Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1344IR // #c1344Synthesis

"At this point the business model was pretty simple: if I could sell $3,400 worth of ads in the newspaper, I would break even."

— In our words · Source: Cancel Me If You Can (Dave Portnoy)

[Use when]

You're running a new venture on thin cash and the finances feel vague.

[Why it matters]

Portnoy moved home, cut every other expense and reduced the business to one number. Every week was a fight to hit it. A single break-even target tells you exactly how much selling the week requires.

Filed under situations:When it’s day one and nothing exists yet

More from Cancel Me If You Can

#c1345"How do you sell ads for a newspaper that doesn’t exist? On promises."You need paying customers before you have a finished product. #c1346"I’d sift through all my competitors’ publications in Boston and call every single one of their advertisers every single week to poach them…You're looking for your first customers and your competitors publish who theirs are. #c1347"Barstool is looking to hire writers. We don’t pay at all, but we make up for it by offering zero benefits."You can't pay yet and need contributors who care about the work itself.

Same situation, different book

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