Buying an Online Business

Start with a clear acquisition mandate, then use marketplace data as evidence—not as a substitute for verification.

Core guide

A disciplined acquisition process from mandate to transfer.

Diligence

Verify financial, traffic, customer, operational and legal claims.

Decision

Compare time, risk, capital, control and operating fit.

SaaS

Evaluate recurring revenue, churn, code, customers and owner dependence.

Ecommerce

Inspect margins, inventory, suppliers, paid media and concentration.

Content

Assess traffic durability, revenue model, content quality and link risk.

Apps

Review platform dependence, code quality, retention and revenue model.

Seller questions

A practical seller interview list that reveals assumptions and risks.

Traffic

Validate channel quality, concentration and analytics evidence.

SaaS diligence

A deeper review of MRR quality, churn, cohorts, code and contracts.

Ecommerce diligence

Check contribution margin, inventory, suppliers, returns and ad efficiency.