Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business 261 - Best of 2025! How 1 Premium Domain Name Unlocked $100+ Million in Revenue with Jesse Tinsley
Dec 16, 2025
Jesse Tinsley, a savvy entrepreneur known for transforming his recruiting consultancy into a bootstrapped holding company, shares insights on aggressive business strategies. He discusses how he capitalized on a market downturn to acquire multiple companies and the importance of premium domain names in elevating brand credibility. Jesse reveals creative financing methods like paper LBOs that enable zero-cash acquisitions, and forecasts promising opportunities in local SMB roll-ups, particularly in infrastructure and construction sectors.
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Big Domain Buy Fueled Rapid Growth
- Jesse describes buying employer.com for $9.2M and growing to a quarter‑billion valuation.
- He says the company now projects well north of $100M revenue after rolling services into SaaS.
From Consultancy To Multi‑Product HR Platform
- Jesse recounts starting JobMobs as a consultancy and expanding into multiple HR products.
- He explains acquisitions like a VMS (Bounding Jobs) and building employer.com as part of the suite.
Play Offense In A Downturn
- Sit on cash when you see a market inflection and use downturns to play offense.
- Jesse executed acquisitions during the 2022–23 downturn while competitors played defense.