They Got Acquired - She sold for 2.3x revenue

February 13, 2024
​Read on web​

Samantha Ettus was on a mission: to enable recurring revenue streams for women and others operating as independent contractors.

So in 2018, she launched Park Place Payments, offering payment solutions to small businesses.

One piece of her growth strategy particularly stood out to us: how she recruited her team.

Instead of relying on conventional hiring, Ettus ventured into online universities, sought individuals ensnared by multi-level marketing schemes, and leveraged her digital presence to build a national sales team for her startup.

Using $4 million in VC funding, she brought on 1,500 account executives as independent contractors in all 50 states.

The result? Sales representatives who resonated with local business nuances, advocating for the brand at a grassroots level. By 2023, annual revenue grew to $3 million.

But then the funding market dried up. To keep growing, Ettus decided to sell – and stay at the new company to continue building the brand.

She sold for about $7 million in an all-stock deal, with about two-thirds of the payout contingent on a performance-based earn-out.

Read the full story to dive deeper into Ettus' distinctive tactics and sale:

​This fintech scaled to $3 million in revenue by recruiting a freelance sales force in all 50 states​

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Behind the business (of TGA)

During a moment of doubting myself, I thought:

What if our data platform doesn't work?

What if I have to shut down They Got Acquired?

And it hit me...

No one is covering lower-to-middle market M&A like we are.

The stories we share would not exist if we didn't write them.

For me, that's huge motivation to keep going.

See you next time,

Lexi Grant
Founder & CEO
​They Got Acquired​