• Buying a Job to Build a Business
    Nov 7 2024

    When he realized he was willing to do the work himself, Matthew Railla bought a $500k SDE termite inspection business.

    Topics in Matt’s interview:

    • His family’s culture of entrepreneurship
    • His background running a winery
    • Becoming a business broker
    • Buying his own listing
    • Buying a tough-to-sell business
    • Getting an SBA loan using the new partial buyout rules
    • Crawling under houses himself to learn the trade
    • Seller agreeing to teach him for 2 years
    • The 3 branches of pest control
    • His plan to expand the business

    References and how to contact Matt:

    • LinkedIn
    • matt@toptermiteco.com
    • https://www.toptermiteco.com

    Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

    • The Acquisition Lab

    Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

    • Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

    Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • $6m Business, 3 Minutes From Childhood Home
    Nov 4 2024

    Iris Levine bought a 30-year-old construction firm just steps from the rough Nashville neighborhood where she grew up.

    Topics in Iris’s interview:

    • Working 3 jobs to pay for college
    • Background in high-growth startups
    • Forming her own acquisition mastermind group
    • Finding an unlisted business through a broker
    • Buying a porch construction company
    • Putting 5% down without outside investors
    • Choosing to forego a quality of earnings
    • Adding technology for project management
    • Motivation to find work-life flexibility
    • Possibility of expanding their offerings

    References and how to contact Iris:

    • LinkedIn
    • Episode #233 with Alan Lochridge

    Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

    • Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    • Book a call with Tim or email hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 16 mins
  • Buying a Business to Build a Life
    Oct 31 2024

    Register for the webinar:

    • How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/48sjkh9


    Seattle-based Dan Drake & his wife wanted to raise their kids in Bend, Oregon. Buying a business allowed them to do it.

    Topics in Dan’s interview:

    • His search in Bend, Oregon
    • Understanding negotiation tactics
    • Bundling the real estate with the business
    • His seller-financed deal
    • Renegotiating after sales dipped 20%
    • Pros and cons of having experienced staff
    • Explaining balloon payments
    • Giving back to Central Oregon
    • Meeting with top customers to understand their needs
    • Improving inventory management and website

    References and how to contact Dan:

    • LinkedIn
    • Industrial Applied Electric
    • Negotiate Without Fear by Dr. Victoria Medvec

    Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

    • The Acquisition Lab

    Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

    • Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Buying & Building a $60m Manufacturer
    Oct 28 2024

    Register for the webinar:

    • How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday, Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/3YEN9YE


    When, at age 29, Gat Caperton bought a furniture maker in his native West Virginia, he was also buying himself a career.

    Topics in Gat’s interview:

    • Working for the legendary Sam Zell
    • Acquiring a furniture manufacturer in 1996
    • You’re better off with smart competitors than dumb competitors
    • Cutting his lead time in half the first year
    • Implementing lean manufacturing
    • Owning the business with his dad
    • China devastated US furniture manufacturing
    • Joining John Bassett to sue China for breaking trade laws
    • The evolution of “Made in America”
    • How to evaluate a furniture manufacturer

    References and how to contact Gat:

    • LinkedIn
    • Gat Creek
    • Factory Man by Beth Macy
    • The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox

    Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

    • Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    • Book a call with Tim or email hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 53 mins
  • 2 Years to Buy, Double & Exit a Medical Billing Firm
    Oct 24 2024

    Register for the webinars:

    • Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3UihUQG

    • How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/3UfYJqz


    Nik Hulewsky bought a $3.2m medical billing company during peak Covid, anticipating a surge in demand. He was right.

    Topics in Nik’s interview:

    • Tragedy that ignited his passion for hospice
    • Losing his job while his wife was in labor
    • Searching for a business to fit his skillset
    • Industry is more important than business
    • Margins in home health
    • Calculating return on brain damage
    • Learning firsthand about the J curve
    • Importance of relationship with the seller
    • Being in business with his brother-in-law
    • Advice for young entrepreneurs

    References and how to contact Nik:

    • Twitter
    • Cofounders.com
    • Nikonomics

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    • Book a call with Tim or email hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com (and tell him you’re a searcher)

    Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

    • Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Small SDE, Big Upside: Buying a Business with 5 Employees
    Oct 21 2024

    Register for the webinars:

    • Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/4dR5CWq

    • How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/4dQifkn


    Kristiana Laugen left tech to buy a 40-year-old pool business with $300k SDE. Fast growth from a small base is the plan.

    Topics in Kristiana’s interview:

    • Her career working for start-ups
    • Her desire to “eat what she kills”
    • Finding a business sooner than expected
    • Acquiring a commercial pool maintenance/repair business
    • How commercial pool maintenance differs from residential
    • Quickly firing all but one technician
    • Making changes in the first 90 days
    • Seller retained 5% equity
    • Using an app for routing efficiency
    • The numbers game of hiring

    References and how to contact Kristiana:

    • LinkedIn
    • klaugen119@gmail.com
    • Twitter
    • RD Pools, Spas & Fountains

    Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

    • Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

    Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

    • The Acquisition Lab

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Leaving Amazon to Buy a $3m Apparel Brand
    Oct 17 2024

    Register for the webinar:

    • Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3zTykbc

    Tech industry vet Eric Bauer wanted to build something for himself. Buying a hat brand across the country was the path.

    Topics in Eric’s interview:

    • Skills he acquired during 10 years at Amazon
    • Moving from Seattle to Alabama to buy a business
    • Red flags in business listings
    • Comparing BizBuySell and Axial for business search
    • Acquiring a hat distributor
    • Solving problems with hat sizing
    • Learning how to motivate his staff
    • Hiring difficulties
    • Inventory management complexities
    • Self-confidence as a business owner

    References and how to contact Eric:

    • eric@turnerhat.com
    • LinkedIn

    Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

    • Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

    Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    • Book a call with Tim or email hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Business Collapse After Going All-In
    Oct 14 2024

    Register for the webinars:

    • Due Diligence Office Hours - Wed Oct 16 - https://bit.ly/4h3R74o

    • Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3zT8sMA


    Justin Willess liquidated his 401k to buy a $8.5m construction business. He lost the business and may lose his house.

    Topics in Justin’s interview:

    • Frustration with his consulting career
    • Buying a construction company
    • Construction landscape in Northern Virginia
    • Discovering cooked books after transition
    • Seller refused to release promised funds
    • Emptying his 401k to make payroll
    • Calm is contagious
    • Closing the business
    • What he learned from the failed acquisition
    • Why he wants to acquire again

    References and how to contact Justin:

    • LinkedIn
    • justinwilless@gmail.com

    Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

    • Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

    Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Chicago on October 26th:

    • https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS

    Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

    • The Acquisition Lab

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 39 mins