About this episode
In 2013, Alex McClafferty co-founded WP Curve, a company that provided IT support for people with a WordPress site.
To read a transcript of this episode, click here.
In 2013, Alex McClafferty co-founded WP Curve, a company that provided IT support for people with a WordPress site.
McClafferty and his partner stitched together a network of contract support professionals in developing countries and quickly grew the company. They hired a few managers, and by the beginning of 2016, McClafferty was already looking for an exit.
He wrote his goal down on an index card that hung in his office:
- All-cash offer
- Sell to a 3rd party
He asked around about what his company might be worth and was disappointed by the initial estimates. Then internet giant GoDaddy approached McClafferty, indicating they wanted to grow their WordPress business and saw WP Curve as a perfect fit. In this episode you’ll discover:
- The quirky visualization trick McClafferty used to get his employees to provide support customers could understand
- “Outside In vs. Inside Out” thinking and how it can be the secret to winning the attention of a strategic acquirer
- What an “attached rate” is and why it’s important to buyers
- Two surprising reasons big companies buy little ones
- How to avoid falling victim to the fishing trick
- The biggest mistake first-time sellers make in dealing with corporate development professionals
- Why non-linear scale matters
The key to selling to GoDaddy was explaining how WP Curve would scale non-linearly. How about you? What’s the growth potential of your company? Evaluating your options for growing your sales is something we will dig in to together in Module 4 of The Value Builder System – get started by getting your Value Builder Score now.
About Our Guest
Alex McClafferty co-founded WP Curve and bootstrapped the company from $500 in monthly revenue to a 7 figure annual run rate in eighteen months. In 2016, WP Curve was acquired by GoDaddy, where Alex scaled the team and product. Today, Alex coaches entrepreneurs at Productize.co, travels for fun and loves life.