Skip the Bootstrap Struggle: Why Buying Your Next Online Business Might Actually Make Sense
Smart founders aren’t building anymore. They’re buying because speed and profits matter.
Ever been stuck in indie hacker limbo? You’ve got skills, you’ve got ideas, maybe even a half-built MVP or two rotting in your GitHub like forgotten leftovers. But time? Focus? Energy to market and scale? Nada.
So here’s a radical thought: instead of building another project from scratch, why not buy one that’s already working?
Let me back this up with something real.
Back in 2019 I bought 1kprojects from a fellow builder. At the time, it had around 800 users. Even though I run a software development studio, our team didn’t have the bandwidth to build what I wanted. So, I bought something that already had traction, rebranded it, and improved the site.
Six months later, I had 10,000 users. Done.
Here’s what moved the needle:
- I started by A/B testing landing pages and fine-tuning our email templates – this alone gave a healthy boost to subscriber and new user registrations.
- The original site was a prototype. We built a custom marketplace, rebranded everything under Indiemaker, and launched properly. That shift is what lit the fire.
No guesswork. No market fit agony. No growth from zero. Just momentum.
Here’s why buying beats building for a lot of solo founders:
1. You’re Buying Time (and a Network)
Networking sucks when you’re heads-down in code. Buying a business skips the schmoozing and gets you instant access to an ecosystem – affiliates, suppliers, customers, maybe even a Slack group or two. Sellers often hand over key intros like they’re passing down family heirlooms.
2. Financing Is Easier Than You Think
Bootstrapping is noble, but sometimes, using other people’s money is smarter. Banks and investors are more likely to finance a business with a proven revenue history than your half-baked Notion doc with "world-changing MVP" in the title.
Buying an established asset can provide you with funding that bootstrapping cannot.
3. Product-Market Fit Is Already Solved
This is huge. Most projects fail to find their PMF. But when you buy something already making sales, you skip the existential dread and jump straight to optimisation. You’re not guessing – you’re iterating.
4. You Lower the Risk
Starting from zero means every piece of the puzzle is an unknown. Buying means most of the answers are already on the table:
- What the market wants
- What they’re willing to pay
- What the churn rate is
It’s not zero-risk, but it’s lower-risk and way faster to validate.
5. You Get a Head Start
Imagine house hunting: would you rather design your dream home from scratch, or move into something solid and start making it yours?
Buying a business is the same. You don’t get stuck in the build trap – you get to operate.
Yeah, but isn’t buying risky?
Sure, if you don’t do your homework. That’s why platforms like Indiemaker exist – to give you listings, tools, and guidance to avoid getting screwed.
Due diligence isn’t optional – it’s your safety net.
Make the Move
Whether you’re tired of half-built side projects or want to fast-track growth, buying an online business isn’t selling out – it’s buying in smarter. Look at what’s already working. Jump in. Iterate. Scale.
And if you’re still building in 2025 without checking the Indie listings first? You’re doing it wrong.
If you’ve already made a buy, drop into the Indiemaker community and share your war stories.
We want the blood, the sweat, and the revenue graphs.