How Ninety.io Grew From $0 to $30 Million Revenue By Dominating the EOS Movement: Mark Abbott's 5-Part Growth Playbook

Mark Abbott built Ninety.io into the fastest-growing software platform for the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) community, reaching $30 million in annual revenue with 13,300 companies on the platform. In Latka’s exclusive interview recorded September 2025, Abbott reveals how he identified a coaching movement with zero engineering DNA and built the software infrastructure they desperately needed.

Ninety.io’s Origin: Former Banker Spots $100M+ Software Opportunity in 800-Coach Movement (2017)

Abbott’s journey to building Ninety.io started with a painful lesson in the 1980s. As a young banker working out bad oil and gas loans in Oklahoma City, he witnessed firsthand how company failures devastate not just investors, but employees, communities, vendors, and customers. This experience sparked his lifelong obsession with understanding why some companies thrive while others fail.

After helping build a company that went public and is now worth over $50 billion, Abbott sat on multiple boards throughout the 2000s. By 2005, frustration set in. “Building a company is not that complicated,” Abbott realized. “It’s hard, but it’s not complicated.” He started planning to write a book called “Connecting the Dots” and build software to help companies master the fundamentals.

Everything changed when Abbott discovered Gino Wickman’s book “Traction” and the EOS movement. The timing was perfect – EOS had built a community of over 800 coaches worldwide helping companies implement their system, but they lacked one critical component: software.

Ninety.io Revenue Milestone #1: Zero to $3 Million in 12 Months (2017)

Abbott approached Gino Wickman with a proposition: let him build the software platform for the EOS community. Wickman’s response revealed the opportunity: “We tried it, it’s not in our DNA.”

Similar to how successful SaaS companies often start as agencies, Abbott leveraged an existing movement rather than trying to create one from scratch. Ninety.io launched with immediate product-market fit – hundreds of EOS coaches needed software for their clients, and Abbott delivered exactly what they wanted. Watch Abbott’s full keynote presentation to see how he identified this opportunity before competitors.

The platform provided tools for:

• Meeting management and accountability
• Quarterly conversations and goal tracking
• KPIs and scorecards for every team member
• Company-wide alignment on vision and execution

First-year revenue exploded to approximately $3 million as EOS coaches rapidly adopted the platform for their clients.

Ninety.io Growth Strategy: 100%+ Annual Growth Through Movement Multiplication

Abbott’s genius wasn’t just building for one movement – it was recognizing the pattern. After dominating the EOS market, Ninety.io expanded through strategic partnerships with similar coaching communities.

The Partnership Playbook:

1. Vistage Partnership: As a sponsor (no revenue share), Ninety gained access to thousands of CEO peer groups
2. Exit Planning Institute Deal: With over 5,000 coaches, this partnership includes a 10-20% revenue share on the $2,500 average annual customer value
3. Multiple Movement Strategy: Each coaching community brought pre-qualified, high-retention customers

Following the blueprint of companies that successfully monetize existing communities, Ninety.io maintained 100%+ growth rates for multiple years. By focusing on coaches who already had client relationships, customer acquisition costs stayed minimal while retention soared.

Ninety.io’s $30 Million Revenue Engine: 13,300 Companies Pay $2,500/Year for “Operating System as a Service”

By September 2025, Ninety.io’s metrics tell a remarkable story:

• Annual Revenue: $30 million
• Total Customers: 13,300 companies
• Average Revenue per Customer: $2,500/year
• Users: “Several hundred thousand people”
• Employee Satisfaction: 98% Great Place to Work certification

The company’s value proposition evolved beyond just EOS implementation. Ninety.io positions itself as providing “everything needed to build a company you’ll love forever” – addressing the painful reality that many founders end up hating their own companies during certain growth stages. Abbott details this framework in his complete slide deck from the presentation.

Abbott’s platform helps companies master what he calls the “nine core competencies”:

• Vision alignment
• Customer focus
• Goal achievement
• Meeting effectiveness
• Performance tracking
• Team communication
• Quarterly planning
• Leadership development
• Cultural alignment

Going back to the top of the funnel, how does Ninety.io maintain its growth trajectory? The answer lies in Abbott’s next major bet: artificial intelligence.

Ninety.io’s AI Revolution: “Mazz” Bot Will Guide 500,000+ Users Through Career Development

Abbott sees AI as the key to Ninety.io’s next growth phase. The company is building “Mazz,” an AI mentor bot that will provide personalized guidance to every user on the platform.

As AI transforms SaaS business models, Ninety.io’s approach focuses on “useful intelligence” rather than just artificial intelligence. Mazz will:

• Understand each user’s personality type and work style
• Facilitate better collaboration between introverts and extroverts
• Provide stage-appropriate organizational charts and KPIs
• Suggest optimal team structures based on company size and industry
• Guide difficult conversations and conflict resolution

The AI capabilities extend beyond individual coaching. Based on a company’s industry, stage, and employee count, Ninety.io will instantly generate:

• Recommended organizational charts
• Role-specific KPIs for every position
• Stage-appropriate goals and metrics
• Customized implementation timelines

This positions Ninety.io to capture even more value as companies grow – imagine paying $25,000/year instead of $2,500/year for AI-powered organizational development at scale.

The Playbook: 5 Lessons from Ninety.io’s Journey to $30 Million Revenue

1. Find Movements with No Technical DNA Abbott identified that EOS had 800+ coaches but “no engineering DNA” – a perfect opportunity for software. Look for coaching certifications, consulting methodologies, or business frameworks with large practitioner networks but no native technology.

2. Revenue Share Strategically While Vistage requires no revenue share (sponsor model), Exit Planning Institute gets 10-20% of customer revenue. Choose your model based on the value each partner brings.

3. Solve the Founder’s Dilemma Abbott’s key insight: “For a lot of us, there are times when we don’t love our companies.” By addressing this universal founder pain point, Ninety.io creates deep emotional resonance beyond just features.

4. Master the Fundamentals First Before adding AI or advanced features, Ninety.io spent years perfecting the basics: meetings, goals, KPIs, and accountability. This foundation made them indispensable to customers.

5. Prepare for the 9th Age of Work Abbott’s upcoming book “Work 9.0” positions Ninety.io at the forefront of workplace transformation. By thinking beyond current trends to future work paradigms, the company stays ahead of competitors.

The Bottom Line: Ninety.io Proves Movement-Based SaaS Can Generate $100M+ Exits

Mark Abbott transformed a personal frustration with company building into a $30 million revenue SaaS platform serving 13,300 companies. By identifying the EOS movement’s lack of software infrastructure and building exactly what coaches needed, Ninety.io achieved product-market fit from day one.

The company’s strategic expansion through coaching partnerships, focus on fundamental business operations, and forward-thinking AI development positions it for continued growth well beyond $30 million. For founders seeking to build significant SaaS companies, Ninety.io’s playbook offers a clear alternative to the traditional venture-backed path: find a movement, build their missing infrastructure, and scale through strategic partnerships.

At current growth rates and with AI-powered expansion ahead, Ninety.io appears positioned to reach $50-100 million in revenue within 2-3 years – making it a prime acquisition target or potential IPO candidate in the business operating system category.

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