The Business Inquirer #074
The Business Inquirer #074
In this week's issue, I highlight five listings including a social media listening tool, a lead gen agency, and more.
The Business Inquirer covers the most interesting tech-enabled business acquisition opportunities. Written for entrepreneurs, search funds, investors, and business owners. It’s completely free and you’re guaranteed to learn something new.
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Hello Friends!
Which newsletter is more interesting and relevant for you?
In this week’s issue:
🛒 eCommerce - 0 listings
☁ SaaS - 3 listings
🕸 Content/Service/Other - 2 listings
🛠 Tools & Resources
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🛒 eCommerce
☁ SaaS
Social Media Listening - $8,000
For sale is Mention List which is a SaaS that tracks Reddit and Twitter mentions for any keyword or phrase in real-time. Can be used to gain customers, brand tracking, competitive research, and more.
No detail at all in the listing;
✅ What I Like
This product caught my eye because it’s actually something I would use. I see a lot of use cases here. Here’s a quote from the Tiny Acquisitions team:
A couple weeks ago I saw a project that was launched on Product Hunt called Howitzer Reddit Outreach. They received over 1,000 upvotes and ended up earning #1 product of the day. Guess what... Mention List does the same thing, but for Twitter also!
Make Mention List's pricing competitive and you could take over Howitzer!
❓ Questions & Concerns
There’s no detail in this listing whatsoever. Could just be a pretty website with no actual product behind it. They joined Twitter in Jan 2022 so this project could be just 4-months old with no customers or revenue.
You can view the listing on Tiny Acquisitions.
————
Outsourced Live Chat - $2.6M
For sale is a 9-year-old outsourced lead generation live chat platform. They provide human-powered live chat with a focus on lead capture.
Competitors: ApexChat
Based in Australia;
Monetized by a setup fee, monthly access fee, and per lead fee;
TTM Revenue: $1.4M; Profit: $655k; Margin: 47%
Asking: $2.6M; Multiple: 3.97x
✅ What I Like
An interesting business with a lot of operating history. Claims that past clients have increased website conversions by 300-600%. Good margins. Valuation isn’t crazy.
❓ Questions & Concerns
Looks like a very hands-on business. Who are the clients? What’s the benefit of having a human vs. AI-powered chat? I have to imagine that this business is being impacted by AI and other innovations in the chatbot space. Who does the hiring and training of the operators?
You can view the listing on MicroAcquire.
————
Social Marketing Links - $20k
For sale is 2-year-old InstaLinks which is a social marketing tool. It allows creators to place a URL in their social media profiles to showcase their content and promotions.
Competitors: Linktree
< 100 paying customers; Priced at $87/yr;
~900 social media followers
MRR: $816; Profit: $612
NTM Est. Revenue: $9.8k; Profit: $7.3k; Margin: 75%;
Asking: $20k; Multiple: 2.72x (Est)
✅ What I Like
Clearly defined target audience of influencers and creators. Some traction. Minimal time is required to simply keep the business running. A large competitor to learn from. Could be a good project for someone just starting out.
❓ Questions & Concerns
Young project. Will take a lot of time, effort, and money to accelerate growth.
You can view this listing on AcquireBase.
🕸 Content/Service/Other
B2B Lead Gen Agency - $858k
For sale is 6-year-old Art of Sales Academy which is a B2B lead generation agency. They provide LinkedIn and email outbound B2B lead generation. Detailed listing that offers a good look into ops of a lead gen business.
20k followers on social media; 4k e-mail subs;
Based in Miami but everything is done remote;
TTM Revenue: $924k; Profit: $390k; Margin: 42%;
Asking: $858k; Multiple: 2.20x
✅ What I Like
I’m highlighting this listing because there’s a good amount of detail in the supporting documentation. I thought it was an interesting read. You can access the Google Doc here. I think this could be a good acquisition for someone who is already in this space. Not for a beginner.
❓ Questions & Concerns
This is a hands-on business. Very competitive space. High client churn. Looking at the website, the business owner is all over it so there’s clearly a key-man risk. No guarantee current employees will stay with the business. I’m personally skeptical of any “agency” type business as I think a high proportion of them are scams and overpromise and underdeliver (sorry, but true).
You can view the listing on BizBuySell.
View the Google Doc with details here.
— — — —
Designjoy - Open to Offers
I’ve discussed Designjoy in previous newsletters. Great business. Looks like Brett has bumped against the limitation of a one-person business.
🛠 Tools & Resources
These are tools & resources that I personally use. They may contain affiliate links so I’ll get a few shekels if you sign-up.
Cerebro Capital - Cerebro has a network of 1,500+ lenders who can provide debt financing for your acquisition, refi, etc. $500k minimum.
X5 Deals - Proprietary deal sourcing. They do the outreach and send you relevant, actionable deals directly into your inbox.
Curators - Proprietary deal sourcing. You need targets that fit your investment criteria, and Curators delivers week after week - we even update your personalized database on a daily basis with new information on best-fit targets.
BizNexus - Proprietary deal flow, deal aggregator, and exit prep.
PrivSource - Deal aggregator for lower and middle-market listings.
ProjectionHub - Access to 50+ CPA-developed financial projection templates. 25% discount using code “duedilio” at checkout.
Logology - Best automated logo & brand identity tool I’ve come across.
DeepBench - Access a cutting-edge expert network. $200 discount.
OpenPhone - The best business phone solution that I have found. $20 credit.
Eloquens - Knowledge marketplace. I’ve bought a few guides and templates here.
Deal Flow Scout - Peer-to-peer deal flow exchange. Free, open, transparent.
Deal Sourcing Guide - A directory I put together of online marketplaces, brokers, DFY deal flow, and more.
That’s all for this issue of The Business Inquirer!
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Important Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for informational & educational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. This newsletter may link to other websites and certain information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, it has not been independently verified. The Business Inquirer makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. References to any companies, securities, or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any business, tax, or investment decisions. Content in this newsletter speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.