2019 Trends for Buying and Selling Online Businesses

Article Provided by: Empire Flippers; posted November 21st, 2019

At Empire Flippers, we are known for being the number one curated marketplace in the world. We also have a reputation for unparalleled transparency.

After completing hundreds of deals over the past several years, we opened our doors to share everything we’ve learned.

As our team grew from a handful of employees working out of an apartment to a company of more than 60+ people spanning the globe, we evolved our processes to increase efficiency and enhance our data collection and reporting. We went from tracking listings on spreadsheets to developing a software solution that will increase deal flow. 

And you know what? 

It’s working. 

We’re on track to sell more than 300 businesses in 2019 alone.

We take data seriously. This industry has a reputation for being shrouded in secrecy. We’ve read reports from other brokers, and found them lacking. Their numbers were inflated by the asking price, with no mention of what the business eventually sold for, how long it took, or the actual sales multiple.

We decided to take a different approach and share data from real-world completed transactions.

We’re proud to announce that we created a 2019 State of the Industry Report. It contains our actual historical figures, an analysis of the industry, and predictions of where the industry is headed in the coming years.

We created this for both sellers and buyers. 

We believe sellers should understand which types of businesses command the highest multiples to make sure they are maximizing their profits on an exit. We want buyers to be familiar with industry trends so they can spot good deals and create success with their next acquisition.

Consider this a road map for your entrepreneurial and digital investing career. Our State of the Industry Report includes information about the actual sales details, along with the average selling price and multiples. We also share how many days they were on our marketplace, including a comparison of 2018 metrics to figures from 2017. The comparison reveals how things have changed in the past couple of years.

This isn’t just a handful of deals. We’ve analyzed hundreds of transactions⁠—472 to be exact

We include an in-depth analysis of 14 types of business models and identify the opportunities buyers have to maximize profits after the acquisition. The report covers risks both buyers and sellers need to be aware of as well, so they can avoid the common pitfalls.

While every business model is different, we’ve identified three universal levers you can pull that enhance the value of any enterprise: branding, diversifying traffic channels, and diversify revenue.

Whether you are buying a business and want to grow it, or you want to sell your business for maximum value, you’ll discover the lowest hanging fruit so you can achieve that goal.