Episode Number:

91

October 19, 2026

In this episode of The eCom Growth Show, Danan Coleman interviews Dr. Travis Zigler, CEO of Profitable Pineapple Ads and co-founder of Freedom Brands, to explore the strategies behind buying, scaling, and selling profitable Amazon businesses. From building Eye Love into a multimillion-dollar brand to acquiring established ecommerce companies, Travis shares what Amazon sellers need to understand about business valuations, acquisition financing, due diligence, and building brands that buyers actually want.

Meet Travis: The Eye Doctor Turned Amazon Brand Acquirer

Dr. Travis Zigler began his career as an optometrist before entering ecommerce in 2015. What started as a sunglasses business grew from $90,000 in first-year revenue to $2.6 million by 2017.

Alongside his wife, Travis later built Eye Love, an eye care brand generating approximately $500,000 in monthly revenue before its sale in 2021. Today, he leads Profitable Pineapple Ads, manages Amazon advertising strategies, and acquires established brands through Freedom Brands.

His experience on both sides of Amazon acquisitions gives him a unique perspective on what makes an ecommerce business valuable.

Why Buying an Amazon Business Can Beat Building From Scratch

Starting an Amazon brand means developing products, establishing demand, building reviews, and navigating countless operational challenges.

Travis believes acquiring an existing business can provide a faster path to profitable growth.

  • Established brands already have customers, sales history, and proven products.
  • Acquisitions provide opportunities to improve existing systems rather than starting from zero.
  • Buying multiple complementary brands creates opportunities to share resources and reduce expenses.
  • Existing customer relationships and brand recognition can provide competitive advantages.

Travis’s first acquisition in 2024 turned a business losing $30,000 into one generating $50,000 in profit. He eventually sold it for $90,000 after acquiring it with no upfront purchase price.

Big Idea: You don't always need to build the next successful Amazon brand. Sometimes the better opportunity is buying one with untapped potential.

Inside a Real Amazon Acquisition: The Earth’s Daughter Deal

Travis shares how Freedom Brands acquired Earth’s Daughter, an organic lip balm company selling more than one million individual lip balms annually.

Unlike many acquisitions, Travis already knew the business because Earth’s Daughter had been a Profitable Pineapple Ads client for four years.

The acquisition followed several important steps:

  • Initial conversation: Travis expressed interest in purchasing the business during a meeting with the owner in January 2025.
  • Negotiations: After previous potential deals fell through, the owners reopened discussions with Travis in December 2025.
  • Financial review: Both parties signed a nondisclosure agreement and reviewed profit-and-loss statements, tax returns, and other financial documents.
  • Letter of intent: After agreeing on preliminary terms, they signed an LOI and moved into detailed due diligence.
  • Financing: The transaction was structured with 10% down, 20% seller financing, and 70% SBA financing.
  • Closing: Banking complications delayed the transaction, but the acquisition was completed in June 2026.

Even after closing, the challenges continued. Travis had to establish operational systems, hire employees, and secure enough inventory financing ahead of the holiday season.

Takeaway: Buying a profitable business is only the beginning. Successfully transitioning operations and managing cash flow are just as important as negotiating the acquisition.

The Biggest Red Flags That Can Kill an Amazon Acquisition

Not every profitable Amazon business is worth buying.

Travis explains that certain warning signs can immediately make a potential acquisition less attractive.

  • Poor financial records: Sellers who cannot accurately explain their revenue, expenses, and profitability create major valuation challenges.
  • Unrealistic valuations: Business owners often overestimate what their companies are worth.
  • Owner dependency: If everything depends on the founder, a buyer may be purchasing a job rather than an independently operating business.
  • Difficult seller relationships: Acquisitions require extensive communication before and after closing, making trust and cooperation essential.
  • Lack of operational systems: Businesses without documented processes or capable teams are more difficult to transition.

For Travis, the relationship with the seller is particularly important. During one acquisition, his team met with the previous owners weekly for eight months.

He also warns buyers about sunk cost bias, the temptation to proceed with a deal simply because they’ve already invested significant time and money into it.

Smart Play: Be prepared to walk away from an acquisition, even after months of due diligence. A bad deal doesn't become better just because you've spent time pursuing it.

Revenue Doesn’t Determine Your Amazon Business’s Value

One of the strongest messages from Travis is that Amazon sellers focus too heavily on revenue instead of actual profitability.

He recalls evaluating a business generating $16 million in annual revenue but producing less than $1 million in profit.

To sophisticated buyers, impressive sales numbers mean little without healthy margins.

Travis highlights three essential metrics:

  • EBITDA: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. A common measure used to evaluate business operating performance.
  • SDE: Seller’s discretionary earnings, frequently used when valuing smaller, owner-operated businesses.
  • Contribution margin: A measure of profitability after relevant variable costs, which Travis and his partners monitor weekly.

He explains that smaller Amazon businesses generating less than $1 million in profit may receive valuations around two to three times earnings, depending on their circumstances.

Businesses that rely heavily on the owner may command lower multiples.

Key Insight: Buyers aren't paying for how much money passes through your business. They're paying for the profits it generates and its ability to continue operating without you.

How to Build an Amazon Brand Worth Acquiring

If your goal is to eventually sell your Amazon business, Travis recommends building it like an investor would evaluate it.

  • Maintain accurate, organized financial statements.
  • Track profit and contribution margins consistently.
  • Develop systems that allow employees to manage daily operations.
  • Reduce dependence on the founder.
  • Build a recognizable brand rather than relying entirely on individual products.
  • Create sustainable profitability and opportunities for future growth.

Travis emphasizes that hiring capable people can improve both operational performance and business valuation.

A brand that operates independently of its founder becomes much more attractive to potential buyers.

Actionable Insight: Start preparing your business for acquisition long before you plan to sell. The operational improvements that increase valuation can also make your business more profitable today.

The Power of Acquiring Complementary Brands

Through Freedom Brands, Travis is pursuing a strategy of acquiring businesses that strengthen one another.

Instead of purchasing unrelated companies, his team looks for opportunities to combine audiences, capabilities, and operational resources.

  • Acquire brands serving similar customer demographics to create cross-selling opportunities.
  • Consolidate overlapping operating expenses across multiple businesses.
  • Look for acquisitions that bring capabilities the existing portfolio lacks.
  • Expand into Shopify and direct-to-consumer channels through established teams.
  • Explore manufacturing and fulfillment opportunities to gain greater control over the supply chain.

Travis also discusses the potential valuation benefits of combining smaller businesses into a larger, more profitable organization.

His long-term goal is to build Freedom Brands toward $10 million in annual EBITDA over five years, with the potential for a significantly larger exit.

Prime Positioning: The right acquisition doesn't just add another brand to your portfolio. It strengthens the entire business through shared capabilities, lower expenses, and new growth opportunities.

How AI Is Changing Amazon Acquisition Due Diligence

Artificial intelligence is also transforming how Travis evaluates potential acquisitions.

He explains that his team developed AI-powered workflows using tools such as Gemini and Claude to analyze financial information.

These systems help his team:

  • Review financial statements and transaction records.
  • Identify potential reasons to pursue or reject an acquisition.
  • Evaluate business performance and financial risks.
  • Prepare preliminary acquisition documentation.
  • Reduce the manual work involved in reviewing multiple opportunities.

Travis describes using AI to streamline quality-of-earnings analysis, a process that traditionally required substantial professional fees.

However, AI-generated financial analysis should still be independently verified before making acquisition or financing decisions.

Takeaway: AI can accelerate acquisition research and help identify opportunities, but reliable financial data and professional due diligence remain essential.

Thinking About Selling? Here’s What Travis Is Looking For

Freedom Brands continues to explore acquisition opportunities, particularly established consumable brands with sustainable profitability.

Travis identifies several characteristics of an attractive acquisition:

  • Businesses generating approximately $500,000 to $1.5 million in EBITDA or relevant owner earnings.
  • Consumable products with repeat purchasing potential.
  • Established customer demand and identifiable opportunities for growth.
  • Reliable financial records and transparent ownership.
  • Opportunities to improve performance through advertising, operational systems, and shared resources.

He is particularly interested in supplement brands and businesses with capabilities that complement Freedom Brands’ existing portfolio.

For sellers considering an exit, Travis encourages reaching out and starting the conversation.

Connect With Dr. Travis Zigler

Final Thoughts

Building a successful Amazon business is one thing. Building a business that someone else wants to buy is an entirely different challenge.

Dr. Travis Zigler’s experience shows that long-term ecommerce success isn’t measured by revenue alone. Profitability, operational independence, clean financial records, and strategic growth opportunities determine whether a brand can attract serious buyers.

Whether you’re planning your first Amazon acquisition or preparing your existing brand for an eventual exit, the lesson is clear: build a business that creates value without depending entirely on you.

And when evaluating an acquisition, remember that the right deal is about more than the purchase price. It’s about what you can build with the business after you acquire it.

Stay tuned for more episodes of The eCom Growth Show, where Amazon sellers learn how to turn profitable brands into valuable assets through smarter acquisitions, stronger operations, and strategic exits.