How Brad Younger Sold IDA Connect for $470K and Fueled His Dream of Space Travel

Turning Code into Cash: Brad Younger's $470K IDA Connect Exit

Brad Younger, based out of Sydney's northern beaches, always had his sights set high—not just in business, but literally on the stars. While his ultimate goal is to start an Australian rocket company and make it to space, Brad’s entrepreneurial trajectory kicked off a bit closer to home, rooted in solving real-world business pains for ecommerce vendors.

The Spark: Spotting a Niche Gap

Like many smart tech founders, Brad started with a problem, not a product. A friend connected him to an online retail manager with an operational headache: managing order flow and inventory between multiple sales channels, especially The Iconic marketplace, was labor-heavy and prone to errors. Brad, with a coding background and entrepreneurial muscle, immediately saw an opening for automation and developedIDA Connect—an app designed specifically for seamless integration and management for vendors working with The Iconic.

Bootstrapping and Building

Brad didn’t look for VC funds or accelerator backing. Instead, he bootstrapped. Sparing capital, working smart, and refining the core SaaS product, Brad collaborated closely with users. Direct feedback kept development focused on what businesses actually needed. IDA Connect started attracting fashion and sportswear businesses who wanted automated syncing between their inventory, the marketplace, and backend ERP systems. Brad was the founder, engineer, and customer service rep rolled into one—fast responses, regular code deployments, and genuine customer care. This hands-on approach kept costs down, product quality up, and user loyalty strong.

Recognition and the Tipping Point

By 2020, IDA Connect had grown into a trusted app for dozens of ecommerce brands in Australia. As more companies moved toward multi-channel selling, automation wasn’t a luxury—it was survival. Brad had built a platform that made vendors faster, leaner, and less stressed about mistakes.

At the same time, Brad’s meeting with Flippa advisor Ashwin at a Sydney event got him thinking about the optimal moment to exit. Ashwin helped him analyze whether to double down or sell up, and after weighing the hours, stress, and future ambitions (think rockets!), Brad chose to exit.

Exiting Through Flippa: The Process

Listing SaaS on Flippa isn’t passive. Brad fielded queries from financial investors hoping for passive income, plus hands-on operators who wanted to run the business themselves. He was selective, wanting not just a buyer, but someone who understood how to keep IDA Connect healthy. After several months of negotiations, he found the right match—a new owner with the technical skill and appetite to carry the platform forward. The deal sealed for $470,000. That chunk of capital meant Brad could shift his focus to his next ambition without losing sleep over finances.

Why the Sale Set Brad Free

Selling a business is more than cashing a cheque. For Brad, it was about freedom. He’d gained time, capital, and a reputation for building real business value from scratch. The confidence boost? Huge. The money? Enough to let him truly take a chance on his passion project—starting an Australian rocket launch company, with the hope of eventually getting himself into space.

A Platform to Build On

Brad took a disciplined, honest approach to every stage of the journey. He kept the product lean, listened closely to users, and didn’t chase shiny distractions. By selling IDA Connect at a moment of market demand, he maximized value.

• Spot a clear market problem—Brad started with a gap, not an idea.
• Build efficiently—bootstrap and iterate fast based on customer feedback.
• Lean on networks for advice when you’re uncertain about timing.
• Use platforms like Flippa to reach buyers; vet carefully for both price and their ability to operate after acquisition.
• Exit at your peak, when demand is clear and before you burn out.

Lessons for Other Founders

Start simple. Avoid chasing too many features. Make sure the first version of the productactually solves a pain. A steady stream of word-of-mouth recommendations can validate your approach faster than any complex marketing campaign. And when selling, patience is everything. Rushing can mean leaving value on the table—or worse, the business ending up in the wrong hands.

The Dream Continues: From Tech to Rockets

Now, with new financial resources and business connections, Brad is working on his next moonshot. His future may well be in the sky, but the lessons from IDA Connect are practical: focus, discipline, and knowing when your business is ready for someone else to take it further. A software business, well-built and with real customers, is an asset you can sell—not just a job you’ve created for yourself. Brad’s journey is proof: with the right mix of market sense and grit, a bootstrapped SaaS can earn life-changing returns and set you free to chase even the wildest dreams. And yeah, if you want to get all the way to orbit, sometimes it just takes launching the right app at the right time.