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Feb 5, 2019 · 16m · top-founders

1291 This Podcast Hosting Company Just Broke $300k in MRR

Sharon Taylor · 7m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The Top Entrepreneurs, Nathan Latka interviews Omni Studio CEO Sharon Taylor to explore how the enterprise audio SaaS company scaled monthly recurring revenue past $300,000 with net negative churn and a lean five-person team. Taylor details their enterprise positioning, exceptional unit economics, and operational turnaround strategy.

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 44.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.0 Guest teaching 2.0 Guest disagreement 1.4 Nathan pushing back 2.4
05100:0010:000:00–3:40 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Episode Preview and Omni Studio Key Performance Metrics Nathan probes the revenue model and assumes Omni Studio is a low-cost consumer host like Libsyn at $20–$30/month. Sharon gently educates him that their average customer pays $400–$500/month and their true peers are enterprise tools like Megaphone or ART19.3:43–6:37 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Omni Studio Evolution, Funding History, and Rapid Revenue Growth Nathan executes rapid SaaS math on customer count and average price to verify monthly recurring revenue, and inquires about monetization take rates. Sharon shares their shift to profitability, bridge funding history, and expansion dynamics.6:37–9:48 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Customer Retention, Global Distribution, and Reseller Strategy Sharon details negative churn figures and global geographic breakdown. Nathan clarifies whether churn metrics are tracked annually or monthly before breaking into a sponsor read.9:50–13:50 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Customer Acquisition Economics, Lean Headcount, and Hiring Plans Nathan explores customer acquisition cost and immediately highlights the impressive sub-one-month payback period. He also pushes on equity structure and potential acquisition exit multiples, which Sharon thoughtfully rejects due to ongoing momentum.13:52–16:27 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Rapid-Fire Famous Five Questions with Sharon Taylor The conversation moves through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format with self-deprecating humor from Sharon before Nathan wraps up with a summary of the key metrics.0:00–3:40 · Guest teaching 4/10 Episode Preview and Omni Studio Key Performance Metrics Nathan probes the revenue model and assumes Omni Studio is a low-cost consumer host like Libsyn at $20–$30/month. Sharon gently educates him that their average customer pays $400–$500/month and their true peers are enterprise tools like Megaphone or ART19.3:43–6:37 · Guest teaching 2/10 Omni Studio Evolution, Funding History, and Rapid Revenue Growth Nathan executes rapid SaaS math on customer count and average price to verify monthly recurring revenue, and inquires about monetization take rates. Sharon shares their shift to profitability, bridge funding history, and expansion dynamics.6:37–9:48 · Guest teaching 1/10 Customer Retention, Global Distribution, and Reseller Strategy Sharon details negative churn figures and global geographic breakdown. Nathan clarifies whether churn metrics are tracked annually or monthly before breaking into a sponsor read.9:50–13:50 · Guest teaching 2/10 Customer Acquisition Economics, Lean Headcount, and Hiring Plans Nathan explores customer acquisition cost and immediately highlights the impressive sub-one-month payback period. He also pushes on equity structure and potential acquisition exit multiples, which Sharon thoughtfully rejects due to ongoing momentum.13:52–16:27 · Guest teaching 1/10 Rapid-Fire Famous Five Questions with Sharon Taylor The conversation moves through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format with self-deprecating humor from Sharon before Nathan wraps up with a summary of the key metrics.0:00–3:40 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Episode Preview and Omni Studio Key Performance Metrics Nathan probes the revenue model and assumes Omni Studio is a low-cost consumer host like Libsyn at $20–$30/month. Sharon gently educates him that their average customer pays $400–$500/month and their true peers are enterprise tools like Megaphone or ART19.3:43–6:37 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Omni Studio Evolution, Funding History, and Rapid Revenue Growth Nathan executes rapid SaaS math on customer count and average price to verify monthly recurring revenue, and inquires about monetization take rates. Sharon shares their shift to profitability, bridge funding history, and expansion dynamics.6:37–9:48 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Customer Retention, Global Distribution, and Reseller Strategy Sharon details negative churn figures and global geographic breakdown. Nathan clarifies whether churn metrics are tracked annually or monthly before breaking into a sponsor read.9:50–13:50 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Customer Acquisition Economics, Lean Headcount, and Hiring Plans Nathan explores customer acquisition cost and immediately highlights the impressive sub-one-month payback period. He also pushes on equity structure and potential acquisition exit multiples, which Sharon thoughtfully rejects due to ongoing momentum.13:52–16:27 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Rapid-Fire Famous Five Questions with Sharon Taylor The conversation moves through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format with self-deprecating humor from Sharon before Nathan wraps up with a summary of the key metrics.0:00–3:40 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Episode Preview and Omni Studio Key Performance Metrics Nathan probes the revenue model and assumes Omni Studio is a low-cost consumer host like Libsyn at $20–$30/month. Sharon gently educates him that their average customer pays $400–$500/month and their true peers are enterprise tools like Megaphone or ART19.3:43–6:37 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Omni Studio Evolution, Funding History, and Rapid Revenue Growth Nathan executes rapid SaaS math on customer count and average price to verify monthly recurring revenue, and inquires about monetization take rates. Sharon shares their shift to profitability, bridge funding history, and expansion dynamics.6:37–9:48 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Customer Retention, Global Distribution, and Reseller Strategy Sharon details negative churn figures and global geographic breakdown. Nathan clarifies whether churn metrics are tracked annually or monthly before breaking into a sponsor read.9:50–13:50 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Customer Acquisition Economics, Lean Headcount, and Hiring Plans Nathan explores customer acquisition cost and immediately highlights the impressive sub-one-month payback period. He also pushes on equity structure and potential acquisition exit multiples, which Sharon thoughtfully rejects due to ongoing momentum.13:52–16:27 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Rapid-Fire Famous Five Questions with Sharon Taylor The conversation moves through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format with self-deprecating humor from Sharon before Nathan wraps up with a summary of the key metrics.

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

0:00 · Nathan 62.6% · guest 37.4%0:00 · Nathan 62.6% · guest 37.4%3:00 · Nathan 38.5% · guest 61.5%3:00 · Nathan 38.5% · guest 61.5%6:00 · Nathan 36.5% · guest 63.5%6:00 · Nathan 36.5% · guest 63.5%9:00 · Nathan 50.8% · guest 49.2%9:00 · Nathan 50.8% · guest 49.2%12:00 · Nathan 21.9% · guest 78.1%12:00 · Nathan 21.9% · guest 78.1%15:00 · Nathan 63.7% · guest 36.3%15:00 · Nathan 63.7% · guest 36.3%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 3:04 Sharon rejects low-tier retail hosting classification

Sharon rejects Nathan's suggestion that their average price point is $20–$30/month, firmly establishing their true average is $400–$500/month and reframing their competitive set against enterprise platforms.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 5:53 Nathan presses on monetization revenue cut

Nathan directly presses Sharon to clarify whether their monetization feature is just an upsell tier or if they take an explicit revenue share cut on ad dollars.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 3:12 Sharon educates host on enterprise audio competitors

When Nathan compares the business to entry-level player Libsyn, Sharon corrects him to look at ART19 and Megaphone because Omni Studio targets enterprise broadcasters and high-value publishers.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 10:22 Nathan demonstrates SaaS unit economics analysis

Nathan instantly calculates and points out that a $300–$400 CAC against a $400/month average contract value delivers an enviable sub-one-month payback window.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Episode Preview and Omni Studio Key Performance Metrics 4423 Nathan probes the revenue model and assumes Omni Studio is a low-cost consumer host like Libsyn at $20–$30/month. Sharon gently educates him that their average customer pays $400–$500/month and their true peers are enterprise tools like Megaphone or ART19.
Omni Studio Evolution, Funding History, and Rapid Revenue Growth 5213 Nathan executes rapid SaaS math on customer count and average price to verify monthly recurring revenue, and inquires about monetization take rates. Sharon shares their shift to profitability, bridge funding history, and expansion dynamics.
Customer Retention, Global Distribution, and Reseller Strategy 4112 Sharon details negative churn figures and global geographic breakdown. Nathan clarifies whether churn metrics are tracked annually or monthly before breaking into a sponsor read.
Customer Acquisition Economics, Lean Headcount, and Hiring Plans 5223 Nathan explores customer acquisition cost and immediately highlights the impressive sub-one-month payback period. He also pushes on equity structure and potential acquisition exit multiples, which Sharon thoughtfully rejects due to ongoing momentum.
Rapid-Fire Famous Five Questions with Sharon Taylor 2111 The conversation moves through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format with self-deprecating humor from Sharon before Nathan wraps up with a summary of the key metrics.

Statements from this episode (13)

Disclosure
Omny Studio enterprise radio clients pay up to tens of thousands monthly
“We've got still a long tail of podcasters that are, you know, paying for simple, hey, it's 20 or 50 bucks a month, and they get a quantity of bandwidth, and they kind of go from there, and then we go all the way to the other end of town where we do, like your …”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 2:33
Disclosure
Omny Studio's average customer pays around $400 to $500 monthly
“No, I think at the moment our average would probably be around 405 hundred bucks a month.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 3:05
Opinion
Omny Studio competes more with ART19 and Megaphone than Libsyn
“Well, you could in that anyone could be a podcast host. We kind of try more for the enterprise end of town. So a tool set, once you're ready to do more with your podcast or more with your audio, that's when you'd start looking at your Omni studios. But yeah, b…”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 3:16
Disclosure
Omny Studio might raise funding if the board convinces CEO Sharon Taylor
“We might do another raise this year if I can be convinced by the board”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 4:41
Assertion Supported
Omny Studio has raised about $2.3M in total funding to date
“About 2.3.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 4:53
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Omny Studio currently has around 750 to 800 customers
“We're hovering around the seven 50 to 800 customers at the moment.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 5:06
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Omny Studio reports 300% year-over-year sales growth
“We've grown about 300% in sales from last year to this year.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 5:27
Opinion
Podcast hosts should let creators keep all advertising revenue, says Taylor
“We all kind of believe that if you're working hard to make money on your shows, you should keep as much of it, if not all of it, as possible.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 6:10
Disclosure
Omny Studio sees annual net negative revenue churn across customer segments
“And I think at the moment, broadcasters are like negative one point something percent and podcast is a negative seven point something percent.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 6:47
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Omny Studio spends $300 to $400 per customer on acquisition
“So we're probably looking more around the three to 400 per customer, and that's more than we've ever spent at the moment.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 10:06
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Omny Studio reached $300k MRR with a team of just five people
“So we're five, including me.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 10:47
Disclosure
Sharon Taylor's equity stake as Omny Studio CEO is unusually low
“No, I'm on the lower end of the equity side for CEOs.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 12:28
Disclosure
Sharon Taylor would likely reject a 2x ARR buyout offer
“Probably not.”
Sharon Taylor Feb 5, 2019 ▶ 13:03
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