One of the biggest dilemmas for entrepreneurs is choosing between building everything themselves or buying technology to help them on their journey.
Building something from scratch is common knowledge, but it's not unusual to consider “buy or build,” says Bulgarian entrepreneur Mario Peshev.
A serial entrepreneur and e-commerce developer, Peshev prefers to build critical technology himself while purchasing supporting technology and services on Flippa, the #1 marketplace for buying and selling online businesses.
He signed up for Flippa over 11 years ago and calls himself an early adopter, having logged over 40 transactions on the platform.
What attracts Peshev to Flippa? He says the entire platform is incredibly helpful to entrepreneurs like him.
Peshev is not alone. More than X transactions occur every day on Flippa, a platform where businesses are bought and sold before converting into another business entirely.
e-commerce action
Perhaps no other entrepreneur preaches the flippa mantra like Peshev, but to understand his flippa journey, it's important to know where he started as an entrepreneur.
With e-commerce business booming during the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, with Americans spending a record $9.8 billion on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, Peshev said consumers are Click the “Buy Now” button.
Despite his background in e-commerce, Peshev is no ordinary web entrepreneur, and the fact that he uses platforms like Flippa to support his entrepreneurial journey speaks volumes about his own vision. I am.
He first got involved with digital solutions in 1999 when building his first static website. After he started the website, he ran several forums and online ads for a few weeks before he moved into software engineering completely.
“Over the past 20 years, I have worked with dozens of well-known e-commerce brands,” he says, “as an advisor, principal engineer, founder, partner, agency owner, and investor.” I added.
In 2010, he founded DevriX as a European digital technology agency providing growth, strategy, engineering and data services to a portfolio of clients.
Starting out as a boutique WordPress consulting firm, Peshev was able to “assume leadership positions with top partners,” and his entrepreneurial journey knew no bounds.
DevriX has a team of 50 people and currently helps clients with roadmap development and go-to-market strategies, and Peshev said some of his clients are in their ninth year with the startup. I'm pointing it out.
In addition to running DevriX as CEO, Peshev also leads Rush, the Shopify shipment tracking software.
He sees Rush as a unique opportunity to “conquer the world's largest e-commerce platform.”
When I spoke to Peshev, he said he and his team were working hard to prepare for the busy season and called the experience “exhilarating.”
“As engineers, we build the most robust and scalable systems that can withstand large traffic peaks,” he explains.
But as a marketer, Peshev also has the opportunity to consistently and repeatedly test a large number of channels and funnels to identify the most converting landing pages and offers in the market.
Every bit counts!
The e-commerce business is tough, and business processes are even harder to unravel, but Peshev says the only path to success is knowing that every bit counts.
At DevriX and Rush, we manage and advise numerous store owners across a variety of use cases, including brand development and dropshipping, expanding high-volume low-priced and boutique products, scaling multiple channels, and increasing conversions through FOMO. says Peshev. and other classic strategies in the market.
He said e-commerce entrepreneurs must handle production and product selection, build high-converting product pages, establish growth channels, create attractive and cost-effective campaigns, handle customer support and retention, handle logistics and He explains that it is necessary to go through various stages, such as managing supply. Management on the go, temporary staffing, and outsourcing are also possible.
Through his startup Rush, Peshev says he manages the post-purchase experience through flexible delivery tracking mechanisms connected to email flows and SMS journeys.
“This app integrates bundles and other forms of upsells into your tracking page, increasing your brand's GMV with no additional effort. It's perfect and works very well on autopilot.” he says.
DevriX, on the other hand, takes a customized approach by evaluating the current user journey, AOV, funnel, campaign, conversion rate, and every other aspect of the purchase experience.
Peshev added: “We are looking more closely at COGS and profit margins, supply constraints, return rates and the resources available for advertising campaigns.”
In addition to this expertise, DevriX also assists customers with omnichannel campaigns, email marketing flows, on- and off-site SEO, social media remarketing, and more.
DevriX's B2B clients also leverage HubSpot's expertise as an agency partner and Semrush flows for content generation at scale.
Introducing the Flipperpreneur
Peshev hired Flippa while keeping an eye on a variety of opportunities, including blogs, small SaaS projects, and apps.
“My first purchase as an agency owner was a WordPress theme,” he says, later adding, “This was the linchpin for building a small shop and generating recurring revenue from subscriptions.” added.
This first purchase led to dozens of other small and medium-sized purchases over the years.
Peshev reiterated his previous thoughts on building vs. buying: Is it worth launching something from scratch and growing it for a few months, or just buying an existing solution that has some traction and even customers? He claims to be considering whether it's worth it.
Peshev has made more than 40 purchases on Flippa through his account, but revealed that he has also facilitated five- and six-figure real estate sales on the platform.
“I've preached the flippa model at entrepreneurship and startup events, and I know solopreneurs building and selling real estate along the way,” he jokes.
While the platform offers many benefits to entrepreneurs like Peshev, the valuations of companies listed on the platform consistently meet market standards, making it an attractive tool for both buyers and sellers. He says there is.
He says using Flippa's AI recommendation engine as a market and reputation assessment tool has paid off.
He works with angel investors, entrepreneurs, and even VC funds, so he says the tool helps them “adjust their expectations for sales or acquire smaller brands and companies for integration or the merger itself.” We believe that it will be useful for “
start being frugal
How can entrepreneurs build a successful e-commerce business? Peshev says the best approach is to save money up front and start living frugally.
He advises entrepreneurs building e-commerce businesses or ventures using Shopify to make the most of organic channels.
As social platforms transform into shopping platforms, he also recommends accelerating by mastering Facebook and TikTok advertising on a modest daily budget.
He adds, “Incremental improvements can go a long way if you know how to interpret data and create copy and creative around your product at scale.”
Peshev's decades-long journey as an e-commerce and Web 2.0 entrepreneur has not been without its fair share of trials and tribulations.
“I have a stoic approach that revolves around continuous learning and experimentation,” he says.
Peshev preaches what he follows and believes that the combination of experience and adaptability has led to his success as an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs need full data-driven context about what channels and strategies are available, as well as continuous A/B testing workflows to explore and take advantage of the latest market trends and consumer behavior. can help, he added.
As an advisor to many e-commerce businesses, it always helps to have a trusted advisor who has been through the entrepreneurial journey, but for those who can't find such an advisor, “Getting dirty in the sandbox is the best way to do it.” “Teacher,” he says.
As investors increasingly prioritize profitability over growth, Peshev's advice could be the difference between success and bankruptcy.
He believes that the current investor sentiment is not a market issue, but rather a need to weed out unsustainable businesses and maintain high-quality businesses.
“We hope more entrepreneurs take a step-by-step approach by slowly but surely expanding viable stores, adopting resilient practices, and growing healthy brands over time.” “We're doing it,” Peshev said.
Building a sustainable business
Peshev sums up his entrepreneurial journey as a quest to build a sustainable business that can be scaled up with the help of platforms like Flippa.
As the world's largest marketplace, Flippa attracts all buyers and contains the greatest opportunities for buyers, he says.
He added that Flippa has designed its technology to ensure that every transaction goes smoothly every time and that you can quickly find a solution to your question.
“The due diligence process is also clear and streamlined,” he added.
He bought an online business on Flippa and believes sellers can increase traffic and quickly attract more offers.
Peshev is a great example of an entrepreneur who, while building a business, never hesitated to acquire businesses that could support his venture.
He says every entrepreneur should focus on building a sustainable business that “doesn't depend on you.”
“Good assets are turnkey machines that operate somewhat independently with little oversight or standard processes,” he added.
His advice to use Stripe records and Google Analytics to get transparent reviews and maintain stable financial data is always good, but now investors are being very cautious before investing. Especially helpful.
“If you organize your web assets well, buyers will come,” he concludes with clear conviction.
