Acquiring Minds Small SDE, Big Upside: Buying a Business with 5 Employees
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Oct 21, 2024 Christiana Laugen, a former tech professional, shares her daring leap into entrepreneurship by acquiring a 40-year-old pool maintenance business. She delves into her motivations for leaving the corporate world, emphasizing her desire to 'eat what she kills.' Christiana discusses the rapid changes she made, including restructuring her team and enhancing operational efficiency through technology. She also highlights the unique challenges of commercial versus residential services and the exciting potential for growth in what many consider 'boring businesses.'
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Career Path
- Kristiana Laugen's career started in consulting, then transitioned to startups like ZocDoc and Homebell.
- She led Homebell's US expansion, but it unfortunately ended in bankruptcy after nine months.
Finding Product-Market Fit
- After Homebell's failure, Kristiana sought a company with proven product-market fit, joining Handy Technologies.
- At Handy, she managed partnerships with major retailers like Wayfair and Walmart, focusing on service fulfillment.
Homebell vs. Handy
- Homebell, aiming to generate demand for home services and connect customers with contractors, ultimately failed.
- Handy, using a similar model for smaller tasks, succeeded due to tighter scoping, predictable pricing, and simpler services.