EP11: Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack, on idea exploration, key phases in building a marketplace, and his secret to effective cofounder relationships

In this conversation we chat about so many key moments in Sanders journey cofounding, building and scaling Thumbtack into a $3.2b business with 900+ employees over 13 years.We start with the founding story and weekly brainstorm calls that led to the company. We then talk about the four key phases of building a successful marketplace startup, from finding product-market fit to hyper-scaling. And finally, we talk about how Sander and his co-founders built incredible long term relationships, working together for 13+ years.We hope you enjoy this amazing episode!Episode HighlightsGrowing up in DC and going to Law SchoolTwo big levers to make a difference— Politics and TechnologyThumbtack founding— weekly phone calls brainstorming ideas for a yearThumbtack today 13 years later— 900+ employees, over $500m raised, $3.2b valuationHow to come up with good ideas, and innovation as a deliberate processAlternate ideas and names explored (like “TimeStrapped!”)Marketplace liquidity as most important thing in early daysEarly days: solved supply first, then focussed on demand for 18mosKey moment in unlocking demand: early SEO insight and strategyKey to growing fast: one big channel where you go super deepBarriers to entry for more founders that prevent taking riskHow Sander overcame those barriers and how it shaped his thinking on riskChallenges raising early VC based on user growth alone— 45 A-round passesFour key phases: building supply, building demand, finding the right revenue model, hyper scalingChallenges and frustrations during the hyper scaling phaseReflection on power of focus, and also narrative/PRPower of hiring exec coaches to scale as founders and a teamBuilding strong co-founder relationships: structured approach, and long term focusAdvice for founders and building successful long term working relationshipsPutting on blinders and focussing on what you can controlScaling as a founder and building out multiple different areasOperating in your zone of genius to stay energized for 13+ yearsThumbtack’s culture and how they built and shaped itFramework for giving/recieving feedback and turning it into an action plan for growthReflections on Thumbtacks superpowers and shadows of those strengthsBook recommendation: Design Your LifeNew projects: (1) Scaled- bringing innovation to recruiting (2) New mobile dog grooming business that can train and up level anyone to earn $100k+Sander’s super power, lucky breaks, and book recommendationsLinksStart using Thumbtack to find local professionals for pretty much anythingHire People, Finance, Legal talent with ScaledFollow Sander @sanderdanielsHit subscribe to keep up with new episodes!Follow Ashish and Zane on Twitter for summariesClick here to give feedback — it only takes a minute.