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Feb 24, 2016 · 24m · top-founders

Under 30, Made $5m, Tells Me He Loves Me Dane Maxwell Ep 2

Dane Maxwell · 10m spoken Nathan Latka · 10m 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 entrepreneur Dane Maxwell, co-founder of The Foundation, to discuss how he scaled a non-technical SaaS incubator to over $5 million in revenue while integrating deep emotional self-awareness and student empathy into business 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 48.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.3 Guest teaching 2.1 Guest disagreement 1.0 Nathan pushing back 2.4
05100:0010:0020:001:16–4:11 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Exploring Vulnerability and the Heart of a Father Nathan introduces Dane with deep personal affection, recounting vulnerable personal moments before intentionally laying down an interview boundary to bridge Dane's emotional framing with hard business analytics.4:11–7:03 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 The Foundation Framework and Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Nathan presses Dane on failure rates and why 90% of students fail to reach 10 customers within six months. Dane explains that emotional agendas and lack of empathy obstruct founders from solving real problems.7:04–9:58 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Pricing Evolution, Program Scale, and Mindset Shifts Nathan explores historical cohort pricing and student volume. Dane provides nuanced context on graduating success rates, contrasting software customer targets with broader entrepreneurial outcomes.9:59–12:07 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Measuring Satisfaction and Reaching Five Million Dollars in Revenue Dane explains how The Foundation tracks customer satisfaction weekly and quizzes Nathan on benchmark Net Promoter Scores for retail and Apple, before confirming lifetime course revenue figures.12:08–16:28 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Alumni Community, Brain Integration, and Money as Gratitude When Dane explains the psychological integration behind his community, Nathan challenges why he charges alumni if the pure goal is care. Dane brushes off the free concept and reframes money as tangible thank-you notes.16:28–20:34 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Promotional Interlude and GoPro Giveaway Nathan executes a mid-roll promotion before jumping into the Famous Five questionnaire. Dane turns the questions into genuine compliments toward Nathan, momentarily flustering the host.20:34–24:00 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Self-Worth Insights, Episode Conclusion, and Preview Dane reflects on core identity and self-worth for his younger self, after which Nathan wraps up the interview, recaps Dane's milestones, and provides a preview for the subsequent episode.1:16–4:11 · Guest teaching 1/10 Exploring Vulnerability and the Heart of a Father Nathan introduces Dane with deep personal affection, recounting vulnerable personal moments before intentionally laying down an interview boundary to bridge Dane's emotional framing with hard business analytics.4:11–7:03 · Guest teaching 3/10 The Foundation Framework and Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Nathan presses Dane on failure rates and why 90% of students fail to reach 10 customers within six months. Dane explains that emotional agendas and lack of empathy obstruct founders from solving real problems.7:04–9:58 · Guest teaching 2/10 Pricing Evolution, Program Scale, and Mindset Shifts Nathan explores historical cohort pricing and student volume. Dane provides nuanced context on graduating success rates, contrasting software customer targets with broader entrepreneurial outcomes.9:59–12:07 · Guest teaching 3/10 Measuring Satisfaction and Reaching Five Million Dollars in Revenue Dane explains how The Foundation tracks customer satisfaction weekly and quizzes Nathan on benchmark Net Promoter Scores for retail and Apple, before confirming lifetime course revenue figures.12:08–16:28 · Guest teaching 4/10 Alumni Community, Brain Integration, and Money as Gratitude When Dane explains the psychological integration behind his community, Nathan challenges why he charges alumni if the pure goal is care. Dane brushes off the free concept and reframes money as tangible thank-you notes.16:28–20:34 · Guest teaching 1/10 Promotional Interlude and GoPro Giveaway Nathan executes a mid-roll promotion before jumping into the Famous Five questionnaire. Dane turns the questions into genuine compliments toward Nathan, momentarily flustering the host.20:34–24:00 · Guest teaching 1/10 Self-Worth Insights, Episode Conclusion, and Preview Dane reflects on core identity and self-worth for his younger self, after which Nathan wraps up the interview, recaps Dane's milestones, and provides a preview for the subsequent episode.1:16–4:11 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Exploring Vulnerability and the Heart of a Father Nathan introduces Dane with deep personal affection, recounting vulnerable personal moments before intentionally laying down an interview boundary to bridge Dane's emotional framing with hard business analytics.4:11–7:03 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Foundation Framework and Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Nathan presses Dane on failure rates and why 90% of students fail to reach 10 customers within six months. Dane explains that emotional agendas and lack of empathy obstruct founders from solving real problems.7:04–9:58 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Pricing Evolution, Program Scale, and Mindset Shifts Nathan explores historical cohort pricing and student volume. Dane provides nuanced context on graduating success rates, contrasting software customer targets with broader entrepreneurial outcomes.9:59–12:07 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Measuring Satisfaction and Reaching Five Million Dollars in Revenue Dane explains how The Foundation tracks customer satisfaction weekly and quizzes Nathan on benchmark Net Promoter Scores for retail and Apple, before confirming lifetime course revenue figures.12:08–16:28 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Alumni Community, Brain Integration, and Money as Gratitude When Dane explains the psychological integration behind his community, Nathan challenges why he charges alumni if the pure goal is care. Dane brushes off the free concept and reframes money as tangible thank-you notes.16:28–20:34 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Promotional Interlude and GoPro Giveaway Nathan executes a mid-roll promotion before jumping into the Famous Five questionnaire. Dane turns the questions into genuine compliments toward Nathan, momentarily flustering the host.20:34–24:00 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Self-Worth Insights, Episode Conclusion, and Preview Dane reflects on core identity and self-worth for his younger self, after which Nathan wraps up the interview, recaps Dane's milestones, and provides a preview for the subsequent episode.1:16–4:11 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Exploring Vulnerability and the Heart of a Father Nathan introduces Dane with deep personal affection, recounting vulnerable personal moments before intentionally laying down an interview boundary to bridge Dane's emotional framing with hard business analytics.4:11–7:03 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 The Foundation Framework and Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Nathan presses Dane on failure rates and why 90% of students fail to reach 10 customers within six months. Dane explains that emotional agendas and lack of empathy obstruct founders from solving real problems.7:04–9:58 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Pricing Evolution, Program Scale, and Mindset Shifts Nathan explores historical cohort pricing and student volume. Dane provides nuanced context on graduating success rates, contrasting software customer targets with broader entrepreneurial outcomes.9:59–12:07 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Measuring Satisfaction and Reaching Five Million Dollars in Revenue Dane explains how The Foundation tracks customer satisfaction weekly and quizzes Nathan on benchmark Net Promoter Scores for retail and Apple, before confirming lifetime course revenue figures.12:08–16:28 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Alumni Community, Brain Integration, and Money as Gratitude When Dane explains the psychological integration behind his community, Nathan challenges why he charges alumni if the pure goal is care. Dane brushes off the free concept and reframes money as tangible thank-you notes.16:28–20:34 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Promotional Interlude and GoPro Giveaway Nathan executes a mid-roll promotion before jumping into the Famous Five questionnaire. Dane turns the questions into genuine compliments toward Nathan, momentarily flustering the host.20:34–24:00 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Self-Worth Insights, Episode Conclusion, and Preview Dane reflects on core identity and self-worth for his younger self, after which Nathan wraps up the interview, recaps Dane's milestones, and provides a preview for the subsequent episode.

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

0:00 · Nathan 68% · guest 32%0:00 · Nathan 68% · guest 32%3:00 · Nathan 31% · guest 69%3:00 · Nathan 31% · guest 69%6:00 · Nathan 57% · guest 43%6:00 · Nathan 57% · guest 43%9:00 · Nathan 32.7% · guest 67.3%9:00 · Nathan 32.7% · guest 67.3%12:00 · Nathan 29.7% · guest 70.3%12:00 · Nathan 29.7% · guest 70.3%15:00 · Nathan 62% · guest 38%15:00 · Nathan 62% · guest 38%18:00 · Nathan 58.6% · guest 41.4%18:00 · Nathan 58.6% · guest 41.4%21:00 · Nathan 52.7% · guest 47.3%21:00 · Nathan 52.7% · guest 47.3%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%24:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 15:10 Dane dismisses the concept of free alumni access

Dane openly rejects Nathan's suggestion to make the alumni group free, stating he does not even understand the premise of the question before reframing currency as expressions of gratitude.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 15:05 Nathan challenges charging fees for community care

Nathan refuses Dane's altruistic framing of customer care and directly challenges him on why an alumni support network should cost money instead of being offered free.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 10:50 Dane educates on Net Promoter Scores and Apple benchmarks

Dane turns the questioning back onto Nathan, explaining how Net Promoter Scores work in practice and contextualizing average retail satisfaction scores against top brands like Apple.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 3:39 Nathan sets interview boundaries to prioritize analytics

Nathan establishes strong host authority early on, explicitly warning Dane that he will continuously pull the conversation away from emotional reflections back toward rigorous business metrics.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Exploring Vulnerability and the Heart of a Father 3113 Nathan introduces Dane with deep personal affection, recounting vulnerable personal moments before intentionally laying down an interview boundary to bridge Dane's emotional framing with hard business analytics.
The Foundation Framework and Why Entrepreneurs Struggle 4313 Nathan presses Dane on failure rates and why 90% of students fail to reach 10 customers within six months. Dane explains that emotional agendas and lack of empathy obstruct founders from solving real problems.
Pricing Evolution, Program Scale, and Mindset Shifts 4212 Nathan explores historical cohort pricing and student volume. Dane provides nuanced context on graduating success rates, contrasting software customer targets with broader entrepreneurial outcomes.
Measuring Satisfaction and Reaching Five Million Dollars in Revenue 3312 Dane explains how The Foundation tracks customer satisfaction weekly and quizzes Nathan on benchmark Net Promoter Scores for retail and Apple, before confirming lifetime course revenue figures.
Alumni Community, Brain Integration, and Money as Gratitude 4425 When Dane explains the psychological integration behind his community, Nathan challenges why he charges alumni if the pure goal is care. Dane brushes off the free concept and reframes money as tangible thank-you notes.
Promotional Interlude and GoPro Giveaway 3101 Nathan executes a mid-roll promotion before jumping into the Famous Five questionnaire. Dane turns the questions into genuine compliments toward Nathan, momentarily flustering the host.
Self-Worth Insights, Episode Conclusion, and Preview 2111 Dane reflects on core identity and self-worth for his younger self, after which Nathan wraps up the interview, recaps Dane's milestones, and provides a preview for the subsequent episode.

Statements from this episode (8)

Insight
Maxwell: Founders struggle to find problems when they push personal agendas
“People tend to get stuck for extended periods of time on finding a painful problem to solve. That's this, that's like, so, you know, people are sometimes will take four or five, six months just to find a single painful problem to solve. And the reason it takes…”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 5:41
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Maxwell: The Foundation's first $3,000 cohort enrolled 88 students, beating targets
“Our first price was 3000 dollars when I was just doing this by myself, and I wanted 10 people to join, and 88 people ended up joining and it was 500 bucks a month for six months.”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 7:57
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Maxwell: The Foundation has enrolled roughly 1,400 students to date
“Well, I think our current number is around 1400.”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 8:56
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Maxwell: Under 10% of Foundation students graduate with 10 paying customers
“Yeah, and so we had for example, with 10 paying customers software, less than 10%. However 40% of our graduating class of our second year program graduated with one paying customer in a business that they had started.”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 9:00
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Maxwell: The Foundation averages an 8 out of 10 student NPS
“Well, the way that I understand it is that we measure our student happiness every week, and we measure our coach's happiness also every week. So we average around an eight percent. All through and through. Eight out of 10.”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 10:13
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Maxwell: The Foundation has generated $5M to $6M in course revenue
“Somewhere, somewhere between five and six million.”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 12:04
Disclosure
Maxwell: The Foundation plans to launch $99 annual alumni membership program
“Our official alumni program kicks off November first, I believe. And for that, we're just charging all our existing alumni as a thank you for being in. We're just going to charge them 99 dollars for a year. But we're going to be thinking of it in terms of like…”
Dane Maxwell Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 13:06
What-if
Latka: I wish I had dropped out of college sooner
“I would drop out faster. I would cut all my safety nets faster to force myself into a corner, because I know I work really well when I'm forced in a corner.”
Nathan Latka Feb 24, 2016 ▶ 20:58
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