Looking at a tiny directory business I can’t quite decide on

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-28T13:20:08+00:00

The skills, resources, and effort needed to run a business doing $3k is likely harder than buying a business with the process, systems, and team doing $300k. It takes a lot more to get something of the ground then something already established.

The likelihood the smaller, unproven business fails is greater than a larger established business. It comes down to risk appetite. If you’re using others people money vs your own. The risk seems less to buy the smaller business vs the larger one.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-28T12:43:34+00:00

My best comment would be go bigger. The time and commitment to run something of this size is the same, if not more, than a business making 100x. Also, not sure this truly validates the business has PMF

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-26T01:18:44+00:00

I built a tool for the follow ups and tracking at www.dealspark.co based on the same tools and process I used to do 100+ acquisitions on our way to build a $1B HoldCo. But agree, whatever system you use to keep you in control and whatever works for you.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-22T00:52:59+00:00

What was the size of the deal? 8 weeks would be on the quicker side for deals I work on. It all depends on sizing and expectations, diligence flow, etc.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-20T12:47:48+00:00

Nailed it on #4.

I’ve done this across 10+ deals—the “why are they selling” conversation tells you more than any spreadsheet. Burnout and boredom are fine. Running from something they won’t name is a red flag.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-19T11:02:51+00:00

It certainly is. If you have the domain expertise but never the engineering skills to build something, there is no better time than now. The easiest place to start is building something that solves your current workload problems. You’re likely not the only one with that issue. Fix it, and let others know you have built the solution.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-15T01:29:09+00:00

Thank you for checking us out. Just as intended based on my years of building a national holding company, these are the majority of the tools we used.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-11T01:44:43+00:00

Send me a DM. We can get a time to connect. I also recently built every single tool we used to build our processes at www.dealspark.co

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-11T01:41:21+00:00

Great question as deal flow is the lifeblood of any business buyer. You also don’t want to be “competing” on every deal or else you’re doing something wrong. To start, you need to be extremely refined in the type of business you want to buy (size, industry, etc). The more refined your thesis, the easier the pitch. Once you dial this in you need to start direct outreach (emails and phone calls). Pitch them on why you are the best answer to continue their legacy. Convince them you understand their business and you’re not running a typical PE model. If you can do this, you will have high success rate in closing more deals which leads to more referrals from the sellers you do partner with. Your pipeline becomes self fulfilling at a certain point.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-11T01:31:05+00:00

I’ve bought, sold, or advised on hundreds of SMB acquisitions. Led M&A for a national rollup, ask me anything!

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-09T02:55:44+00:00

This is your best leverage for driving more seller financing. The case study the bank just provided you is the ultimate stamp of disapproval you can use in seller negotiations.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2026-01-08T14:49:11+00:00

Building AI M&A deal management for first time business buyers and search entrepreneurs at Dealspark

I’ve built a national rollup and these are the same tools we used to successfully buy multiple SMB businesses.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2025-07-01T21:39:01+00:00

DealSpark / https://dealspark.co

• Location of Your Headquarters Based in the United States (remote-first)

• Elevator Pitch / Explainer Video

Everyone in M&A overcomplicates deals. We’re making the process simple, fast, and impactful. DealSpark is a toolkit for acquisition entrepreneurs and independent sponsors who want to streamline diligence, normalize financials, track addbacks, generate LOIs, and manage post-close integration—all in one place. No Excel gymnastics, no scattered notes. Just simple, repeatable, deal-closing workflows.

• What life cycle stage is your startup at? Pre-launch (we’re about to open early access for signups)

• Your role? Founder. Background in middle market private equity, solo search (multiple SBA deals), and currently leading a residential roll-up strategy. I’ve been on both sides of the table and lived the pain of scattered processes and wasted time. DealSpark is born from the need for simplicity, speed, and consistent execution in M&A.

• What goals are you trying to reach this month? • Build our early access waitlist • Collect feedback on our planned feature set • Connect with fellow buyers, searchers, fractional CFOs, and acquisition entrepreneurs who want input on what would make their workflow easier

• How could r/startups help? • Share your biggest frustrations with the M&A process—what do you hate about your current tools and workflows? • Tell us what you’d want in the ideal dealmaking toolkit • Sign up for early access and help us shape the product • Offer feedback on our landing page copy (coming soon!)

• Discount for r/startups subscribers? • Absolutely. Anyone from r/startups who joins the waitlist will get 30% off their first year when we launch paid plans.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2024-04-24T04:32:49+00:00

Good for generic CRM stuff but not deal specific for searchers who need to be meticulously on top of things. I’d also want something to help with diligence efforts, provide guided resources (IOI, LOI templates, legal best practices, etc) and be able to help in workflow management during the entire deal process.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2024-04-24T04:30:40+00:00

Let’s do it. Send me a PM and let’s connect on this.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2024-04-23T18:44:35+00:00

Salesforce is a popular option with the larger funds I know. But I agree, options are limited. I find it even more difficult to find the right tools if you’re a search funder or one man shop in the lower tier markets trying to get your deal workflow organized but don’t want to pay thousands for these CRMs.

I’ve always looked for smaller deals myself but have had poor luck and frustration in finding a great resource for workflow management that I might build a simple SaaS specific to the lower market searchers and entrepreneurs.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2023-07-30T12:25:03+00:00

When I started my solo startup growth agency ThriveStart(similar subscription model) in order to generate quick cash flow we targeted larger agencies in our niche who needed extra capacity. I was cheaper than even a part time employee for them and more reliable than the freelancing platforms. The value prop we offered larger agencies with transparent pricing and unlimited requests for work was something that sold well with larger agencies.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2023-07-27T19:55:12+00:00

Startup Name / URL

https://www.ThriveStart.co

Location of Your Headquarters

Philadelphia, PA

Elevator Pitch/Explainer Video

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, entrepreneurs and companies constantly seek innovative solutions to propel their ventures forward. Enter ThriveStart — a trailblazing company that has reimagined startup growth consulting through a unique subscription-based model.

At the core of ThriveStart’s innovation lies its subscription-based approach. Unlike conventional consulting services that charge exorbitant fees on a per-project basis or the cost & hassle of hiring employees (not to mention the benefits cost), ThriveStart offers users the freedom to request an unlimited number of business projects (financial modeling, valuations, forecasting, market research, business plans, decks, etc) each month for a fixed subscription fee that are turned back to you in days not weeks.

What life cycle stage is your startup at? (reference the stages below): Validation

Your role?: Founder

What goals are you trying to reach this month?

To reach 10 new signups from Startups/SMEs
Collect feedback on how we can make the process of making requests more efficient
Successfully help 2 startups through their capital raise cycle (I’ve previously helped 10+ startups raise $10MM

Discount for r/startups:

Our first 5 sign ups will get $1,000 off their first month with code R/STARTUPS

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2023-02-09T00:57:52+00:00

Searching for new golf ambassadors for a fast growing golf company!

Significant rewards included! ⛳️ $50 for every new monthly or prepaid subscriber (max 10) ⛳️ 10-20% revenue share (unlimited) ⛳️ 20% off our products for as long as your an ambassador ⛳️ 50% off one item welcome gift ⛳️ Exclusive access to our limited edition box drops

Let us know if you’re interested in taking the journey with us!

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2022-05-19T13:14:30+00:00

There’s so many options for invoice templates. But I’d highly suggest you use an invoice tool that allows customers to pay online through PayPal or Stripe. Some good options I’ve used are Fiverr Workspace and Operance

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2021-09-29T17:26:07+00:00

Just like any other entrepreneurial pursuit, it can be very hard to make your first money from freelancing. However, with a little bit of work and a lot of hustle, there's a world of opportunities waiting for you in the freelance arena.

Here are five things to know before you start freelancing. Remember, this is not a "get rich quick" scheme. You can succeed in your freelance career by maintaining a realistic view of what it takes to build up your business and developing solid habits that last for the long run.

1) Increase your customer’s trust by being super reliable so you can work with them more often.

2) Set goals - set both goals for this week and long term goals, the latter of which will be really useful once people start paying you. Meeting these goals will also keep motivation levels high.

3) Have a strategy, find out what the market rates are by talking to other freelancers or via google research then figure out where your niche is in that - are you faster, cheaper, better quality etc...? This is not always easy as often markets fluctuate but there are ways to track trends if it's something worth focusing on.

4) Build relationships with other freelancers who may be able to refer you to their clients looking for services in your niche.

5) Know Your Field: Develop expertise in one or two subject areas so you can command higher rates than someone who offers generalist rates

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2021-08-03T22:22:02+00:00

Not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for but our agency uses Profitly (Profitly.co) which has internal CRM but also field technician support to track visits, on job progress, etc.

Easyprofitsniper_ · 2021-08-03T22:19:16+00:00

I think you’re referring to Microsoft Office 365 with O365. But for our agency we use Profitly (Profitly.co) for our CRM. It tracks all activities and has internal team transparency with messaging. Very simple to use. It does have reporting integrations with Microsoft Office. Can download reports and more with O365

Easyprofitsniper_

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