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Some business stories start with an idea scratched out in a notebook. Josey Orr’s didn’t. Skipping college and traditional jobs, Josey made a decision early on: bet on himself and take real control of his financial future. Structure and workplaces never quite fit, so he frequently scanned Flippa’s marketplace, studying business models and watching which digital assets people wanted most. After years of browsing, he made the pivot from builder to buyer—deciding this time to skip the years of startup grind and acquire running businesses instead.
Josey had a clear vision: digital info products that could sell over and over, a scalable business model with high margins, and a loyal audience. That's how he spotted Body for Golf, a top performer on Clickbank built by someone just as passionate about golf as he was. With an 8,000+ strong email list and mostly affiliate-driven sales, it ticked every box for Josey—a true business with solid bones and upside.
He jumped quickly into Flippa’s deal room chats, guided by Flippa’s account manager Maliha. The seller, an experienced online golf marketer, wanted her creation in hands that wouldn’t neglect it. Josey’s genuine golf background sealed the deal, reassuring her the business was going to someone who’d care. That focus on alignment and communication mattered just as much as numbers in closing.
Right as the Body for Golf deal took shape, Josey found another Flippa listing: Easier Golfing. This brand offered a physical golf product, plus its own subscriber list and newsletter. Initially, he planned only to buy one asset, but after lengthy conversations with both sellers, he realized merging the two would multiply the potential—digital info products from Body for Golf, physical products from Easier Golfing, and two sets of engaged customers. He spent $250,000 to buy Body for Golf, $101,000 on Easier Golfing, and paid close attention to due diligence throughout—verifying numbers, traffic, and operational details with a buyer’s rigor that took emotion out of the decision.
Josey merged the brands, using Easier Golfing as an umbrella company. Both businesses ran lean, but his first act as owner was to restructure shipping contracts, immediately cutting costs and freeing up nearly 10% more profits. For Body for Golf, existing affiliates and the targeted email list drove digital sales with little day-to-day work—a key differentiator for digital products. Easier Golfing’s physical products were enhanced with cross-selling of Body for Golf info products, using the combined newsletter and email lists to double the reach. Optimization like this isn’t just “growth hacking”—it’s old-fashioned operational tuning, and it gets results.
He didn’t rush. Due diligence meant digging into finances, organic vs. paid traffic, the performance of newsletters, open/click rates, and historic pricing. Both sellers stayed on for 90 days, helping smooth the transfer and answering plenty of questions. Josey focused sharply on uncovering missed opportunities—channels left untapped, quick-win tactics, or inefficient processes. The goal was clear: keep sales steady and nudge profit margins higher, laying a foundation for the next wave of sales come fall and holiday seasons.
After successfully integrating and running the combined golf business, Josey says acquiring an existing asset is often easier than building from scratch—especially with some real operating experience under your belt. Mistakes, he says, are best made early, so you can buy smarter later on. Long-term, he thinks in terms of cash flow: as long as the asset throws off healthy cash, he’s happy to hold. When growth slows or the work-to-reward ratio changes, he might sell—though for now, he’s focused on squeezing every bit of profit out of operations and prepping for strong seasonal swings in the golf industry.
The transition proved smoother than expected—thanks to attentive sellers, open lines of communication, and an audience of loyal, passionate golfers. Margins got a lift, operational headaches shrank, and a double-barreled email marketing engine kept sales going. Josey’s story shows the power of buying thoughtfully, leaning into existing passion, and ruthlessly prioritizing profit over vanity metrics.
He’s prepping for what he hopes will be a robust fall/winter golf season, still based in Philadelphia, now with a growing family. When asked what he’d say to other solo-preneurs? Buy smart, trust your instincts, always verify, and don’t be scared to lean in hard when the right opportunity comes up. For digital-first e-commerce, doubling down on email, customer trust, and cost controls beat chasing viral hacks any day.
Josey Orr’s journey is proof that new business owners don’t always have to start from scratch. With the right vision, sharp analysis, and authentic passion, buying, merging, and optimizing small e-commerce businesses offers a fast path to profitability. As e-commerce matures and micro-businesses look for exits, smart solo operators willing to do the work can build something strong—sometimes by simply buying what works and making it better.
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