How one Indie Hacker sold his business to another Indie Hacker to start a collaboration together

This the story of how two Indie Hackers joined forces through the acquisition of a marketing tool called Pxl to build something greater together.

The acquisition

It was on my birthday in April when @WilliamPaul and I finalized the acquisition of Pxl , a short link, QR code, and link-in-bio page builder for marketers.

I initially found the for sale listing of Pxl on Acquire, one of the most relevant marketplaces for buying and selling software businesses. The acquisition was straightforward, with a purchase price just under $50k, including a seller financing model.

I can say the process was really smooth and transparent, with the founder providing all necessary documents promptly.

At this point, Pxl already had over 5,000 users, has processed more than 30 million visits and generated revenue, although through both a mix of one-time and recurring payments.

The big goal for this year will be to grow recurring revenue and be less dependent on lifetime deals (LTDs), which were used to fund the development of Pxl for more than 1.5 years.

The first steps after the acquisition

After acquiring Pxl, we prioritized 3 tasks right away:

1. Collecting feedback from existing customers: Since I was new to this market segment, I heavily relied on customer feedback to understand what needs to be worked on next. In fact, existing users really love Pxl: It’s rated 4.8 stars in Capterra and ProductHunt, so I was sure that the feedback would be honest.
2. Creating an Admin Dashboard: Understanding user interactions is crucial. We implemented a simple but effective admin dashboard to track key metrics, helping us identify opportunities to improve the signup-to-paid conversion rate. One time, I broke the sign-up process and was only able to find out about this in the admin dashboard!
3. Adding Social Proof: Leveraging Pxl’s satisfied user base, I introduced social proof across various touch points. This builds trust and showcases the product’s value through real user feedback.

What’s coming next

In fact, we have big plans for Pxl.

We’re focusing on enhancing the product strategy based on customer feedback, investing in SEO and partnerships, and refining the pricing strategy. Automation is another core principle we’re emphasizing to streamline operations.

We’ve already identified a small growth hack during due diligence that could increase signups significantly with minimal effort. I will share more about this and other developments soon!

Collaboration and Growth

From the start, it was clear that William and I shared a similar work ethic and vision.

This collaboration really shows the power of the Indie Hacker community. As we move forward, I’m confident that our combined efforts will enhance Pxl and serve as a blueprint for future Indie Hacker collaborations.

Are you thinking about acquiring a product from another Indie Hacker as well?

PS: I share behind-the-scenes insights every two weeks over at bernhard.hauser.io and LinkedIn.