How to Build SaaS for an Industry No One Knows About (Except Your Customers)

How to Build SaaS for an Industry No One Knows About (Except Your Customers)

Author: Acquire.com October 16, 2024 Duration: 26:49

Have you ever heard of the career readiness industry?


It’s a rarely reported on but active auxiliary industry spanning career coaching and development, edtech, vocational training, higher education, and more.


Just career coaching and development alone is valued at $45 billion.


Harris Osserman founded Talk Hiring originally to turn voice notes into job applications as a B2C career-readiness product. He and his team changed trajectories into the B2B industry when a school district tried to buy them out as an interview prep tool.


On the back of the successful pivot and many timely connections with hiring groups, Harris and his team developed Talk Hiring into a useful job interview simulation tool. Then they spun off a handful of other career-readiness apps when they saw the market was underserved.


However, after the birth of his first child and a move to Atlanta, Harris was ready to sell Talk Hiring and look for something new to spend his time on.


He created an account on Acquire.com and experienced just how effective it was to attract qualified buyers, securing seven offers within weeks. With the help of the Acquire team, he sourced an all-cash deal from a private buyer and closed quickly.


Listen to Harris’ talk with Andrew as they discuss:

  • How Harris pivoted into the career-readiness industry (he did a lot of volunteering).
  • How Harris marketed his product (about five different ways).
  • Why using Acquire.com can help you land a higher sale price.
  • The startup building mistake to avoid if you want to attract buyers financing acquisitions with SBA loans.


Harris is just getting started and you can follow him using the links below:


Behind every successful startup acquisition, there's a story-a complex mix of strategy, emotion, and paperwork that rarely gets discussed openly. Startup Acquisition Stories, from the team at Acquire.com, pulls back the curtain on those real-world transactions. Each episode features founders and entrepreneurs who have personally navigated the process of selling or buying a business through their platform. You'll hear them recount the nuanced decisions that don't make it into press releases: the challenging conversations around valuation, the subtle art of vetting the opposite party, and the critical, often overlooked, steps after the handshake. This podcast digs into the practicalities of due diligence, structuring terms, and managing the transfer of assets, all the way through to escrow and the crucial post-deal transition. It’s a grounded, detail-oriented look at the mechanics of a business exit or expansion, straight from the people who’ve lived it. For anyone curious about the actual path to a deal, beyond the theory, this series offers a rare archive of lived experience and hard-won advice.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Startup Acquisition Stories
Podcast Episodes
Startup Acquisition Stories with Yahia Bakour, Co-founder of Stock Alarm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:07
Startup Acquisition Stories with Yahia Bakour, Co-founder of Stock Alarm ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Yahia Bakour - https://twitter.com/mynameisyahia https://www.linkedin.com/in/yahia-bakour/ https://stockala…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Justin Vanderheide, Founder of Swimgen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:31
Startup Acquisition Stories with Justin Vanderheide, Founder of Swimgen ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Justin Vanderheide - https://twitter.com/Jayvanderheide https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinvanderheide https:…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Harinderpreet Singh, Founder of MicMonster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:26
Startup Acquisition Stories with Harinderpreet Singh, Founder of MicMonster ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Harinderpreet Singh ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/harinderpreet/ https://listenmonster.com/ https://mi…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Salvatore Aiello, Co-founder of DimeADozen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:08
Startup Acquisition Stories with Salvatore Aiello, Co-founder of DimeADozen ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Salvatore Aiello ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dested/ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicapowers/ (Co-fo…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Simon Thompson, Founder of Podseeker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:14
Startup Acquisition Stories with Simon Thompson, Founder of Podseeker ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Simon Thompson https://simonthompson.co/ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-lynch-94b85785/⁠ ⁠https://solodrop.…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Cory Lynch, Founder of Solodrop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:14
Startup Acquisition Stories with Cory Lynch, Founder of Solodrop ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Cory Lynch https://twitter.com/thecorylynch https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-lynch-94b85785/ https://solodrop.com/…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Jes Bickhart, Founder of Minnow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
Startup Acquisition Stories with Jes Bickhart, Founder of Minnow Follow the Guest: Jes Bickhart https://twitter.com/JesBickhart https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesbickhart/ http://www.minnowtv.com/ (SOLD) Follow the Host: An…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Daniel Ch, Founder of SimpleInk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:32
Startup Acquisition Stories with Daniel Ch, Founder of SimpleInk ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Daniel Ch https://www.linkedin.com/in/chddaniel/ https://twitter.com/chddaniel https://simple.ink (SOLD) Follow the…
Startup Acquisition Stories with Devon Gethers, Founder of EarlyAdmit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:51
Startup Acquisition Stories with Devon Gethers, Founder of EarlyAdmit ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow the Guest: Devon Gethers - ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/devon-gethers/ ► https://twitter.com/gethersdevon ► https://earl…
Startup Acquisition Stories with David Sorbara, Founder of Barkley HQ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:29
Startup Acquisition Stories with David Sorbara, Founder of Barkley HQ. Highlights: Years in Business: 4 years Sale Price: High six-figures Buyer Interest: 80 NDAs (Request for more details) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow t…