Beyond A Million

225: Selling for 10x by Building What Customers Have to Buy with Will Caldwell

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Episode notes

You don't need to create demand if demand is mandated.

That's the insight Will Caldwell used to build and sell his company.

Will discovered that inside the mortgage industry, banks are legally required to buy flood certificates on every loan. So, he started Snap — a platform that makes it faster and cheaper for banks to do exactly that.

Then he partnered with Intercontinental Exchange, the $95 billion company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, plugged into their existing infrastructure, scaled quickly, and eventually sold 51% of the company for 10x.

In this episode, we break down how to build within regulated industries, tap into existing demand, and scale without chasing customers.

Key Takeaways

(00:00) Small Teams Beat Large Companies

(01:52) Why "Fat Cats Don't Hunt"

(03:13) Starting His First Tech Company

(06:09) Knowing When to Shut Down a Business

(06:51) Turning a $100 Compliance Headache Into a Startup

(09:03) Finding Opportunity in Regulated Industries

(16:58) AI Underwriting

(21:09) Scaling via Strategic Partnerships

(24:00) Selling 45 Banks in One Month

(30:56) Selling to Intercontinental Exchange for 10x

(32:31) Why He Sold Only 51% of the Company

(36:10) Don't Build the Tech Until You Have THIS

(37:44) What Post-Exit Life is Like

(38:41) What Will is Investing In Right Now (40:00) Advice for Entrepreneurs Starting Today

(40:27) Books That Have Shaped His Thinking

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UmihuBdZByU

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