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Jul 26, 2019 · 18m · top-founders

1462 With $10m in TTM Revenues, Are You Missing Out on Opt-In Advertising?

Joe Broumand · 9m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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Nathan Latka interviews Opt Intelligence CEO Joe Broumand to explore how the company bootstrapped a $10 million opt-in advertising platform on just $300,000 in initial funding while building scalable API infrastructure for digital publishers.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 40.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.8 Guest teaching 3.0 Guest disagreement 1.0 Nathan pushing back 2.2
05100:0010:000:00–2:24 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Nathan Promotes How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital Solo host intro promoting Nathan's book and reading a preview summary of the company metrics before the interview begins.2:25–4:51 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Defining Opt-In Advertising vs. Traditional Display Ads Joe defines opt-in advertising as 'click and stick' rather than display ads where users leave the site. Nathan brings up an example from his own checkout experience on Expedia to verify the concept.4:52–7:46 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 The Mechanics of Data Routing and Revenue Sharing Nathan walks through a concrete example with CNN and Time magazine to break down the rev-share mechanics. When Nathan asks why publishers do not just broker deals directly, Joe educates him on the complexity of disparate CRM endpoints and compliance regulations.7:48–10:12 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 LeadServe Self-Service Platform and Lead Optimization Nathan suggests a self-service directory model based on how he bought churned competitor leads in his previous business. Joe explains their self-service product LeadServe and why sub-ID optimization outperforms advertiser placement assumptions.10:12–14:23 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Business Performance: $10M Revenue and Bootstrapped Scale Nathan drills into the core numbers: 250 publishers, $10M gross revenue, and a 55% publisher payout resulting in $5.5M net revenue. Nathan challenges the necessity of the tool by presenting co-webinars as an alternative channel, which Joe acknowledges while highlighting scaling limits.14:24–17:50 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 API-First Vision, Capital Strategy, and Cap Table Nathan probes Joe's equity stake and cap table control, discovering Joe owns under 50%. During the Famous Five, Joe struggles to name books or CEOs and asks for advance warning, prompting Nathan to firmly decline to keep answers candid.0:00–2:24 · Guest teaching 0/10 Nathan Promotes How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital Solo host intro promoting Nathan's book and reading a preview summary of the company metrics before the interview begins.2:25–4:51 · Guest teaching 4/10 Defining Opt-In Advertising vs. Traditional Display Ads Joe defines opt-in advertising as 'click and stick' rather than display ads where users leave the site. Nathan brings up an example from his own checkout experience on Expedia to verify the concept.4:52–7:46 · Guest teaching 5/10 The Mechanics of Data Routing and Revenue Sharing Nathan walks through a concrete example with CNN and Time magazine to break down the rev-share mechanics. When Nathan asks why publishers do not just broker deals directly, Joe educates him on the complexity of disparate CRM endpoints and compliance regulations.7:48–10:12 · Guest teaching 4/10 LeadServe Self-Service Platform and Lead Optimization Nathan suggests a self-service directory model based on how he bought churned competitor leads in his previous business. Joe explains their self-service product LeadServe and why sub-ID optimization outperforms advertiser placement assumptions.10:12–14:23 · Guest teaching 3/10 Business Performance: $10M Revenue and Bootstrapped Scale Nathan drills into the core numbers: 250 publishers, $10M gross revenue, and a 55% publisher payout resulting in $5.5M net revenue. Nathan challenges the necessity of the tool by presenting co-webinars as an alternative channel, which Joe acknowledges while highlighting scaling limits.14:24–17:50 · Guest teaching 2/10 API-First Vision, Capital Strategy, and Cap Table Nathan probes Joe's equity stake and cap table control, discovering Joe owns under 50%. During the Famous Five, Joe struggles to name books or CEOs and asks for advance warning, prompting Nathan to firmly decline to keep answers candid.0:00–2:24 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Nathan Promotes How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital Solo host intro promoting Nathan's book and reading a preview summary of the company metrics before the interview begins.2:25–4:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Defining Opt-In Advertising vs. Traditional Display Ads Joe defines opt-in advertising as 'click and stick' rather than display ads where users leave the site. Nathan brings up an example from his own checkout experience on Expedia to verify the concept.4:52–7:46 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Mechanics of Data Routing and Revenue Sharing Nathan walks through a concrete example with CNN and Time magazine to break down the rev-share mechanics. When Nathan asks why publishers do not just broker deals directly, Joe educates him on the complexity of disparate CRM endpoints and compliance regulations.7:48–10:12 · Guest disagreement 1/10 LeadServe Self-Service Platform and Lead Optimization Nathan suggests a self-service directory model based on how he bought churned competitor leads in his previous business. Joe explains their self-service product LeadServe and why sub-ID optimization outperforms advertiser placement assumptions.10:12–14:23 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Business Performance: $10M Revenue and Bootstrapped Scale Nathan drills into the core numbers: 250 publishers, $10M gross revenue, and a 55% publisher payout resulting in $5.5M net revenue. Nathan challenges the necessity of the tool by presenting co-webinars as an alternative channel, which Joe acknowledges while highlighting scaling limits.14:24–17:50 · Guest disagreement 2/10 API-First Vision, Capital Strategy, and Cap Table Nathan probes Joe's equity stake and cap table control, discovering Joe owns under 50%. During the Famous Five, Joe struggles to name books or CEOs and asks for advance warning, prompting Nathan to firmly decline to keep answers candid.0:00–2:24 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Nathan Promotes How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital Solo host intro promoting Nathan's book and reading a preview summary of the company metrics before the interview begins.2:25–4:51 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Defining Opt-In Advertising vs. Traditional Display Ads Joe defines opt-in advertising as 'click and stick' rather than display ads where users leave the site. Nathan brings up an example from his own checkout experience on Expedia to verify the concept.4:52–7:46 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 The Mechanics of Data Routing and Revenue Sharing Nathan walks through a concrete example with CNN and Time magazine to break down the rev-share mechanics. When Nathan asks why publishers do not just broker deals directly, Joe educates him on the complexity of disparate CRM endpoints and compliance regulations.7:48–10:12 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 LeadServe Self-Service Platform and Lead Optimization Nathan suggests a self-service directory model based on how he bought churned competitor leads in his previous business. Joe explains their self-service product LeadServe and why sub-ID optimization outperforms advertiser placement assumptions.10:12–14:23 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Business Performance: $10M Revenue and Bootstrapped Scale Nathan drills into the core numbers: 250 publishers, $10M gross revenue, and a 55% publisher payout resulting in $5.5M net revenue. Nathan challenges the necessity of the tool by presenting co-webinars as an alternative channel, which Joe acknowledges while highlighting scaling limits.14:24–17:50 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 API-First Vision, Capital Strategy, and Cap Table Nathan probes Joe's equity stake and cap table control, discovering Joe owns under 50%. During the Famous Five, Joe struggles to name books or CEOs and asks for advance warning, prompting Nathan to firmly decline to keep answers candid.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 78.2% · guest 21.8%0:00 · Nathan 78.2% · guest 21.8%3:00 · Nathan 34.8% · guest 65.2%3:00 · Nathan 34.8% · guest 65.2%6:00 · Nathan 33.9% · guest 66.1%6:00 · Nathan 33.9% · guest 66.1%9:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%9:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%12:00 · Nathan 17.6% · guest 82.4%12:00 · Nathan 17.6% · guest 82.4%15:00 · Nathan 48.6% · guest 51.4%15:00 · Nathan 48.6% · guest 51.4%18:00 · Nathan 92.7% · guest 7.3%18:00 · Nathan 92.7% · guest 7.3%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 16:35 Joe playfully protests the rapid-fire questions

Joe struggles to think of an under-the-radar CEO and jokingly tells Nathan he should provide the questions in advance.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 16:44 Nathan insists on spontaneous Famous Five answers

Nathan directly rejects Joe's request for advance questions, arguing that giving notice leads to rehearsed and disingenuous answers.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 6:55 Joe details why direct publisher deals fail operationally

Joe educates Nathan on why publishers cannot easily bypass an intermediary, citing the nightmare of custom API mappings for MailChimp, Marketo, and Bronto alongside GDPR compliance.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 8:27 Nathan showcases his growth playbook for buying churned leads

Nathan demonstrates deep marketing knowledge by explaining how he manually bought churned customers from expensive competitors to scale his previous company.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Nathan Promotes How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital 0000 Solo host intro promoting Nathan's book and reading a preview summary of the company metrics before the interview begins.
Defining Opt-In Advertising vs. Traditional Display Ads 4411 Joe defines opt-in advertising as 'click and stick' rather than display ads where users leave the site. Nathan brings up an example from his own checkout experience on Expedia to verify the concept.
The Mechanics of Data Routing and Revenue Sharing 5513 Nathan walks through a concrete example with CNN and Time magazine to break down the rev-share mechanics. When Nathan asks why publishers do not just broker deals directly, Joe educates him on the complexity of disparate CRM endpoints and compliance regulations.
LeadServe Self-Service Platform and Lead Optimization 5412 Nathan suggests a self-service directory model based on how he bought churned competitor leads in his previous business. Joe explains their self-service product LeadServe and why sub-ID optimization outperforms advertiser placement assumptions.
Business Performance: $10M Revenue and Bootstrapped Scale 5313 Nathan drills into the core numbers: 250 publishers, $10M gross revenue, and a 55% publisher payout resulting in $5.5M net revenue. Nathan challenges the necessity of the tool by presenting co-webinars as an alternative channel, which Joe acknowledges while highlighting scaling limits.
API-First Vision, Capital Strategy, and Cap Table 4224 Nathan probes Joe's equity stake and cap table control, discovering Joe owns under 50%. During the Famous Five, Joe struggles to name books or CEOs and asks for advance warning, prompting Nathan to firmly decline to keep answers candid.

Statements from this episode (7)

Disclosure
Opt Intelligence pays its digital publishers a 50-60% revenue share
“Well, I mean, if I'm talking to a publisher, I'd probably say fifty-fifty and then go up to like 55 or 60 potentially depending upon who it is, but yeah, somewhere around that.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 6:21
Disclosure
Opt Intelligence network includes 250 publishers and slightly fewer advertisers
“Publishers, we have a little over two 50, 250, and advertisers a little bit under that at any given time.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 10:16
Disclosure
Opt Intelligence generated approximately $10 million in TTM revenue
“Our revenue over the past 12 months is approximately ten million.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 10:38
Disclosure
Opt Intelligence raised just $300,000 at its founding 15 years ago
“We raised about 300 grand when we started 15 years ago.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 11:03
Disclosure
Opt Intelligence operates with a team of fewer than 20 people
“We've got just under 20 people.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 11:40
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Advertisers have continuously bought Opt Intelligence leads for over 10 years
“Then, you know, we have advertisers that have been buying with us for 10 plus years, 10. And I'm totally serious. They, without fail, without stopping buying them from us.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 13:55
Disclosure
Joe Broumand retains less than 50% equity in Opt Intelligence
“No, less than 50.”
Joe Broumand Jul 26, 2019 ▶ 15:26
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