#0 Welcome to Sifter

Hello and welcome to the very first edition of Sifter!

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of The Startup Ideas Podcast where Greg Isenberg and his guests generate a plethora of startup ideas. Listening to their discussions ignited a spark in me — I wanted to start something of my own. But the reality is that starting a business from scratch is incredibly risky, and most startups fail.

This got me thinking. Instead of building a business from the ground up, why not explore an alternative path — buying an existing online business and growing it? Success stories from Codie Sanchez and John Chen, who’ve bought companies, scaled them, and sold them for substantial profits, show that this approach works.

With this idea in mind, I started exploring online business marketplaces like Flippa and Empire Flippers. However, I quickly found myself overwhelmed by the sheer number of listings and the diversity of businesses available. It was hard to know where to start and which businesses might be truly worthwhile investments. That's when I realised that there might be others like me, lost in the sea of listings and looking for guidance.

And so, the idea for Sifter was born.

Each week, I’ll pick one small online business that’s up for sale — whether it’s a blog, a newsletter, a website, or a SaaS product, and evaluate its potential as an investment. I'll share my findings with you, and give you insights and inspiration along the way. My ultimate goal is to give you a curated list of quality businesses, so you don’t have to spend countless hours searching through listings yourself.

I can't wait to dive into our first business next week. Stay tuned, and happy sifting!