Niche Trade Show Profits
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Sam proposes partnering with niche industry Twitter influencers to create trade shows, leveraging their audience and industry expertise. These shows consistently sell for 10-15x profit multiples, significantly higher than typical online businesses.
Key Points:
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Target Market Structure:
- Partner with niche Twitter personalities (e.g., strip mall guy, used car salesperson guy, used watch guy)
- Focus on industries where actual industry insiders follow these influencers
- Look for niches where companies spend millions on components or services
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Revenue Model:
- Free access for attendees
- Primary revenue from booth/exhibition space sales
- Create mapped layouts where different locations command different prices
- Hire salespeople on $80k base with potential to earn $300k selling booth space
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Success Metrics:
- Trade shows consistently sell for 10-15x profit (vs 5x for typical businesses)
- Can last decades (some running 100+ years)
- Example: UK Media's automotive testing expo
- $30M annual revenue
- 30% margins ($9M profit)
- Expected to sell for $100-120M
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Key Advantages:
- Higher multiples than agencies or ecommerce businesses
- Long-lasting business model
- Built-in audience through influencer partnership
- B2B focus means higher contract values
- Can start small (1,000-2,000 attendees) and grow over 5-6 years
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Risks:
- Weather can impact events
- Vulnerable to pandemics
- Requires strong logistics management
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.