Why Only 2% of Startups Make It
Description
CJ and Kyle kick things off celebrating their global rise to fame (#10 in Croatia) before diving into what it really takes to grow a podcast from scratch, why second place doesn’t matter in a winner-take-all world, and how only 2% of startups ever make it to $25M ARR—plus a Business Blunders detour into panels nobody wants, children’s play-place pricing gone wild, and the strange genius of The Wonder.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Croatia & Rankings
01:10 #10 in Croatia
02:30 Growing the Pod
04:05 Building an Audience
05:22 Why Most Pods Die
06:30 Finding Audience Fit
07:42 Breaking Into the Top 4
09:15 No Guests, No Problem
10:20 LinkedIn Beats TikTok
11:18 Apple, Spotify, YouTube
12:32 Top of Funnel Focus
14:05 Referral & SEO Plays
16:00 Second Place Doesn’t Count
17:25 Winner Take All Economics
19:10 Uber vs Lyft Example
21:05 The 2% That Make It
23:12 Be Niche or Die Trying
25:00 Pick Fewer Channels
27:50 Harder Than Harvard
30:40 Business Blunders
41:55 Pricing in the Real World
46:00 Wrap Up: Mostly Memberships
Episodes Referenced:
How to Give a Killer Keynote (Without Having a Panic Attack)
996 Culture, Exploding AI Bills & SaaS Chaos
Why Founders Are Posting Sad Dinners
Cowboy Forecasting: The Power of Fast Informed Estimates on the Back of an Envelope
5,762 Job Applications. Zero Offers.
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_podcasting
https://www.patriots.com/audio/unfiltered-podcast-archive
https://topline.beehiiv.com/p/the-era-of-haves-and-have-nots
https://substack.com/@kylepoyar/note/c-159017468?
United States
