You don’t need a good idea to own a profitable online business.
You’ve got the entrepreneurial itch, but you’ve never had that one original idea. You’re not ready to walk away from your full-time job either.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need a great idea to own a profitable online business, and you don’t need to quit your job to run one. You can just acquire one instead.
Welcome to entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), the strategy that sits at the intersection of investing and entrepreneurship: you put capital to work like an investor, then run what you buy like an owner. Acquiringpreneur shows you exactly how to get there.
The path
Four steps, in order: discover ETA, find a business, finance it and close it.
ETA 101
The basics for aspiring searchers: what ETA is, search funds vs. self-funded search, and why owners of profitable online businesses actually sell.
2Finding an Online Business to Buy
Where online businesses actually get listed, how to work marketplaces and brokers, and how the popular online business brokers compare.
3Financing an Acquisition
SBA loans, seller financing, no-money-down realities, and what deals actually cost by size.
4Due Diligence, Negotiation & Deal Structuring
Quality of earnings, negotiating price and terms, letters of intent, and what changes between signing and closing.
Resources
Not steps in the process — operating knowledge, real searcher stories and long-form deep dives worth reading whenever you need them.
Business Education
The operating knowledge a solopreneur owner needs: online business models explained, and how to read the financials of the business you're about to run.
Real Acquisition Stories
Real searchers and their real deals, drawn from acquisition podcasts, with the specific lessons a buyer should take from each one.
Business Model Deep Dives
Long-form breakdowns of each online business model using real public-company financials, translated for a business a hundredth their size.
ETA Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the acquisition and financing terms used throughout the site, from SDE and EBITDA to seller notes and take rate.
Latest articles
What Is ETA, and What It Isn't
ETA means buying an existing, profitable business instead of starting one from scratch. Here's what that actually involves, how it sits between investing and entrepreneurship, and why it's not a shortcut to getting rich.
Why Do Owners Sell a Profitable Online Business? The Real Reasons Sellers Exit
If the business is making money, why would anyone sell it? Here's what actually drives owners to exit, and how to tell a healthy reason from a warning sign.
Search Fund vs. Self-Funded Search: Which Path Fits You?
The two dominant models for buying a business as an individual searcher, and how to tell which one matches your runway and risk tolerance.
How Much Money Do You Actually Need to Start a Search?
A realistic breakdown of search-phase costs for a self-funded searcher, before you spend a dollar on the acquisition itself.
Is Buying a Business Actually Safer Than Starting One? What the Data Says
A clear-eyed look at whether acquiring an existing business really is lower-risk than starting from scratch, and where the real risks actually sit.
SBA 7(a) Loans for Buying an Online Business: A Walkthrough
What lenders actually look for in an acquisition loan, and how financing an asset-light online business differs from a brick-and-mortar deal.