Kazi Ahmed took a small insight—seeing friends cash out from Amazon brands—and built Carbon6, a software roll-up startup, selling it for $210M just three years later.
But behind the quick success was a frantic scramble to survive. Aggressive acquisitions nearly ran them out of cash, forcing a brutal pivot from burning $1M per month to profitability and explosive organic growth.
This episode dives deep into Kazi’s playbook: when to ignore customer interviews, how to pivot on a dime, and why getting started immediately beats perfect planning every time.
Why You Should Listen:
- How Kazi Ahmed built a startup from $0 to a $210M exit in just 3 years.
- Why chasing perfect ideas kills startups (and what to do instead).
- How aggressive acquisitions almost destroyed the company—and the tough pivot that saved it.
- Why customer interviews are overrated and sales beats surveys every time.
- How to identify when a roll-up strategy makes sense (and when it doesn’t).
Keywords:
startup growth, Amazon FBA, acquisition strategy, profitable pivot, roll-up startups, founder stories, SaaS growth, startup exits, e-commerce software, early-stage advice
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:35 How COVID Unlocked an Amazon Gold Rush
00:06:51 From Aggregating Brands to Aggregating Software
00:12:04 Funding Acquisitions with Friends and Family
00:16:18 The Art of Structuring Deals
00:21:50 Pivoting from Acquisition Spree to Profitability
00:26:35 Aggressive Cost Cutting and Cultural Reset
00:29:43 Scaling Upmarket with a Sales-Driven Approach
00:36:51 The $210 Million Acquisition by SPS Commerce
00:40:26 Reflections and Realities of a Big Exit
Send me a message to let me know what you think!
