| url | https://christophjanz.blogspot.com |
|---|---|
| raw | raw/highlights-100m-business.json |
There are five ways to build a $100M business, each defined by the number and size of customers: 1,000 enterprises at $100K, 10,000 SMBs at $10K, 100,000 small businesses at $1K, 1M consumers at $100, or 10M free users at $10 in ad revenue.
What it means
Janz’s “five animals” framework (elephants to flies) forces clarity on business model math. Your customer count × average revenue must equal the target. This determines everything: sales model, product complexity, go-to-market, and organizational structure.
The argument
The framework pairs with crossing-the-chasm-concept: your beachhead determines which animal you’re hunting, and crossing the chasm looks different for each. Choosing which animal to hunt IS market-selection — the most fundamental strategic decision. It also constrains distribution strategy — elephants require enterprise sales, flies require viral loops (growth-loops). This connects to Thiel’s idea of starting small: pick the right monopoly-vs-competition arena and own it before expanding to others.