SOP 59: Operator Buy vs. Passive Buy — Match Asset to Your Time

SOP 59: Operator Buy vs. Passive Buy — Match Asset to Your Time

Not every site fits every buyer. Audit the asset's workload before the price.

— Buy as a passive holder when: content is evergreen, the site needs near-zero new content to hold rankings, monetization is set-and-forget (display ads), and there are no inventory, suppliers, or customer support. Verify with the seller's actual weekly hours log.
— Buy as an active operator when: the site needs constant fresh content, manages affiliate relationships, runs email campaigns, or has any operational moving parts. Confirm you have the hours or a hire lined up before closing.
— Mismatch warning: a passive buyer purchasing a high-maintenance site watches it decay because the work stops. Many 'declining' resales are just under-worked assets.
— Demand the seller's standard operating procedures and a true weekly-hours figure — not the optimistic pitch number.

Pass criterion: asset's real workload matched to the hours you will actually commit.

Save this — run it every deal.