Acquire Blog

At 24, Will Giess was still early in his software journey. He had only recently begun turning more of his ideas into software products. One of those early products would go on to change the direction of his work. That product was Knock, a MacBook app that let users trigger actions on their computers with a simple tap. The unusual idea found an audience and became proof that Will could build something people were willing to pay for.

Jake Moshel had been trying to make money online since middle school, experimenting with e-commerce, sales, and other small projects. At 14, one idea stood out from everything he had tried before: custom phone cases made specifically for mountain bikers. That idea became Apexsendco. The niche was unusually specific, but it was also one Jake understood firsthand.

If you are preparing to sell your business, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is waiting until due diligence to organize your documents. A data room is simply a secure place where your business information is organized and shared with buyers throughout a transaction, and the sellers who set one up early are the ones who attract serious buyers and move through diligence efficiently. Getting organized early is a core part of any good business exit strategy.

Buying or selling a business in 2026 means navigating a market that has changed significantly from the deal environment of just a few years ago. Multiples have normalized, profitability carries more weight, buyers are scrutinizing risk more closely, and AI is reshaping both how businesses operate and how they are evaluated. In this webinar, Acquire.com Founder and CEO Andrew Gazdecki and M&A Advisor Rainier Nanquil break down what they are seeing across today's acquisition market.

You've listed your business for sale on Acquire.com and within a few weeks, your inbox has filled to the brim with buyer requests for more information. You've responded to a promising buyer, completed an NDA, and they've sent your first letter of intent (LOI). But wait. As you review the terms of the LOI, you notice something called an exclusivity clause.

A seller holdback is when the buyer withholds part of the purchase price - usually 5-20%, held in escrow for 12-24 months - until the acquired business meets agreed post-closing conditions. It acts like an insurance policy, giving the buyer a ready pool of funds to draw from instead of suing the seller if problems emerge after closing. The most common type is an indemnity holdback, covering breaches of the seller's representations, warranties, or covenants.

Due diligence exists to confirm a SaaS startup is worth its asking price and that nothing nasty surfaces after closing. Most red flags are fixable if you catch them early; they cost you leverage, time, or purchase price rather than the whole deal. The classic signals still matter: a difficult founder, unverifiable financials, an unhappy team or customers, and non-transferable contracts.

Selling a business isn't just about finding a buyer. Founders also need to decide how they'll navigate the sale itself. Should they hire a traditional broker, use an online marketplace, or choose a hybrid model that combines marketplace reach with hands-on advisory? In this webinar, Acquire.com Founder and CEO Andrew Gazdecki and M&A Advisor Rainier Nanquil break down the strengths and trade-offs of each approach.

I'm proud to share that Acquire.com has been named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, ranking #1,348 overall. This is our second consecutive year on the list, making the recognition especially meaningful for our team. The Inc. 5000 recognizes private companies that have achieved exceptional revenue growth over the previous three years. For Acquire.com, being named again is more than another company milestone.

Newton Zheng did not build Epropel with a sale in mind. What started as a side hustle gradually became a real SEO agency, serving local businesses, ecommerce brands, and regulated industries where paid ads were often not an option. Over time, Epropel built recurring revenue, kept long-term clients, and grew a distributed team across North America and the Philippines. The business had become established, profitable, and still capable of further growth. That is what made the next decision matter.