TDC 052: Category of One: A $10M/Year Business Blueprint (How I Made Inc 5000 Seven Times)

#052: Category of One: A $10 Million Business Blueprint

After a decade building a highly profitable $10M/year consulting and software company, I reveal the contrarian framework that made it all possible.

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Digital Contrarian, host Ryan Levesque dives into what it really means to create a "Category of One" business and why it's the only type worth building.

You'll learn how to position yourself where no direct comparison exists, discover the exact framework for charging premium prices, and find the three-phase growth strategy that took his company from zero to over $1M/month.

Question of the Day 🗣️

What unique combination of forces in your market could you identify and label to position yourself as the only logical choice?

Key Take-aways

• The only business worth building is one that puts you in a category of one
• Competition is for losers—eliminate it by making yourself incomparable
• Identify a confluence of 3–5 forces creating your customer's pain
• Attach a unique label to the problem that resonates at a deep level
• Map your solution's features back to each converging force

Timestamped Outline ⏱️

00:00 – Introduction and Grand Canyon trip
00:34 – The beginning of The Digital Contrarian newsletter
01:21 – Creating a category of one
02:22 – Getting into the top 0.3% of CEOs
03:27 – The biggest lesson from growing to $10M
04:20 – What is a category of one business?
05:11 – The business benefits of being in a category of one
06:15 – The framework for building your own category of one business
07:25 – Step 1: Establish a problem as a confluence of forces
08:05 – Step 2: Introduce your contrarian approach
09:20 – The power of this framework for positioning
10:10 – The one additional factor: Being authentically you
10:30 – Final thoughts and invitation

Links & Resources 🔗

• Issue #001 of The Digital Contrarian – "An Embarrassing Confession" → https://ryanlevesque.net/authentic-business-communication-confession/
• Issue #020 of The Digital Contrarian – "Going Analog" → https://ryanlevesque.net/going-analog-contrarian-business-strategy-2025/
• The Digital Contrarian newsletter → https://thedigitalcontrarian.com/

Next Steps & Subscribe 🚀

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Credits

Host: Ryan Levesque
© 2025 RL & Associates LLC. All rights reserved.