Jared Johnson sits down with Andy Allaway, CEO of Empire Flippers, one of the largest marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. Andy shares how the company built a global platform that lists only 5 percent of submitted businesses, vets every seller, verifies every buyer, and has facilitated thousands of acquisitions ranging from high five figure deals to eight figure exits.

Andy explains why the online business market has matured significantly in the last decade, how valuation expectations shifted after the zero interest rate era, and why today’s buyers are far more sophisticated in due diligence. He breaks down Empire Flippers' internal valuation methodology, their strict criteria for accepting a listing, and how their engineering and sales teams use technology and human oversight to efficiently match buyers to opportunities.

Jared and Andy walk through what is actually happening behind the scenes of a digital marketplace. They discuss creative deal structures, the rise of SBA financing for online businesses, the normalization of quality of earnings reports, buyer behavior trends, the impact of AI on different business models, and why co brokering high quality listings is becoming a meaningful expansion channel for Empire Flippers.

Andy also shares why he believes e commerce remains one of the most resilient acquisition categories in a world increasingly shaped by AI and why productized, transferable businesses like faceless YouTube channels are becoming a fast growing asset class among buyers.

Main Takeaways:

- A highly selective vetting process means only about 5 percent of businesses submitted to Empire Flippers are accepted

- Strong financials, clean books, realistic valuations, and stable trends are critical to a seller’s eligibility

- Many sellers remain psychologically anchored to inflated valuations from the 2020 to 2022 period

- Buyers today are more sophisticated and expect clean financials, organized records, and clarity on trends

- Due diligence has matured and exclusive due diligence periods, quality of earnings reports, and buyer side advisors are now common

- Empire Flippers verifies buyer identity and liquidity before granting access to listings in their price range

- AI enhances buyer matching by analyzing thousands of historic CRM notes to surface relevant opportunities

- Co brokering is expanding the marketplace by bringing in high quality listings from a select group of trusted brokers

- E commerce continues to perform strongly because AI enhances rather than replaces the business model

- SaaS valuations remain high but are more vulnerable to disruption from rapid AI advancements

- Sellers should have accurate books, a true understanding of profitability, and realistic valuation expectations before going to market

- Buyers benefit when marketplaces maintain strong vetting so they are not wasting time on stale or overpriced listings

- Market cycles influence both valuation expectations and the creativity of deal structures

- Remote first companies can build strong global teams and attract diverse buyer and seller pools

- Leadership, culture, and flexibility are powerful motivators for teams in digital first organizations

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:40] Empire Flippers overview and how the online business marketplace has evolved

[00:01:36] What types of online businesses qualify for the platform

[00:03:22] Why only 5 percent of submitted businesses pass the vetting process

[00:04:14] Common reasons listings are rejected and how sellers can better prepare

[00:05:22] How Empire Flippers validates financials, builds P and Ls, and packages listings for buyers

[00:08:07] Seller psychology and the lingering impact of inflated 2020 to 2022 valuations

[00:10:00] How valuation ranges are established and why realistic...

Jared Johnson sits down on location with Jordan Hood, the new owner of Low’s Bridal, a regionally known 48-year bridal institution in rural Arkansas. Jordan shares how a childhood on a Mississippi farm, an art and photography degree from Parsons, early digital marketing work in New York, and five years raising money for St. Jude all shaped the way she eventually stepped into owning a historic 22,000 square foot bridal shop she first joked about buying at age 19. She explains how she found the deal through her best friend’s family, what it took to win the trust of sellers who saw their staff as family, and why saving, buying her first home, and years of work across multiple industries positioned her for a successful SBA loan.

Jordan and Jared break down the real transition process inside a legacy business. They discuss hiring managers to replace two founders, navigating vendor account transfers, ordering a phase one environmental report early, using working capital to bridge delays, and learning everything from market trips to seven circuit breaker panels in a 30-day sprint. Jordan also shares the operational and customer experience changes she made on day one, including modernizing the check-in process, rewriting sales scripts, and improving the flow for today’s bride while protecting the magic that has defined Low’s Bridal for nearly five decades.

Main Takeaways:

• A nontraditional background can prepare a buyer more than they realize
• Deals often originate from long-standing relationships and small conversations
• Asking a seller if they would ever sell is a simple but powerful first step
• Sellers of legacy businesses often value the right buyer more than maximum price
• Building genuine trust with the seller and long-tenured staff creates stability during transition
• Buying a home or establishing savings can strengthen a buyer’s SBA profile
• Ordering environmental reports and key third-party items early can prevent last-minute delays
• Working capital is essential during the early weeks of account transfers and vendor approvals
• A defined transition period helps the buyer learn daily operations and uncover hidden processes
• Legacy owners often do everything themselves and successors may need to build a management team
• Improving customer flow and experience can increase conversion without losing the brand’s essence
• Today’s customers expect faster processes, guided appointments, and a modern check-in experience
• Sales scripts should create connection and trust, not pressure
• Mentors and industry coaches provide valuable support through a steep learning curve
• Loving the mission and the day-to-day work sustains owners through demanding seasons

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:40] Meet Jordan Hood and the origins of Low’s Bridal

[00:01:36] Growing up in rural Mississippi and discovering a creative path

[00:03:22] Early digital marketing work in New York during the rise of social media

[00:04:14] From floristry and fashion to AI behavioral advertising

[00:05:22] Five years at St. Jude and the business efficiency lessons of nonprofit fundraising

[00:08:07] The college conversation where Jordan first joked she would buy Low’s one day

[00:10:00] How the deal file landed on Jared’s desk and why this SBA loan looked different

[00:11:49] Being a “normal person” buyer and how saving and buying a home made the deal possible

[00:14:23] Advice to searchers: be willing to ask owners if they might sell

[00:17:00] Winning the trust of the sellers and staff in a multi-generation bridal business

[00:20:32] Replacing two founders with one owner and hiring managers quickly

[00:22:20] What Jordan would do differently and what she wishes she knew up front

[00:25:37] Ordering the full phase...

Jared Johnson sits down with Paige Wiese, founder of Tree Ring Digital, a 16-year full-service digital marketing and web agency, to unpack the part of buying or selling a business that almost nobody plans for: digital asset transfer. Paige explains why domains, hosting, email, social accounts, analytics, third-party tools, brand files, and even AI/GPT logins often sit in personal inboxes or with old vendors—and how that can stall or even devalue a transaction. She walks through her two-step approach (digital asset assessment, then a 300+ point audit), why buyers should ask earlier for logins and proof of marketing performance, how sellers can show up more prepared, and what can go wrong when a domain expires or the recovery email is deleted. They also get into the new issue of employees training GPTs on company data under personal accounts, and why companies need standards now: one company-owned AI account, clear rules on what data can go in, and a plan for what happens when an employee leaves.

Main Takeaways:

- Most businesses cannot produce logins on demand and access is scattered across staff, vendors, and old emails

- Digital assets (domains, hosting, email, website, social, analytics, third-party tools) are business assets and should be part of the deal

- A two-step process works best: identify gaps, then audit and recover everything before close

- There are far more digital data points in a modern business than owners realize, often 300+

- Expired domains, deleted recovery emails, and vendor deaths can take 1–2 weeks to unwind

- Sellers who package digital assets cleanly reduce friction and protect valuation

- Buyers should ask early for proof of marketing performance and actual ownership of key platforms

- Key employees should not be single points of failure for website SOPs, renewals, or platform access

- Use a single company-controlled email (webmaster@ / marketing@ / info@) for all third-party tools and renewals

- AI/GPT tools introduce new risk when staff train models with company data under personal accounts

- Companies should provide the AI account, define what can be uploaded, and make it portable on exit

- Auditing tools also surfaces unused SaaS/AI expenses and can save money while organizing assets

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:21] Why digital asset transfer is an overlooked part of ETA and small business deals

[00:02:05] Paige’s background, 16 years running Truing Digital

[00:04:12] “Do you have the login?” and why clients rarely have everything in one place

[00:08:17] Preparing to sell in 6–12 months: start with a digital asset assessment

[00:10:43] The 300+ digital data points behind a business

[00:15:48] Extreme case: developer dies, everything was on reseller accounts, legal recovery required

[00:20:22] Standards of practice: one shared email for renewals and third-party tools

[00:26:14] Post-transaction integration: re-running the checklist once the buyer owns the business

[00:28:32] The “website is down six months after close” call and why it happens

[00:31:40] AI complication: personal GPTs trained on company data

[00:33:27] Policy solution: company-provided AI accounts and data rules

[00:37:25] Document everything before IT wipes a departing employee’s machine

Connect with Paige:

Website: https://www.treeringdigital.com/beforeyoubuyorsellabusiness

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigewiese/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeRingDigital/

Instagram: