“Ferociously competitive”. That’s how Ron Stefanski describes himself.
With this grit and hunger for success, it only makes sense that the strategic business owner resides in Las Vegas, a burgeoning hub for entertainment, tourism, and bustling entrepreneurship.
For Ron, the flexibility of having agency over his schedule and becoming his own boss was too alluring to pass up. So in 2014, Ron made the pivotal decision to quit his 9-to-5 job.
Today, Ron’s lifestyle allows him to live comfortably, set his own schedule, and enjoy the fruits of his hard work.
A Successful Exit With Flippa
Getting to a successful exit required risk-taking, and as Ron puts it, “an element of creating your own luck”. He knew he was no different to hundreds of other entrepreneurs out in the world dreaming of success. So when he saw an opportunity he knew he’d have to work hard to create his own luck and take advantage of every chance he had to succeed.
Tired of the daily grind and the corporate bureaucracy that he’d lived for many years, Ron took a big risk and quit his job. It was a risk, but he was willing to take it.
Now that he was technically unemployed, he needed to make his next move. He bought a website which he initially saw as nothing more than a small side project. The website was JobsForFelonHub.com, the #1 online resource to help former felons find employment after returning to the community.
What began as a side hustle, turned into thousands of hours of work. Ron saw the gap in information in the niche and set to work creating a one-stop-shop for users.
By the time Ron was ready to sell his business, JobsForFelon was more than just a one dimensional resource. It was a business with a recognisable brand, trusted by users in the space, with an engaged community on social media.
Ron had built a Facebook community of 10,000 followers and an email base of 20,000 subscribers. Along with an engaged user base, another appealing factor for buyers was the businesses growth potential. Easy wins such as reviewing and revising content for search engine results page (SERP) ranking, selling informational products, and selling leads to lawyers, were all possible growth channels that buyers could see.
Ron sold the business on Flippa’s marketplace for $500,000, a sum that surpassed his initial expectations. Support from the Flippa Team helped Ron to realise the value of what he had built, setthe price accordingly, and find the right buyer for the business.
“I was blown away because there was a lot of hands-on help,” says Ron. “Account Managers had calls with me explaining, how I should list the business, and how much I should set the price for. They really helped me with the valuation and it actually went over what my expectations were.”
Related: What Sellers Need To Know About Valuations
“[Flippa] helped me with the valuation — it actually went over what my expectations were.”
— Ron Stefanski, Website Entrepreneur
This wasn’t Ron’s first experience on Flippa, but it was his most successful. Ron has known about Flippa for years, previously selling a small site on the marketplace for $18,000.
“This big exit that I was able to have was definitely life-changing.”
— Ron Stefanski, Website Entrepreneur
More Than Just a Business
What made JobsForFelon appealing was how quickly it gained popularity due to its detailed resources.
“I never expected it to grow as large as it has and it’s been an amazing ride,” says Ron. “This is one of the few opportunities where you get to buy a website and feel genuinely good about what the business does as it’s not just very profitable, but also incredibly helpful to an underserved market that genuinely needs this resource.”
For Ron, owning the business was personal.
As he was scaling the company at the time, he was approached by someone he knew with a drug problem and multiple felonies on their record. Ron was able to assist the person with finding a job, and the individual ultimately turned their life around for the better.
And there were others who saw the benefit of the work Ron was doing. At the time of sale, the site had garnered support from government agencies, reentry programs, and educational institutions.
The Strategic Mind Behind the Business
The business that we see today has grown in leaps and bounds from what Ron initially acquired.
When it came to scaling JobsForFelon, Ron was extremely strategic with his approach. He developed an email list and asked people what they needed, expanding the website to meet the desires of his target audience.
Leaning on his historical success in the job market, Ron was able to find a few businesses in the same niche as his, identifying the gaps and building a strategy to organize key information to fill those gaps that competitors were missing.
“If I see a hole in the market, I will go and attack it,” says Ron. “I’m ferociously competitive.”
Ron also emphasizes the importance of buying a site that’s already established, even if it’s smaller. All that’s left to do is to pour gasoline to an existing business and ignite the flames of potential.
Related: 20 Questions To Ask When Buying a Website
Today, Ron manages a portfolio of digital assets and lives the life he always dreamed of.
“I don’t need to be a multimillionaire. I just don’t want to stress out about my next paycheck,” he says. “Now we’re comfortable – that’s probably the best thing it has given me.”
For Ron, having a laptop and internet connection, as simple as it may be, opens a world full of possibilities. Today, you’ll find him exploring these possibilities under the Las Vegas sun.
Ron is a well-known expert in the online business industry and has a whole portfolio of websites and YouTube channels that take up most of his time. If you want to learn more about, or from him directly, visit OneHourProfessor.com.
Next Steps
Inspired by this story? Read up on others who have successfully bought and sold their businesses here.
If you’re ready to sell, check out our First Time Seller’s Guide, or start looking for a website to buy.
