5 (Sobering) Lessons from the Sales of Hammocks.com
December 22, 2017 |
Want to increase the value of your business by up to 71%?
Take the 13-minute survey and get your Value Builder Score
About this episode
Subscribe:
David Fairley estimates he has sold more than 20 online properties but admits it was the sale of Hammocks.com—one of his first exits—that taught him the most.
Fairley had grown Hammocks.com into a seven-figure website with a pre-tax profit of more than $300,000 when he decided to put it up for sale. He received a “low seven-figure” offer and agreed to meet with the buyer.
That’s about when things started to unravel.
The buyer questioned Fairley’s bookkeeping and dropped their price to around $700,000. Exhausted, Fairley felt cornered and decided the only thing he could do was to accept the lower price.
In this cautionary episode, you’ll learn:
- How acquirers use an opening offer to bait sellers into a conversation
- How sloppy bookkeeping can derail a deal
- The dangers of over-valuing your business
- The worst time to sell your business
- The tell-tale sign that an earn-out contract will never be paid
Are You Tired of Always Carrying Your Company?
One of the reason Fairley agreed to a lower acquisition price was that he was exhausted by the weight of single-handedly running a seven-figure business. Is your business too dependent on you? If so complete the Value Builder questionnaire to identify some quick ways to free up more of your time.
Our guest
David is a serial Internet entrepreneur who started a hammock importing business back in the early nineties which he expanded online, establishing an early internet presence that eventually became Hammocks.com. After selling this company, David went on to personally develop, buy and sell over 60 website businesses in multiple niches and of various business models including strollers.com and unicorns.com.
David started WebsiteProperties.com as the first online business brokerage that specializes in selling established and profitable Internet based businesses. For over 12 years, he has helped over 500 internet entrepreneurs successfully sell their business.
Related to this topic
Lessons from Home Depot’s Acquisition of a $100 Million Juggernaut Blinds.com
Jay Steinfeld started selling blinds online in 1993. The e-commerce pioneer went on to build Blinds.com into a $100 million category killer before Home Depot decided enough was enough and made Steinfeld an offer he couldn’t refuse.
How a Simple Strategy Led to a 35% Higher Valuation for Conversio
In 2014, Adii Pienaar started an email marketing platform for retailers, which became Conversio. By 2019, Pienaar had $2 million in revenue and 14 employees.
How to Get Negotiating Leverage When You’re Desperate
Chris Muench started C-Labs in 2008 to go after the burgeoning opportunities presented by the Internet-of-Things (IOT).
How Much Are Your Employees Worth To An Acquirer?
Impact LABS had no hard assets and little intellectual property, so why would ContextLabs want to acquire them for millions?
Bitcoin – The Investor vs. The Acquirer
Back in 2013, Dave Ripley became fascinated with Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency market was gaining notoriety and Ripley and a friend decided to start Glidera, a company focused on creating tools to help developers integrate cryptocurrency.
From Food Stamps To A Seven-figure Exit
While Michael Pedone survived off of food stamps as a kid, he dreamed of living a lifestyle where money wasn’t scarce. Fast-forward a few decades, and Pedone sold his first company for $1.2MM.
In this episode, Stephan Spencer details three strategies he pursued to withdraw from his business’s day-to-day operations. By 2010, he was able to take a six-month sabbatical which ultimately lead to a sale in 2010 with only a six-month earnout.
The Atheist Bible Salesman Who Sold His Company for 5X Revenue
Trevor McKendrick had created the best-selling Spanish-language Bible app when he was approached about an acquisition. The offer was 3.5x revenue but Trevor got them to 5x with a combination of chutzpah and a knack for reading the fine print.
A strategic acquisition is a different animal. The strategic acquirer will place a value based on how much more of their product they can sell, which is exactly what Business Objects did when they bought Next Action Technologies, for 8X revenue.
The Philosophy of Building to Sell
Dan Faggella started Science of Skill, an e-commerce website selling self-defense videos and paraphernalia, in 2013. His goal was to sell the business as soon as possible, and he started soliciting offers just 14 months later.
Derek Sivers sold CD Baby for $22 million dollars and decided to do something interesting with the money.