Insights into Buying an Online Business?

November 07, 2025

by a searcher from Rice University - Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business in Austin, TX, USA

Can anyone share their experiences (pros and cons) of buying, selling, or operating an online business (with zero or limited physical assets)? I would like a frame of reference that will help me evaluate online businesses in the future. I realize the question is very broad but any insights will be helpful at this stage. Thank you.

0 Likes

7 Replies

177 Views

Replies

Reply by a searcher
from IE Business School in Toronto, ON, Canada

Hey Owen, I think the biggest difference in online via offline companies are the scalability. If you can forecast that your company could grow much faster (both across the country and internationally) - the online one if rather the correct choice, as otherwise you will have to spend lots of time on many more areas (like staff, stores, etc.). From another side, the online business lacks serious (real) assets, which will play against you if you would like to get a loan from a bank. From the my personal perspective (several companies) of complexity of growth, the online company is rather easier than the same size offline. Hope it helps.

Reply by an investor
from University of Pennsylvania in New York, NY, USA

I think "online business" is very broad. I had a SaaS company that was totally virtual and had a successful exit. I also know of several people that run successful Amazon fulfillment businesses. So while I generally agree with ^redacted‌ comment about low barrier to entry being a problem, some of these businesses will be resilient. It's also helpful to think about the positives relative to a physical business - highly scalable, easier to access customers, no capital expenditures, etc.

+5 more replies.

Join the discussion