s only $8bn in funding for a market doing $50bn in EBITDA, and we go into detail on how Amazon Aggregators are structured and operate. Please enjoy this unique breakdown on Amazon Aggregators.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:23] - [First question] - What is an Amazon aggregator, and who sells through Amazon? [00:05:26] - The scale and size of the aggregator market in general [00:06:43] - The history of third-party sellers and the utility they offer Amazon [00:08:20] - When they started inviting third parties to join their network and their market share [00:09:47] - Amazon’s 40% take-rate and overview of the economic structure [00:10:24] - How many individual storefronts exist and what they look like  [00:13:19] - Who is starting Amazon stores and an overview of a seller writ large [00:14:43] - The initial insight that led to incorporating third-party aggregators [00:21:17] - How many aggregators exist in the space today [00:24:41] - Why vertical integration isn’t such a primary focus for aggregators [00:26:53] - Ways aggregators find businesses and how they tend to acquire them [00:31:29] - What the top 10 aggregators look like and their acquisition frequency [00:32:25] - The common value add aggregators deliver post-acquisition [00:36:47] - Deal pipelines and other sales and marketing functions [00:40:22] - Interesting things in the space given how unique of a marketplace it is [00:43:57] - New innovations and secondary ecosystems emerging as a result of aggregators [00:45:13] - How an aggregator should think about Amazon and risks to their business [00:48:29] - Why Amazon won’t use their data and customer ownership to own the market [00:50:10] - Macro and system risks that would threaten the success of this business model [00:52:35] - What keeps Amazon up at night and potential worries about aggregators [00:53:54] - Reasons why they would pass on an acquisition opportunity [00:55:32] - Contributing factors to explosive growth that exceeded expectations [00:58:10] - Biggest takeaways for builders and investors from 3rd party aggregators [01:01:04] - Where to learn more about Amazon’s third-party aggregators Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down HelloFresh. HelloFresh delivers weekly meal kits to people’s homes. With eight million active customers, the Berlin-based business is the most popular company of its kind in the world.   To break down HelloFresh, I’m joined by its CEO and co-founder, Dominik Richter. We discuss the challenges of scaling an operationally intensive business, why HelloFresh is more like CPG companies than grocery stores, and what he’s learned about brand building.   Meal-kits are a notoriously difficult business model to get right and this is a great example of process power; a competitive advantage you don’t come across often. Please enjoy this great breakdown of HelloFresh.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:04:07] - [First question] - What HelloFresh does for its customers [00:05:53] - How many meals are delivered a year and the scale of the business today [00:07:08] - The full customer experience of ordering a meal kit for the week [00:08:03] - What the original service was and the original version of their product [00:10:26] - Overview of the business from a P&L standpoint [00:14:09] - Their centralized and widespread manufacturing plants  [00:16:35] - Attributes of a good recipe that benefits both the customers and the business [00:18:32] - Thoughts on the cost of ingredients and how they impact everything [00:20:43] - How the HelloFresh supply chain differs from traditional ones [00:23:58] - The magnitude of waste and its impact on gross margins [00:27:38] - Identifying customers, acquiring them, and retaining them [00:30:52] - Why other meal kit companies have seemingly done poorly [00:35:53] - Differences in the customer experience of HelloFresh subscribers that allowed them to thrive [00:38:38] - Managing a business that’s dependent on process power and balancing which levers to pull and when [00:41:24] - An example of a decision made to improve tiny percentages of performance [00:44:17] - How a world returning to normal might impact their pandemic propelled growth [00:47:22] - Thoughts on potentially expanding to private supply and distribution [00:50:23] - Lessons learned about successful advertising, branding, and marketing [00:52:41] - Key variables in HelloFresh’s growth for the coming years [00:57:10] - What drives the decision to acquire and build a portfolio of brands [01:00:01] - The biggest risks that the business might face in the future [01:02:27] - What his favorite meal is from their menu and why Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Jesse Pujji and today we’re breaking down MongoDB. The MongoDB story traces back to 2007 when the founding team was running DoubleClick, a large adtech business now owned by Google. They could not find an existing database software with the agility and scalability that the internet requires. Today, MongoDB has over 25,000 customers across 100 countries.    To help break down Mongo, I'm joined by Ro Nagpal, an investor at Holocene Advisors. Listeners will recognize Ro from our breakdown of Twilio earlier this year. During our conversation, we get a 101 on database software, talk through Mongo’s creative approach to R&D, learn about how database product advantages compound, and look at what protects Mongo from larger players like Microsoft and Amazon. Please enjoy this business breakdown of MongoDB.    For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:51] - [First question] - What MongoDB is, what they do, and their scale today [00:05:03] - The functions of a database and why they’re important [00:07:37] - The unmet market need that led to founding MongoDB and the history of the space leading up to today [00:11:13] - What big data means and how it applies to MongoDB [00:12:42] - Things that would lead customers of Oracle to leave them for MongoDB [00:13:42] - The technology stack behind a company like weather.com [00:14:52] - Types of companies and services that couldn’t exist without MongoDB [00:16:40] - State of the database marketplace today and where they fit into it [00:17:51] - How big the new market of big data is and current competitors [00:19:22] - What makes MongoDB so distinct and why they’re winning [00:21:34] - The most important metrics and numbers for the business [00:23:28] - Gross margins and why they spend so much on sales and marketing [00:24:55] - How investors can justify a company spending so much on marketing [00:26:19] - The P&L and unit economics of the business [00:26:47] - How a customer grows after they’ve been acquired [00:27:21] - Clever ways that MongoDB spends and uses their resources [00:29:26] - Different types of open source models and how they use it to their advantage [00:31:22] - One thing MongoDB does exceptionally well and something they could improve [00:34:19] - What MongoDB has managed to get so right compared to their competitors [00:36:04] - Their unique go-to-market strategy and why it worked [00:37:15] - The things that would have to go right for MongoDB to compound over a decade [00:39:00] - Market factors that may impact their future growth and potential M&A opportunities [00:40:27] - Biggest risks that may affect MongoDB’s growth trajectory over the next few years [00:41:01] - What allows them to exist in a world dominated by Google and Microsoft [00:42:34] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying MongoDB’s story [00:44:17] - Why changing their CEO was necessary and helped the company recover and thrive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re breaking down Universal Music Group. As one of the largest music businesses in the world, UMG is home to many of the world’s greatest artists, including Taylor Swift, U2, and The Beatles catalog. A discussion on UMG requires a deep dive into the history of music itself, how it was historically monetized, the shift from physical to digital, and what streaming has meant for the various pieces of the ecosystem. Our guest, Arman Gokgol-Kline, a partner and investor at Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb, walks us through that evolution of the music industry before we dive in on UMG. In our discussion, we first break down the industry pre and post Napster, looking at the ways music was sold historically, and how that led to both record profits and a consumer revolution. We then assess streaming’s impact on the industry and how, contrary to what you might think, labels may be more important in a marketplace where it’s easier than ever for creators to record and release music. Finally, we finish with UMG’s place in the ecosystem. The primary drivers of the business, how they’re able to attract the world’s superstars, and how they think about deploying dollars to acquire new artists and timeless catalogs. Please enjoy this fantastic breakdown of Universal Music Group.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:28] - [First question] - How technology disrupted the music business and it’s evolving history [00:12:11] - What the industry of music labels looks like from the 90s to today [00:20:46] - How it feels as a high-tier artist to engage with a label directly today [00:27:47] - The revenue and business model of an artist akin to Taylor Swift [00:30:11] - The differences between UMG's main sources of revenue; music publishing and recording [00:34:35] - General margins and trends for music publishing [00:35:49] - Ownership and mechanics of monetizing an artist’s Intellectual Property  [00:40:24] - How streaming revenues are divided among stakeholders [00:45:50] - History of the bargaining power of labels and streaming platforms [00:50:52] - Capital allocation, ROI, and acquiring IP and catalogs [00:57:06] - Thoughts on the growth profile of the industry as an investor [01:01:50] - Potential risks to UMG from emerging technology and new creator trends  [01:08:17] - Reasons why an artist would pick UMG over other major labels [01:12:09] - Diversity and how artists are sometimes treated by labels [01:13:31] - A growing increase in music consumption across the world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re breaking down Uber. Despite a corporate history that spans just over a decade, the ink spilled on Uber could have its own wing in a library. So rather than record with our typical Breakdown format, we decided to host two portfolio managers and familiar guests on the podcast, Mario Cibelli, and Ram Parameswaran, to walk through their bull cases on Uber stock.   Uber is the case study for network effects in two-sided marketplaces but a controversial corporate culture, ongoing regulatory battles, and a debate over unit economics has made it a battleground stock since going public in 2019. During our wide-ranging conversation, we cover the opportunity for Uber’s business segments, what deteriorating service means for the product, and what COVID may have revealed regarding Ubers’ financials.   While Mario and Ram are clearly Uber bulls, it’s particularly fun to hear where their views align and differ. It’s a great reminder that we can all take very different paths to arrive at the same conclusion. Please enjoy this great breakdown of Uber.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:16] - [First question] - What they find most interesting about Uber [00:04:40] - Major aspects of the business today in regards to bookings and revenue [00:07:47] - The importance of multiple use cases and what happens by exploring verticals [00:10:47] - History of getting drivers to join the company and what matters on the supply side [00:15:01] - Impact of higher wait times and ride prices and emerging trends in a post-covid era [00:17:48] - Thinking about Uber as a busted but booming model [00:22:31] - The unit economics and journey of $100 flowing into Uber [00:29:32] - Possible concerns and needs for capital Uber may have in the future [00:37:13] - The role that DoorDash plays in this ecosystem and where it’s a potential threat [00:39:01] - Is Lift an equally worthy competitor compared to DoorDash [00:41:59] - What we can learn about labor and regulation when studying Uber [00:43:44] - Thoughts on current management and capital allocation [00:49:56] - Parallels between Amazon Prime and Uber’s membership program  [00:52:25] - Using the accumulated data to integrate an advertising model into their app [00:56:33] - The biggest potential threats to Uber’s growing success  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down John Deere. With a history dating back almost two centuries, Deere has been a mainstay in the agriculture industry for generations. And despite its rich history as an incumbent, Deere is also on the leading edge of technology and innovation in ag-tech. To help break down John Deere, Zack Fuss is joined by Matt Coutts. Matt comes from a multi-generation family of farmers, and brings a unique ability to connect finance and farming. During our conversation, we discuss what the ag ecosystem looks like today, what drives farming economics, and why Deere holds such a strong competitive advantage that seems to only be growing. Please enjoy this breakdown of John Deere.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:04] - [First question] - What Matt does as a farmer and where he spends his time [00:03:54] - How big the global crop production and agriculture industry is  [00:05:48] - Key considerations in production efficiency with such a large market [00:08:15] - John Deere’s role in the global agriculture industry [00:08:58] - Deere’s business model and how they generate revenue [00:10:14] - What farmers tend to buy and how distribution works [00:12:06] - How a farmer traditionally thinks about their business [00:13:18] - Some of the large machine purchases that a farmer needs [00:14:11] - What a combine does and its role in crop production [00:14:53] - The landscape and types of family farms  [00:15:57] - Whether or not farmers can earn above industry returns through any cycle [00:18:18] - The role Deere plays in controlling variable costs to improve returns [00:20:38] - The things Matt’s most focused on as a farmer and how Deere optimize outcomes [00:22:48] - Brand loyalty and mixing and matching machines from different brands [00:24:55] - What precision agriculture actually means [00:27:55] - Overview of a harvest and how Deere equipment interacts with it [00:31:16] - Unit economics and how their recurring relationship generates profit [00:34:01] - Interpreting data, who owns the data, and digital agriculture analytics [00:35:55] - What enables Deere to generate such large margins as an industrial manufacturer [00:40:35] - Is Deere a higher-priced product than its competitors? [00:41:16] - Recent acquisitions and what it says about their growth [00:43:17] - The John Deere API and potential third party integration  [00:44:28] - Will farmers even be physically operating machinery in the future? [00:46:35] - Lessons learned as a builder and an investor from John Deere’s story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down the cloud and SaaS trailblazer, Salesforce. Founded by Marc Benioff in 1999, Salesforce has grown rapidly to become the global leader in the $100 billion CRM market. The business has 150,000 customers, including 90% of the Fortune 500, and is currently valued north of $270 billion. To break down Salesforce, Patrick O’Shaughnessy is joined by Matt Garratt, general partner at VC firm CRV and former head of Salesforce Ventures, where he led investments in companies like Snowflake, Twilio, and Zoom. In our conversation, we discuss the attributes that make Marc Benioff special, how he pushed against convention to usher in a new era of cloud-based businesses, and ways in which he has built a world around Salesforce’s product lines. We also cover decision-making in the company, why its culture derives from the beaches of Hawaii, and how it’s transitioning from builder to buyer. Please enjoy this breakdown of Salesforce. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:14] - [First question] - What Salesforce is and what it does [00:04:55] - The scale and revenue scope of the business today [00:06:13] - Driving variables of revenue growth and their current model [00:09:10] - The unique founding story and becoming the first SaaS company [00:11:06] - What about Marc Benioff made him so compelling and successful [00:14:20] - An experience in his time at Salesforce that changed and moved him [00:15:16] - The first buyer and what they were served as a product [00:17:07] - Overview of Salesforce as a software platform [00:19:58] - The core database that powers their infrastructure and user experience [00:21:26] - Transitioning from being mostly a builder to largely a buyer and acquirer [00:23:46] - Why building trust early on is so crucial when doing something new [00:25:45] - What is Dreamforce, and how it’s evolved over time [00:27:24] - The connection between Hawaiian culture and Salesforce [00:29:14] - How they continue to market and acquire customers and spend so much on marketing [00:30:44] - Their current addressable market and plans to expand into those areas [00:35:05] - How priorities are set, picked, and followed through on  [00:35:58] - What is V2MOM and the role it plays with the executive team  [00:38:08] - The philosophy behind Salesforce Ventures and the function it serves [00:40:27] - Potential risks the business faces going forward [00:44:24] - Key characteristics that separate Salesforce from other businesses out there [00:46:47] - Lessons for investors and builders when studying Salesforce’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down Solana. Founded in 2017 by an ex-wireless engineer from Qualcomm, Solana is a layer one blockchain like Bitcoin and Ethereum that has been built to process transactions as quickly and cheaply as possible. Where Bitcoin can process about ten transactions per second and Ethereum around 30, Solana can handle over 60,000 transactions per second, and it can do so at a fraction of the cost. Unsurprisingly, Solana’s network has attracted huge interest from developers, users, and investors alike over the last year.   In this breakdown, we cover the killer app for decentralized ledgers, the history of on-chain transaction speeds, and the fundamental difference between software and blockchain technology. We then delve into the architecture that has enabled Solana’s speed unlock and look at the platform’s potential to become a huge piece of the world’s financial infrastructure. To help me break down Solana, I’m joined by Kyle Samani, co-founder and managing partner at Multicoin Capital.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:49] - [First question] - How he views the opportunity set of blockchain technology   [00:06:37] - The evolution of transactions-per-second from Bitcoin to new cryptocurrencies [00:13:43] - Why does decentralized finance matter versus centralized finance [00:18:34] - What is Solana and the scope and scale of it today [00:20:31] - Reintroducing costs with DeFi software compared to prior zero marginal costs [00:24:13] - How to go from 30 transactions a second to 30,000 and make the system work [00:31:03] - What about Solana’s design code that allows it to take advantage of parallelism [00:33:05] - Differences between proof of history and proof of work [00:39:05] - The tokenomics of Solana, their distribution setup, and what owning SOL offers [00:46:24] - What Solana’s blockchain will enable for application development [00:55:15] - The emerging adoption and creation of social tokens   [00:57:40] - Thoughts on regulation and security in regards to Solana [00:59:41] - Competition that Solana may face and layer one blockchains in general [01:04:54] - What has him most excited about Solana and the landscape writ large [01:08:11] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying the Solana story [01:11:23] - Leaning into your differences and the team behind the project    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down Taboola, a company you may not know but one you’ve definitely seen. When you read articles on CNBC, Bloomberg, or the Independent, Taboola powers the sidebar and banner recommendations for what you should read next.   The company works with publishers and advertisers to help readers discover what’s new and interesting. Founded in 2007, Taboola recently went public and is now the leading recommendation engine for the open web, serving over 500 million users a day.   To break down the business, host Jesse Pujji is joined by Taboola’s founder and CEO, Adam Singolda. During our conversation, we cover the ways in which Taboola’s value prop differs from Facebook and Google, unpack the advertising concepts of Yield and ex-TAC, and dive into Adam’s vision for Taboola to recommend anything, anywhere.   Please enjoy this breakdown of Taboola.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:48] - [First question] - What is Taboola?  [00:03:35] - The scale of the business, revenue, impressions, and payouts to date [00:05:18] - What problem Taboola solves for advertisers and their user experience [00:07:22] - Comparing the advertising differences between Taboola and Facebook [00:09:15] - Why a publisher would choose Taboola and what they solve for them [00:11:06] - Reasons why advertising through Taboola is desirable [00:14:41] - The founding insight and early struggles of building Taboola [00:18:42] - Important metrics when evaluating their business and what generates revenue [00:20:32] - What they offer to both sides of the marketplace to grow their business [00:22:26] - Defining yield and how they position their rates [00:25:38] - Things they do to improve the value proposition for clients [00:29:29] - What allows Taboola to grow and remain competitive  [00:30:37] - Prioritizing sales and marketing spend to ensure their long term success [00:32:24] - Positive and negative factors in relation to scaling a business like this [00:34:11] - Reasons why they wanted to merge with Outbrain [00:35:16] - Their latest deal with Connexity and his thoughts on M&A for the future [00:37:50] - The top things that would maximize their success over the next decade [00:40:05] - Cookies, privacy, and the role they might play in years to come [00:42:09] - The biggest threats and risks for the future of Taboola [00:44:14] - The competitive landscape of advertising and content placement [00:46:09] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Taboola’s story   [00:47:47] - Where to go if you want to learn more about Taboola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are breaking down Sky Mavis, the company behind the NFT-based game, Axie Infinity. Built by a team with a long history in gaming, Axie Infinity was launched in 2018 with the idea that a blockchain-based “play-to-earn” model could create more aligned incentives between game creators and game players long-term.   Axie is one of the most incredible examples of speed-to-scale I’ve seen, with the game reporting $100,000 of revenue in January, over $190,000,000 of revenue in July, and over $360,000,000 in August.   In this breakdown, we cover the basics of Axie and how gameplay is similar to classics such as Pokemon. We dive into the economic model, how Sky Mavis generates revenue, how players earn money, and how this is all enabled by the blockchain. We discuss the importance of gameplay vs. the economic ecosystem and examine the sustainability of Axie from various angles.   To help break down Sky Mavis, Patrick O’Shaughnessy is joined by Aleksander Larsen, co-founder of Sky Mavis, and Stephen McKeon, Partner at Collab+Currency, an early investor in Sky Mavis.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:00] - [First question] - How many people are playing Axie and how quickly it’s grown [00:04:03] - What play-to-earn means and how money flows through a digital ecosystem [00:05:03] - A basic overview of the user experience of playing Axie Infinity  [00:07:23] - What an Axie is, its features, how they’re generated, and how many exist [00:09:32] - Monster NFTs and the fungible SLP in-game currency [00:15:00] - Converting the SLP to fiat currency and how low-friction the process is [00:16:40] - Are people actually playing the game or just speculating on the game’s assets [00:23:14] - The AXS governance token, how to earn it, and what it enables for token holders [00:27:08] - What the opportunity set looks like for Axie from an investor standpoint [00:29:39] - Finding a balance between offering digital work and creating a player incentive  [00:33:29] - Mystic Axie and what they are generally worth today [00:34:42] - How much the community will have to expand and build on top of the game [00:38:48] - Overview of the plots of land in the Axie metaverse and what they might unlock  [00:41:57] - What a sidechain is and how the Ronin wallet works  [00:46:41] - Why what’s good for Ronin is also good for Ethereum [00:48:53] - Defining a bridge and how it differs from an exchange [00:50:24] - Lessons learned about good tokenomics and token design  [00:55:04] - The biggest potential risks to the future of Axie Infinity and its growing popularity  [00:57:13] - What an ideal future looks like for the metaverse and Axie infinity [01:01:09] - How the world is changing and why that unlocks value for play-to-earn games [01:04:03] - Asset ownership inversion and how big this could become in the future [01:05:24] - The most surprising things that have happened since joining Axie Infinity [01:06:55] - How he thinks about assessing new opportunities in crypto and the metaverse [01:09:19] - Where you can go to learn more about Axie and dabble in the game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down Datadog. If you've ever used Control-Alt-Delete to force quit a frozen application - you've experienced the Activity Monitor on your own computer. Datadog is that Activity Monitor for all of a business’s systems across its apps, tools, databases, and servers. It is a SaaS-based monitoring platform that gives enterprise IT teams real-time visibility into the performance of their entire software stack. Datadog was founded in 2010 and has repeatedly out-developed competitors to build a comprehensive IT monitoring platform. Today, Datadog’s market cap is over $40 billion dollars.   To break down Datadog, host Jesse Pujji is joined by Peter Offringa, the author of Software Stack Investing. During our conversation, we discuss Datadog’s unique product development cadence, how they’re able to grow their top line at 60% a year while staying profitable, and why Web3 might be their biggest competitive threat.   I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Datadog.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:54] - [First question] - What Datadog does and their current scale [00:03:58] - Their customer base today and noteworthy growth metrics  [00:05:21] - The basics of a tech stack business and Datadog’s approach to it [00:07:31] - What problem Datadog solves and how they came across it  [00:08:26] - An overview of a typical backend infrastructure and how Datadog improves it [00:11:52] - Who Datadog’s actual customer is [00:13:21] - The founding story and what fuelled their rapid growth [00:15:58] - What the market looks like today and who their competitors are  [00:18:35] - Scaling the business so quickly and how they measure it [00:21:07] - Their unique and highly successful marketing approach [00:24:06] - Parallels between the user experiences of Datadog and Twilio [00:26:00] - The gross margin profile and how it’s trending [00:26:58] - Dollar revenue retention and how pricing unlocks sales and marketing spend [00:29:18] - How Datadog’s pricing stacks up against their competitors [00:30:41] - The advantages of using Datadog versus AWS and pre-provided solutions [00:33:49] - Their M&A strategy and what makes it unique [00:36:46] - What would have to go right for their market cap to double over the next decade [00:39:12] - Potential risks or threats to Datadog’s potential success [00:41:28] - Lessons for builders when studying Datadog’s story [00:42:52] - Lessons for investors to take away from Datadog’s success  [00:43:57] - Where to learn more about Datadog  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will break down Wyndham Hotels, the world’s largest and most diverse hotel franchisor with more than 9,000 hotels across 20 brands in over 80 countries.   Wyndham is a brilliant example of a ubiquitous business that often goes unnoticed. In this breakdown, we’ll start by looking at just how vast Wyndham’s portfolio of hotels and brands is, how the Highway Act of 1956 played an important role in developing that scale, and explore the economics of hotel ownership, both from the franchisee and franchisor’s perspective.   Then we’ll dive into Wyndham’s growth algorithm, the factors that make the business resilient to external shocks, and the ways in which green programs are helping to drive higher cash-on-cash returns for franchisees.   To help break down Wyndham Hotels, host Patrick O’Shaughnessy is joined by Lauren Taylor Wolfe, co-founder and Managing Partner of Impactive Capital and a Wyndham shareholder. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:48] - [First question] - What Wyndham is and the scope of their hotel franchise [00:04:17] - Defining what select-service hotels are compared to traditional ones  [00:04:49] - An overview of what the hotel business is and their important levers  [00:06:44] - Why Wyndham’s business model is so advantageous [00:09:22] - Franchisee expectations and the pros of franchising the brand  [00:12:22] - Whether or not Wyndham participates in loan and debt generation [00:13:36] - Overview of their award-winning loyalty program [00:17:36] - Customer acquisition for their loyalty program and how it drives spending [00:19:16] - Wyndham’s corporate history and how it affects them today [00:22:17] - Driving growth beyond their current real-estate footprint [00:24:30] - Possible positive or negative nonlinear events that could affect them [00:26:09] - Overview of the sales functions inside of their business [00:28:05] - Changes in hotel use trends as of late [00:30:05] - What hotel management means as a business [00:33:05] - Capital allocation and abundant free cash flow without much need for it [00:35:48] - Considering the ESG implications when evaluating the hotel industry [00:38:17] - Aspects of the business that make it both resilient and competitive [00:42:14] - Big variables that could cause Wyndham to fail [00:44:10] - What it is about Wyndham’s economic opportunity that is favorable for franchisees [00:46:19] - Unit economics and expenses at the individual hotel level [00:47:40] - Lessons learned about brand, investing in a brand, and identifying new brands to acquire [00:50:22] - What she’s learned most as an investor working with Wyndham [00:52:19] - Attractive opportunities Hilton could offer that Wyndham couldn’t [00:53:46] - What she’s learned about being a strong operator while working at Wyndham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will break down Dexcom. Founded in 1999, Dexcom makes best-in-class continuous glucose monitors to help diabetics manage their blood sugar levels. With close ties to growing obesity rates, the diabetes market is big, expensive, and expanding. In the US alone, one-third of Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic, and the cost of treating diabetes is expected to double over the next decade.   To break down Dexcom, Zack Fuss is joined by Aneal Tenjarla, an associate portfolio manager at Sofinnova BioEquities and an investor in Dexcom. During our conversation, we discuss how Dexcom's continuous glucose monitors have materially changed treatment, we cover the structure of the market and Dexcom’s competitors, and we discuss where the business may have future runway inside and outside of diabetes care.   I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Dexcom.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:37] - [First question] - What is Dexcom, their core product, and the size of their market [00:04:43] - Overview of the expenses that diabetics accrue annually [00:06:36] - Why continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are important for diabetes management [00:09:57] - Dexcom’s unit economics and their current revenue model [00:14:10] - Whether or not there is a tech and regulatory barrier to entry  [00:16:18] - How a diabetic or prediabetic finds their way to a Dexcom device [00:17:41] - Their current customer base and their revenue streams [00:19:31] - What dictates if a practitioner will refer patients to Dexcom or Abbott [00:21:56] - Why the problem Dexcom aims to solve is so culturally relevant today [00:25:12] - What the next chapter for Dexcom’s business could be [00:28:51] - Sizing the opportunity and optionality in this industry [00:32:11] - Thoughts on Dexcom’s capital allocation decisions [00:34:22] - Reasons why Dexcom could potentially fail in the future [00:37:59] - Competitors arising in the wearable CGM space [00:39:49] - Overview of their management team and what a good one looks like [00:42:52] - Whether or not they plan on stepping into the pump and insulin space [00:45:20] - Other externalities that consumer-friendly CGMs could create for consumers and insurance companies [00:48:56] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Dexcom’s story [00:53:21] - A future where CGMs could be mostly implants [00:54:18] - The value unlock consumer-friendly monitoring will provide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down SmileDirectClub, the oral care company known for its affordable clear aligner treatment. SmileDirectClub was founded in 2014 as a direct-to-consumer alternative to metal braces. It has since expanded to serve over 1 million customers in both the US and abroad.   To help break down the business, host Jesse Pujji is joined by current CFO Kyle Wailes.   In this breakdown, we discuss how SmileDirectClub differentiates itself relative to metal braces and clear aligner competitors like Invisalign. We touch on the company’s DTC roots, how they have expanded TAM in the oral care market, and what growth opportunities the business plans to pursue moving forward.   I’d highly recommend pairing this episode with our previous breakdown on Invisalign. It’s fun to contrast the two business models and their respective histories. There are so many fascinating details about the clear aligner industry.   I hope you enjoy this breakdown of SmileDirectClub.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:38] - [First question] - What is SmileDirectClub and their current scale [00:03:56] - Their economics and revenue over the past year [00:04:59] - What SmileDirectClub is from a consumer perspective  [00:07:19] - The core insight that lead to founding the company [00:08:55] - Early bets that paid off in the long run as they scaled [00:10:00] - Differences between clear liners and traditional braces [00:11:28] - Market size and cases that need servicing annually [00:13:21] - Invisalign; Direct to consumer model and unit economics   [00:15:57] - Customer acquisition funnel and diversified marketing approach  [00:20:17] - How shops became the major form of how they provide treatment [00:24:02] - Navigating the pandemic and reflections on 2020 [00:26:25] - Lessons learned and value unlock from a monthly subscription model [00:28:44] - Thoughts on the market size today and opportunity for the future [00:29:47] - Prioritizing international sales and market penetration [00:30:39] - Lessons learned from executing in international markets [00:31:42] - Competitors in this space and their vantage points [00:33:29] - How SmileDirect competes with Invisalign [00:34:55] - Their prior history with Invisalign and being an early investor [00:35:46] - How the market may play out in the next five to ten years [00:37:07] - What SmileDirect will have to get right to win over the next decade [00:40:10] - Why metallic solutions and braces have survived this long [00:42:44] - Their biggest risks over the coming decade that may threaten their growth [00:43:42] - Navigating legal risks and challenges faced with SmileDirect’s disruptive nature [00:45:39] - Lessons for builders when studying SmileDirect’s story [00:46:31] - Lessons for investors when studying SmileDirect’s story [00:47:07] - Resources for learning more; smiledirectclub.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down ZoomInfo. Founded as DiscoverOrg in 2007, ZoomInfo is a go-to-market software & data solution for B2B sales. When a sales rep gains access to ZoomInfo, they gain access to a database with over 130 million contacts. The ZoomInfo platform assists in finding potential customers, contacting those potential customers, and refining each phase of the workflow.   To help break down ZoomInfo, host Jesse Pujji is joined by its CEO, Henry Schuck. Henry founded DiscoverOrg and acquired ZoomInfo in 2019. During our conversation, we cover how ZoomInfo differs from traditional CRM businesses, its unique gross margin profile, their special go-to-market muscle, and Henry’s approach to M&A. As a founder, I love stories about bootstrapped businesses, and Henry’s does not disappoint. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of ZoomInfo.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:35] - [First question] - What is ZoomInfo and their current scale [00:04:19] - The problem that ZoomInfo solves and an overview of their product [00:07:23] - A consumer-friendly description of what ZoomInfo is  [00:11:13] - The value unlock their database provides salespeople [00:13:28] - Big milestones when bootstrapping the business and their history [00:19:20] - Big problems that had to be solved when building the business [00:21:26] - Giving us a sense of the data market today [00:23:58] - Whether or not they play in a competitive landscape [00:26:36] - The P&L of ZoomInfo and metrics he pays attention to  [00:28:18] - Getting the data for their database and the costs associated with it [00:30:03] - Improving their service the more data they accumulate [00:31:48] - Overview of their contracts when offering the service to a business [00:32:35] - Various components of their sales and marketing strategy [00:35:35] - Same day sales cycles and how that manifests itself in ZoomInfo [00:38:48] - What separates ZoomInfo; they sell to sellers and their velocity  [00:40:31] - Their approach to M&A in strategy, valuation, and funding  [00:44:16] - Things they say no to when it comes to M&A  [00:47:19] - How they approached the funding side of their acquisitions [00:48:06] - Why they chose to go public [00:49:52] - Notable moments in how the business responded to the pandemic [00:52:24] - Key factors that would allow ZoomInfo to double their market cap in ten years [00:54:03] - Potential opportunities in AI and data science sectors [00:55:20] - What keeps him up at night in regards to their future success [00:57:12] - Ways he invests in his abilities that other CEOs could learn from [00:57:54] - Whether or not BigTech poses a threat to their data accumulation [01:01:48] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying ZoomInfo’s story [01:03:28] - Learn more about their space; A World of DaaS Podcast   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Founded in 1985 as a boutique M&A advisory business with $400,000 of seed capital. The firm now manages over $600 billion across private equity, real estate, credit, and hedge fund strategies. In this breakdown, we will start by discussing Blackstone’s business model and how it has taken advantage of a structural tailwind in the form of low bond yields. Then, we’ll dive into the different ways Blackstone earns money, how that’s changing, and what else management has done to make the business more shareholder-friendly. Finally, we’ll cover Blackstone’s competitive strengths, their brand and scale explaining how they were built and how they’re deployed today. To break down Blackstone, Zack Fuss is joined by Marc Rubinstein, former hedge fund manager and now the writer of Net Interest.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:35] - [First question] - What is Blackstone, their history, and what their scale is today [00:04:29] - Their core competencies in the beginning and what it enabled them to do  [00:05:57] - Examples of their early transactions that allowed them to grow their funds [00:07:39] - Overview of the first principles of how private equity funds make money [00:09:49] - What has allowed Blackstone to grow so large over the last thirty-five years [00:12:30] - Things that make alternative asset management a large and lucrative industry  [00:14:28] - Overview of revenue streams and returns to shareholders [00:17:30] - Analysis of their corporate private equity, real estate, hedge funds, and credit [00:21:00] - Why alternative asset managers have been so attracted to insurance companies  [00:22:40] - Partners Blackstone might find for funding and financing [00:24:44] - Reasons why Blackstone would consider an IPO [00:26:15] - How an investor would evaluate Blackstone versus Berkshire Hathaway [00:29:17] - Ways Blackstone dispels the ‘barbarians at the gate’ stigma around private equity [00:31:12] - The importance of Steve Schwarzman and thoughts on new leadership [00:33:31] - Building a company culture in asset management that creates longevity [00:35:42] - What makes Blackstone so successful writ large [00:37:54] - Emergence of neo-banks and potential threats of regulation and oversight [00:39:05] - The one thing that allows them to always find new opportunities and succeed [00:41:03] - Lessons for investors when studying Blackstone’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be covering the endlessly fascinating market of Space. While we typically focus on an individual company for Business Breakdowns, we thought an industry primer was the best approach for this expanding market. With Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos directing so much energy to the promise of space, it is impossible not to dream about what lies ahead. To cover this endless topic, I’ll be joined by a previous guest, Tren Griffin. While Tren’s full-time job is a director at Microsoft, his experience with satellites and endless curiosity make him ideal for this conversation. We cover how our ground economy is enabled by space today, what excites him most about the space to space opportunities in the future, and how space compares to other network foundations. I hope you enjoy this great space primer with Tren Griffin. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:19] - [First question] - The current size and scope of the space economy [00:04:42] - Important historic milestones that helped us get to where we are today [00:12:33] - The varying levels of orbit and what they unlock for technology [00:19:22] - How expensive launches were and what they are now with SpaceX and Starship [00:22:08] - Overview of the Starlink project and using it to recoup infrastructural setup costs [00:27:32] - Whether or not launch will ever become more than just a commodity  [00:31:01] - Different types of satellites and earth-orbiting technology [00:34:23] - Thoughts on in-space manufacturing as an emerging industry [00:35:33] - Future colonization of the moon, Mars, and humanity leaving the Earth [00:38:19] - The importance of dreaming big to inspire those around you [00:42:36] - Potential reasons why space may not become a new frontier [00:44:41] - Politics and the militarization side of open space [00:47:19] - Legalities and the need for a space treaty  [00:49:41] - Whether or not humans will be living on the moon by 2035 [00:51:03] - What the benefits will be of a colony on Mars if we can establish one on the moon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down pet care giant, Petco. Founded in 1965 as a mail-order business, Petco has evolved into a one-stop-shop pet care solution across its nearly 1,500 locations.   To help break down Petco, I am joined by Greg Kamstra, current CEO of pet care provider, Riverdog and former private equity investor. We will discuss how Petco evolved into its current big-box model, how pet care store economics differ from grocery economics, and what impact e-commerce has had on the industry. It’s always fascinating to learn about secular growth stories, and the pet care industry falls into that category. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Petco.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:19] - [First question] - What is Petco? [00:03:06] - How much of their business is solely eCommerce [00:03:40] - The scale of the market today and what that space looks like [00:05:24] - Pet ownership in the US and how much it’s grown over the decades [00:06:28] - The spend-per-pet metric and how it continues to grow [00:06:49] - Sales channels for Petco and the big players in this industry [00:07:31] - When and how Petco started and unique insights that led to starting the business [00:09:09] - Unit economics for specialty brands versus generic brands [00:09:42] - General thoughts on the economics of Petco [00:11:03] - Viewing their revenue and customer base through the lens of a single-store [00:13:15] - How they drive same-store sales growth and customer frequency [00:16:22] - The ways they’ve invested in services to incentivize return customers  [00:18:13] - Conventional retail strategies and how they’ve performed for Petco [00:20:42] - Ways they are trying to compete with their eCommerce competitors [00:23:50] - What their eCommerce growth could look like over the next few years [00:25:20] - Early days of a mobile app and working on their digital-first footprint [00:26:18] - How good of a deal Chewy was for Petsmart [00:27:48] - Other big deals Petco has made and why they’ve mattered [00:28:52] - Unique private equity aspects of Petco [00:31:07] - What happened to their business during the pandemic and what trends might be here to stay  [00:32:03] - How many non-pet owners became pet owners because of COVID-19 [00:33:11] - Reasons why their market cap could double in the next five to ten years [00:34:19] - Reasons why their market cap could be cut in half over the coming years [00:35:10] - Lessons for builders when studying Petco’s story [00:37:14] - Lessons for investors when studying Petco’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into Cardlytics. Founded in 2008, Cardlytics operates as an advertising platform integrated with the digital channels of banks. It allows advertisers to identify potential customers from their spending habits and reach those customers directly within their mobile banking applications. Today, Cardlytics is one of the largest digital ad platforms, seeing data on 50% of every card swipe in the US.   To help break down Cardlytics, I will be joined by Cliff Sosin, founder of CAS Investment Partners. During our conversation, we touch on what makes Cardlytics' value proposition so valuable to the ecosystem, how Cardlytics' measurement capabilities differ from Google, and what is needed for Cardlytics to reach its full potential. Throughout our conversation, Cliff gives a great perspective on how this management team brought unique insight to this opportunity but then faced struggles as the company started to scale. His understanding of the history of the business shines throughout the discussion. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Cardlytics.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:33] - [First question] - What Cardlytics does and their scale [00:06:51] - What happens from a consumer perspective when using their service? [00:08:14] - Numbers around the current scope of the business today [00:08:40] - Comparing Cardlytics to Google and Facebook’s advertising models [00:11:01] - History of the company and how they gained access to bank transaction data [00:15:20] - Revenue splits, gross profits, and companies that have had success using them [00:19:23] - Potential risk to the company if banks were to start offering this service in house [00:23:02] - Possible parallels between Visa and Cardlytics as a transaction protocol for banks [00:25:15] - Whether or not brand matters for them [00:26:15] - Lessons learned about network effects and whether or not it applies [00:30:24] - What opportunities excite him about improving the Cardlytics platform [00:35:24] - The role that data and predictive algorithms could play in perfecting the user experience and business scale [00:39:45] - Reasons that Cardlytics could slip and reverse their progress or fail writ large [00:44:17] - What one question he’d like to answer to improve the business [00:46:38] - Lessons he’s learned about data privacy building the company [00:47:34] - What is impressive about Cardlytics through the lens of leaders and management [00:50:39] - Whether or not his views on investing has changed in regards to the quality of management over the course of growing Cardlytics [00:51:57] - What they would have to do and where they would have to spend to grow the business over the coming decade [00:54:41] - Neobanks posing a potential threat to the tech stack they’ve build [00:59:13] - Lessons for operators in building a business when studying Cardlytics’ story [01:02:10] - Lessons for investors when studying Cardlytics’ story   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into energy giant, Exxon Mobil. The origins of Exxon date back to John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil. Exxon was spun out in 1911 as the Standard Oil of New Jersey, and in 1998, Exxon merged with Mobil, which was the original Standard Oil of New York. To break down the rich history of Exxon, I am joined by Arjun Murti, a long-time energy analyst, and investor. During our conversation, we dive deep into the supermajor business and how that drove Exxon’s century-long success. We address the past decade of underperformance and examine the key drivers of Exxon Mobil moving forward. Arjun gives helpful overviews on how the energy market has changed across fossil fuels and renewables throughout our conversation. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Exxon Mobil.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:25] - [First question] - What is Exxon Mobil and its business scale [00:04:46] - Various metrics to understand their scale and their revenue streams [00:07:37] - How many people on average Exxon’s oil touches [00:08:31] - Ways to think about how a barrel of oil can be used [00:09:42] - The supply chain of oil and gas and why Exxon chooses to be integrated [00:10:48] - What a non-integrated supply chain looks like in comparison [00:14:33] - How technology has impacted the exploration and discovery of oil [00:17:22] - Once the land is bought and the oil is coming out of it, what next? [00:19:04] - Overview of what a refinery does to crude oil and its economics [00:23:58] - Final steps of the non-integrated oil supply chain [00:25:23] - The history of the oil industry and John D. Rockefeller [00:29:51] - Why Exxon isn’t the largest market cap in the world these past few years [00:38:20] - Some of Exxon’s bad capital allocation decisions [00:43:06] - Thoughts on the XTO acquisition and rough cost [00:44:12] - Would Lee Raymond have been able to figure out a better way forward [00:46:36] - Exxon’s bet on renewables and climate change and whether or not it paid off [00:51:19] - The size and consumption of the energy market today and its size [00:55:17] - Units costs of oil and coal versus wind and solar and their trends [00:59:16] - How this will play out on a fifty-year time horizon [01:02:06] - Exxon’s peer set during their long career [01:04:14] - Other factors that may have contributed to Exxon’s recent downturn [01:06:32] - COVID-19’s impact on the oil industry [01:09:20] - Opportunities for the future and what could cause a double in market cap  [01:12:07] - What could have contributed to a smaller market cap in the future [01:12:52] - Lessons for builders and investors [01:17:05] - Resources for learning more: The Prize & Titan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into Facebook. A business that requires little introduction, Facebook was launched in 2004 from Marc Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room. Zuckerberg has since grown Facebook into the largest social network in the world and continues to operate the business today. To break down Facebook, I am first joined by Robert Cantwell, founder and CIO of Upholdings. Rob’s unique background makes him an ideal person to speak on Facebook. Rob shared a dorm with Zuckerberg, went on to work at Elevation Partners, a large private investor in Facebook, and eventually became CFO of Everlane, where expansion was closely tied to the growth of Instagram and its advertising tools. We touch on how Facebook successfully navigated the transition from desktop to mobile, what drives the value of the network, and where Facebook may drive value in the future.   I am then joined by Jesse Pujji, a familiar voice as a host of Business Breakdowns. Jesse’s time as co-founder and CEO at Ampush make him ideal to break down the advertising business of Facebook. During our conversation, Jesse outlines the basic dynamics of the Facebook ad ecosystem, the economic proposition to an advertiser, and how to assess risks to Facebook's control of the digital ad market.   Facebook is such an interesting business, and we could likely speak for hours on the potential opportunities for growth. We decided to focus on the core advertising business today, given it represents 98% of revenue. In the future, we want to dedicate individual Breakdowns to WhatsApp, Oculus, and potentially other Facebook initiatives that are worthy of their own deep dives alone. I hope you enjoy this conversation on Facebook.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Part 1 [00:03:20] - [First question] The size and scale of Facebook and how we interact with it [00:04:59] - The best way to describe what their true core business is [00:07:21] - Observing Facebook’s growth as an operator and how it impacts his view of it  [00:10:46] - The ad model that they offered that wasn’t historically available before [00:12:49] - Competitive advantages they have today that makes theory moat impenetrable [00:15:44] - Potential impacts of the decentralization of the internet [00:19:20] - One of the biggest risks to Facebook over the coming years [00:23:33] - Future asset optionality that investors should be excited about [00:28:16] - Thoughts on whether or not Facebook abuses its power given its size [00:31:19] - Whether or not plans to establish themselves as a super app holds true [00:34:14] - What Facebook is today and where they’re going Part 2 [00:36:25] - Why Facebook has such an effective ad system for digital marketing [00:41:28] - Overview of how an advertiser uses their ad platform [00:45:39] - Key dynamics that impact bidding on certain keywords and customers [00:49:22] - The types of companies that are being built on top of Facebook’s ad railway [00:52:13] - What data they have and common misconceptions about it [00:56:15] - Things Facebook could learn about cross-app system tracking   [00:59:07] - The competitive landscape of digital advertising today [01:01:52] - What would have to play out in order for them to stop growing [01:04:05] - The ways in which commerce plays into Facebook’s story today [01:07:39] - How having access to a user's payment information is a value unlock [01:08:55] - The most important thing to Facebook and lessons to be learned from their story   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we introduce another unique format for Business Breakdowns. We will be diving into the iconic global motorsport brand - Formula One. To break down F1, I will be joined by CEO Stefano Domenicali and investor, Arman Gokgol-Kline.    To start the conversation, Arman and I frame the business of Formula One with a high-level overview of how the league operates and generates revenue. Then Arman joins me to speak to Stefano who was appointed CEO of F1 in late 2020, after the league and teams agreed to their latest Concorde Agreement which governs stakeholders across the ecosystem. We touch on Stefano’s own story growing up with Formula One, how the team, driver, and ownership worlds align, and what gets him most excited for the brand moving forward. Arman and I then wrap up by diving into the white space opportunities for F1 and what key lessons for builders and investors.   The origin story of Bernie Ecclestone founding and operating F1 is fascinating – and I admire how Liberty has been able to push the brand further into the spotlight. You can see a clear focus on building an aligned ecosystem across the fans, teams, and league officials. This was an incredibly fun episode where you hear from both an inside and outside view. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of F1.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Part 1 [00:03:00] - [First question] - The overall size of the F1 fanbase [00:05:22] - Three key buckets of revenue and their percentage split [00:07:21] - Business economics of the race tracks and promoter incentives [00:11:22] - Thoughts on expanding the annual race and track count [00:13:49] - Business economics of the race broadcasts [00:18:59] - Business economics of sponsorships and partners Part 2  [00:21:21] - Where Stefano found his early passion for motorsport [00:23:32] - What it was like to run an F1 team [00:27:14] - Why they decided to open up social media to drivers and partnering with Netflix [00:33:07] - The Concorde Agreements and what made 2021’s agreement unique [00:35:24] - How the budget is so crucial to a driver and their engineering team’s success [00:38:13] - Key factors define a great winning engineering team [00:42:26] - What makes a driver great and stand out over time [00:46:14] - Thoughts on the motorsport industry in a world aiming for environmental sustainability [00:48:48] - What will be most different about F1 five years from now [00:52:09] - Stefano’s most memorable moment across his entire career   Part 3 [00:53:10] - Biggest whitespaces in F1 that present great monetization opportunities [00:58:49] - Unique team dynamics and how teams are built and developed [01:02:39] - The story of Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin  [01:04:35] - Why BMW dropped out of F1 and why a manufacturer would choose to quit [01:07:34] - Reasons why Porsche has never stepped into the motorsport space [01:09:40] - Major costs centers of the business today [01:11:25] - The history of Bernie Ecclestone And F1 racing [01:14:08] - Lessons one could pull from F1 and unlocking value  [01:15:30] - Areas of content production that F1 has done well [01:17:10] - Additional ways F1 could monetize the relationships between teams and fans [01:21:25] - Lessons that business builders can take away from F1’s story [01:23:00] - Lessons that investors can take away from F1’s story [01:24:25] - Where to learn more; Drive to Survive; Concorde Commercial Agreement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into Moderna. Founded in 2010, Moderna and its innovative RNA platform made headlines after developing one of the first COVID vaccines. We treated this Breakdown slightly different than our other episodes. I’m joined today by two guests. First, I am joined by Jason Kelly, CEO of Gingko Bioworks. He gives us a primer on the biotech industry, genetic modification, and how Moderna’s platform represents a new breakthrough in the industry. Then, I talk to Matthew Harrison, a biotech analyst at Morgan Stanley. We will cover what differentiates Moderna’s business model, how Moderna’s science could lead to faster and higher efficacy drug development, and key takeaways for investors and operators. I hope you enjoy this Breakdown of Moderna.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes - Part 1: Jason Kelly [00:02:31] - [First question] - What is a biotech company? [00:03:50] - Defining Moderna as a company in the biotech space [00:05:15] - Bridging the gap between biotech and genentech [00:06:02] - Overview of the history of learning to program cells [00:07:46] - Big milestones from the discovery to the human genome project [00:10:03] - Technical process and tool of how one modifies and copies genes [00:11:45] - The scale and tools of modern DNA design [00:14:05] - What the Moderna vaccine is and how it works [00:17:24] - The first engineered drug of its kind  [00:18:24] - Other areas where synthetic biology appears in everyday life [00:22:19] - How many sectors this type of technology will disrupt [00:23:32] - The history of Moderna and how they came to be [00:24:41] - What problem Moderna tries to solve and how they approach it [00:27:11] - Unique deal components in therapeutics and the FDA [00:29:06] - Key factors that will make Moderna a dominant player in the near future  [00:30:01] - How Genentech became as big as they did  [00:30:53] - Competitive and compounded advantages for biotech companies [00:32:09] - Lessons for investors and entrepreneurs in studying Moderna’s story   Show Notes - Part 2: Matthew Harrison  [00:34:10] - What is Moderna and how it got started [00:36:10] - Typical route taken for a drug maker and how Moderna is different [00:37:16] - What separates Moderna from others in the biotech space today [00:39:12] - The role software and technology has played a role in Moderna’s success [00:41:42] - Cementing their position through breakthroughs and capitalizing on them  [00:42:58] - How Moderna generates their revenue  [00:44:45] - Overview of cost of sales, expense buckets and gross margin [00:46:20] - Factors involved in how one valuates a biotech company [00:47:15] - How many drugs are in Moderna’s pipeline compared to others [00:51:26] - Risks of drug development and their market potential [00:54:01] - Internal operations of drug development and what separates Moderna [00:57:17] - Comparing Moderna’s mRNA to others on the market  [00:59:44] - High level breakdown of pharmaceutical R&D [01:01:33] - Other P&L and financial components that arise given the nature of biotech  [01:03:09] - Contrast between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine [01:04:18] - What Moderna will have to get right in order to become the next Pfizer  [01:05:38] - What Moderna would have to get wrong to limit their growth [01:07:24] - Company culture and the importance of management [01:08:06] - Lessons for builders and entrepreneurs in studying Moderna’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down Pinduoduo. Founded in 2015, Pinduoduo used a ‘team buying’ social network concept to build what is now China’s largest e-commerce platform measured by annual active users.    In this breakdown, we’ll explore Pinduoduo’s value proposition to a niche but incredibly large merchant segment and its role in the daily lives of hundreds of millions of consumers. We’ll cover what made Pinduoduo attractive to buyers and how the team buying concept creates scaled demand. We’ll touch on their fascinating network dynamics, from the creation of trust ecosystems to the role of gamification in WeChat to the sheer scale of the digital and physical logistics required to make what Pinduoduo has made possible.    For this episode, I am joined by Xin Yi Lim, the company’s Senior Director for Corporate Development. Xin Yi’s experience as a financial analyst covering the sector prior to joining Pinduoduo makes her perspective particularly valuable.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:46] - [First question] - Overview and history of Pinduoduo [00:07:25] - Analysis of the user experience of social shopping   [00:13:22] - Using internal flywheels to optimize supply chain efficiency [00:16:10] - How Pinduoduo is a combination of Costco and Disneyland [00:19:47] - Overview of Pinduoduo’s business model and how it has changed over time [00:24:08] - How Pinduoduo Grocery fits in alongside their existing revenue streams [00:29:20] - Making large-scale decisions while managing such a vast infrastructure [00:32:44] - User base splits between secondary and primary cities [00:36:42] - What categories of goods their platform serves [00:40:06] - The relationship between discovery options and intentional buying [00:42:38] - How they manage to create such a deep experience with so many brand options [00:44:41] - The most defensible of Pinduoduo’s platform against competitors [00:47:53] - Growth objectives for the company as they look out to the future [00:53:38] - Learn more: Stories.Pinduoduo-Global.com, Agri Matters Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down Invisalign. Founded in 1997, Invisalign pioneered clear aligners as an alternative to metal braces. Today, Invisalign generates over $2bn of revenue and accounts for roughly 20% of the orthodontic market.   To break down Invisalign, I am joined by Nick Greenfield, CEO of Candid. Nick co-founded Candid in 2017 as an e-commerce solution to teeth aligners. Candid now offers a broad range of clear aligners and teeth whitening solutions across retail, e-commerce, and the professional market.   Nick's experience in the industry makes him an ideal person to explore Invisalign. We dive deep into the origin of the business, the unique relationship between Invisalign and orthodontists, the economics of orthodontics, and how Invisalign successfully used its patents to maintain its lead in the clear aligner industry.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:43] - [First question] - Overview of Align Technologies and their scale [00:03:31] - What Invisalign is and the problem it solves [00:04:43] - The footprint Invisalign has in the dental industry [00:08:40] - Defining orthodontics and the size of the market [00:09:49] - Why market penetration may double over the coming years [00:14:42] - What the market was missing in the 90s and allowed Invisalign to arise [00:16:20] - Unit economics across the value chain of orthodontics [00:19:40] - Economics of an entire practice built on Invisalign [00:20:34] - How they came to dominate and cement their market position [00:22:44] - Vertical integration and other ways held a majority in the clear liner space [00:25:02] - Branding, distribution and further means of competitive advantage [00:27:05] - Why not move further up the value chain and buy orthodontic businesses [00:28:40] - Invisalign’s P&L in gross margin and major item categories [00:31:49] - What share of chair means and why it’s important [00:32:56] - How many cases can currently be handled by clear alignment trays [00:34:52] - Orthodontists will remain employed once aligners achieve widespread adoption  [00:37:16] - Driving factors for Invisalign doubling over the next five to ten years [00:39:03] - China’s push for training orthodontists and clear aligner adoption [00:39:50] - Other reasons Invalisgn may double their market cap over the coming years [00:40:26] - Competitors and disruptors that may hinder their growth [00:42:01] - Joy dichotomy between patients and businesses [00:43:40] - What happened in 2017, how it changed the marketplace, and the road ahead [00:45:08] - Market share and penetration in today’s landscape [00:46:23] - An analog that can be used to explain Invisalign writ large [00:47:31] - What could revert Invisalign’s growth and market share [00:50:22] - uLab and orthodontists making aligners themselves  [00:51:53] - Other potential threats to Invisalign [00:53:26] - Patenting your IP and gaining an advantage in healthcare [00:55:28] - Lessons for builders and entrepreneurs from the Invisalign story [00:56:39] - Lessons for investors watching Invisalign’s growth over the years [00:58:07] - Where you can learn more; dentaltown Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down Wix. Founded in 2006, Wix was created to make building websites easier. Fifteen years later, the Wix platform boasts over 180 million registered users and 4.5 million premium subscribers worldwide.   In this breakdown, we will explore how the company helped to lay the rails for small businesses to get on the internet. We cover the development strategies that linked Wix to the creator economy. We touch on the evolution of the freemium business model, and we analyze what differentiates Wix as a one-stop-shop from an increasingly competitive market.   For this episode, I am joined by Dave Ambrose. Dave is a seed-stage software investor focused on the skills and knowledge economy. Dave focused on the digital creator economy well before it was a widely adopted investment thesis - and as a former co-founder and operator - he is an expert on web-based businesses.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:52] - [First question] - The customer journey on Wix [00:05:44] - How a businesses relationship with Wix progresses [00:09:24] - Revenue model for Wix  [00:10:08] - The addition of the app marketplace to the Wix platform [00:13:06] - Their customer acquisition strategy [00:14:10] - A business that creates the rails for other businesses [00:16:52] - The stickiness of their customer base [00:18:47] - First major turning point - when Wix started charging customers [00:20:39] - Second major turning point - shift to mobile browsing and getting away from Flash [00:23:50] - The full landscape for website builders [00:28:13] - How the companies he invests in build their web presence and the challenges of building on Wix [00:30:52] - The Wix vs WordPress battle [00:33:41] - Wix’s horizontal integration strategy [00:37:14] - Being the rails for small businesses to get onto the internet [00:41:49] - What other business operators can learn from Wix [00:45:21] - What investors can learn from Wix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be breaking down Ethereum. Launched in 2015, Ethereum is an open-source, blockchain-based platform with a native cryptocurrency, Ether. Today, ETH stands as the second most valuable cryptocurrency to Bitcoin, and Ethereum is the preferred platform for blockchain projects. To help me break down Ethereum, I am joined by Justin Drake. Justin is a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation. During our conversation, we cover what differentiates Ethereum from Bitcoin, the increasing number of projects being built on the Ethereum platform, and what a shift from proof of concept to proof of stake means for Ethereum. I particularly enjoy Justin’s framework for defining money and various analogies to better conceptualize the blockchain. I hope you enjoy this breakdown of Ethereum. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:02] - [First question] - What a blockchain is on a fundamental level [00:04:36] - A core overview of Bitcoin and the Bitcoin blockchain [00:06:40] - Proof of work and why security is so important [00:08:38] - How much miners spend to secure the network [00:10:20] - Early days of Ethereum and what separates it from Bitcoin [00:12:02] - Vitalik’s role in the rise of Ethereum [00:13:14] - What can currently be built on top of the Ethereum blockchain [00:16:28] - Gas fees and an overview of ETH as a triple point asset [00:19:42] - What generates ETH and decides its value [00:22:36] - Defining proof of stake, how it works, and staking incentives [00:25:10] - Yields from staking ETH in the form of newly minted tokens and tips [00:29:15] - Load to power ratio of the Ethereum network [00:33:38] - Terms for staking your ETH and how much is expected to be staked [00:39:19] - Sequence of events when using ETH to buy an NFT [00:43:13] - Transaction fees how they’re calculated when buying and selling ETH [00:46:11] - Pros and cons of high network demand while trying to scale the Ethereum blockchain [00:50:41] - Defining money and why Ethereum’s design makes it optimized to become an economic engine [00:55:11] - Defi Pulse - The Decentralized Finance Leaderboard [00:55:47] - Ethereum’s rigorous decentralization standards and best in class proof of stake [00:58:57] - Overview of Bitcoin Wrapped and ETH as the native currency writ large [01:01:16] - A further in-depth analogy to better understand the Ethereum network [01:05:19] - Potential competitors and new DeFi blockchain innovation [01:08:27] - Key lessons for builders when studying Ethereum and decentralized finance [01:11:03] - Bankless, Epicenter.tv, Zeroknowledge.fm, Into The Ether Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down Calm. Founded in 2012, Calm is the leading app for sleep and meditation. Today, Calm has over 4 million subscribers and has been generating cash flow since its inception. In this Breakdown, we touch on how Calm used data to unlock a non-obvious source of demand, how the upfront subscription cost has allowed for pure operational focus, and what the competitive landscape looks like moving ahead.   To break down Calm, I am joined by my brother, Vinny Pujji, Partner at Left Lane Capital, an early-stage investment firm.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:37] - [First question] - What is Calm and what its businesses do [00:03:31] - How people pay for it [00:03:55] - The top use cases and value proposition for customers [00:05:19] - Who started Calm and the unique insights that led them to create it  [00:05:30] - Major inflection points that drove their business forward  [00:07:54] - An investor’s perspective on freemium funnel models [00:10:01] - Key factors that led to Calm’s success  [00:10:56] - Breaking down their subscription offer [00:12:34] - Analysis of customer retention and breakdown of unit economics [00:15:36] - The difference between their unit economics and other consumer businesses [00:17:28] - What’s unique about Calm from a cash flow perspective [00:19:40] - Capital efficiency when it comes to customer acquisition [00:21:02] - How they learned that sleep was a primary use case and making a shift to provide more content in that area [00:23:09] - Competing with and surpassing Headspace’s popularity  [00:24:19] - Ways that the future might play out for Calm and the mental wellness industry [00:25:38] - Other insights that led to a shift from a meditation focus to a sleep focus [00:26:47] - Designing content with a utility and enrolling celebrities [00:30:06] - Productizing and monetizing on pre-existing consumer habits [00:32:07] - Variable versus fixed cost models [00:33:09] - App distribution and generating widespread brand adoption [00:36:28] - Simultaneously, a software and a consumer business [00:39:19] - COVID-19’s impacts on Calm and how it drove their growth [00:41:19] - Potential contributing factors to Calm’s growth over the coming years [00:44:12] - Practical brand extensions already being implemented  [00:45:24] - Risks and challenges that may be faced in the coming decade [00:46:50] - Integrating new features and other risks that may need to be solved [00:49:27] - Whether or not switching behavior will affect Calm’s trajectory [00:51:09] - Bigger players in the ecosystem who could beat out Apple’s app store [00:53:02] - Lessons for builders and investors when studying Calm’s story [00:54:52] - Where you can learn more about Calm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be diving into Visa. Starting in 1958 as a BankAmericard credit card program in Fresno, California, it then became a non-profit consortium of banks that operated the Visa network. Over the first few decades of its existence, Visa became the protocol layer that allowed essentially all the banks in the world to communicate with one another.   In 2007, Visa completed a corporate restructuring that took it public and now boasts a larger market cap than all of the banks that previously owned it as part of the consortium.   In this Breakdown, we set the stage with Visa's role in a card transaction, describe the lifeblood of Visa’s revenue, interchange, and then dive into its unique history as a consortium turned multi-hundred billion-dollar public business. We then explore Visa’s unique moat and network effect, how Visa makes money today, and look at the potential threats from other businesses and macroeconomic forces. Visa is a fascinating business, and I recommend you check out our website at JoinColossus.com, where we provide additional articles, books, and podcasts for those who want to keep unpacking the Visa story.   To help me break down Visa, I'm joined by Alex Rampell, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he focuses on investing in financial services. Prior to joining Andreessen, Alex co-founded multiple companies, including Affirm and TrialPay, which was acquired by Visa in 2015.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:20] - [First question] - Key players and functionality of a credit transaction [00:05:50] - How $3 would be split up amongst the network after a $100 purchase is made [00:10:55] - How Visa came to be a central player and why banks don’t talk to each other [00:16:26] - Other businesses that have dominating protocol effects in fragmented sectors [00:19:47] - What the internals of a business like Visa looks like and  [00:24:48] - Visa’s topline revenue is almost entirely exclusive to transaction fees [00:26:11] - Thinking of Visa as a tax and simultaneous enabler of commerce writ large [00:30:48] - Why concentration poses a risk to their business model [00:34:56] - How international standards may play a role in Visa’s future [00:41:52] - Would it be worth it for merchants to build something competitive  [00:44:33] - Thoughts on new value transfer tech companies and their relevance to Visa [00:48:59] - Plaid’s role in the payment ecosystem and as a potential competitor [00:50:40] - Parallels between the crypto space, their protocols, and open-source payments  [00:52:54] - Business lessons for entrepreneurs when studying Visa’s history [00:54:44] - Lessons learned that can be applied to investing when studying Visa’s history [00:55:37] - Books to learn more; A Piece of the Action, One for Many    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be diving into Twilio. Twilio was founded just over a decade ago by Jeff Lawson, with the vision of enabling developers to access the world's communication infrastructure through APIs. Twilio has over 200,000 customers and powered nearly 1 trillion interactions last year through SMS, voice, video, email, and more.    In this business breakdown, we'll cover Twilio's unique approach to distribution, how lower gross margins versus peers can actually be a moat, and why Twilio's revenue model aligns incentives with its customers. We closed with the bull and bear case for Twilio over the next five years and what investors and operators can take away from studying Twilio more closely.    To help me break down Twilio, I'm joined by Ro Nagpal, a senior investment professional at the Holocene advisors.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:02:53] - [First question] - What is Twilio? [00:03:36] - How the world received text updates before Twilio [00:04:14] - The scale of Twilio today [00:05:02] - How expensive designing infrastructure of this magnitude can be [00:05:34] - How to use Twilio and gain access to its functionality [00:06:33] - The insight that led to developing the company [00:08:37] - Other aspects of Twilio’s services beyond SMS [00:09:50] - Unit economics of the business [00:12:01] - Case studies of likely and unlikely customers to use Twilio [00:15:17] - Original use cases and how they’ve evolved since [00:16:12] - Developer insights and what innovation it’s led to [00:19:19] - Twilio becoming a pioneer in the user software API space [00:22:15] - How big the TAM can be and why it’s bigger than people may think it is [00:23:38] - Why the API data and growth rate of Twilio separates it from its competitors [00:26:02] - How having a lower gross margin actually works to their benefit [00:27:28] - Who their competitors are and why Twilio beats them out [00:29:11] - Strategic acquisitions they’ve made like SendGrid, Segment, and Syniverse [00:31:18] - Unifying themes in their M&A strategy [00:32:08] - Fees associated with using iMessage and WhatsApp [00:32:43] - Improving margins as SMS becomes less pivotal in their operations  [00:33:21] - Things about Jeff Lawson that makes Twilio so special [00:35:25] - What’s their bear case is [00:36:19] - Lessons for builders and investors   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be diving into Cinnabon. Founded in Seattle in 1985, Cinnabon is the market leader among cinnamon roll bakeries and is owned by parent Company Focus Brands. Cinnabon currently operates in almost 50 countries with over 1,500 franchised locations, primarily in high-traffic venues such as shopping malls and airports.   In this breakdown, we start with Cinnabon's scale and an overview of the franchise's fascinating history. We then dive into what really makes Cinnabon special - its omnichannel ecosystem and how it balances franchisees, licensing deals, and distribution through other retails while maintaining its differentiated and relevant brand.    To help me break down Cinnabon, I'm joined by Kat Cole, the former COO and President of North America for Focus Brands. Before that role, she was the president of Cinnabon. Kat's operating and investing experience in this space and her deep understanding of the brand make her the perfect guest to break down Cinnabon. Please enjoy this Business Breakdown.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:04] - [First question] - The operational scale and complexity of Cinnabon [00:05:48] - Origins and humble beginnings of Cinnabon [00:10:07] - Diversified stakeholders involved in franchised businesses [00:14:44] - A focus on brand relevance and differentiation [00:19:38] - Building brick and mortar traffic during a recession and partnering with Pillsbury [00:23:21] - Cinnabon’s ability to thrive and support an omnichannel brand ecosystem [00:26:57] - Partnering with Burger King and fast-food market exposure [00:32:55] - Building successfully collaborative equity buckets [00:36:52] - Focus Brands and advantages of being part of a bigger ecosystem [00:41:52] - Balancing licensing opportunities while maintaining core channel partners [00:45:37] - Lessons for operators and investors we can take away from Cinnabon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be diving into Costco. Costco is a favorite business story and model for many operators and investors. It was founded in 1983 in Seattle, and it has grown into a juggernaut with over $169 billion in sales and almost 60 million members globally. To me, Costco is the best example of doing one thing for customers and getting better at it constantly for decades.   To help me break down Costco, I talked to both Zack Fuss and Chris Bloomstran. Zack is an investor at Continental Grain, a 200-year old family-owned business that is focused on investing and operating businesses throughout the food and agriculture ecosystem with assets across the US, Latin America, and Asia. Chris is President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group and a long-time shareholder in Costco.   In this Breakdown, we'll start with Zack by diving into the Costco business model, examining the relentless focus on efficiency that separates Costco from its peers, and exploring the secrets behind its private label brand, Kirkland. I'll then talk to Chris about Costco's growing international opportunities and the lessons that operators and investors can take away from studying the business and founder Jim Sinegal. I hope you enjoy this Breakdown of Costco.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:03] - [first question] - The fundamental equation that makes Costco work [00:04:02] - Dynamics of a shared scale economy business [00:06:45] - Jim Senegal’s devotion to perfecting one model for decades [00:10:10] - Examples of how far Costco is willing to go to provide value for its members [00:12:27] - Analysis of a private label strategy, and why Kirkland is such a success [00:15:35] - Key differences that separate Costco from their competitors [00:18:19] - An open-source retailing relationship with suppliers [00:21:10] - How they maximize sales per square foot over time [00:25:45] - Thoughts on leverage in unit-concept stores and why Costco doesn’t use leverage to accelerate growth  [00:28:02] - Lessons that can be learned and applied to other businesses    [00:30:47] - How Costco approaches international expansion [00:33:54] - Why Jim Sinegal is such an exemplary CEO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we will be breaking down the world's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba. Alibaba was founded in 1997 by Jack Ma and almost 20 other co-founders as an online bulletin board that allowed small Chinese manufacturers to tell buyers around the world that they were open for business. Today, Alibaba operates a sprawling ecosystem of businesses that includes e-commerce marketplaces, cloud computing, food delivery, logistics, and financial services.    In this breakdown, we discuss the staggering scale Alibaba's business, how Alibaba went from copycat to innovator, the looming threat to Alibaba from the next generation of Chinese juggernauts, and how competition is viewed differently in China versus the West.    For this episode, I'm joined by a special guest host, Claire Cormier Thielke, who many of you will remember from her appearance on Invest Like the Best. Claire is the managing director of Asia Pacific for Hines and brings her first-hand view of what Alibaba has built in China and her daily experience using the company's products.    To help us break down Alibaba, we're joined by Ram Parameswaran, the founder and managing partner of investment firm Octahedron Capital. Ram has invested in some of the biggest Chinese companies of the past decade, including Pinduoduo and Bytedance, and is the first person I thought of when wanting to discuss Alibaba.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:13] - [First question] - What Alibaba is [00:04:29] - Tmall and Taobao [00:06:48] - The many faces of Alibaba as a country-scale business [00:09:58] - What defines a company as being country-scale [00:11:29] - Adaptive business models for cities of multiple tiers and mimetic behavior of other large-scale companies [00:18:15] - Alibaba’s ability influence the physical infrastructure of cities and China as a whole [00:19:01] - Full stack solution company JD Global [00:21:03] - Tencent [00:21:47] - Key players in the monetization of commerce in China: JD, Pinduoduo, Meituan [00:26:35] - Reducing friction may be the number one reason for internet businesses to scale [00:31:15] - Is it worth it for Alibaba to explore the social media space? [00:34:05] - Why Chinese companies are naturally more competitive and aggressive than North American ones  [00:38:46] - How China perceives and adopts language such as the Seven Powers framework [00:40:23] - What the West can learn from China and Alibaba [00:43:28] - Adopting Chinese practices for Western brick and mortar stores [00:45:35] - Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization [00:45:51] - Learning more about Alibaba; The House That Jack Ma Built Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be diving into Chipotle, the fast-casual food chain known for its burritos. It was started in 1993 by Steve Els, an entrepreneur who is actually a classically trained chef and dreamed of opening a fine dining restaurant.    He started Chipotle to earn cash for that dream, but the well-known chain took off and made TexMex fast-casual food an American staple. Over the past two decades, Chipotle has expanded nationwide to over 2000 owned and operated stores. Its significant growth is tied to its simple restaurant decor and efficient operations. Nevertheless, the beloved fast-casual chain was plagued with a series of foodborne illnesses from 2015 to 2018. Since then, the chain has been adapting rapidly to regain the trust of customers nationwide.    In this breakdown, we discuss Chipotle's origin stories, its hypergrowth, its focus on simplicity and innovation. We'll also go into details around how they navigated COVID and their national food safety outbreaks.    To help me break down Chipotle, I'm joined by Zack Fuss, an investor at Continental Grain and an expert on all things food and restaurant-related.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.   ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:13] - [First question] - What is Chipotle [00:04:24] - Chipotle’s scale compared to its competitors [00:05:36] - The origin story of Steve Ells and Chipotle [00:06:47] - Carving out the fast-casual restaurant niche [00:09:02] - Unique themes that have been carried into today [00:10:22] - Unit economics in fine dining versus fast-casual dining [00:11:56] - Gross margins and their similarities across establishments [00:14:53] - An ideal payback period for a restaurant [00:16:00] - What allows for Chipotle to have such an optimized payback period [00:18:29] - Owned and operated versus franchised  [00:20:49] - Pros and cons to franchising or being an owner-operator   [00:22:11] - Key factors to consider when choosing to franchise or not [00:23:31] - Chipotle taking $350 million in growth capital from McDonald’s [00:25:58] - Differences between McDonald’s and Chipotle’s food [00:27:08] - The E Coli outbreak in late 2015  [00:28:17] - Sweetgreen, Cava, Zoes Kitchen, Noodles & Co. [00:30:09] - Pershing Square’s investment in Chipotle post-outbreak  [00:31:51] - Technology and its effects on the restaurant industry [00:33:39] - Digital orders and profit margin variance [00:35:53] - Launching a Digital-Only quesadilla menu item [00:36:33] - Internet aggregators, dark kitchens, and future food tech trends [00:39:52] - How Chipotle beat out Qdoba [00:41:32] - Blaze Pizza, Tasty Made, Panda Express  [00:43:38] - Dark kitchens and network expansion [00:45:01] - Lessons builders can take away from Chipotle’s story [00:45:01] - Lessons investors can take away from Chipotle’s story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we will be diving into Shopify. Shopify was founded in 2004 by Tobi Lütke and Scott Lake around their original problem of why it's so hard to build an online business when they struggled to open an online snowboard equipment store. Today, Shopify's goal is to make commerce better for everyone and it's essentially an on-ramp for people looking to sell online.    To help us break down Shopify, I'm joined by co-host Zack Fuss and our guest Alex Danco, who works on the Money team at Shopify.   To really understand Shopify, you have to understand its different business units -- Core, Merchant Services, Ecosystem, and the new Shop platform -- and the role they each play in making commerce easier and better for merchants. We begin this breakdown by covering each of those business units and how they compare to Apple's business lines. We then dive deep into how Shopify makes money through the first and second derivative of their merchant success and how Shopify thinks about friction in e-commerce. We close with an incredible analogy of Shopify and StarCraft and the tools that Shopify has built into the still-nascent world of e-commerce.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss   Show Notes [00:03:03] - [First question] - What Shopify is as a product [00:04:58] - Product pillar 1: Core[00:06:58] - Product pillar 2: Merchant services[00:09:02] - Product pillar 3: Ecosystem [00:11:04] - Product pillar 4: Shop [00:13:08] - The evolution of commerce with the rise of the internet [00:20:01] - Differences between high and low trust commerce [00:24:48] - The role of friction and trust in stakeholder variety [00:29:18] - Overview of all four product pillars’ business models [00:32:10] - Shopify App Store [00:33:16] - How Shopify competes and partners with their competitors [00:35:53] - Shop Pay expands to Facebook and Instagram [00:37:49] - Key areas where Shopify will continue to grow across their product pillars [00:41:52] - Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay [00:42:56] - Potential pitfalls of having such a high self-imposed quality bar  [00:44:12] - Conway’s law[00:44:12] - Aggregators versus platforms [00:52:35] - Unique marketing aspects for Shopify’s sales and marketing with their subscription model  [00:55:37] - Shopify: A StarCraft Inspired Business Strategy   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Business Breakdowns, a new Colossus podcast featuring deep-dive conversations on individual businesses. In each episode, we will dissect a new company with investors and operators that know it best. We believe every business has secrets and lessons to learn from, and these conversations are designed to deliver that content in an entertaining and narrative format.   The series launches on April 5th with Shopify.    Make sure to subscribe for new episodes and leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts if you like the show.    With each new episode, we will be releasing full episode transcripts, show notes, and the best content we could find on that business from across the internet. Check out www.joincolossus.com for more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business Breakdowns is a series of conversations with investors and operators diving deep into a single business. For each business, we explore its history, its business model, its competitive advantages, and what makes it tick. Learn more and stay up to date at joincolossus.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices