When Eloi first opened his tattoo Instagram page seven years ago, he was 19 years old studying biotechnology in his second year of university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a tattoo enthusiast, what started as a side hobby quickly turned into a side hustle. At the time, his friend\u2019s Instagram fitness page was experiencing exponential growth and Eloi hoped to mirror that success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe business model is very simple,\u201d says Eloi. \u201cPeople will reach out to you and ask if they can get a feature on the page. I always advise first, this is a paid service. I had a few rates regarding the number of posts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven years ago, there weren\u2019t as many pages on Instagram<\/a>, so it was easier to build an Instagram page organically. At the time, although risky, Eloi purchased a Instagram account from an individual who was selling the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a bit risky because we were communicating via email,\u201d says Eloi. \u201cLuckily, it went well. When I decided to sell the business, I didn\u2019t want to go through that. This is why I chose Flippa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For eight years, Eloi ran the company, while juggling his professional life. Ultimately, he joined his family\u2019s cosmetic manufacturing company and decided to sell Original Tattooz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>My fear was not being able to find someone willing to buy the business and do it properly with a contract and for it to be a safe transaction,\u201d Eloi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After coming across Flippa, Eloi scheduled a call with a sales representative and was able to list the business on the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy asking price at first was two times the yearly revenue. After a couple of months, the listing was slowly decreasing a bit,\u201d says Eloi. \u201cSo at first it was $65,000. And then I decided to go lower and ask for $55,000. The margin of 10K down was fine for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Original Tattoos was listed on Flippa\u2019s marketplace in August 2021. To gain more traction and interest to a pool of buyers, the asset was listed in Flippa\u2019s newsletter, which gave a huge boost in visibility for the business, going from 200 views to 3,000 with seven inquiries in just a span of a couple of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, the business was purchased by a buyer from Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe already had a history on Flippa with more than $220,000 transactions, so I knew he was a serious buyer because he had some background on purchasing and selling businesses with Flippa.\u201d says Eloi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the nine-hour time difference made communication difficult at first, the two found a consistent communication cadence via email and Zoom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eloi recorded videos of the business to demonstrate to the buyer how it operated. Since the assets have been transferred, the two have been in consistent touch, with Eloi providing guidance and insight to the buyer\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inspired by this story? Read up on others who have successfully bought and sold their businesses here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re ready to sell, check out our First Time Seller\u2019s Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Selling Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n