From Plumber to Acquisition Entrepreneur: Jaryd Krause’s Journey

Introduction

Jaryd Krause began 2013 with a simple plan: quit plumbing, run a travel blog, and surf the world. The blog barely covered hosting fees. Frustrated, he tried a dropshipping e-commerce store, sold fewer than ten items, then saw the 90% startup failure stat and thought: why not buy a business that already survived?

First Acquisition

His first purchase was a membership database of wholesalers and suppliers for drop shippers. For $15,000, he gained instant cash flow and a user base paying monthly. That deal paid for itself in months and convinced him that buying existing operations beats guessing on new ideas.

Buy-and-Hold Mindset

Jaryd doesn’t flip sites hoping for a quick exit. He holds them, gathers usage and revenue data, then doubles down on what works. If a landing page drives most sign-ups, he invests in optimization, paid ads, and partnerships there. Sites that lag get trimmed or sold.

Finding Deals

He scouts both broker listings on platforms like Flippa and Empire Flippers, and off-market deals via direct outreach. His filter is simple: evergreen niche, stable traffic, clear revenue, and a seller willing to train him for a handoff.

SEO and Growth

Though not a pro SEO, he knows content must engage visitors and match intent. He values organic traffic sites fairly and plans mitigation in case of algorithm changes. For him, SEO is about creating pages people stay on long enough to convert.

Risk Management

Opportunity alone isn’t enough. Jaryd maps out risks, algorithm shifts, niche saturation, supplier changes, and builds contingency plans before closing. That lowers stress, he says, and frees time to surf.

Advice for New Buyers

Don’t start a new site unless you have a unique passion and product. If your main goal is revenue, buy a business with proven cash flow. Then fund it, earn more, get financing, or partner up, and apply a disciplined, data-first approach.