426: My $550k Side Hustle: An Online Business from Idea to Exit
Jan 7, 2021
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Learn how the host started, grew, and sold a profitable online business generating over $550k in revenue. Discover insights on traffic generation, affiliate relationships, self-publishing, and the value of early movers in the industry.
Building a successful online business requires long-term vision and patience, as seen in Nick Loper's journey of running and selling Virtual Assistant Assistant for over 9 years.
Identifying and addressing pain points in a niche market is crucial for creating a successful business, as demonstrated by Nick's approach of solving his own challenges with Virtual Assistant Assistant.
Deep dives
The Importance of Patience and Long-Term Vision
The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of patience and having a long-term vision when building and selling an online business. Nick Loper shares his experience of running virtualassistantassistant.com for nine and a half years before deciding to sell it. This highlights the need to think long-term and stay committed to a side hustle, even during challenging times.
Identifying and Addressing Pain Points
The episode highlights the significance of identifying and addressing pain points in a business or industry. Nick explains how he scratched his own itch by creating Virtual Assistant Assistant to address the challenges he faced when hiring virtual assistants. This demonstrates the importance of finding a niche and offering a solution to a problem that resonates with others.
Diversifying Income Streams
The podcast episode emphasizes the value of diversifying income streams as a way to gain financial flexibility and options. Nick discusses how having multiple side projects and businesses allowed him to sell Virtual Assistant Assistant without jeopardizing his overall income. This highlights the benefits of having multiple sources of revenue to provide stability and freedom.
The Process of Buying and Selling an Online Business
The episode provides insights into the process of buying and selling an online business. Mika shares her experience as the new owner of Virtual Assistant Assistant, highlighting the importance of working with a reputable broker like Onfolio. The episode also touches on the value of due diligence, maintaining records, and navigating negotiations during the buying and selling process.
It wasn't a 7-figure, never-work-again type of exit, but when the funds were deposited, it was the largest single amount ever to hit one of my accounts.
Over the course of 9 and a half years of running Virtual Assistant Assistant--including the proceeds from the sale--the site generated over $550,000 in revenue.
This is the story of how I started, grew, and sold a very part-time online business.