CODIE SANCHEZ

Grew up in a military family. Studied journalism at Arizona State University.

Started her career as a journalist covering the drug war in Mexico. Pivoted to finance — worked at Goldman Sachs, State Street, First Trust, and Vanguard.

Became a partner at Entourage Effect Capital, a cannabis-focused private equity firm. Left traditional finance to build Contrarian Thinking — a media and education company focused on buying small businesses.

Built a portfolio of "boring businesses" through her holding company. Grew to over 5 million followers across social media platforms.

Named to Inc.'s list of top entrepreneurs. Her newsletter reaches hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Contrarian Thinking (founder) — media company and holding company that acquires small businesses. Portfolio includes laundromats, car washes, and other service businesses.

Previously: partner at Entourage Effect Capital (cannabis PE). Former positions at Goldman Sachs, State Street, First Trust, Vanguard.

Sanchez's investing approach is the opposite of Silicon Valley. She buys existing, cash-flowing small businesses — the kind with boring names and boring owners who want to retire.

She looks for businesses with: stable recurring revenue, low technology risk, simple operations, and owners willing to sell for 2-4x annual earnings. She uses SBA loans and seller financing to minimize cash outlay.

Her thesis is that millions of baby boomer-owned small businesses need new owners, and the supply-demand imbalance means buyers can get great deals.

Building a media empire around an idea that didn't exist as a category three years ago. "Boring businesses" wasn't a thing before Sanchez popularized it.

She created demand for a business model — buying laundromats, car washes, and service companies — that now has thousands of people actively pursuing deals. Her Contrarian Thinking newsletter and courses generate millions in revenue.

She's also successfully acquired and operated multiple small businesses, proving the model works.

Some critics argue Sanchez oversells the ease of buying and operating small businesses. The reality is that managing laundromats, dealing with employees, handling equipment breakdowns, and managing cash flow is harder than social media content makes it look.

Some of her followers have reportedly struggled with acquisitions that looked great on paper but were operationally challenging. The cannabis investments also had mixed results — the industry has been brutal for most investors.

Sanchez believes the best investments are the ones nobody wants to talk about. She calls it "contrarian thinking" — zigging when everyone else zags.

While everyone obsesses over AI stocks and crypto, she's buying the laundromat down the street. Her core philosophy is that wealth is built through ownership, not employment — and that owning even a small, boring business generates more wealth than a six-figure salary ever will.

Married to Ryan Snow. No children publicly known.

Grew up in a military family — the discipline and structure from that background shows in her approach to business. Based in Austin, Texas.

Graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in journalism. Later earned credentials in finance during her Wall Street career.

Her journalism background is evident in her storytelling-driven content style.

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