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Sep 25, 2016 · 17m · top-founders

EP 428: Super Creative Dad of 4 Buys Time By Minimizing Expenses, Launches Drone Info Company with Egbert Oostburg

Nathan Latka · 8m spoken Egbert Oostberg · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

Host Nathan Latka interviews Egbert Oostburg, founder of OpenSky, exploring how the former naval officer and corporate marketer transitioned into tech entrepreneurship. The discussion highlights Egbert's approach to raising angel funding, identifying drone market opportunities, and radically slashing household expenses to sustain his startup.

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 56.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 1.8 Guest teaching 1.5 Guest disagreement 0.8 Nathan pushing back 2.7
05100:0010:000:28–3:21 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Weekly Listener Giveaway and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces the show, plugs a sponsor, and asks introductory questions about OpenSky. Egbert collaboratively explains the drone pilot app and his beta list numbers.3:21–6:18 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Seed Funding, Team Composition, and Pre-Revenue Phase Nathan pushes Egbert on his pre-revenue status and how he funds his living expenses. Egbert explains his seed funding and previous severance from Pfizer.6:18–8:22 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Weathering Financial Uncertainty on Low Consulting Income When asked for consulting revenue figures, Egbert initially refuses to answer twice. Nathan firmly pushes back, arguing that listeners need the full financial picture to understand how he survived.8:23–11:01 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Cutting Family Expenses to Extend Startup Runway Nathan praises Egbert's frugality in cutting family expenses down to $3,000 per month with four kids. Egbert explains his naval aviation background to bridge the gap to drones.11:01–14:00 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Drone Industry Growth, FAA Registrations, and Online Channels Egbert demonstrates domain expertise by citing the disparity between drone sales and FAA registrations as the market opportunity.14:02–16:07 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Sponsor Segment: HostGator Website Hosting Promo Nathan reads sponsor promos for Toptal and HostGator, runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, and wraps up the show.0:28–3:21 · Guest teaching 1/10 Weekly Listener Giveaway and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces the show, plugs a sponsor, and asks introductory questions about OpenSky. Egbert collaboratively explains the drone pilot app and his beta list numbers.3:21–6:18 · Guest teaching 1/10 Seed Funding, Team Composition, and Pre-Revenue Phase Nathan pushes Egbert on his pre-revenue status and how he funds his living expenses. Egbert explains his seed funding and previous severance from Pfizer.6:18–8:22 · Guest teaching 1/10 Weathering Financial Uncertainty on Low Consulting Income When asked for consulting revenue figures, Egbert initially refuses to answer twice. Nathan firmly pushes back, arguing that listeners need the full financial picture to understand how he survived.8:23–11:01 · Guest teaching 2/10 Cutting Family Expenses to Extend Startup Runway Nathan praises Egbert's frugality in cutting family expenses down to $3,000 per month with four kids. Egbert explains his naval aviation background to bridge the gap to drones.11:01–14:00 · Guest teaching 4/10 Drone Industry Growth, FAA Registrations, and Online Channels Egbert demonstrates domain expertise by citing the disparity between drone sales and FAA registrations as the market opportunity.14:02–16:07 · Guest teaching 0/10 Sponsor Segment: HostGator Website Hosting Promo Nathan reads sponsor promos for Toptal and HostGator, runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, and wraps up the show.0:28–3:21 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Weekly Listener Giveaway and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces the show, plugs a sponsor, and asks introductory questions about OpenSky. Egbert collaboratively explains the drone pilot app and his beta list numbers.3:21–6:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Seed Funding, Team Composition, and Pre-Revenue Phase Nathan pushes Egbert on his pre-revenue status and how he funds his living expenses. Egbert explains his seed funding and previous severance from Pfizer.6:18–8:22 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Weathering Financial Uncertainty on Low Consulting Income When asked for consulting revenue figures, Egbert initially refuses to answer twice. Nathan firmly pushes back, arguing that listeners need the full financial picture to understand how he survived.8:23–11:01 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Cutting Family Expenses to Extend Startup Runway Nathan praises Egbert's frugality in cutting family expenses down to $3,000 per month with four kids. Egbert explains his naval aviation background to bridge the gap to drones.11:01–14:00 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Drone Industry Growth, FAA Registrations, and Online Channels Egbert demonstrates domain expertise by citing the disparity between drone sales and FAA registrations as the market opportunity.14:02–16:07 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Segment: HostGator Website Hosting Promo Nathan reads sponsor promos for Toptal and HostGator, runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, and wraps up the show.0:28–3:21 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Weekly Listener Giveaway and Subscription Call to Action Nathan introduces the show, plugs a sponsor, and asks introductory questions about OpenSky. Egbert collaboratively explains the drone pilot app and his beta list numbers.3:21–6:18 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Seed Funding, Team Composition, and Pre-Revenue Phase Nathan pushes Egbert on his pre-revenue status and how he funds his living expenses. Egbert explains his seed funding and previous severance from Pfizer.6:18–8:22 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Weathering Financial Uncertainty on Low Consulting Income When asked for consulting revenue figures, Egbert initially refuses to answer twice. Nathan firmly pushes back, arguing that listeners need the full financial picture to understand how he survived.8:23–11:01 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Cutting Family Expenses to Extend Startup Runway Nathan praises Egbert's frugality in cutting family expenses down to $3,000 per month with four kids. Egbert explains his naval aviation background to bridge the gap to drones.11:01–14:00 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Drone Industry Growth, FAA Registrations, and Online Channels Egbert demonstrates domain expertise by citing the disparity between drone sales and FAA registrations as the market opportunity.14:02–16:07 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Segment: HostGator Website Hosting Promo Nathan reads sponsor promos for Toptal and HostGator, runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, and wraps up the show.

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

0:00 · Nathan 72.4% · guest 27.6%0:00 · Nathan 72.4% · guest 27.6%3:00 · Nathan 32.8% · guest 67.2%3:00 · Nathan 32.8% · guest 67.2%6:00 · Nathan 36.8% · guest 63.2%6:00 · Nathan 36.8% · guest 63.2%9:00 · Nathan 45.8% · guest 54.2%9:00 · Nathan 45.8% · guest 54.2%12:00 · Nathan 76.7% · guest 23.3%12:00 · Nathan 76.7% · guest 23.3%15:00 · Nathan 84.1% · guest 15.9%15:00 · Nathan 84.1% · guest 15.9%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 6:31 Egbert stonewalls revenue question

Egbert outright refuses to answer Nathan's direct financial question, stating twice that he would rather not share his consulting income.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 6:37 Nathan refuses guest evasion on personal finances

Nathan directly challenges Egbert's refusal to disclose numbers, pointing out the unrealistic gap between running a pre-revenue startup and funding a family.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 11:47 Egbert breaks down drone industry metrics

Egbert educates Nathan on industry mechanics, revealing that only 500,000 out of 2.5 million drone owners are registered with the FAA.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 8:06 Nathan lectures on wealth generation and expense control

Nathan takes control to reframe the narrative, asserting that expense control is a far greater predictor of wealth creation than top-line revenue.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Weekly Listener Giveaway and Subscription Call to Action 1101 Nathan introduces the show, plugs a sponsor, and asks introductory questions about OpenSky. Egbert collaboratively explains the drone pilot app and his beta list numbers.
Seed Funding, Team Composition, and Pre-Revenue Phase 2114 Nathan pushes Egbert on his pre-revenue status and how he funds his living expenses. Egbert explains his seed funding and previous severance from Pfizer.
Weathering Financial Uncertainty on Low Consulting Income 3147 When asked for consulting revenue figures, Egbert initially refuses to answer twice. Nathan firmly pushes back, arguing that listeners need the full financial picture to understand how he survived.
Cutting Family Expenses to Extend Startup Runway 2202 Nathan praises Egbert's frugality in cutting family expenses down to $3,000 per month with four kids. Egbert explains his naval aviation background to bridge the gap to drones.
Drone Industry Growth, FAA Registrations, and Online Channels 2402 Egbert demonstrates domain expertise by citing the disparity between drone sales and FAA registrations as the market opportunity.
Sponsor Segment: HostGator Website Hosting Promo 1000 Nathan reads sponsor promos for Toptal and HostGator, runs through the Famous Five rapid-fire questions, and wraps up the show.

Statements from this episode (9)

Prediction Didn’t hold up
Latka: I will take Send Later public by age 30
“I'm taking Send Later public by the time I turn 30.”
Nathan Latka Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 1:14
Disclosure
Oostburg: OpenSky plans to monetize by offering drone insurance
“The way we're making money right now is we're looking to provide them with not only discovery and safety, but also insurance.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 3:14
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Oostberg: Drone Aviator Targets $50K Revenue Next Quarter
“Total, we just started in twenty-fifteen, so right now we're looking to bring in around 50 grand here the next quarter.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 3:26
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Oostberg: Drone Aviator Is Currently Pre-Revenue
“Well, drone aviator right now is, is pre-revenue.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 3:43
Disclosure
Oostberg: Drone Aviator Raised Under $100K Seed Funding
“Just under a hundred grand.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 4:02
Disclosure
Oostburg: 2015 consulting revenue was under $30,000
“My revenue last year, if you want to go, go forward, it was less than 30,000 for the year.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 7:07
Disclosure
Oostburg: Cut family living expenses by 45% down to basic necessities
“We're down to, I mean, like by 45%, I mean, we're talking just basic necessities. Food, shelter you know, the stuff that the family needs, and that's it.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 8:51
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Oostburg: Drone Aviator projects 50,000 members will join
“Beyond that, we see that we're going to about 50,000 people joining the organization just based on our PNLs and looking at the projections of numbers sold and the amount of people getting registered with the FAA.”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 11:22
Assertion Supported
Oostburg: FAA has 500,000 registered users despite 2.5M drones sold
“The big key is that they only have about half a million people registered, and there's two and a half million drones that have actually been sold, so there's still a pretty decent delta of people that have not registered, that have purchased a drone”
Egbert Oostberg Sep 25, 2016 ▶ 11:47
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