
About
Learn how companies work from the people who know them best. We do deep research and interview industry veterans, investment professionals, and business leaders to explain the inner workings of public stocks and private businesses. Every business has lessons and Breakdowns is here to highlight them.

Matt is the CEO of Colossus. Zack is the Chief Investment Officer of Shoni Holdings, a single family office.
Featured

Business Breakdowns
Ep.150
HEICO: Parts for Planes
Eric Ruden is an Analyst at Ironvine Capital. We cover the market for aircraft parts and maintenance, how the Mendelson family have built HEICO into what it is today, and how its operating model compares with that of TransDigm.
02.21.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.92
Hermès: The Luxury Icon
Mark Urquhart is a partner at Baillie Gifford. We cover the brand's iconic handbags, how Hermès exudes exclusivity, and its potential for future growth.
01.11.2023

Business Breakdowns
Ep.151
Vulcan Materials: Rock On
Rob Hansen is a Senior Analyst at Vontobel Asset Management. We cover how Vulcan is crushing the competition in the construction aggregates market, the numerous applications of its products in critical infrastructure, and the excellent logistics that underpin its success.
02.28.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.201
Gaming Consoles Part 1: The Thesis
Sia Kamalie is the Founder and Fund Manager at Skycatcher. We cover the scale of the console gaming ecosystem and how it compares to PC and mobile gaming, how the video game industry is increasingly moving towards a subscription-based model, and the major milestones to watch as the console thesis plays out over the next decade.
01.15.2025

Business Breakdowns
Ep.200
Arm: The Silicon Blueprint
Jay Goldberg is the CEO and lead analyst at D2D Advisory. We cover Arm's role in the semiconductor value chain, why it chose the model of licensing architecture over making its own chips, and why its ecosystem is source of a competitive advantage.
01.08.2025

Business Breakdowns
Ep.199
Kering: It’s Gucci
Jonathan Eng is a Portfolio Manager at Causeway Capital Management. We cover Kering's portfolio of brands and history of acquisitions, the cyclical factors driving the market for luxury goods, and the main points of difference between Kering and LVMH.
01.01.2025

Business Breakdowns
Ep.198
2024 Anecdotes to Remember
Matt Reustle is the host of Business Breakdowns. We look back at the highlights from 2024's breakdowns and pick out the best lessons on building a culture, pivoting to a new business model, capital allocation, and more.
12.27.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.197
Filterbuy: Fresh Air
David Heacock is the founder and CEO of Filterbuy. We cover the challenges of setting up a manufacturing process from scratch, the importance of a founder getting their hands dirty, and the economics of a direct-to-consumer model versus third-party logistics.
12.27.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.196
Inditex: Fast Fashion
Alistair Wittet is a Founding Partner at Aecus Partners. We cover how Inditex differentiates itself from its fast fashion peers by being more adaptable to trends, its ability to consistently deliver industry-leading gross margins and free cash flow, and the idea that a business model is more durable than a brand.
12.18.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.195
Alternative Lending in Real Estate
Josh Zegen is the Managing Principal of Madison Realty Capital. We cover the basics of financing a commercial real estate project, the structural changes in the industry since COVID, and the impact of rates, volatility and tariffs on demand for loans.
12.11.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.194
SpaceX: Rocket Ship
Luke Ward is an Investment Manager at Baillie Gifford. We cover the costs and components behind a SpaceX rocket launch, how Starlink became both a consumer darling and the economic engine of the business, and the many new business lines that spaceflight might unlock in the future.
12.04.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.193
Investing in Venture Secondaries
Ravi Viswanathan is the founder and Managing Partner of NewView Capital. We cover the mechanics behind a successful venture secondaries transaction and why they're mostly bespoke, the structural factors underpinning the growth of this market, and how deals are shaped by the relationships and differing motivations between the various players in the industry.
11.27.2024

Business Breakdowns
Ep.192
Informa: Where Industries Meet
Nick Shenton is a Fund Manager at Artemis Investment Management. We cover the trade show business model and how it recovered from the impacts of COVID, the advantages of operating in a capital-light manner, how Informa is navigating the shift to digital publishing, and the parallels between its capital allocation strategy and that of LVMH.
11.27.2024