May 5, 2025 · 20m · bigdeal
Do This One Thing to 2x Your Business
Codie Sanchez · 17m spoken Steve Jobs · 20s spoken Aaron Epstein · 12s spoken Peter Thiel · 10s spoken Patrick Campbell · 1s spoken
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this episode of The Big Deal Podcast, Codie Sanchez delivers a comprehensive masterclass on pricing strategy, explaining why monetization is the ultimate growth lever in business. She outlines practical frameworks, diagnostic indicators, corporate case studies, and communication playbooks to help entrepreneurs raise prices confidently and protect profit margins.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Codie holds 96.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Codie as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.0 Codie pushing back 0.0
speaking balance: gold is Codie, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:48 Peter Thiel's binary monopoly framing
In a prerecorded clip, Peter Thiel forcefully asserts an extreme binary view that businesses are either competitive or monopolies.
Hardest push from Codie ▶ 16:25 Codie rejects Netflix's communication strategyCodie directly challenges and dismantles Netflix's impersonal customer email copy, demonstrating how small businesses should communicate instead.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 15:31 Aaron Epstein explains SaaS recurring revenue dominanceIn an educational clip, Aaron Epstein illustrates why SaaS models dominate top lists due to default recurring payments.
Codie holds their own ▶ 9:55 Codie breaks down monetization impact metricsCodie demonstrates analytical mastery by citing empirical YC data comparing acquisition, retention, and monetization percentage returns.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Codie as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Codie pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Psychology of Pricing and the Ultimate Growth Lever | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie Sanchez delivers a solo monologue laying out pricing psychology and action steps, using a brief archival clip of Steve Jobs as supporting evidence. Since this is a scripted solo episode without an active guest conversation, interactive dynamics remain at zero. | |
| Introducing the Free Contrarian Operating System Playbook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | This segment consists of a promotional offer for the Contrarian Operating System and an analysis of YouTube TV and Netflix price hike case studies. As a direct-to-camera presentation, there is no conversational sparring or pushback. | |
| Multi-Tiering, Un-Grandfathering, and Lessons from Starbucks and Amazon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie explores un-grandfathering, value bundling, and market position assessment using corporate examples from Starbucks and Amazon Prime. She speaks directly to the audience in an instructional monologue format. | |
| The Growth Multiplier: Y Combinator's Monetization Data | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie cites Y Combinator growth metrics and references a Peter Thiel soundbite about competition versus monopoly. The segment operates purely as an educational solo presentation. | |
| Key Indicators for Price Increases and Steve Jobs on Product Standards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie lists indicators for when a business should raise prices and plays a soundbite from Steve Jobs regarding product standards and premium positioning. There is no live interactive sparring. | |
| Recurring Subscriptions and Accelerating Cash with Longer Commitments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie discusses SaaS subscription mechanics with a clip of Aaron Epstein, critiques Netflix's price raise communication, and closes the episode with a call to action. The dynamic remains purely solo instructional. |
Statements from this episode (18)
Sanchez: Higher prices increase customer product usage and perceived value
“If you charge low prices, your product will be perceived as low value, increase your prices, and you will not only make more money, but people will actually use your product and value it more.”
Sanchez: There is no business value in being the second cheapest
“Also remember guys, you can only price yourself the absolute cheapest to the bottom. There is no value in being the second Most cheap.”
Sanchez: YouTube TV raised subscription prices 137% between 2017 and 2025
“YouTube TV has raised its prices by 137%. 2017, they launched, it was 3499, and by January 2025, it was 8299.”
Sanchez: YouTube TV estimated to surpass all ad live TV platforms by 2026
“They're estimated to surpass every other ad live TV platform by 2026.”
Sanchez: YouTube TV reached 8M paying subscribers by year-end 2024
“Eight million paying subscribers at the end of 2024, so like, ah, six hundred million in revenue.”
Sanchez: Netflix grew to 300M subscribers despite raising prices from $8 to $23
“Netflix raised their prices from eight dollars a month in 2007 to 23 dollars a month today. And then they lost a few customers. So they lost some in the beginning. They lost a million customers when they increased their prices the first time, but today they ha…”
Sanchez: Netflix un-grandfathers legacy users to systematically raise prices
“They use an un-grandfathering strategy, so you don't get to stay in your price point forever, at some point you just got to keep moving up, and they realize that if they have the best content in the world, people will continue to pay.”
Sanchez: Starbucks grew 2023 revenue to $9.37B despite price hikes
“Well, they actually increased their revenue that year. So they were estimated to do like 9.28 billion. Their actuals in 2023 were 9.37 billion, and they made more money. Instead of having negative traffic to stores, they were positive. They increased their ave…”
Codie Sanchez: Sell to Rich People Because They Value Convenience Over Price
“This is also why you want to sell more things to rich people because they actually much more value convenience and continuance as opposed to price and discounts.”
Sanchez: 1% increase in monetization yields 12% business growth
“Well, what's interesting is Y Combinator did a study, and they said for every one percent increase in each one of these, Acquisition, retention, and monetization. What amount of growth do we get from it? Well, it turns out, if you get one percent increase in n…”
Sanchez: Raising Prices Filters Out Disloyal Bargain Hunters
“Price sensitive customers are often less loyal anyway. They'll jump ship the second a cheaper option comes along. By raising prices, you filter out basically bargain hunters and find your true fans or what we call your right fit customers.”
Thiel: There Are Only Two Types of Businesses: Competitors and Monopolies
“The extreme binary View of the world I always articulate is that there are exactly two kinds of businesses in this world. There are businesses that are perfectly competitive, and there are businesses that are monopolies.”
Sanchez: Most portfolio companies review pricing every three months
“Inflation is the benchmark, but most of my portfolio companies are on a three-month rotation. So every single three months, we look at the right pricing.”
Sanchez: Every single business needs multiple price tiers
“I have not met a business yet that does not need multiple price tiers. Every single business does.”
Sanchez: 20% to 100% premium for commercial work is standard
“Usually there's the rule of 20 to a hundred. So a 20 to a hundred percent premium for commercial work is standard practice.”
Sanchez: Price Changes Can Involve Charging Less for Upfront Payment
“Price changes don't always have to mean you charge more. It might mean you charge less, but they have to pay more up front.”
Sanchez: Price hike notices should emphasize customer trust over subscription duration
“Remind your customer how they trusted you instead of reminding them how long they've been with you and how you don't care.”
Sanchez: Businesses with Higher Margins Win by Outspending Competitors on Customer Acquisition
“Moral of the story, guys, if you don't raise your prices, you won't have any margin. If you don't have any margin, you won't be able to beat your competitors, and the number one rule of business is whoever makes the most money wins because they can just pay mo…”