The hottest Profitability Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

IWG: A Wonderful Company at a Wonderful Price

Modern Value Investing • 39 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💰 Finance Investing Real Estate Marketplace Growth Profitability
  1. IWG has a solid legacy business model of providing flexible workspaces and is trading at a great price, making it an attractive investment option.
  2. IWG's Worka segment is a fast-growing and profitable marketplace business, showing solid growth and expected to generate significant revenue.
  3. IWG is transitioning to a capital-light model and aims to become a major player in managed and franchised office space, with significant growth potential in the untapped market of office real estate.
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Warren Buffett’s Rare Big Investing Mistake

Behavioral Value Investor • 148 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
💰 Finance Investing Mistakes Valuation Profitability Lessons
  1. Even successful investors like Warren Buffett make mistakes, which is a crucial lesson for all investors.
  2. When investing, it's important to stick to your circle of competence to avoid big investing mistakes.
  3. Paying a high price for an investment with little room for error can be a risky move, highlighting the importance of a margin of safety.

Platform Economics- Why Meta made a Profit and Uber did not [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 159 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
💰 Finance Platforms Economics Profitability Tech industry Monopoly
  1. Platform economics often prioritize scale over short-term profitability, relying on network effects to eventually generate revenue.
  2. Successful platforms like Facebook and YouTube maintained a competitive edge through extensive user profiles and built-in loyalty, unlike Uber.
  3. Uber's failure was attributed to factors like the ease of replicating its service, lack of customer loyalty, and the unrealistic expectations for profitability in the on-demand service industry.

Japan Reality Check #4: In praise of the Salaryman CEO

Japan Optimist • 176 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
💼 Business Leadership Corporate culture Performance Profitability
  1. Japanese Salaryman CEOs have shown extraordinary resilience and competence in delivering corporate economic value and profitability.
  2. Data shows that Japanese Salaryman CEOs have outperformed Wall Street Superstar CEOs in terms of profit increase without relying on rising sales.
  3. While Japanese Salaryman CEOs have significantly increased profits, their compensation has only risen modestly, maintaining a close link between performance and pay.

"No PM, no problem"

The SaaS Baton • 78 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
💼 Business Product-Market Fit Profitability Remote work
  1. Sometimes having zero product/project managers can lead to faster feature shipping and more engaged developers.
  2. Consider hiring contractors before employees to save on salaries and gain access to specialist talents.
  3. In assessing product-market fit, look for metrics like revenue, conversion rates, and NPS, and focus on fixing the most challenging aspect for improvement.

Uber is Finally … Profitable: What Drove This?

Gad’s Newsletter • 1 HN point • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Economics Marketplace Regulation Labor Profitability
  1. Despite previous doubts, Uber has achieved profitability by moderating spending and efficiently managing its operations.
  2. Uber's profitability hinges on increasing their take-rate from customers, while the drivers are facing challenges with payment structures such as algorithm-based systems.
  3. Even though Uber is profitable, there are concerns about the sustainability of these profits due to potential regulatory changes impacting their business model and driver treatment.

1000 Skills Conference: Day Two Recap

Day One • 159 implied HN points • 26 Sep 20
💼 Business Skills Online Learning Profitability Productivity Sales
  1. Day Two of the 1000 Skills Conference focused on the importance of skills - learning online, profiting from skills, and combining skills for more income.
  2. Attendees emphasized the value of uniqueness to stand out, the need to master a skill before moving to others, and the importance of focusing on attention for productivity.
  3. Resources like 'Sell your Sawdust', 'The Rule Of Five', and 'The Sales Guide' were recommended to aid in skill development, productivity, and sales proficiency.

The Ethics of Influencer Technology: Balancing Privacy, Profitability, and the Role of shipto.me

The SHIPTO.ME Blog • 1 HN point • 16 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Ethics Privacy Profitability Influencers Data
  1. In influencer technology, privacy and profitability are key concerns for users to consider.
  2. Influencers can manipulate behavior by endorsing products, sometimes resulting in negative outcomes for their audience.
  3. It's important to be cautious when using influencer platforms, follow genuine influencers, question content authenticity, and understand privacy policies.

Snapchat chooses execution over control

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 13 Feb 17
💼 Business Strategy Innovation Entrepreneurship Competition Profitability
  1. Snapchat prioritizes execution over control to drive user engagement and product innovation.
  2. An execution strategy can be more profitable than a control strategy, as it allows for quicker market entry and cost-saving experiments.
  3. Snapchat's strategy mirrors Apple's approach of focusing on innovation rather than building barriers to entry, though profitability execution remains unproven.

How content is trapped

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 26 Oct 16
💼 Business Media Digitization Profitability Strategy Content
  1. Digitization exposes weak links in traditional content business models and breaks them, emphasizing the importance of understanding the connection between content and returns.
  2. Successful businesses recognize early the need to adapt and delink aspects of their operations to stay profitable in the digital age.
  3. Content providers need to focus on social elements and consumer value, not just information, to remain relevant and successful in the changing media landscape.

Equal’s POV on Investing in Retail

Equal Ventures • 0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
💼 Business Investing Retail Technology Profitability
  1. VCs heavily invested in digital-first commerce, but rising costs and unprofitability among DTC brands show challenges in changing retail margins.
  2. The retail industry faced significant inventory challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of effective inventory management for margins.
  3. There is a renewed focus on profitability and fundamentals within brands and retailers, with a trend towards optimizing margins through omnichannel strategies and managed marketplaces.

What SaaS metrics should a head of engineering track?

Brick by Brick • 0 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Metrics Revenue Profitability Efficiency Startups
  1. Key SaaS metrics vital for an engineering leader: Focus on ARR, ACV, and TCV to gauge revenue streams effectively.
  2. Profitability metrics: Look at gross and operating margins, and free cash flow for late-stage companies to evaluate success.
  3. Efficiency tracking for startup growth: Monitor Cash Burn to Net New ARR, operational expenses per department relative to sales, to assess resource effectiveness.