How to Sell a Bootstrap Business and Work Only 97 Days: Lessons from Marshall Haas

Most founders dream about building a business that earns millions, and then stepping away while it runs itself.

Marshall Haas actually did it.

This serial entrepreneur sold his remote hiring company for $52M after logging just 782 hours on it—that’s about 97 full workdays. But unlike other founders, he didn’t raise funding or grind around the clock.

We sat down with Marshall to unpack his strategies—from tracking every hour like an experiment, to building a remote-first team, to discovering the real cheat code for growth: delegation. 

Check out the full interview here:

Here are the top takeaways from his story.

1. Treat business like a game

Marshall started tracking his hours obsessively. He wanted to see how little time he could spend while still growing something meaningful. In fact, he turned it into a challenge: how far could he scale while working less and less? This approach forced Marshall to build with intention and avoid unnecessary busywork.

"I use this as a way to see, okay, how little time can I spend on something and still have it grow without me?"

2. Start simple, scale fast

During COVID, Marshall launched an ecommerce brand called Peel. He and his team brainstormed a new product that fit the pandemic moment: a brass Touch Tool for opening doors without touching surfaces. Within six days, it went from idea to presale. Within 60 days, it generated over $1 million in revenue.

The key? Focused execution, a strong existing audience, and a problem-solving mindset. Instead of overthinking the tech, Marshall just asked, "What simple problem can we solve fast?"

3. Delegation is a skill (that you can practice)

Marshall wasn’t always great at delegation. In fact, he used to hire assistants, then freeze because he didn’t know what to hand off. But he learned that, like any skill, delegation improves with reps.

His framework:

1. Track what you do daily for a week.
2. Identify repeatable tasks.
3. Record a Loom video explaining the process.
4. Hand it off with clear SOPs.

Over time, this allowed him to run a lean company with a global team—and eventually, step back entirely.

4. Don’t just hire offshore—hire smart offshore

Marshall’s company Shepherd (now Somewhere.com) was a remote recruiting agency that placed overseas talent in U.S. startups. 99% of his own team was remote and international. He found that for a small increase in cost, he could get senior-level overseas talent with incredible ROI.

He recommends:

• Hiring full-time when possible (better focus and loyalty)
• Paying a little more for mid/senior level hires
• “Dogfooding” your own hiring process: Marshall built his team using the same service he sold, making himself the company’s best case study.

5. High margins make life easier

Marshall’s first businesses (like ecommerce) had thin margins. But Shepherd was different. With high margins and recurring revenue, he felt like he was suddenly playing on easy mode.

Pro tip: If you want optionality, freedom, and a better shot at exiting—opt for businesses with better margins.

"Top line was growing, but we weren't making money. Once I switched to a higher-margin business, everything changed."

6. Make your offer instantly understandable

Whether it was a paper-thin phone case or a pandemic keychain, Marshall always aimed for a clear, visual pitch.

"We used to ask, ‘Can we make this product GIF-able? Can you understand it in five seconds?’"

Simple, concrete, and visual wins—in product design and marketing.

7. Build with exit in mind (even if you don't sell)

Marshall’s exit didn’t come from raising money or chasing press. It came from building a sustainable, bootstrapped business with healthy financials and clean operations. When Nick Huber—a customer turned investor—made an acquisition offer, everything was in place.

He walked away with $18M in cash, $8M in a seller note, and equity still in the company.

8. Audience is a cheat code

Marshall attributes a huge part of his success to sharing online. Whether it was X/Twitter, a blog, or YouTube, talking publicly about what he was working on attracted partners, customers, and talent.

He even met his acquirer (Nick Huber) through X.

"Make cool things. Share them with the world. Interesting stuff happens."

9. Quality still matters

Marshall pushes back on the classic advice to "ship fast and be embarrassed by your first version."

Instead, he believes first impressions matter. A polished product builds trust and stands out.

"There's a really high bar for quality these days. Don't cut corners just to ship."

What’s next for Marshall?

After his exit, Marshall took time off for the first time in years. But the itch is back. He’s now planning to start a consulting studio focused on helping businesses improve operations, margins, and delegation. And he’s actively exploring models that pair influencers with high-margin, founder-led businesses.

(If that sounds like you, maybe it’s time to send him an email: marshall@needwant.com.)

Final thoughts

Marshall’s story is about focus, discipline, and building with intention. He didn’t hustle for hustle’s sake. He worked on what mattered—and delegated the rest.

And that’s how you can sell a business with less than 100 days of work.

Want to build your own $10K/month business?

Whether you’re focused on delegation, automation, or growing a lean team like Marshall did, we’ve got the tools to help you start smarter.

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