Contrarian Thinking

About Contrarian Thinking

Contrarian Thinking is a free weekly newsletter that provides actionable strategies for building wealth through unconventional business ownership, particularly focusing on acquiring and operating small Main Street businesses. Founded by Codie Sanchez in 2021, the newsletter delivers practical advice on buying boring businesses, generating cash flow, and achieving financial freedom through entrepreneurship rather than traditional employment. Published every Tuesday, the newsletter takes a contrarian approach to wealth building, emphasizing the purchase of profitable small businesses over starting ventures from scratch.

The newsletter achieved explosive growth, reaching 10,000 subscribers within the first 30 days of launch, hitting 50,000 subscribers at 8 months, and crossing 100,000 subscribers within 12 months. By 2024, the newsletter had grown to over 250,000 subscribers, and by 2025, it surpassed 1 million weekly readers. Sanchez, a former journalist and venture capitalist who spent years buying and selling businesses, leveraged podcast appearances (over 100 episodes), strategic social media engagement, and cross-promotions with other major newsletters to fuel growth. The newsletter spawned multiple revenue streams, including the Unconventional Acquisitions mastermind program (co-founded with Ryan Snow), business playbooks, courses, and a thriving media company that has taught over 9,000 members about business acquisition and growth.