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Why Did Ryan Petersen Go to Business School · Y Combinator

Y Combinator

Ryan Petersen of Flexport on Compounding Success and Winning

Ryan Petersen is the founder and CEO of Flexport . Flexport is a global freight forwarder powered by software and analytics. They are making international trade easier for over 10,000 companies in 70 countries. They were part of the YC Winter 2014 batch. *** Topics 0:23 - What is a freight forwarder? 3:08 - Selling electric scooters on eBay 15 years ago…

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Notes

  1. What Makes Freight More Difficult Than Regular Package Delivery at 0:51

    Anything that is too heavy for a driver to pick up is a freight package, and it requires a whole different network to move it around. Full answer

  2. Why Did Ryan Petersen Go to Business School at 4:54

    His business was not making a lot of money. In fact, he says he'd made less money at the time than some people who were not even trying to make money. Full answer

  3. Why Does Flexport Exist at 12:03

    It is important to enable makers and creators to continue their work, otherwise we will end up living in the world where one mega-corporation ends up making… Full answer

  4. Should Entrepreneurs Do Business School at 13:30

    "MBAs don't make great founders" is a notion created by sample bias, where people who want typically get an MBA are most often not startup founders and don't… Full answer

  5. How Do You Win at Startups at 15:41

    Ryan says you have to be ready to fight, in perpetuity. If you stay in the fight long enough, you will win, but no one knows how long that might take. Full answer

  6. How Did Flexport Get Its First Customers at 17:09

    SEO and ads on the internet. Full answer

  7. How Do You Poach Clients From Legacy Providers at 39:34

    Flexport goes after their competitor's clients and shows their value proposition - they can deliver visibility and control over their freight, at the same… Full answer

  8. How Does Flexport Technology Change the Freight Industry at 46:24

    Freight forwarding is the #1 on the list of businesses that can be automated with technology. Full answer

  9. What Do You Do If Investors Don't Want to Invest at 53:16

    You can either figure out a different business, one they do want to invest into, or figure out a way to self-fund a business or fund it through customer… Full answer

  10. What Are the Biggest Lessons in Startups at 57:05

    Success compounds. Instead of trying to create an execute on some master plan, move fast and get little wins over and over. Full answer

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