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Jun 9, 2016 · 24m · top-founders

He is Killing That Annoying "We Missed You" Sticky Note the UPS Always Puts on Your Door, $3m Raised, 10 Teammates, EP 271: Zander Adell

Xander Adell · 12m spoken Nathan Latka · 9m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Doorman co-founder and CEO Zander Adell about revolutionizing last-mile e-commerce delivery through an asset-light logistics platform. Adell discusses his journey from Pixar and Wharton to raising over three million dollars, scaling delivery operations, and boosting urban consumer shopping frequency.

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 44.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.1 Guest teaching 3.0 Guest disagreement 1.4 Nathan pushing back 2.4
05100:0010:0020:001:47–3:51 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Zander Adell’s Career Path from Pixar to Logistics Nathan establishes rapport by asking about Zander's transition from Pixar to business school and logistics. The dialogue is entirely polite, biographical, and collaborative without tension.3:51–7:45 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Doorman’s Solution for Broken Last-Mile Delivery Zander walks through Doorman's core value proposition and explains how traditional carrier logistics were built for retail rather than modern direct-to-consumer delivery. Nathan asks probing questions about physical warehouse footprints.7:45–10:56 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Funding History, Team Size, and Package Volume Metrics Nathan repeatedly presses for user and revenue numbers, refusing to move on when Zander declines to publish them. Zander resists the direct disclosure until offering the 100,000 packages delivered metric as a compromise.10:56–13:37 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Operational Logistics, Oversized Cargo, and Route Density Nathan inquires about cargo weight thresholds and dynamic enterprise pricing for retailers like Target. Zander clarifies how 45-pound package thresholds and route density dictate their unit economics.13:37–16:45 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Growth Targets, Margins, and Asset-Light Software Architecture Nathan drills down on whether Doorman behaves as a SaaS company and questions their margin profile. Zander clearly differentiates SaaS margin profiles from asset-light logistics enabled by custom smartphone software.16:45–19:18 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Unlocking Consumer Demand and Delivery Frequency Trends Zander presents surprising customer survey data demonstrating that solving delivery friction actually doubles overall consumer purchasing frequency. Nathan listens attentively to the behavioral data.19:18–22:55 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Mid-Show Commercial Break: FreshBooks and HostGator Nathan delivers sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator before moving through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format without pushback.1:47–3:51 · Guest teaching 2/10 Zander Adell’s Career Path from Pixar to Logistics Nathan establishes rapport by asking about Zander's transition from Pixar to business school and logistics. The dialogue is entirely polite, biographical, and collaborative without tension.3:51–7:45 · Guest teaching 4/10 Doorman’s Solution for Broken Last-Mile Delivery Zander walks through Doorman's core value proposition and explains how traditional carrier logistics were built for retail rather than modern direct-to-consumer delivery. Nathan asks probing questions about physical warehouse footprints.7:45–10:56 · Guest teaching 3/10 Funding History, Team Size, and Package Volume Metrics Nathan repeatedly presses for user and revenue numbers, refusing to move on when Zander declines to publish them. Zander resists the direct disclosure until offering the 100,000 packages delivered metric as a compromise.10:56–13:37 · Guest teaching 3/10 Operational Logistics, Oversized Cargo, and Route Density Nathan inquires about cargo weight thresholds and dynamic enterprise pricing for retailers like Target. Zander clarifies how 45-pound package thresholds and route density dictate their unit economics.13:37–16:45 · Guest teaching 4/10 Growth Targets, Margins, and Asset-Light Software Architecture Nathan drills down on whether Doorman behaves as a SaaS company and questions their margin profile. Zander clearly differentiates SaaS margin profiles from asset-light logistics enabled by custom smartphone software.16:45–19:18 · Guest teaching 4/10 Unlocking Consumer Demand and Delivery Frequency Trends Zander presents surprising customer survey data demonstrating that solving delivery friction actually doubles overall consumer purchasing frequency. Nathan listens attentively to the behavioral data.19:18–22:55 · Guest teaching 1/10 Mid-Show Commercial Break: FreshBooks and HostGator Nathan delivers sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator before moving through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format without pushback.1:47–3:51 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Zander Adell’s Career Path from Pixar to Logistics Nathan establishes rapport by asking about Zander's transition from Pixar to business school and logistics. The dialogue is entirely polite, biographical, and collaborative without tension.3:51–7:45 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Doorman’s Solution for Broken Last-Mile Delivery Zander walks through Doorman's core value proposition and explains how traditional carrier logistics were built for retail rather than modern direct-to-consumer delivery. Nathan asks probing questions about physical warehouse footprints.7:45–10:56 · Guest disagreement 5/10 Funding History, Team Size, and Package Volume Metrics Nathan repeatedly presses for user and revenue numbers, refusing to move on when Zander declines to publish them. Zander resists the direct disclosure until offering the 100,000 packages delivered metric as a compromise.10:56–13:37 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Operational Logistics, Oversized Cargo, and Route Density Nathan inquires about cargo weight thresholds and dynamic enterprise pricing for retailers like Target. Zander clarifies how 45-pound package thresholds and route density dictate their unit economics.13:37–16:45 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Growth Targets, Margins, and Asset-Light Software Architecture Nathan drills down on whether Doorman behaves as a SaaS company and questions their margin profile. Zander clearly differentiates SaaS margin profiles from asset-light logistics enabled by custom smartphone software.16:45–19:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Unlocking Consumer Demand and Delivery Frequency Trends Zander presents surprising customer survey data demonstrating that solving delivery friction actually doubles overall consumer purchasing frequency. Nathan listens attentively to the behavioral data.19:18–22:55 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Mid-Show Commercial Break: FreshBooks and HostGator Nathan delivers sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator before moving through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format without pushback.1:47–3:51 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Zander Adell’s Career Path from Pixar to Logistics Nathan establishes rapport by asking about Zander's transition from Pixar to business school and logistics. The dialogue is entirely polite, biographical, and collaborative without tension.3:51–7:45 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Doorman’s Solution for Broken Last-Mile Delivery Zander walks through Doorman's core value proposition and explains how traditional carrier logistics were built for retail rather than modern direct-to-consumer delivery. Nathan asks probing questions about physical warehouse footprints.7:45–10:56 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Funding History, Team Size, and Package Volume Metrics Nathan repeatedly presses for user and revenue numbers, refusing to move on when Zander declines to publish them. Zander resists the direct disclosure until offering the 100,000 packages delivered metric as a compromise.10:56–13:37 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Operational Logistics, Oversized Cargo, and Route Density Nathan inquires about cargo weight thresholds and dynamic enterprise pricing for retailers like Target. Zander clarifies how 45-pound package thresholds and route density dictate their unit economics.13:37–16:45 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Growth Targets, Margins, and Asset-Light Software Architecture Nathan drills down on whether Doorman behaves as a SaaS company and questions their margin profile. Zander clearly differentiates SaaS margin profiles from asset-light logistics enabled by custom smartphone software.16:45–19:18 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Unlocking Consumer Demand and Delivery Frequency Trends Zander presents surprising customer survey data demonstrating that solving delivery friction actually doubles overall consumer purchasing frequency. Nathan listens attentively to the behavioral data.19:18–22:55 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Mid-Show Commercial Break: FreshBooks and HostGator Nathan delivers sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator before moving through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format without pushback.

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

0:00 · Nathan 77% · guest 23%0:00 · Nathan 77% · guest 23%3:00 · Nathan 15% · guest 85%3:00 · Nathan 15% · guest 85%6:00 · Nathan 32.2% · guest 67.8%6:00 · Nathan 32.2% · guest 67.8%9:00 · Nathan 49.4% · guest 50.6%9:00 · Nathan 49.4% · guest 50.6%12:00 · Nathan 32.4% · guest 67.6%12:00 · Nathan 32.4% · guest 67.6%15:00 · Nathan 16% · guest 84%15:00 · Nathan 16% · guest 84%18:00 · Nathan 59.3% · guest 40.7%18:00 · Nathan 59.3% · guest 40.7%21:00 · Nathan 70.9% · guest 29.1%21:00 · Nathan 70.9% · guest 29.1%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 9:25 Stonewalling user count disclosure

Zander outright refuses to provide user counts or ballpark ranges despite Nathan's repeated prompts.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 9:42 Demanding quantifiable proof of traction

Nathan warns that the audience will revolt without tangible numbers and refuses to drop the line of questioning until Zander shares a quantifiable metric.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 4:58 Explaining the legacy logistics breakdown

Zander educates Nathan on why incumbent carriers fail at residential delivery due to historical B2B retail infrastructure designs.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 15:45 Challenging business classification and gross margins

Nathan presses on the reality of logistics margins versus SaaS multiples to pinpoint Doorman's true business model.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Zander Adell’s Career Path from Pixar to Logistics 2201 Nathan establishes rapport by asking about Zander's transition from Pixar to business school and logistics. The dialogue is entirely polite, biographical, and collaborative without tension.
Doorman’s Solution for Broken Last-Mile Delivery 3412 Zander walks through Doorman's core value proposition and explains how traditional carrier logistics were built for retail rather than modern direct-to-consumer delivery. Nathan asks probing questions about physical warehouse footprints.
Funding History, Team Size, and Package Volume Metrics 4357 Nathan repeatedly presses for user and revenue numbers, refusing to move on when Zander declines to publish them. Zander resists the direct disclosure until offering the 100,000 packages delivered metric as a compromise.
Operational Logistics, Oversized Cargo, and Route Density 4312 Nathan inquires about cargo weight thresholds and dynamic enterprise pricing for retailers like Target. Zander clarifies how 45-pound package thresholds and route density dictate their unit economics.
Growth Targets, Margins, and Asset-Light Software Architecture 5423 Nathan drills down on whether Doorman behaves as a SaaS company and questions their margin profile. Zander clearly differentiates SaaS margin profiles from asset-light logistics enabled by custom smartphone software.
Unlocking Consumer Demand and Delivery Frequency Trends 3411 Zander presents surprising customer survey data demonstrating that solving delivery friction actually doubles overall consumer purchasing frequency. Nathan listens attentively to the behavioral data.
Mid-Show Commercial Break: FreshBooks and HostGator 1101 Nathan delivers sponsor reads for FreshBooks and HostGator before moving through the standard rapid-fire Famous Five format without pushback.

Statements from this episode (10)

Assertion Supported
Adell: Doorman operates exclusively in SF, Chicago, and NYC with one warehouse
“Right now we're only in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. In each market, we have one primary space.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 6:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Adell: Retailers are more profitable than consumers who resist paying for delivery
“Working directly with retailers is a bit more profitable for us simply because the on the consumer side, consumers have already paid for shipping, and so you really have to give them as much of a bargain as possible.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 7:19
Assertion Supported
Adell: Doorman has raised over $3 million in total funding
“We've raised a little over three million all in.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 8:14
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Adell: Doorman sees 10% to 20% month-over-month user growth
“We're looking at, you know, 10 to 20% month over month growth.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 9:09
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Adell: Doorman has delivered over 100,000 packages
“We have, we've delivered over a 100,000 packages.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 10:42
Disclosure
Adell: Doorman is aiming to raise a Series A on $1M-$5M annual revenue
“The next round that we're trying to raise is Series A and a pretty standard amount of revenue that a Series A investor is looking for is, you know, in the one to five million revenue range per year.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 14:36
Insight
Adell: Doorman uses a bring-your-own-device policy to scale without owning physical assets
“Because we are not trying to own our own fleets or, you know, own airplanes or own warehouses or any of this stuff. And because all of our drivers, you know, we have a kind of bring your own device policy. So all the software that we build is intended, you kno…”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 16:15
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Adell: Doorman's top customers receive 15 to 20 packages monthly
“Our, you know, our sort of top tier of customers are getting, you know, 15 to 20 packages a month.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 17:36
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Adell: Doorman users double package volume from 4.5 to 9 monthly
“Did people's behavior change when they started using our service? And the answer was yes. And their behavior effectively doubled. And so what we were, people were saying, yeah, I get I get, you know, I got on average you know, four and a half packages a month.…”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 18:20
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Doorman CEO Zander Adell claims he gets eight hours of sleep nightly
“Yes.”
Xander Adell Jun 9, 2016 ▶ 22:29
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