Staley Cates, Vice Chairman of Southeastern Asset Management, joins to break down FedEx. They discuss the business model, integration of networks, valuation relative to UPS, and Fred Smith's entrepreneurial journey. The role of the US Postal Service, pricing challenges, cost reduction, and FedEx's potential for growth are also explored.

Yanev Suissa, Managing Partner at SineWave Ventures, breaks down Databricks, discussing its growth, competition with Snowflake, structured and unstructured data, data lakes, and working with Hadoop. They also explore real-world examples of how Databricks is used, its revenue model, and key factors customers consider. The podcast covers the founding story, growth strategies, partner ecosystem, and Databricks' success in the industry. Key lessons include revenue generation and building a sticky community.

Match Group, the giant of online dating, is broken down in this podcast. They discuss the polarizing nature of Match Group's stock, growth rates, marketing expenses, and the impact of app store fees. They also analyze the business and growth potential, discuss risks and competition in the online dating industry, and explore the dynamics of utility and narrative oscillation in Match Group's business. The podcast concludes by discussing the transition and recruitment efforts of Match Group.

Explore the history and impact of Olin Corporation, a key player in industrial chemicals. Learn about the chlor-alkali market, Olin's business and operational models, and its transformative acquisition. Discover the financial performance and decision-making process of the company, as well as the challenges and potential solutions for its Winchester business. Gain insights into valuation, investment strategy, and the opportunities that arise from combining a commodity business with innovative operating methods.

"WEX: Fleet Cards" features Mark Tomasovic from Energize Capital. They discuss WEX's fleet card market dominance and its history. They delve into the evolution of the gas station distribution system and the threats and solutions for electric vehicle drivers. The logistics of electric charging for fleet vehicles and WEX's investments in EV technology are also covered. Lastly, they explore customer acquisition, managing complexity, and the expansion into other industries.

This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the data services giant, Equifax. Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax have built this fascinating oligopoly worth studying, but the business has extended well beyond the credit checks on mortgages. Their employee verification tool, The Work Number, may be their most valuable asset today.To break down Equifax, I'm joined by Mo Spolan, analyst at Weitz Investments. We dive into both sides of the business, the unique industry structures that they sit in, the history around competition, and Equifax's future outlook.The newest podcast from Colossus, Art of Investing is dropping next week! This is going to be a series of discussions with the world's best investors, company builders, academics, athletes, artists, and any human beings devoted to exploring the joys of compounding in all its forms. The first two episodes will be released on Monday, October 9.Art of Investing: TrailerInterested in hiring from the Colossus Community? Click here.For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 60,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can’t be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick.-----Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt | @domcookeShow Notes(00:00:58) - (First question) - How Equifax extends beyond credit checks(00:05:02) - Evolution from the Wild West of credit to a tech-driven, regulated oligopoly(00:10:21) - Give-to-get model builds network; compiles detailed credit history(00:12:16) - How credit bureaus grow with GDP and loan volumes(00:15:19) - The shift from three to two credit checks for mortgages(00:23:16) - Facing cyclical shifts, credit bureaus' margins decline with IT investments(00:25:29) - How The Work Number, acquired by Equifax, has evolved into a critical income verification service(00:28:50) - Ingesting exclusive data, Equifax dominates income verification via a large network(00:32:51) - How Work Number stays atop the verification market despite competition(00:43:36) - Increasing Work Number margins lift Equifax; HR paperwork still strategically important(00:44:57) - Work Number poised for solid double-digit growth; boosts overall business outlook(00:51:15) - The 2017 Equifax breach led to executive shakeup and strategic focus shift(00:55:57) - Increasing competitive intensity, aggressive pricing, and potential regulation are key risks for Equifax(00:59:46) - Lessons learned from studying Equifax

Jon Ostrower, founder and editor-in-chief of The Air Current, joins the podcast to discuss Boeing's commercial business, the complexities of building new airplanes, the impact of the 737 MAX disaster, and predictions for the future of commercial aviation. They also cover Boeing's role in the aerospace industry, its revenue sources, the cost and pricing dynamics of airplane production, the challenges of aircraft manufacturing, and Boeing's merger with McDonald Douglas.

Breakdown of Kingspan, an Irish business that dominates the global insulation market with projects like Tesla Factories and Apple's Headquarters. Topics discussed include ESG tailwinds, acquisitions for growth, go-to-market strategy, revenue growth, warranties, and the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Alan Flatt, CEO and President of EEP Capital, joins the podcast to discuss the business dynamics of Padel, its recent surge in popularity, investment opportunities, and the comparison to Pickleball. They explore the sport's combination of tennis and squash, investment potentials in Padel clubs, overcoming scale and supply issues, the Pro-Paddle League's schedule and team locations, strategic priorities for growth and brand building. Additionally, they share valuable lessons learned from banking, real estate, and venture style investing.

The podcast "Business Breakdowns" explores the business behind football, discussing topics such as investments in football clubs, the growth of the global soccer market driven by the English Premier League, partnerships between Amazon and football clubs for documentary content, the changing landscape of Premier League stadiums, the impact of regulations on football clubs, different ownership models in football, and lessons learned in the business of football.