Daisuke, CEO of P-I-E-C-E-S Inc. and the owner of Ramune VPN, a content business focused on the Japanese VPN website industry, had been operating the business for 2 years and was earning approximately $11.1K USD ($1.4M Jpn Yen) at the time of sale.
Averaging 87,000 page views per month, 87% of the traffic coming from organic sources, and over 300 #1 ranking keywords, Daisuke landed on an SEO goldmine.
We spoke with Daisuke to learn about his journey of starting, growing, and ultimately selling Ramune for a remarkable $310,000 on Flippa.
Spotting the Opportunity Gap
Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke saw an opportunity and set his sights on creating a successful website with a focus on reviewing VPNs and recommending the best options for entertainment use.
“I discovered there wasn’t much competition in Japan when I searched for information about the Japanese VPN industry,” Daisuke said.
“I analyzed competitors (especially overseas sites) and researched real requests from customers via Twitter.”
Single-handedly, Daisuke wrote all of the website content in addition to the website coding, images, and other design materials.
As part of this process, he learned content optimization and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
“The most important thing was, to be honest, and keep updating content based on customer feedback,” Daisuke said.
It was a strategy that certainly paid off.
At the time of sale, Daisuke’s website averaged 87,000 page views per month, of which 87% was organic traffic. Through hard work and strategic SEO efforts, Daisuke achieved over 300 #1 ranking keywords and a DA score of 38, setting his website apart from the competition in Japan.
Despite the success, Daisuke faced new challenges as more competitors entered the market and started to create similar content.
“It was hard to stay on top of search results with all the competition emerging. I thought it would be difficult to keep working on the same level, and that’s why I started to think about selling my business.”
Selling Ramune to a Competitor
Daisuke listed Ramune on Flippa and a couple of other Japanese platforms, including one of the world’s largest Affiliate Marketing Networks A8.Net. To his surprise, he received the most interest and feedback from potential buyers once he listed the business on Flippa.
Daisuke came across Flippa via search results when researching platforms to sell his website online. He wanted to be able to sell his business in US dollars, and Flippa offered the best platform to do this.
Given Ramune’s strong performance at the time of its sale, it’s unsurprising that it attracted significant attention and interest from potential buyers.
Daisuke managed 84 different discussions with buyers on Flippa, compared to only a few on other Japanese platforms.
“Ashwin was very proactive in helping me out throughout the process. Flippa’s platform was good to use and not complicated.”
Daisuke, Seller.
The process took around 6-7 months from listing the business on Flippa until the sale was finalised. The sale was managed by Ashwin, a Flippa Advisor, who helped Daisuke throughout the journey.
“Ashwin was very proactive in helping me out throughout the process. Flippa’s platform was good to use and not complicated,” Daisuke added.
While there were many discussions and interest from potential buyers, Daisuke ended up selling to a competitor, Comparitech. A pro-consumer website providing information, tools, reviews and comparisons on a range of topics, including VPNs and other related content. Despite being a competitor, Daisuke believed that Comparitech would be a good fit.
“They had some Japanese-focused content, which ranked at the same level as my website. I I believed that if they acquired my content, they would be able to keep it well-maintained and even improve upon it,” Daisuke said.
The transaction was smooth, and Daisuke transferred all content to the buyer. He is now consulting with the buyer on modifying the content and articles.
What’s Next?
Daisuke is now using his profits from this sale to invest in future business ventures and is focusing on growing his other websites which focuses on cosmetic surgery in Japan. He hopes to grow them more and sell again on Flippa.
“Right now I am considering buying a few other websites in other industries to expand my knowledge in web design and SEO consulting,” he said.
Daisuke had a clear goal, the drive to make it a reality, and the smarts to know when it was time to move on to the next challenge.
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.
Like this buyer and seller, you too can master proper buyer and seller communications etiquette. We’ll show you how to that here.
