Startup Acquisition Stories Why Selling a Profitable Startup Was The Best Move
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Aug 18, 2025 In this episode, JJ Englert, the founder of Trade Backlinks—an innovative SEO marketplace—talks about his journey from startup success to a profitable exit. He discusses the importance of early preparation for sale and how a loss of passion can signal it's time to move on. JJ shares insights into streamlining communication with buyers on Acquire.com and highlights three key lessons: trust through preparation, the impact of passion on performance, and the right platforms connecting sellers with serious buyers quickly.
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From DM Trades To Autonomous Outreach
- JJ started Trade Backlinks by DMing friends and trading links between his own domains as a pilot for a marketplace idea.
- He then automated outreach and collaboration, turning the manual swap into a daily autonomous process.
No-Code + APIs Built The Product
- JJ built Trade Backlinks mostly with Bubble and stitched many APIs like Ahrefs, email finders, and OpenAI models.
- He assembled the stack over nights and weekends, leveraging no-code skills to move fast.
Used Own Sites As First Customers
- JJ used his own domains (No Code Alliance, his podcast) as the first users to validate results and generate outreach replies.
- Consistent small outreach (1–5 per day) produced responses and real opportunities over time.