Elopement Matchmaking Service: $1.4M in Bookings in Year 3

Simply Eloped is a marketplace site that connects couples with venues and vendors for elopements or small weddings 👰

Founded by Janessa White and Matt Dalley in 2016, the business recently sold for an undisclosed sum.

They Got Acquired has some numbers…

The business brought in $40,000 in bookings in its first year, $300,000 the following year and $1.4 million in year three, White told Hampton. By 2021, she’d built an $8-million business, according to Bootstrappers.

I suspect that last number refers to gross volume 💰

Unclear what kind of cut Simply Eloped takes from each booking.

Janessa also told Hampton in 2023…

To date, we haven’t been an incredibly profitable company but I can proudly say this is the first year we’ll be turning that corner.

They must have received a good offer to end up selling only a year later 😎

And while marketplaces are a tough business due to the chicken-and-egg problem, it’s worth considering what other niches this could work for.

Think: where else is it currently difficult for buyers and sellers to connect and do business? 🤑

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