How a Water Bottle Company Turned Into a $17M Empire

In this episode, the hosts dissect a $17.5M electrolyte powder Amazon FBA brand with 86% margins and 20K subscribers—debating whether it’s a goldmine or a marketing death spiral in disguise. Business Listing – https://quietlight.com/listings/16065383/ Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them. Subscribe for more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.acquanon.com/newsletter Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/acquanon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acquanon 👋 Follow the Hosts Michael Girdley – Entrepreneur & investor. Twitter: https://twitter.com/girdley Bill D’Alessandro – CEO of Elements Brands. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillDA Heather Endresen – SBA lending expert & advisor. Twitter: https://twitter.com/EndresenHeather Mills Snell – Small business investor & advisor. Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegeneralmills 💰 Sponsored by: Go High Level – The all-in-one sales and marketing platform built for agencies and entrepreneurs. Automate, manage, and grow your business at https://www.gohighlevel.com Capital Pad – A platform connecting accredited investors with vetted small business acquisition deals. Discover exclusive opportunities at https://capitalpad.com The team breaks down a high-flying $17.5 million revenue, $2.5 million SDE electrolyte supplement business listed on Quiet Light. The company pivoted from motivational water bottles to consumable electrolyte powders in 2021, riding the hydration craze straight to 65% YoY growth. But despite 86% gross margins and 20,000+ Amazon Subscribe & Save customers, the hosts raise red flags. Key Highlights: - $17.5M revenue, $2.5M SDE, 86% gross margins - 99% of revenue from Amazon, ~20,000 active Subscribe & Save users - Pivoted from motivational water bottles to consumables in 2021 - Faces high CAC, thin net margin (~15%) despite massive top-line - Hosts warn: DTC/shopify expansion is not a “free” growth lever—may backfire on Amazon rankings