Founder Thomas Smale speaks at Double Your Freelancing Conference in Norfolk Virginia on September 30, 2016.

1. Leveraging Your Freelance Skills to
Build a Business You Can Sell
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
Leveraging Your Freelance Skills to
Build a Business You Can Sell

2. Who Am I?

3. 2010 2016
 Launched 2010
 400 deals
 Over $60M in sales
 80% YoY growth
 Team of 20 champions
 100% self-funded
SaaS Content e-Commerce
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf

4. What Are We
Going to Learn?

5. @ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
You Don’t Have To Work Forever
Build an asset you can actually sell
Leverage skills you already have!
Create freedom

6. What Buyers Want

7. • Blog
• Authority website
• Amazon FBA store
• E-commerce store
• SaaS product
What’s The Best Business to Build?
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf

8. Site 1
$2M
Site 3
$225K
Site 2
$680K
Lessons From Successful Sales
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
• Using a pseudonym
• Evergreen content/niche
• Consistent growth
• Outsourced content/basic tasks

9. Avoid Trends
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
• Trends can be predicted
• Ask yourself: will it still be around in 5 years?

11. • Look for consistent/growing trends
• Something popular all year
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
What is a Good Niche?

13. You Don’t Need a
“Good” Idea

14. We’ve Seen
Everything

16. Dog Food

17. Dog Owners Spend Money
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
• Blog about dog food
• $460,000 sales price
• Used a pen name
• Weekly post
• Prefer cats?

19. Fashion

20. Hundreds of Possible Businesses
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
• E-commerce store
• Selling sunglasses
• $240,000 sales price
• All drop-shipped

22. Credit Repair!

23. @ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
Credit Repair
• $510,000 asking price
• Owner is a writer
• Selling leads as an affiliate
• Multiple features on big sites

24. Anything Goes

25. @ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
What Do You Know About?
• Think personal
• Can you write code?
• Can you write well?
• A niche for everyone

26. Q&A
Free e-course:
http://feinternational.com/dyf/
@ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf

27. @ThomasSmale Thomas Smale #DYFConf
Wrap Up
You don’t need an original idea
You already have the skills
Does not have to be full-time