Hi all,
Johann here. South African, living in Germany.
BACKGROUND
I ran my own solar installation business in South Africa for years. Then I moved to Germany and spent four years as an employee at a solar company. Reading MJ's The Great Rat Race Escape during that time was the push I needed to get out and build something of my own again.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Through my SA business I'd seen portable energy loggers and power quality meters sell well. I took that proven product to Europe and started a B2B e-commerce company selling electrical measurement instruments to electricians, solar firms and industrial clients.
WHAT HAS WORKED
European B2B buyers trust e-commerce. People order a €1,500 instrument online without ever phoning us. That simply doesn't happen in South Africa. Google Shopping ads in Germany works well.
WHAT HASN'T
Consistency. Monthly revenue this year has ranged from goood down to €4k. A handful of larger quotes decides whether a month is good or bad. I need €20–25k a month, reliably, for the business to be sustainable.
WHERE IT'S GOING
I plan to sell the German company around mid-2027. The aim is the capital or income to build my real dream: an eco-village property development in South Africa. This business is the vehicle, not the destination.
HONEST CENTS CHECK
I'm largely a reseller, so Control and Entry are my weak points. My counter-moves so far: an own-brand energy gateway and monitoring portal (live, not yet monetised), plus equipment rentals and calibration services for recurring revenue. I run it mostly solo, with documented procedures and a lot of automation (Odoo, n8n).
TWO ASKS
1. Blunt feedback on the model. Where is it weakest, and where would you focus to get from lumpy to consistent?
2. If you've sold a small e-commerce business: what did buyers actually care about, and what do you wish you'd fixed 12 months before the sale?
Happy to share more numbers. Thanks for having me.
Johann here. South African, living in Germany.
BACKGROUND
I ran my own solar installation business in South Africa for years. Then I moved to Germany and spent four years as an employee at a solar company. Reading MJ's The Great Rat Race Escape during that time was the push I needed to get out and build something of my own again.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Through my SA business I'd seen portable energy loggers and power quality meters sell well. I took that proven product to Europe and started a B2B e-commerce company selling electrical measurement instruments to electricians, solar firms and industrial clients.
WHAT HAS WORKED
European B2B buyers trust e-commerce. People order a €1,500 instrument online without ever phoning us. That simply doesn't happen in South Africa. Google Shopping ads in Germany works well.
WHAT HASN'T
Consistency. Monthly revenue this year has ranged from goood down to €4k. A handful of larger quotes decides whether a month is good or bad. I need €20–25k a month, reliably, for the business to be sustainable.
WHERE IT'S GOING
I plan to sell the German company around mid-2027. The aim is the capital or income to build my real dream: an eco-village property development in South Africa. This business is the vehicle, not the destination.
HONEST CENTS CHECK
I'm largely a reseller, so Control and Entry are my weak points. My counter-moves so far: an own-brand energy gateway and monitoring portal (live, not yet monetised), plus equipment rentals and calibration services for recurring revenue. I run it mostly solo, with documented procedures and a lot of automation (Odoo, n8n).
TWO ASKS
1. Blunt feedback on the model. Where is it weakest, and where would you focus to get from lumpy to consistent?
2. If you've sold a small e-commerce business: what did buyers actually care about, and what do you wish you'd fixed 12 months before the sale?
Happy to share more numbers. Thanks for having me.
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