The Startup Ideas Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Making an Entire Year's Revenue on Black Friday WEEK
Host: Greg Isenberg
Guest: Jonathan Courtney
Date: October 10, 2025

Main Theme & Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into how companies—particularly SaaS and ecommerce brands—can generate an outsized portion of their annual revenue in just one week: Black Friday week. Greg Isenberg and Jonathan Courtney unpack successful Black Friday strategies, dissect real-world campaign examples, and brainstorm fresh startup ideas you can capitalize on. The conversation is fast-paced, friendly, and packed with actionable marketing tactics and witty banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Black Friday Week

• Jonathan explains that many companies, including prestigious brands, can make their entire annual revenue in just this one week. Many businesses underestimate the magnitude or potential of Black Friday week.

• Companies making $200k–$500k/mo can easily make 1–2 million in Black Friday week; larger brands sometimes make their whole year’s revenue (01:40).

  “If you can do a great Black Friday sale, you could sell anything on the Internet.”
  —Greg (04:05)

  “If you can do a great Black Friday sale, you can literally fuck up everything for the rest of the year and still have a great year.”
  —Jonathan (04:14)

• Challenge: Many entrepreneurs avoid Black Friday campaigns, fearing they’ll “cheapen” the brand or don’t realize how many formats such a campaign can take.

2. Black Friday Tactics and Campaign Patterns

Jonathan breaks down several Black Friday tactics, going beyond simple discounts:

• Discounts
• Free bonuses (with or without discounts)
• Bundles of digital or physical products
• Subscription/SaaS renewal incentives

Example: Endel

• Endel, a soundscape app, offers a 50% discount for annual renewals during Black Friday (05:51), complete with in-app notifications and a mini landing page showcasing benefits and (eventually) bonus items.

Example: PlayStation/Sony & Whoop

• Both offer extension discounts—users can add extra service time at a lower rate during Black Friday, regardless of renewal schedule (06:30).

Insight:
For SaaS companies, using Black Friday week not just to attract new users but to lock in future revenue through renewals and extensions is a huge win.

3. The “Welcome Gift” & Bonus Strategy

Jonathan highlights Magic Mind and AG1’s current Black Friday moves:

• Discounts plus unique welcome gifts, such as 90-day free app access, e-books, branded merch, and free shipping (10:48).

  “Welcome gifts are things that you’re only going to get as part of this sale...it sweetens the deal. Discounts are often not enough.”
  —Jonathan (12:08)

• Gifts escalate as the week continues to spur urgency; everyone who participated early also gets later-added bonuses (13:08).

“Prestigious” Brand Approach (e.g., Apple)

• Apple offers a $200 gift card with purchase—keeping brand value high without marking down products (14:05).
• Takeaway: You can provide value without “cheapening” your product. Framing and format are key.

4. Creative Example Roundtable

Store Credit Expiry (“Gains in Bulk” example) (15:43)

• Instead of bland discounts, users get a personalized, expiring store credit amount, driving urgency and FOMO.

  “It feels like, ‘No, I don’t want to lose my credit. That’s my credit.’”
  —Greg (16:24)

Bundles & Repackaging (“Basecamp”)

• Offering a package of items (previously sold separately) at a slightly lower price than buying individually. Useful for beauty brands or anything with modular products (18:25).

  “A simple repackaging of all the things you already have as a bundle to sell for Black Friday.”
  —Jonathan (19:25)

Partnering for Digital Bundles (Magic Mind)

• Magic Mind includes a digital product from another company as a free bonus, which adds value for both sides at nearly zero cost (19:52).

Gamified Campaigns (“Bodega” retail store) (28:03)

• Email featured a $200 gift code—missing a few characters, turned into a treasure hunt. First to solve and check out wins (29:12).
• Turns a regular promo code into a viral, memorable event.

5. Sophisticated E-commerce Bundling ("Four Sigmatic") (20:10, 21:50)

• Users build their own product bundles via a web app. As they add more to their cart, they unlock higher discounts (e.g., free shipping at $59, 40% discount at $99).

  “This is fucking genius, in my opinion… I’m going to steal this for any e-commerce clients we work with in future.” —Jonathan (22:20)

• Startup idea: Package this functionality as a Shopify app—huge demand among merchants (23:07).

6. Agency & B2B Opportunities (“Black Friday Agency”) (24:49)

• There’s white space for a specialist agency offering Black Friday (or more broadly, seasonal campaign) strategy, copy, and tech. Charge a revenue % cut for riskless buy-in (25:27).
• Repeatable playbook: “Piggyback” on major sales events year-round (Prime Day, Back-to-School, etc).

7. Additional Experiential/Livestream Concepts

• QVC-style livestreams (à la Singles Day in China): bring in influencers for marathon telemarketing sessions, offer bundles, scarcity, and “as seen on” bonuses (32:35).
• Consider live event signups and pre-access discount codes for even better conversion (34:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:05] Greg: “If you can do a great Black Friday sale, you could sell anything on the Internet.”
• [04:14] Jonathan: “If you can do a great Black Friday sale, you can literally fuck up everything for the rest of the year and still have a great year.”
• [12:08] Jonathan: “Welcome gifts are things that you’re only going to get as part of this sale...it sweetens the deal. Discounts are often not enough.”
• [16:24] Greg: “It feels like, ‘No, I don’t want to lose my credit. That’s my credit.’”
• [22:20] Jonathan: “This is fucking genius, in my opinion… I’m going to steal this for any e-commerce clients we work with in future.”
• [25:17] Jonathan: “It’s your biggest week of the year. Don’t squander it, don’t flub it.”
• [29:12] Greg: “This is taking a promo code and turning it into a game, a treasure hunt type thing. Really cool.”

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:40: Setting the stage—Black Friday’s impact on revenue
• 05:51–08:34: SaaS renewal tactics—Endel example
• 10:48–12:33: Magic Mind & AG1—discount + escalating gift strategy
• 14:05–15:17: Apple—gift card, “luxury” approach
• 15:43–17:31: Expiring store credit—Gains in Bulk example
• 18:25–19:30: Product bundling—Basecamp/Aesop bundle strategy
• 19:52–20:10: Partner digital products for “welcome gifts”
• 21:50–23:07: Build-a-bundle apps—Four Sigmatic example
• 24:49–25:27: The “Black Friday Agency” startup opportunity
• 28:03–29:12: Gamified codes—Bodega’s treasure hunt offer
• 32:35–34:00: QVC-style livestreams as a campaign format
• 34:00–34:42: Live event ads, pre-access codes, execution

Practical Takeaways for Listeners

• Think beyond the discount: Layer bonuses, exclusive bundles, and experiential offers.
• Personalize urgency: Use store credit, limited-time gifts, and expiring deals.
• Bundle creatively: Partner on digital products, combine physical offerings.
• Maximize existing customers: Push renewals and future commitments.
• Don’t fear “prestige.” Even Apple, beauty, and luxury brands run Black Friday campaigns—the key is framing, not avoidance.
• Tech + Copy = Win: Building bundle/offer tech + compelling copy drives lift.
• Agency Opportunity: There’s room to start a Black Friday (or campaign-focused) agency, especially with innovative compensation models.
• Livestream is next: Borrow Asian market tactics—consider influencer-led, live shopping for urgency and entertainment.

Episode Tone & Style

• Conversational, energetic, and candid.
• Punctuated with playful banter, insider asides, and plenty of practical advice.
• Frequent use of humor around business “nerdiness,” coupled with a transparent peek into their own campaign obsessions and missteps.

For founders, marketers, or agency builders, this episode functions as both a strategy guide and a source of inspiration for unleashing growth during Black Friday week and beyond.