That’s the story of Samantha Hamilton, founder of Dottie for Running – a niche, community-driven eCommerce brand built on Shopify. She turned a handmade running skirt into a beloved product line serving the runDisney community, scaled it over ten years, and sold the business on Flippa for six figures.
But this isn’t just another exit story. It’s a blueprint for how modern eCommerce businesses can thrive and why founders should build with the option to exit in mind, even if they’re not ready to sell yet.
From a Side Project to a Cult Brand
Samantha didn’t set out to build a big brand. She was working in the fashion industry in 2015 when she created a fun, costume-inspired skirt for a Disney race. It got noticed, orders followed, and a Shopify store, Dottie for Running, was launched.
With the help of her mom (who sewed the first sample) and a lean team of seamstresses across the U.S., Samantha grew the brand organically. She kept overhead low, built a loyal fanbase dubbed “Team Butt Bow,” and reinvested profits to grow sustainably.
Even with three kids and frequent military relocations, she kept the business humming, achieving 300% year-over-year growth after the COVID-19 pandemic, when the race events resumed. It’s a story many solopreneurs can relate to: start scrappy, scale smart.
The eCommerce Boom: Still Going Strong
Samantha’s journey is part of a much larger wave. The global eCommerce market is consistently growing. Shopify alone powers over 5 million live stores worldwide (BuiltWith, 2025) and many of them are run by solo or small-team founders just like Samantha.
Flippa’s 2025 M&A analysis reinforces this momentum. eCommerce business sales grew 28%, showing strong resilience despite broader tariff pressures. Shopify-powered businesses, in particular, are seeing stable demand as Shopify remains the most searched term on Flippa, signaling exactly where buyer interest lies. These businesses offer market-tested models, brand recognition, and operational ease – some of the key traits buyers on the platform actively seek.
For eCommerce founders, especially those using Shopify, this represents a major opportunity. The buyer pool isn’t just active, it’s specifically aligned with the kind of businesses many founders are building. That makes now an ideal time to start thinking about value creation, operational maturity, and long-term positioning, even if an exit isn’t on the immediate horizon.
In short, these trends are creating fertile ground for small eCommerce brands to thrive, grow profitably, and if well positioned, attract serious buyer interest when the time is right.
Thinking about selling your eCommerce business? Get started today – or get a free valuation to see what it’s worth and uncover opportunities to increase its value before you exit.
Why You Should Build With an Exit in Mind (Even if You’re Not Selling Yet)
Samantha sold her business because it had outgrown her personal bandwidth. But she didn’t wait until it was broken or declining, she sold it while it was still profitable, with a 44% margin and a loyal customer base. That made the brand more attractive, more valuable, and easier to transfer.
Read Samantha’s full story here.
Here’s why building with an exit mindset makes sense, even if you don’t plan to sell soon:
1. It forces better systems and documentation.
When preparing for sale, you’ll need clean financials, clear processes, and reliable performance data. Building these early sets your business up to scale, regardless of whether you exit or not.
2. It reduces founder dependency.
Businesses that run without the owner’s daily involvement are worth more. Delegating, automating, and building standard operating procedures (SOPs) helps free up your time and makes your business more sustainable.
3. It helps you focus on value creation.
Thinking like a future buyer helps you prioritize activities that grow long-term value, like repeatable revenue, brand equity, and diversified marketing – not just short-term hacks.
4. It gives you options.
Maybe you will never sell. Or maybe one day a customer (like Samantha’s buyer), or an actual buyer, offers you a number that changes your plans. Being ready means you can choose on your terms.
Selling Smart: Samantha’s Exit Experience
When Samantha decided to sell, she turned to Flippa, the largest global marketplace for buying and selling digital businesses. She was matched with Flippa brokers who helped her:
- Value the business based on its multi-year profit history
- Position the brand to appeal to values-driven buyers
- Navigate negotiations, due diligence, and the asset transfer
The result? A smooth 6-figure sale to a buyer who was already a customer and loved the brand.
“You don’t need hundreds of buyers,” Samantha’s broker at Flippa told her. “You just need the right one.” That mindset helped guide the process and ultimately led to a buyer who would carry the brand’s legacy forward.
Many eCommerce founders wait too long to think about selling. They assume they’ll “know when the time is right.” But the best exits don’t happen at burnout, they happen when the business is healthy, and the founder is prepared.
Samantha’s success came from building something people loved, running it efficiently, and recognizing when it was time to pass the baton. Her advice to other founders?
“If you believe in what you’re doing, your customers will too. And when it’s time to exit, make sure you find someone who really understands that.”
More Than an Exit, Build for Value
Samantha’s story proves that with the right product, community, and mindset, small eCommerce businesses can command big outcomes.
Whether you’re just starting out or years into your eCommerce journey, it’s worth building your business as if you might sell one day. A business with recurring revenue, predictable performance, and scalable systems – the kind of business that’s attractive to buyers is also the kind that works better for you.