Keep Meeting People: A Story About Unexpected Acquisitions

Occasionally, we build things for ourselves.

Doing so opens new sources of potential revenue and helps us sharpen our skills for future projects. This is a story about one of those things.

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If you google "how to announce an acquisition," the format is simple:

We are pleased to share that [Company] has acquired [Product]. The team at [Product] has done an outstanding job with [verb], and [Company] is excited to see that [verb and many other verbs] accelerated.

And all of that is fine. But rather than use the same tired format here, I want to tell you a short story.

First, our TLDR for those who like a summary: A few years back, Zaengle made some acquisitions. We bought two software as a service (SaaS) platforms: Growth Geeks and Workify. Both of these products help folks grow their businesses. It was all made possible thanks to random coincidence and unexpected relationships.

I’ll spare you the nitty-gritty details of the many phone calls, negotiations, and legal conversations that come with any acquisition. Let’s get to the story.

A short story about small interactions leading to big things

When I first started Zaengle, I took on some interesting projects. One of those projects was for a special effects company. They specialized in crime scene effects and, you know, blood and guts. Anyway, I needed a design. That design led to my first interaction with Bronson.

Bronson and I tackled the guts website together — he did all the design and I did the development. We had some laughs. We finished the project. And we said we’d stay in touch.

I saw Bronson a few years later at a trick-or-treating event, where he told me all about a new company he was starting to help folks who need digital marketing on the fly. Like most of the things Bronson was involved in, this project sounded exciting, but I never thought much more about it.

Fast forward to 2019, when I got a call from Bronson: "I was wondering, would you be interested in buying my company?"

I’ll admit, I thought it was a strange way to start a conversation. But that big question eventually led to a few more discussions, some lawyers, and a wire transfer. And with that, Zaengle purchased two new (to us) products.

Now I’d like to introduce you to them.

Meet Growth Geeks

Growth Geeks provides digital services at freelance prices through a curated network of marketing professionals. It makes it easy for businesses to grow without hiring more staff, while also providing work to select creative agencies that have extra bandwidth.

Client makes a purchase -> Growth Geeks processes the order -> Pro fulfills the work

Meet Workify

As Growth Geeks found success, a new product spun from it. Workify offers similar services as Growth Geeks through a white-labeled product, which allows growing businesses, solopreneurs, and agencies to sell the services under their own brand.

Business offers services to their clients -> Client makes a purchase -> Workify processes the order -> Pro fulfills the work

Workify and Growth Geeks help leaders build the businesses they’ve always wanted. By supplying the tools and resources, these businesses can grow without accumulating more overhead. It frees them up to scale how and when they want to.

Try out a demo of Workify.

Relaunching and positioning for growth

Since acquiring these products, we've spent two years understanding the existing business. We’ve listened to the people using Workify, listened to the pros fulfilling the services, and observed the ecosystem surrounding the two products.

We’re excited to finally launch the second version of Workify and Growth Geeks to the public — adding new features and refining services, but more importantly, enhancing the quality for everyone who uses the platform.

We love helping teams and individuals work better together. It’s what our family of SaaS products is all about. We’re excited to bring Workify and Growth Geeks into the mix to help more businesses grow for good.

In the end, a weird project, a phone call, and one big question led to a successful acquisition. Never underestimate the power of relationships — and guts websites.