The 2026 eCom Trends Report
Top Report Findings: This is our sixth Trends Report with 300 owners representing $3.5...
Oftentimes, a large portion of an entrepreneur’s wealth comes from the exit, and in this episode, I’m sitting down with Joe Valley to get geeky about the highs and lows of selling businesses. Joe is not only the author of The EXITpreneur’s Playbook and a long-time business broker with Quiet Light Brokerage, but he has also helped a lot of ECF members exit their own businesses.
Listen in as we dive into the art of buying and selling from Joe’s perspective, having handled hundreds of transactions over his career, including how you can set up your business to sell for top dollar right from the beginning. We also talk about where the market is right now in terms of buying and selling eCommerce stores, as well as some of the specifics surrounding FBA businesses, addbacks, and what the perfect-sized business really is.
You’ll learn:
- The current state of buying and selling eCommerce stores. (5:10)
- How much earnings jump once you pass the $1 million threshold. (10:00)
- How high the demand is for FBA Businesses. (11:30)
- What the perfect-sized business is from Joe’s perspective. (14:25)
- The mistakes that people make with bookkeeping that can actually hold up a sale. (18:00)
- What the invisible fifth pillar of valuation is. (19:50)
- The lowdown on addbacks. (25:35)
- The biggest themes that come out after the sale of a business for exitpreneurs. (33:45)
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Joe Valley from Exitpreneur.io)
What Was Mentioned
- Joe Valley: Website | LinkedIn
- The EXITPreneur’s Playbook: How to Sell Your Online Business for Top Dollar by Reverse Engineering Your Pathway to Success by Joe Valley
- Quiet Light Brokerage
- Catching Clouds
- Capforge
- Care CPA
- MuseMinded
- Seller Accountant
- Bottom Line CPA
- OptinMonster
- eCommerceFuel Forum
- Klaviyo
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Image credit to QuietLight.com.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“We are running real businesses, and investors believe that and have seen it.” - Joe Valley Tweet this “Addbacks are where most people will lose money in the blink of an eye.” - Joe Valley Tweet this “The way to win a deal in this market as a buyer is just to be likeable.” - Joe Valley Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
