From Wall St to Main St, Former PE Investor Hits $100k Months With a Media Co.

Many people fear leaving a lucrative 9-5 to pursue their true passions, even when they feel miserable. Or perhaps they feel they'd be judged for exchanging 7 figures for uncertainty and no guaranteed paycheck. Well, Codie Sanchez is the picture of why you should do that, even if you do feel scared. An ex-journalist turned Wall St and PE investor, Codie worked for years doing deals for others and buy companies for other people. Until she heard a stat that would ultimately kick off her new career: 1 in 12 businesses close every year.

https://twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez/status/1521108298698797056

That opportunity struck her, that, perhaps these owners would be open to an acquisition deal. Alas, a Wall St investor turns to buying Main St businesses. "Boring" businesses. Think...car washes, property management companies, laundromats (a personal favorite), and now owns an 8-figure portfolio of 26+ of those businesses. Throughout that journey one thing was learned: if she can do it, others can too. That business buying turned into, "let's share what I'm doing with the world via a newsletter".

And Contrarian Thinking was born. Contrarian Thinking went from 0 subscribers and $0 in revenue, to 112k + subscribers and a 7 figure run rate in just under 2 years. Their goal? Free minds, and build bank accounts.

Here are 3 tips that led to its success:
1 - Be relentless at experimentation: in the beginning, there was an idea. Many people get caught up in needing a perfect business plan, perfect branding, etc when in reality, you just need to execute. Contrarian Thinking grew and iterated and succeeded through relentless experimentation. Have an idea. Try it. Keep doing it if it works. If not, scrap.

2 - Find the right people: in the beginning founders do everything. It is how it is. When you go in revenue and have the ability to hire out and delegate, do so with great care. Now, Codie focuses on her zone of genius while her team formulates processes and develops great content.

3 - Create incredible content: this media company is different from others. Many rely on organic search and paid ads to grow. This financial newsletter focuses 90%, on incredible viral content. Our team acts more like a writers room, where we scour the internet for ideas, pitch to each other, film, edit, and continuously improve.

There are 4 kinds of leverage in today's world. Audience is one of them. No matter what you're building, never underestimate the power of great content.