Starter Story Zero to $1.1B from Flipping Websites | Starter Story
Oct 11, 2025
Thomas Smale, the founder of FE International, shares his extraordinary journey from flipping websites in college to facilitating over $1 billion in online business sales. He discusses effective negotiation strategies and how to spot valuable businesses. Smale emphasizes the importance of building genuine relationships in acquisitions and reveals the traits that make businesses successful. He also offers actionable advice for those looking to start with a modest budget, proving that with creativity and strategy, anyone can thrive in the business world.
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Hire Complementary Skills Early
- Hire people for tasks you are not best at and focus on your strengths as you scale.
- Thomas hired technical staff while he concentrated on sales to grow FE International.
Pareto-Driven Focus
- Use data and the Pareto Principle to focus on the activities that generate most profit.
- Thomas reallocated effort away from low-value tasks to concentrate on high-return work.
Start With Budget And Direct Outreach
- Decide your budget and preferred business model before sourcing deals and reach out personally to owners.
- Send human, specific messages rather than generic pitches to get responses.