Register for the webinar: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Fri Apr 11 - https://bit.ly/4ljGigo Keegan Dum wound down his search fund after 2 years without a deal, but he went on to acquire & create a great outcome. Topics in Keegan’s interview: Choosing traditional search No deal after 2 years of searching Selling the business after 18 months Finding a business on his own through consulting Role of software in car washes & auto shops Renegotiating terms with previous investors L...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Register for the webinar: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Fri Apr 11 - https://bit.ly/4ji2UMu Ken Eyjolfson looked at tons of businesses before deciding on a mattress outlet with $500k SDE and 700 5-star reviews. Topics in Ken’s interview: 8 years with the Soccer Shots franchise Spending too long searching for the perfect deal Buying a discount mattress retailer How the Canadian mattress industry works Buying from a “shady seller” Getting the lowest wholesale mattress prices Starting w...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Register for the webinar: 5 Steps to the Business Buying Process - Thu April 10th - https://bit.ly/41RC4oN After his foray into SMB ownership went well with FedEx routes, Matt O'Brien bought & doubled a $2.5m fencing business. Topics in Matt’s interview: Buying and expanding FedEx routes Nuances of buying a FedEx route Selling his routes at peak value during Covid Acquiring a commercial fencing business Keeping the seller’s son on as president Injecting more money for working capital Impact ...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 29 min
You thought the internet killed them off, but the travel agency Jared Benoff bought does $1m SDE by dominating a niche. Topics in Jared’s interview: His 9.5 year stint at Twitter/X Helping his dad with the family business Buying his parents’ destination wedding business Evolution of travel agencies His dad’s successful YouTube videos Advantages of buying the family business Standing out with customer service The pain of 4-star reviews Working with a loan broker Buying for 2x SDE References and h...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Initially drawn to buying a business, Kevin Moyer instead decided to start a project-based blue collar business instead. Topics in Kevin’s interview: Is the franchise fee worth it? Buying 3 de novo Smash My Trash territories His appreciation for reversible decisions A small business is an extension of the owner Recurring revenue is overrated Simple is nice, but complexity is a moat Starting a business with his friend Advantages of having a business partner Resiliency of physical world businesses...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Register for the webinar: How to Reduce Surprises with Operational Diligence - Wed Mar 26 - https://bit.ly/4hxp0tj Seeking a fit with his industrials experience, Adam Salmen bought an 8-figure business with locations around the world. Topics in Adam’s interview: Looking beyond “arts and crafts” businesses Partnering with Novastone to search and acquire Acquiring a multinational industrial company China's dominance in steel production Tariffs and the steel industry Crowdfunding attempt that faile...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 25 min
Register for the webinar: How to Reduce Surprises with Operational Diligence - Wed March 26 - https://bit.ly/4igNOqz After his acquisition failed, Jed Morris connected with dozens of others who'd experienced the same. There are patterns. Topics in Jed’s interview: Pivoting from Air Force to tech Interning for the company he bought Acquiring 2 landscaping companies a few weeks apart Insurance cost increased 30% after acquisition Pros and cons of long-term employees Misjudging his employability Go...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 57 min
Register for the webinar: How to Reduce Surprises with Operational Diligence - Web March 26 - https://bit.ly/4kVYn3U Recently laid off and a baby on the way, Shaugn Lindley pivoted into SMB ownership by buying a business with $550k SDE. Topics in Shaugn’s interview: Getting laid off from tech Reaching out to 600 local landscaping companies Finding a mentor through Acquiring Minds Why he decided against landscaping Acquiring a forklift repair business The importance of follow up Being the second ...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 38 min
Register for: Employee Issues & Non-Competes When Buying a Business - Thu March 13th - https://bit.ly/41vg9SL The live Q&A with Harley on March 27th - https://bit.ly/43vYX24 Harley Sitner bought a struggling VW van repair shop for $100k in 2013. Today it's an 8-figure business and brand. Topics in Harley’s interview: His career in software First business acquisition: West Coast Nurseries Harley buys a VW Camper Van "I'd rather hug 100 people than serve a billion" Irrational passion of VW...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Register for: Employee Issues & Non-Competes When Buying a Business - Thu March 13 - https://bit.ly/3F6dasG The live Q&A with Nick on March 25th: https://bit.ly/3DoZfgD Industry outsider Nick Munsee bought a traffic engineering firm for a good price, carefully de-risking the acquisition. Topics in Nick's interview: Managing from out of state The white whale: a deal that almost happened Lessons from a failed acquisition Finding Hales Engineering Understanding the traffic consulting busine...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Register for the webinars: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu March 6 - https://bit.ly/3QEgIoA Employee Issues & Non-Competes When Buying a Business - Thu March 13 - https://bit.ly/4koXrFb Live Q&A with Sean Daly - Tue March 18 - https://bit.ly/41yzjZ7 Day 1 changes? Yes please. Sean Daly brought a spirit of experimentation, iteration, and speed to a small HVAC business. Topics in Sean’s interview: Founding and exiting his own company Going hard with cold outreach Hiring an of...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Register for: Live Q&A with Jonathan Bournigal - Thu March 19 - https://bit.ly/41lwPwc Webinar: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu March 6 - https://bit.ly/41m0o0i Jonathan Bournigal returned to his native Dominican Republic to buy a business. He found a small one and has 6x'd it. Topics in Jonathan’s interview: Boomer-owned businesses vs family-run businesses Avoiding the label of “tire kicker” Searching in a country the size of Rhode Island Why multiples are higher in the Domini...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 50 min
Register for the webinar: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu March 6 - https://bit.ly/435spfe Barker Squire has grown his crane servicing business gradually over 6 years. Now he turns his attention to what's next. Topics in Barker’s interview: Leading teams in the Marine Corps Getting a conventional loan instead of SBA Keeping his ears open in seller meetings Pros and cons of government contracts Employees walking out Staying safe in a dangerous job The owner staying as an employee Gr...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Register for the webinar: First 100 Days: Survive & Thrive as a New Business Owner - Wed Feb 26 - https://bit.ly/4hFqGle 24 hours into Jack Carr's ownership of a tiny HVAC business, disaster struck. Just 2.5 years later, it did $3m in sales. Topics in Jack’s interview: All HVAC techs quit on the first day Buying an HVAC business with no physical location Why he feels like his 2x multiple was too high Teaching himself HVAC skills via YouTube How he prices a book of business His process for re...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 29 min
Register for the webinars: Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/3QjGZYR First 100 Days: Survive & Thrive as a New Business Owner - Wed Feb 26 - https://bit.ly/4hCxC2G Subscribe to the new podcast, Meeting of the Minds: On YouTube Spotify & Apple links coming soon! Lucas Philips bought a niche manufacturer with $200k SDE, aiming to make it an ecommerce/DTC business. It's working. Topics in Lucas’s interview: How his startup mindset influenced his acquisit...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 44 min
Register for the webinars: Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/3X1BqSQ Subscribe to the new podcast, Meeting of the Minds: On YouTube Spotify & Apple links coming soon! Cliff & Christine Nelson navigated him buying a big but remote business while she was pregnant, then a first-time mom. Topics in Cliff and Christine’s interview: Highs and lows of the 2-year search Cliff quitting his job right before Covid Becoming parents and closing on a business the s...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 52 min
Register for the webinars: Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/4aOwtlM Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/4hQbn9e It took Alex Holley a few months of daily meetings to find a $4.5m home services business in his local Louisville, KY. Topics in Alex’s interview: Networking through 100 meetings in 4 months Buying 2 businesses at once Learning how to run a crew Going on jobs to learn about the work Leaving consulting for blue-collar indus...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Register for the webinars: Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/414vOtc Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/42I4dPY Former guest Chris Edwards has sold the $1.7m flooring business he bought with $200k of his own money and an SBA loan. Topics in Chris’s interview: Why he chose to sell his flooring business Deciding not to rebrand Owning and operating in a small, isolated town A countertop acquisition that went south How a holdco is diffe...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Register for the webinars: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/4aNHmEz Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/3PXBEX6 Industry-agnostic Trip Biesanz brought his sales skills to a glass fabrication & install business doing $3m in revenue. Topics in Trip’s interview: Being a franchisee for 7 years Networking through MBBI and XPX Working with Calder Capital to find a business Narrowing down his search to construction Value he saw in long-t...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Register for the webinars: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/3En1vFu Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/3EjjOex 7 months into ownership of a $2m fencing business, Kirk Olson is learning how to manage culture, tech, and cash flow. Topics in Kirk’s interview: Achieving financial independence, but deciding not to retire Buying a business for a total life upgrade Negotiating with very difficult sellers Structuring real estate into the dea...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 41 min
Register for the webinars: Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/4hlhlic 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/3Qautet When Shell Zhang recognized her own tolerance for risk she stepped off a linear path to buy a $600k SDE travel business. Topics in Shell’s interview: Buying a group tour business Overcoming key-person risk Going from a regional company to a national company Avoiding “boring businesses” Paying over asking price for the busi...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 42 min
Register for the webinars: Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/4heHi35 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/4h7HOQj Ray & Dana Chery sensed a need for change in their careers. A 26-year-old portable sink manufacturer was the answer. Topics in Dana and Ray’s interview: Going all-in as a couple buying a business How they beat out 50 other buyers Moving from the finance world to manufacturing Buying a portable sink manufacturer How Ray...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 17 min
Register for the webinar: • Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/3CbswuP Months into his ownership, Ayo Phillips realized his industry was fatally flawed. He survived and 5 years later, exited. Topics in Ayo’s interview: Acquiring with funding from a family office Buying a declining business in a competitive industry Unethical practices within his industry Being honest about your motivation to buy a business Losing 19 employees who became competitors Treating his busin...
Jan 23, 2025•2 hr 4 min
Register for the webinars: • Is It a Fair Multiple? The Art of Making Your Offer - Wed Jan 22 - https://bit.ly/4asGoxw • Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/3CbswuP Abhi Ravishankar & 3 partners devised a novel holdco structure to prioritize flexibility, cash flow, and the long term. Topics in Abhi’s interview: Going from BCG partner to small business buyer Starting a holdco with 3 friends Their primary and secondary partner model Setting up contingency plans in t...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 45 min
Mike Heath bought a garage door installer from owners who didn't use email. He grew sales fast, but profits came harder. Topics in Michael’s interview: Passing on a commercial cleaning business Acquiring a garage door business with silent partners Installing an operator on day one Messy, unkempt books from the seller Hitting a cashflow crisis Bringing in a consultant and keeping her on full-time Paying off the SBA loan early Doubling their gross margin Splitting revenue across 3 partners Acquiri...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 34 min
Sale-leaseback and asset-based lending enabled Carlo Santelli to acquire and own 100% of a $3.5m EBITDA manufacturer. Topics in Carlo’s interview: Applying 3x to Columbia before getting in Leaving a finance career to buy a business Why he only buys proprietary, not through brokers Maintaining deal momentum when a seller is very busy The power of asset-based lending The power of a successful sale leaseback Being comfortable learning as you go How he thinks about risk Closing on 4 businesses this ...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Pete Ciaverilla bought a $12m HVAC business, then grew earnings 50% in 3 years. His timing couldn't have been better. Topics in Peter’s interview: Combining households with his parents while searching Using a buy-side advisor Funding less than 5% of the deal himself Transitioning the seller’s family out of the business Buying a company with 65 employees, $12M in revenue Advantages of buying a bigger company Balancing commercial and residential HVAC Impact of seasonality on revenue Why private eq...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 55 min
Michael Jacobson bought his uncle's barely-profitable 45-year-old flower shop in LA. In 4 years he's grown it 16x. Topics in Michael’s interview: Revamping his uncle’s flower shop Replacing the overpriced phone system Building custom software for the floral industry Why flower shops are hard to run How “wire services” like 1-800 Flowers work Switching to Google Ads for better ROI Doubling revenue with a new website Operating as a digital-first brand with physical locations Becoming the French Fl...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 50 min
Tim Lahey has doubled the $1.6m company he bought, and buying small has prepared him well for the next phase of growth. Topics in Tim’s interview: Being inspired by Doug Cook Looking for a “dusty, not rusty” business Partnering with an M&A firm to search Acquiring a home technology company Getting bitten on a cashflow crunch Handling customer complaints as the owner Culture of small businesses Changing too much too fast Listening for what customers want Challenges of buying small References ...
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Nick Molina on how he found, acquired, & plans to manage a 275-employee business in Minneapolis from his home in Miami. Topics in Nick’s interview: Taking his first company public in 1998 His unwillingness to retire The tremendous cost of start-ups Which state he won’t do business in Buying a business he doesn’t have to operate Importance of listening in sales Living in Miami while owning a business in Minneapolis What makes a good property management business Using a loan broker Appeal of k...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 31 min
