Episode 672 | Bootstrapping, Building, Buying, and Selling SaaS Companies

In episode 672, Rob Walling speaks with Jon Hainstock, M&A advisor at Quiet Light and previously ZoomShift. They discuss Jon’s bootstrapper journey, his exit from ZoomShift, the benefits of buying versus building, and how he helps other founders sell their businesses at Quiet Light. To wrap up, Jon exposes some common pitfalls to avoid when buying businesses.

Topics we cover: 

• 2:17 – Timeline of building and selling ZoomShift
• 6:07 – Deciding to sell ZoomShift
• 11:06 – Jumping into a new project immediately after exit
• 17:16 – Acquiring small assets
• 19:16 – Picking Quiet Light Brokerage over smaller acquisitions
• 26:23 – “Broker” vs. “Advisor”
• 30:26 – What to avoid when buying a business

Links from the Show: 

• The Exit Event
• Jon Hainstock (@jonhainstock) | Twitter
• Quiet Light (@quietlightinc) | Twitter
• ZoomShift
• ChatterDocs.ai
• Quiet Light
• Finish Big by Bo Burlingham
• Acquire.com, formerly MicroAcquire
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Quiet Light Podcast

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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