Episode 70: Make Your Online Business Easier to Sell, with David Fairley

David Fairley is the Founder and President of Website Properties.

After graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce and Major in Marketing, he traveled extensively through parts of Southeast Asia, South Pacific, and Central America. It was during his travels that he made various contacts and connections that would lead him to start his first entrepreneurial venture. He created a business importing hammocks and selling a wide variety of styles via mail order, trade shows, and wholesale. Soon thereafter, he expanded operations establishing an online presence that eventually became Hammocks.com and would later be sold to the billion dollar company, Hayneedle.com.

Over the next six years, David personally developed, bought and sold Strollers.com, Drums.com, Unicorns.com and over 60 website businesses in multiple niches and of various business models.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Four things that make an online company compelling to a potential buyer
• Building your business so it’s easier to sell
• Creating a business with more resilience in regards to marketing
• Reasons why developing and establishing a brand will add more value
• Making your business more diverse and attractive to prospective buyers
• Being aware of your abilities and skill sets—including your level as an entrepreneur
• Defining your commitment and understanding the elements that are required
• Five hot trends in the market for selling companies these days
• Differences between selling an online business versus a brick-and-mortar business
• Sticking with what you know and focusing on your strengths within your niche
• Refining your processes and being very clear about what you’re good at
• Finding what works and improving upon that—the 80/20 rule
• Running toward your fear and trusting yourself to make mistakes     

Ways to contact David:

• Website: websiteproperties.com
• Email: [e-mail]
• Twitter: @WebsiteProp
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Websitepropertiesllc
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/davidkfairley