Why I'm Selling My Company To Facebook... Someday
Building a business to the point of acquisition is incredible. It takes hard work, dedication, and tenacity to build the team and the infrastructure nec...
Building a business to the point of acquisition is incredible. It takes hard work, dedication, and tenacity to build the team and the infrastructure necessary to grow a business to the point of being attractive enough to be acquired.
When I started Ad Zombies, I never dreamed of selling it. In fact, growing the business to the point of being acquired wasn't even in my scope of possibility.
I remember the day we had our first sale, it was an exciting day. I still remember the client name and the dollar amount of that very first transaction.
I recall the thrill of our first $500 sales day. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head the first day we kissed $1,000…only to fall short by a handful of dollars. It took another 10-days to get there. That first day we hit $1,000 in sales, (insert dreamy flashback here)… it was as if someone dropped $1 million in our laps.
Back then there were only two of us, and we were high-fiving one another in my home office. My wife hated having us work from the house, but it was the only affordable space at the time. After all, it was covered financially in our monthly mortgage. Yes, we knew the potential was there, but couldn't see how much potential at the time.
Each milestone in our sales history was met with joyful celebration. And each milestone was met with a new goal, a new number to aim for, a new mission to be accomplished. Now, I am not all about sales and dollars. I simply love this business. The fact that I can make a living doing what I love, and the business can now support employees and their families, AND we can even offer health benefits? That's pretty freaking cool.
Dream Big, Execute Bigger
Dream Big, Execute Bigger
Yes, I always knew there was potential. After all, I'm a dreamer. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it big. And if I have a dream… Well, that dream is going to be epic.
If I'm being completely honest with you, I never thought about being acquired by a big company when we first started. In fact, the first time I had dinner with Gary Vaynerchuk, he asked me if my goal was to build and hold or build and sell. The answer would determine whether or not I gave up an equity position in the business. I did, at that time, think that building and holding was the only answer, because who would build a business just to sell it to someone? That seemed kind of dumb to me at the time.
You see I am an artist with… (are you ready for it?) entrepreneurial tendencies. I learned this about myself from Tony Robbins, I do this because I love my craft, and not doing this seems weird to me. So why on earth would I want to sell something that I've built when it's my passion? It just didn't make sense to me at the time. Again, like the late Bob Ross, I am an artist.
It's Not About The Money
It's Not About The Money
To me, part of growing a successful business means taking care of your team. What better way to take care of your team, the team that helped you build this empire, then to make sure they are well taken care of when your business is acquired. I wasn't thinking about myself. I wasn't thinking about what I would do next in life. I was thinking about the people who helped me get this thing off the ground and build it to what it was, what it is, and what it will become.
To be acquired by a company like Facebook is huge. And though it was not my original intent, things change. The ability for me to provide a financially secure future for the team that helped me get there is what drives me.
Fast forward a couple of trips to New York City later, I was having a glass of wine and chatting with Gary Vee at VoiceCon. This was last Summer, just before the release of my best selling book 'Jab Till It Hurts' came out. I told Gary that I think I had changed my mind and that maybe being acquired by a big company like Google, Amazon, Facebook, or some yet-to-emerge technology platform wasn't such a bad idea. He looked at me and smiled.
Yes, I am ready for the day we are acquired by Facebook. Until that day, we will continue to build upon our past successes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope. When Ken started Ad Zombies, he never dreamed of selling it—growing the business to the point of being acquired wasn't even in his scope of possibility. His thinking only changed after conversations with Gary Vaynerchuk and some trips to New York City.
Ken's thinking evolved from wanting to build and hold to being open to acquisition. The big shift? Realizing that being acquired by a company like Facebook could provide a financially secure future for the team that helped him build the business—it became about taking care of them, not just himself.
The first big milestone was hitting $500 in a single day, which gave Ken goosebumps. After that came the nearly-$1,000 day (fell short by a handful of dollars), and then 10 days later they finally hit $1,000—which felt like someone dropped a million bucks in their laps.
Ken learned this about himself from Tony Robbins—he does this work because he loves the craft itself, and not doing it seems weird to him. Like the late Bob Ross, he's an artist first, which is why the idea of building a business just to sell it initially seemed dumb to him.
They were working out of Ken's home office with just two people on the team, high-fiving each other when they hit that milestone. Ken's wife hated having them work from the house, but it was the only affordable space at the time since it was covered in their monthly mortgage.
