Mostly metrics
Run the Numbers
E30: The Business of Basketball: Rich Gotham, President of the Boston Celtics
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E30: The Business of Basketball: Rich Gotham, President of the Boston Celtics

CJ welcomes the president of the Boston Celtics, Rich Gotham. Rich discusses his journey in the NBA and provides insight into the business side of one of the world's most recognizable sports brands. He highlights the emphasis placed on embracing digital technology, retaining fans, creating effective partnerships, and the importance of community involvement for the team. Rich also talks about the increasing role of data in managing team operations and addresses the famous Paul Pierce incident from the 2008 NBA Finals. Supercharge financial operations with Maxio. Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

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SPONSORS: Maxio | Tropic | Thoropass

Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages. 🚀 Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how.

Thoropass provides complete compliance management, continuous monitoring, and security audits through intuitive software and expert guidance – allowing you to do business with confidence. Learn more: https://bit.ly/Thoropass 🔒

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:44) The Evolution of the Boston Celtics' Business Model

(00:49) The Impact of Digital Technology on the Celtics' Business

(02:33) The Challenges of a Finite Business Model

(08:41) The Impact of Team Performance on Revenue

(10:54) The Role of Sponsorship in the Celtics' Business

(13:47) Sponsor: Maxio | Tropic

(16:09) Playoffs and Revenue Generation

(23:28) The Role of Data in the Celtics' Business

(26:30) Enhancing the Fan Experience

(28:01) The Importance of Retention Rate

(28:11) Renewal Planning and Timing

(29:24) Sponsor: Thoropass

(30:40) Estimating the Lifetime Value of a Fan

(30:55) The Importance of Community Engagement

(32:13) The Impact of High Renewal and Retention Rate

(32:31) Revenue Generation from Different SKUs

(33:08) The Importance of Branding and Merchandising

(34:05) Learning from Other Sports Organizations

(36:26) The Unique Culture of Sports Industry

(36:54) The Competition for Fans' Time

(38:21) Long Ass Lightning Round: Career Advice and Insights

Discussion about this podcast

Mostly metrics
Run the Numbers
Run the Numbers is a twice-weekly podcast about financial metrics and business models, designed for ambitious people operating tech startups. It's a collection of things host CJ Gustafson (CFO at Partstech and writer of Mostly Metrics) has learned and thought about in the trenches as a tech CFO.
This show is meant to serve as a playbook of sorts for the stuff CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, both from experience and from copying people smarter than himself.
Topics frequently touch upon Startup SaaS Metrics, Annual Budgeting, Financial Forecasting, Headcount, Equity, Dilution, and Fundraising – and how all of these drive business performance and growth.