How Beyond the States Sold for Over Asking in 24 Hours: The $40K-Above-List Exit Playbook

Spotting the Opportunity: Turning a Travel Passion into a Business

Most US parents know firsthand that the local college application process can be stressful and expensive. When Jennifer Viemont, a Chicago-based Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a yen for travel, searched for college options outside the US for her own kids, she was stunned to find a massive, overlooked gap. Over 1,700 English-taught bachelor’s programs existed in continental Europe, but no central, clearly organized resource or unbiased consultant offered a way in for American families. Determined to fix that, Jennifer builtBeyond the Statesin 2016. The aim: demystify the European college landscape for US families through directories, consulting, and real-world research.

Building a Trusted Resource—Solo

Jennifer didn’t operate with a big team or VC funding. Instead, she bootstrapped everything. Her background in counseling let her connect one-on-one with parents and students. She made repeated research trips to Europe, authored a book, created an in-depth course, and personally vetted hundreds of universities. The Beyond the States website became a membership-based portal, offering access to proprietary databases, candid reviews, and step-by-step guides to the application process.

Growth was steady. Families praised Jennifer’s honesty and detail (she often answered one-off emails herself). She started appearing in news segments, podcasts, and wrote extensively to build awareness of the reality: studying in Europe could be much more affordable and adventurous than US college options.

Revenue Model: Membership, Expertise, and Community

Rather than one-off consulting projects, Jennifer opted for a recurring revenue model. Families paid a membership to access the full database, with upsell potential via consulting hours and downloadable resources. She created video content, updated databases regularly, and used simple, direct language (no jargon, no upsell pressure). This transparency built trust and kept churn low. Words spread: parents who helped a child enroll overseas often referred friends. By 2022, BTS had a loyal subscriber base and steady, YOY revenue increases, all while remaining 100% remote.

Preparing for Exit: Knowing When It’s Time

As Beyond the States matured, Jennifer noticed her interests shifting back to hands-on counseling with teens. She realized someone else, perhaps with more business experience, could grow the platform further. Not keen to go through a long process, she decided to sell. At first, listings on traditional business-for-sale platforms got attention, but nothing felt right—offers underwhelmed or buyers didn’t fully grasp the business’s value.

Switching to Flippa: A Decision That Paid Off (Literally)

Jennifer brought in The Magnolia Firm, an M&A boutique, to manage the process. Christine, their principal, saw a better fit on Flippa, an online marketplace focused on digital business sales. The listing was crafted with crisp numbers and honest, jargon-free positioning—transparent growth, operational simplicity, and recurring revenue, with clear proof for every claim.

Flippa’s reach brought rapid interest—and then, within just 24 hours, the right buyer emerged. After three offers, one commissioned an immediate above-asking, full cash offer ($40K over list price). The exit process itself was quick—wired funds, paperwork, done. Both seller and buyer said the Flippa process was better suited for transparent, remote-first businesses than “old school” brokers.

Post-Exit: What’s Next for Jennifer?

Jennifer didn’t retire to an island. Instead, she dove back into counseling, focused on helping young people one-on-one—her original passion. By sharing her journey openly, she’s become a model for moms, career-shifters, and educators who think entrepreneurship and business sales are not for people “like them.” With the right positioning, a focus on value, and an eye for when it’s time to move on, she proved a solo, remote business can achieve an exceptional outcome.

Lessons for Founders: What Made This Sale Stand Out

• Fill a real need—with personal experience guiding the way, trust builds naturally.
• Bootstrapped businesses can command major interest if recurring revenue, loyal customers, and operational simplicity are proven and clearly communicated.
• Niche digital businesses are often better positioned on digital-first marketplaces like Flippa rather than broad-spectrum corporate brokers.
• Respond quickly to buyer interest. Transparency and a supportive seller attitude helped build buyer confidence—and a bidding war.
• Post-sale, leveraging your story helps other would-be founders see what’s possible.

Jennifer Viemont’s success with Beyond the States stands as a practical blueprint for strong, remote-first service businesses: identify a pecific problem, own a clear solution, build trust at every step, and prepare for an efficient, transparent exit. No magic, no hype, just relentless detail and real value for your audience.