This $20M/year Founder shares his 3 top business ideas with me

May 8, 2024

AI Summary

5 min read

From Media to Men's Health: Jason Yanowitz on Building Businesses That Compound

Jason Yanowitz, co-founder of Blockworks, walked through three business ideas he'd pursue if starting over—each rooted in a clear operating philosophy about how to build durable, cash-generating companies in today's environment. The conversation revealed a founder who thinks in terms of structural advantages rather than flash, and who is unusually candid about luck, timing, and the limits of venture capital.

The Negative CAC Model: Why Media Beats Direct Sales

Yanowitz's central strategic insight is what he calls "negative CAC"—getting paid to acquire customers rather than paying to acquire them. Blockworks built this by starting as a B2B media business focused on crypto professionals, then layering a subscription research product underneath. The media side (newsletters, podcasts, conferences) generates cash flow and owns the audience relationship. The research platform, which costs $4,500 per year, converts even a tiny fraction of that audience into high-value subscribers without spending a dollar on marketing.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:40) **Episode Setup & The AI COO/Chief of Staff Idea** - Jason introduces the first business idea: an AI COO/Chief of Staff that ingests all company communications (Slack, email, Notion, Jira) to answer operational questions.
2 (06:23) **The Thesis: Deep Domain Expertise is the New Moat** - Jason pivots to his favorite ideas, arguing that the ease of building software today means deep domain expertise is more valuable than pure technical skill.
3 (07:42) **Idea #2: A Luxury Men's Health & Hair Transplant Clinic** - Jason pitches a high-end, physical clinic focused on hair transplants and men's Botox, capitalizing on the booming men's personal care market.
4 (15:00) **Why Men's Botox & Longevity are the Next Big Wave** - Jason expands on the cultural tailwinds behind men's health, citing Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman as evidence that longevity is going mainstream.
5 (21:14) **Idea #3: The "Negative CAC" B2B Media & SaaS Model** - Jason explains his preferred business model: build a B2B niche media brand to acquire an audience, then launch a high-margin SaaS product at the bottom of the funnel.
6 (24:30) **Blockworks Scale & The "Super Niche" Strategy** - Jason shares the revenue trajectory of Blockworks and explains how they won by picking a "niche of a niche of a niche."
7 (30:06) **How to Validate a Media Niche Before You Build** - Jason warns that not all audiences have a viable advertising market, and explains how to de-risk the niche selection.

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Show Notes

I’m joined by Jason Yanowitz, Co-Founder of Blockworks, to discuss some of the most profitable business ideas on his mind: building an AI Chief Operating Office for companies, starting a business in the men's health industry, building a B2B niche media brand, and so much more.

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Episode Timestamps

00:00 First business idea: AI COO for companies
06:13 Second business idea: Men’s longevity business
21:00 Third business idea: B2B niche media brand
33:40 Opportunities and challenges in the crypto space

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