Listen "1440 is a Bootstrapped Giant"
Episode Synopsis
[00:00:00] Quick Montage (Growth, Grit, Vision, Revenue, Meaning of 1440)[00:00:36] Intro: Why 1440 is Different[00:01:48] Revenue Numbers and Profitability[00:02:24] How They Funded Without Venture Capital[00:04:48] How Big Can an Email Newsletter Get?[00:05:15] Why They Ignored Advice to “Go Niche”[00:06:09] 1440’s Thesis: Inch-Deep, Mile-Wide for the Intellectually Curious[00:08:24] Tim’s Previous Startup: When in Rome (Failure Story)[00:11:15] Lessons on Unit Economics and Why When in Rome Failed[00:15:09] Why Email Newsletters Are Such Great Businesses[00:16:03] Inspirations: Sam Parr, Morning Brew, and the Hustle[00:18:45] Launching to 78 Friends and Family[00:20:06] Early Product Market Fit Signals[00:21:45] Feedback: Why They Removed Pictures from the Newsletter[00:24:00] Hiring Timeline: When They Brought in Their First Editor[00:25:48] Drew’s Grit: Waking Up at 4AM to Write[00:26:51] First $100K in Revenue: Growth Strategy and Milestones[00:29:15] Current Growth: 300K Subscribers/Month, 50% Retention[00:31:39] Economics: Revenue Per Email Open[00:32:06] Comparing Broad vs. Niche Newsletter Strategies[00:35:33] Why 1440 Focused on One Product (Until Now)[00:39:00] Scaling Discipline: Lessons from Private Equity[00:42:09] No Layoffs, High Revenue per Employee, Control Through Bootstrapping[00:43:30] New Product Launch: Knowledge Platform (Topics)[00:46:57] The Vision: Human-Curated Knowledge vs AI[00:49:30] Meaning Behind the Name "1440"[00:49:48] Closing Thanks
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