How a Navy Engineer Scaled and Sold Tattooing101.com for 10X Return

A Navy Engineer’s Unconventional Path to Online Business Success

In 2018, Jay Haussman wasn’t your average entrepreneur. With a mechanical engineering background in the US Navy and a splash of entrepreneurial curiosity, Jay started by tattooing his shipmates for free and experimenting with small dropshipping shops. Those didn’t last. But Jay learned what a lot of first-time business owners learn: demand, skills, and authenticity matter way more than fancy plans.

Finding Tattooing101.com: From Follower to Owner

After spending time looking through digital assets on Flippa—blog sites, apps, ecommerce stores—Jay stumbled upon Tattooing101.com, an online education site teaching people how to become tattoo artists. It was in a field he truly enjoyed. And the seller was honest about what worked and what didn’t. Jay did his homework: he checked traffic, revenue streams, content library, churn rate, and SEO traffic. The price? $10,000. For Jay back then, that was a stretch, but he was betting on himself this time. Due diligence via Flippa and the seller’s transparency gave him enough confidence to pull the trigger.

No Playbook, All Practice: Figuring Out Growth in Real-Time

Running a content-driven edtech business in the tattoo world meant constant learning. Jay didn’t come with a playbook or an MBA. When SEO didn’t work, he read articles and watched YouTube until he figured out how to fix rankings himself. Content wasn’t sticky enough? He started experimenting with longer tutorials, better visuals, and tattoo industry news. Some strategies failed, some worked—he measured all of them against site analytics using Google Analytics and checked his course conversions weekly. Some months were rough, content refreshes sometimes flopped, but steady progress stacked up.

Scaling: Systems, Automation, and the Real Work

After stabilizing traffic, Jay focused on scalability. He learned basic email automation via Mailchimp and built a simple sales funnel to turn traffic into paying customers. The core offer of Tattooing101.com was always value for beginner tattoo artists, so he honed in on in-depth beginner content as a cornerstone. Jay didn't try to do everything at once—he automated onboarding, simplified customer support with pre-written help docs, and occasionally contracted out expert articles. What made the project stick: replying to customer inquiries himself, seeing which pain points most users had, and then updating landing pages based on real feedback.

Flippa: Buy Trust, Build Value, Exit Smart

Jay credits Flippa’s thorough verification process and escrow tools with giving him peace of mind. He says, "With Flippa, you get the eBay for businesses vibe, but with actual due diligence help." After a few years of gradual scaling and constant customer communication, the business grew steadily.

Selling the Business: Why and How

Jay reached a point where running the technical backend started to feel draining. He shifted his focus to general marketing and consulting, but not before listing Tattooing101.com back on Flippa. The business closed for around $100,000—a tenfold return on his original investment. The sale was fast; Jay had already proven the business model, and buyers could see actual customer ROI and steady subscriptions.

Lessons Learned: The Messy, Real Stuff

• Due diligence is non-negotiable, even if you get a good feeling about the seller.
• Stay curious. Don’t let bad months or a tricky Google update stop you from tinkering with what works.
• DIY works…until it doesn’t. Know when to automate, and don’t try to write every lesson yourself after you hit scale.
• Customer support is about real answers, not just another FAQ page.
• Selling a business is just as much about timing and proven operations as it is about the niche.

What’s Next for Jay?

Jay now leads a marketing agency in Bend, Oregon, consulting on digital scaling, and works on Inkly.pro—his next digital play in the creative and tattoo space. He credits the direct experience at Tattooing101.com for shaping his practical strategies now. The business exit didn’t just fill his bank account, it freed him up to take bigger risks and work in ways that actually suit his life—remote, independent, flexible.

Practical Takeaways for Aspiring Buyers

• Even if you don’t have a business background, hands-on learning can replace expensive education.
• Acquisition marketplaces like Flippa can connect you with quality digital assets in your niche if you take your time with vetting.
• Building a business in a hobby or passion niche can help with motivation and resilience during tough times.
• Always measure—whether that’s tracking conversions with Google Analytics or checking which blog posts drive user signups.
• When it comes time to exit, be transparent with financials and operations. Buyers pay more for clean, easy-to-understand businesses.

Conclusion

Jay’s story is direct proof that you don’t need everything lined up to buy, grow, and cash out on a digital education business. With perseverance, straight-shooting tactics, and a commitment to keep fixing what’s broken, it’s possible to turn a $10k leap into a life-changing exit. People still find Tattooing101.com and get their start in tattooing—the process works, even after changing hands. For many, that’s the biggest win.