HUSTLEDROP Get the drops

Find businesses worth a closer look.

Finding businesses for sale is easy. Figuring out which ones deserve your attention takes more work.

We screen interesting businesses and point out the numbers, risks and questions we'd look at before buying.

Get the free business drop See sample businesses

What does "screening" mean? A quick first check: does this business deserve a closer look? It isn't a full investigation, and it isn't advice to buy.

What we cover
Small online businesses under $250K: software, content websites, newsletters and online stores
What you get
A weekly email with a few screened businesses and one full review
What it costs
The weekly drop is free. Deeper reviews are being tested at founding prices

Sample businesses Sample

Made-up businesses showing what a business drop looks like. "Reported" means the number comes from the seller and hasn't been checked.

  1. Subscription software

    Software that small accounting firms pay for monthly to manage approvals.
    Asking price$74,000
    Revenue / month$6,800reported
    Profit / month$4,900reported
    Age3 years
    Screening84
    Red flags41 serious
  2. Content website

    A six-year-old site that reviews outdoor gear and earns from ads and affiliate links.
    Asking price$41,000
    Revenue / month$2,400reported
    Profit / month$2,050reported
    Age6 years
    Screening81
    Red flags31 serious
  3. Newsletter

    A weekly email for operations managers with 14,000 subscribers, paid for by sponsors.
    Asking price$38,000
    Revenue / month$3,100reported
    Profit / month$2,600reported
    Age2.5 years
    Screening79
    Red flags3none serious
  4. Online store

    An online store selling home goods, with most sales coming from paid ads.
    Asking price$120,000
    Revenue / month$28,000reported
    Profit / month$3,200reported
    Age4 years
    Screening52
    Red flags32 serious
  5. Browser extension

    A paid add-on for web browsers that helps people manage their tabs.
    Asking price$22,000
    Revenue / month$1,100reported
    Profit / month$1,000reported
    Age1.4 years
    Screening61
    Red flags31 serious

Choose any business to see its sample review below.

Sample review · Subscription softwareSample

B2B workflow software for small accounting firms

A made-up business. Figures marked "reported" come from the seller and haven't been checked.

Business type
Subscription software
Asking price
$74,000
Revenue
$6,800/monthreported
Screening
84 / 100
Profit
$4,900/monthreported
Price vs. yearly profit
1.3×price ÷ 12 months of profit
Age
3 years
Red flags
41 serious

Why it looks interesting

  • Recurring revenue: customers pay every month instead of once.
  • A small customer base (112 paying firms, reported) that one owner can manage.
  • Most new customers find it through search, not paid ads (reported).
  • The asking price is low for the profit reported. Worth a closer look, if the numbers hold up.

Red flags

  • SeriousThe price is only about 1.3 times one year of profit. That's cheap for software, and cheap usually has a reason.
  • MediumThree customers bring in 41% of the revenue.
  • MediumThe owner does all the sales and support personally.
  • MinorRevenue is what the seller reports. Nobody has checked it yet.

Questions we'd ask the seller

  1. How many customers generate most of the revenue?
  2. What has customer growth looked like over the last two years?
  3. How much work does the owner still do each week, and on what?
  4. Why are you selling, and why at this price?

What we'd check

  • Traffic: where visitors come from, and whether that's growing
  • Customer concentration: how much revenue depends on a few customers
  • Churn: how many customers cancel each month
  • Operating costs: hosting, tools, contractors and the owner's time

Screening is a quick first check of whether a business deserves a closer look. It isn't a valuation or advice to buy.

Want a deeper look?

We're testing two paid options at founding prices. They may change, and nothing is charged on this site.

HustleDrop Pro

For buyers who want deeper analysis.

$29per monthFounding test
  • Early access to each drop
  • More detailed analysis of each business
  • Selected full business reviews
  • Red flags explained in detail

No charge today. If Pro opens, we'll email you first with the price and a payment link.

One-off review

Need a deeper look at one business?

$149per businessFounding test
  • A careful read of the listing and anything the seller shares
  • Red flags, ranked from serious to minor
  • The questions to send the seller
  • A checklist of what to verify before you buy

This is what buyers call due diligence: the checks you should make before buying a business. We tell you what we can check and send a payment link before any work starts.

HustleDrop isn't a broker or a financial adviser, and nothing here is advice to buy. If a link ever earns us a referral fee, we'll say so right next to it.