How Finimize Founder Max Rofagha Quickly Built An Email Community of Over 1M Subscribers

Leveling Up with Eric Siu

Today, Eric talks to Max Rofagha, the founder of Finimize, a newsletter that makes news from the world of finance so simple that anyone can understand it and become their own financial advisor. Max shares how he came up with the idea, how he originally started a website, and why he adapted it to a newsletter. In this episode, he provides some insight into the timeline of the business, how the company makes money, and how, in a short space of time, this email community has grown to over one million subscribers. Tuning in, you’ll hear his thoughts on paid ads, how he goes about finding the best writing talent, and why he hires analysts, not journalists. Find out Max’s thoughts on the creator economy and where he sees it going, as well as the trends he’s excited about in this space. To hear some tips on helpful books and resources Max uses to level up his own skills, and insight into where he sees opportunities in the creator economy and the world of business in general, tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:15] Intro to Max Rofagha and Finimize
• [01:06] Some background into Max’s career before Finimize.
• [01:54] Where the Finimize headquarters are and how Max works remotely.
• [02:51] Max explains what led him to start a newsletter and how he came up with the idea.
• [05:26] How Finimize makes money: brand stories, premium subscriptions, licensing of content.
• [07:19] How much subscriptions cost.
• [07:32] The timeline of the business from when it started until now.
• [07:52] Insight into how Max has grown the business and his thoughts on paid ads.
• [09:52] How he finds the best writing talent and why he hires analysts not journalists.
• [11:57] How Max’s career led him from e-commerce to finance, and insight into his future plans.
• [14:12] Max’s thoughts on the creator economy and where he sees it going: a surge in tools to empower the creator.
• [16:40] Tools or trends he’s excited about in this space.
• [18:13] Max’s favorite business books.
• [20:55] Max’s favorite business tool: Notion.

Resources From The Interview:

• Max Rofagha on Twitter
• Finimize
• MicroAquire

• Bloomberg by Bloomberg

• Who Is Michael Ovitz?

• Deep Work

• The Snowball

• Notion
• Roam
• Evernote

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