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Apr 25, 2018 · 19m · top-founders

1005 How She's Managing 4+ Business Models at Once

Heidi Yu · 8m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The Top Entrepreneurs Podcast, host Nathan Latka interviews Boost Insider founder Heidi Yu about scaling her influencer analytics platform SocialBook, managing multiple revenue streams, and growing monthly gross transaction volume past $500,000.

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 46.1% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.3 Guest teaching 2.5 Guest disagreement 2.0 Nathan pushing back 3.7
05100:0010:001:17–3:29 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Boost Insider and SocialBook Overview and Pricing Models Nathan drills down into the core revenue model and pricing tiers. When Heidi gives vague answers regarding customer spend, Nathan pushes specifically for an average monthly subscription amount.3:29–7:45 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Deep Learning and Big Data Differentiator Nathan immediately challenges Heidi's claim of being one of the hottest startups and interrogates her math. He breaks down customer counts against ARPU and deduces her SaaS revenue share versus total revenue.7:45–12:37 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Managing Multiple Business Models and Ad Matching Nathan questions how Heidi can manage multiple unfocused business lines simultaneously. Heidi defends her strategy effectively with an Airbnb analogy, explaining that running an agency provides necessary cash flow and dogfooding for their SaaS product.12:40–15:57 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Sponsor Break: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Following a sponsor read, Nathan attempts to get fully weighted CAC figures. Heidi explains they rely on conference speaking and word-of-mouth rather than standard paid acquisition channels.15:58–18:25 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, Heidi pushes back against personal inquiries by declining to answer questions about marital status and age.18:25–19:02 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Episode Recap and Host Conclusion Nathan provides a solo recap summarizing Heidi's multi-channel business model, revenue figures, and team composition.1:17–3:29 · Guest teaching 3/10 Boost Insider and SocialBook Overview and Pricing Models Nathan drills down into the core revenue model and pricing tiers. When Heidi gives vague answers regarding customer spend, Nathan pushes specifically for an average monthly subscription amount.3:29–7:45 · Guest teaching 3/10 Deep Learning and Big Data Differentiator Nathan immediately challenges Heidi's claim of being one of the hottest startups and interrogates her math. He breaks down customer counts against ARPU and deduces her SaaS revenue share versus total revenue.7:45–12:37 · Guest teaching 5/10 Managing Multiple Business Models and Ad Matching Nathan questions how Heidi can manage multiple unfocused business lines simultaneously. Heidi defends her strategy effectively with an Airbnb analogy, explaining that running an agency provides necessary cash flow and dogfooding for their SaaS product.12:40–15:57 · Guest teaching 2/10 Sponsor Break: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Following a sponsor read, Nathan attempts to get fully weighted CAC figures. Heidi explains they rely on conference speaking and word-of-mouth rather than standard paid acquisition channels.15:58–18:25 · Guest teaching 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, Heidi pushes back against personal inquiries by declining to answer questions about marital status and age.18:25–19:02 · Guest teaching 0/10 Episode Recap and Host Conclusion Nathan provides a solo recap summarizing Heidi's multi-channel business model, revenue figures, and team composition.1:17–3:29 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Boost Insider and SocialBook Overview and Pricing Models Nathan drills down into the core revenue model and pricing tiers. When Heidi gives vague answers regarding customer spend, Nathan pushes specifically for an average monthly subscription amount.3:29–7:45 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Deep Learning and Big Data Differentiator Nathan immediately challenges Heidi's claim of being one of the hottest startups and interrogates her math. He breaks down customer counts against ARPU and deduces her SaaS revenue share versus total revenue.7:45–12:37 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Managing Multiple Business Models and Ad Matching Nathan questions how Heidi can manage multiple unfocused business lines simultaneously. Heidi defends her strategy effectively with an Airbnb analogy, explaining that running an agency provides necessary cash flow and dogfooding for their SaaS product.12:40–15:57 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Sponsor Break: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Following a sponsor read, Nathan attempts to get fully weighted CAC figures. Heidi explains they rely on conference speaking and word-of-mouth rather than standard paid acquisition channels.15:58–18:25 · Guest disagreement 4/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, Heidi pushes back against personal inquiries by declining to answer questions about marital status and age.18:25–19:02 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Recap and Host Conclusion Nathan provides a solo recap summarizing Heidi's multi-channel business model, revenue figures, and team composition.1:17–3:29 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Boost Insider and SocialBook Overview and Pricing Models Nathan drills down into the core revenue model and pricing tiers. When Heidi gives vague answers regarding customer spend, Nathan pushes specifically for an average monthly subscription amount.3:29–7:45 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Deep Learning and Big Data Differentiator Nathan immediately challenges Heidi's claim of being one of the hottest startups and interrogates her math. He breaks down customer counts against ARPU and deduces her SaaS revenue share versus total revenue.7:45–12:37 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Managing Multiple Business Models and Ad Matching Nathan questions how Heidi can manage multiple unfocused business lines simultaneously. Heidi defends her strategy effectively with an Airbnb analogy, explaining that running an agency provides necessary cash flow and dogfooding for their SaaS product.12:40–15:57 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Sponsor Break: Acuity Scheduling Promotion Following a sponsor read, Nathan attempts to get fully weighted CAC figures. Heidi explains they rely on conference speaking and word-of-mouth rather than standard paid acquisition channels.15:58–18:25 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, Heidi pushes back against personal inquiries by declining to answer questions about marital status and age.18:25–19:02 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Episode Recap and Host Conclusion Nathan provides a solo recap summarizing Heidi's multi-channel business model, revenue figures, and team composition.

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

0:00 · Nathan 51.6% · guest 48.4%0:00 · Nathan 51.6% · guest 48.4%3:00 · Nathan 33.5% · guest 66.5%3:00 · Nathan 33.5% · guest 66.5%6:00 · Nathan 40.3% · guest 59.7%6:00 · Nathan 40.3% · guest 59.7%9:00 · Nathan 39.3% · guest 60.7%9:00 · Nathan 39.3% · guest 60.7%12:00 · Nathan 54.9% · guest 45.1%12:00 · Nathan 54.9% · guest 45.1%15:00 · Nathan 49.3% · guest 50.7%15:00 · Nathan 49.3% · guest 50.7%18:00 · Nathan 66.8% · guest 33.2%18:00 · Nathan 66.8% · guest 33.2%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 17:02 Guest sets boundaries on personal questions

Heidi explicitly pushes back against the host's standard personal questions, asking to keep her marital status and age secret.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 3:39 Host challenges startup hype

Nathan refuses to accept marketing buzzwords, demanding that Heidi explain concretely why her company should be considered hot.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 11:03 Guest explains agency necessity via Airbnb analogy

Heidi educates Nathan on why keeping an agency model is critical for SaaS product validation and cash runway, citing Airbnb's early survival tactics.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 6:55 Host dissects mixed revenue streams

Nathan demonstrates financial mastery by calculating overall revenue and showing that SaaS accounts for under 10% of total company income.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Boost Insider and SocialBook Overview and Pricing Models 5314 Nathan drills down into the core revenue model and pricing tiers. When Heidi gives vague answers regarding customer spend, Nathan pushes specifically for an average monthly subscription amount.
Deep Learning and Big Data Differentiator 7326 Nathan immediately challenges Heidi's claim of being one of the hottest startups and interrogates her math. He breaks down customer counts against ARPU and deduces her SaaS revenue share versus total revenue.
Managing Multiple Business Models and Ad Matching 6535 Nathan questions how Heidi can manage multiple unfocused business lines simultaneously. Heidi defends her strategy effectively with an Airbnb analogy, explaining that running an agency provides necessary cash flow and dogfooding for their SaaS product.
Sponsor Break: Acuity Scheduling Promotion 4224 Following a sponsor read, Nathan attempts to get fully weighted CAC figures. Heidi explains they rely on conference speaking and word-of-mouth rather than standard paid acquisition channels.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 4243 During the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, Heidi pushes back against personal inquiries by declining to answer questions about marital status and age.
Episode Recap and Host Conclusion 0000 Nathan provides a solo recap summarizing Heidi's multi-channel business model, revenue figures, and team composition.

Statements from this episode (8)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Yu: Boost Insider indexes over 350,000 influencers covering 20 billion fans
“We have over two, a three, 50,000 social media influencers data that cover. Twenty billion influence twenty billion fans over the world.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 1:26
Disclosure
Yu: Boost Insider has raised over $3 million
“We raised more than three million so far.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 4:43
Disclosure
Yu: Boost Insider manages US expansion for Alibaba and Tencent
“So agency wise, we, right now we deal with big brands especially helping international brands coming to the U S U S market such as Alibaba and Tencent.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 5:26
Disclosure
Yu: Boost Insider targets $10 million in revenue in 2018
“So we're aiming at ten million for the next year. So 2018.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 5:57
Disclosure
Yu: SaaS represents under 10% of Boost Insider's total revenue
“Let's see, SAS model probably less than 10% for now.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 7:03
Insight
Yu: Twitter and Tumblr influencers prefer cost-per-click pay
“Those are the influencers love to get paid by clicks. It's easy to have the link embedded.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 9:19
Insight
Yu: Running an agency is necessary to build great agency SaaS tools
“So if we don't have our own agency, we don't know the pain. So we'll have to suffering all that to make the sense really perfect for our own agency to use.”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 11:38
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Yu: SocialBook registers 50 to 100 users daily
“We have tons of people register every day, like, even we didn't really around 50 to a hundred sometimes. Depends if I go to the events, other events will be more”
Heidi Yu Apr 25, 2018 ▶ 15:26
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