Register here for the webinar, Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/3YQP2lp Niklas James, Adam Borcz, and Tony Cappeart reflect on terms, risk & reward of the still-young self-funded search model. Topics in Search Investor Roundtable: White collar buyers of blue collar businessesDesirable traits for searchersBalancing investor returns and personal gains3 common modeling mistakesRole of put options in dealsHow searchers sabotage their own dealsRealistic...

Register here for the webinar, Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/46OH4LNRyan Sullivan's group is buying businesses with investor capital, SBA loans & operating partners — but it's not a fund. Topics in Ryan’s interview: “Moneyball approach” to buying businessesMaking a career change at 48Why it’s hard to find a good businessBuying and holding manufacturing businessesOperating a holdco with 5 partnersGenerating returns from cash flows, not exitsHow soon to...

3 top players in SBA lending to the searcher ecosystem discuss what they're seeing in the market as of summer 2024. Topics in SBA Lender Roundtable: Role of personal guarantee in SBA loanWhy valuations remain highRising amount of equity in dealsHow to find the right lenderIndustries: what’s hot, what’s notFinancing for fast-growth businessesIncrease in forgivable seller notesMore re-trading in recent yearsImportance of buyer-seller trustSBA rule changes and their impactReferences and how to...

Gabe Perez sought a way out of corporate while Kristen sought a way back to working. Buying a $4m business offered both. Topics in Gabe and Kristen's interview: The role Acquiring Minds played in their acquisitionAcquiring a cold storage manufacturerPaying a premium for a growing companyBuying a business three hours awayRisks of taking on big projectsImplementing video conferencing Impact of business ownership on their familyKeeping business and family time separateGetting his lender...

Will Gano was rewarded for his persistence & vision when he bought an 8-figure, 125-year-old ingredients manufacturer. Topics in Will Gano’s interview: Getting experience in the food industryDoing outreach while working full timeHiring a buy-side broker to search for himGoing through years of “search purgatory”Writing a personal letter with his LOIBuying a food ingredient manufacturerThe upside of losing a major client before the transactionImportance of food safetyJumping through hoops...

Rob Carpenter was eager to start operating, so it only took 90 days to start searching then buy a $200k SDE business. Topics in Rob’s interview: His background in AI and software developmentHis desire for a lower-stress lifestylePrioritizing speed in his business searchChanging his mind about franchisesBuying 3 Merry Maids territoriesDigitizing processes in the businessHow labor turnover affects customer turnoverBenefits of a negative cash cycleComparing startup culture with running a small...

Years after one venture ended in failure, Jeff Velker bought a $2.5m pen maker with a strong brand & devoted customers. Topics in Jeff’s interview: His experience as a franchiseeBankruptcy after the 2008 crashThe difference between buying a job and owning a businessLosing his favorite pen led him to a pen companyAppeal of pens in our digital ageAcquiring with 2 partnersNegotiating with a seller who won’t go lowerGetting buy-in from spousesThe risks of having his manufacturer in TaiwanHis...

Jordan Evans left tech & bought a tiny, decades-old language services business. 6 years later, revenue is 17x larger. Topics in Jordan’s interview: Acquiring his parents’ language services businessSpending 2 years preparing the dealOverpaying for a 180k SDE businessDoubling the businesses through organic growthPros and cons of seller notes“We’re buying a bucket of people and problems”Bolting on language companies as a growth strategyHow fast they integrate newly acquired...

Register for the webinar: How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/4fa3CKBBrett Kennedy has doubled & strengthened the sub-$1 million moving business he bought — but it hasn't been without pain. Topics in Brett’s interview: Being raised in an entrepreneurial familyBuying Furniture Taxi, a moving companyDriving the truck himself when employees don’t showSurprises the seller failed to mentionGood and bad of buying smallDaily stressors of running a...

Register for the webinar: How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/3WwZqNRWhen Dustin Carreon reached a ceiling in his first small business, he used the profits to start buying other businesses. Topics in Dustin’s interview: Growing up in his parents’ scrapping businessInheriting and growing Freelance ElectronicsLearning the most from a difficult acquisitionTiming and luck mattersKey person risk in small-staff businessesHis mistake of expanding...

Register for the webinars: Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4cvUOwV Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - https://bit.ly/4cD9z17 How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/3LpQEuKHow Adam Markley evaluated thousands of businesses for sale and bought a handful of his own (6 in his portfolio today). Topics in Adam’s interview: Using online courses to teach business acquisitionSBA loans vs. seller notesRaising your...

Register for the webinars: Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4cCMyuZ Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - https://bit.ly/3LkCpr3 How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/4f2hCGcNick Haschka & Dillan Ferguson are 5 months and 2 acquisitions into a roll-up targeting $50-60m revenue in 5 years. Topics in Nick and Dillan interview: How Nick and Dillan met on TwitterThe future of reliance on generatorsServing both...

Register for the webinars: SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4bydwTe Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3WbVpxT Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/45SWMEY Purchase Agreement Fights: How to Avoid (or Win) Them - https://bit.ly/4eQ7z79 How Dominick Blue bought an air duct cleaning business and took it into HVAC services, all while retaining his W-2. Topics in Dominick’s interview: Keeping his W-2 while acquiring companiesMistakes...

Register for the webinars: SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eTZ8Yn Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3WbAs6h Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eVYDxc Purchase Agreement Fights: How to Avoid (or Win) Them - https://bit.ly/4bwcgQx By doubling a $3m EBITDA business Juan Aguilar bought with traditional search fund terms, he is able to hold it forever. Topics in Juan’s interview: Huge challenge of buying a business in Central...

Register for the webinars: Thu July 11 - SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eJqUXB Fri July 12 - Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3VPQf9pWe caution against thinking you can find it: 100% seller financing. But Renan Cortez did — and on a sizable business. Topics in Renan’s interview: His background as an Army medicLearning about acquisition via Codie SanchezUsing a virtual assistant to search for a businessNegotiating a 100% seller noteFeeling motivated by...

Register for the webinars: Thu July 11 - SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/3XSdIcG Fri July 12 - Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3W1zQA6Garrison Snell enjoyed a modest exit at age 24. By 30, he'd parlayed that into a holdco with $9m EBITDA and a mission. Topics in Garrison’s interview: Building and exiting a recording artist marketing agencyHis objective to do the most good for the most peopleEarly ventures into real estateBuying and quickly selling a...

Register here for the webinar, How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3KJnYwg 7 years ago Dan Verboski bought a sign business with $650k in earnings. He's doubled it, but ownership has taken a toll. Topics in Dan’s interview: Background in the Marines and retailBuying a sign company in Tyler, TexasCulture clashes and problem employeesSelling off his real estate to keep the business goingHow he learned to fire fasterBuilding a new company cultureMaking personal...

Register here for the webinar, How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3KH9RaSWill Smith has partnered with Niklas James & Max Lummis in a fund to invest in searcher & independent sponsor deals. Topics in this episode: Why raise a fund?How a fund comes togetherWhat it was like to raise money from LPs for a blind poolWhy a business might be great for a searcher but not an investorHow different investors have different needsWhy small acquisitions are hard for...

Register here for the webinar, How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3Rto4Mc-- Get Remediation Company CIM - Request the NDA to get the CIM of the Midwestern niche remediation company. https://bit.ly/45spnAI-- Before acquiring a commercial painting business doing around $2m, Colin Gates worked on a crew as one of its painters. Topics in Colin's interview: Aggressively saving while working in private equityRecurring revenue is BSDon’t sweat getting the perfect...

Register here for the webinar, How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3RuI018-- Get Remediation Company CIM - Request the NDA to get the CIM of the Midwestern niche remediation company. https://bit.ly/4b6rnjA-- JD Beck transformed a small (and small-town) plumbing business, took it into a larger market, and tripled it in a year. Topics in JD’s interview: Lessons learned from a failed dealBuying a tiny plumbing businessBringing operations into the 21st...

Elliott Edge started as a searcher looking for a single business, then pivoted to a roll-up. He's 7 acquisitions in. Topics in Elliot’s interview: His philosophy on submitting LOI’sAcquiring a managed service provider amidst CovidHis wife’s role in the acquisitionValue of an MBA in acquiring a businessQuickly going remote when Covid hitBuilding trust with employeesHow soon and fast to make changesCreating more value through roll-upsIntegrating new acquisitions into the roll-upHis belief in...

Register here for the webinar, The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/3VeWF1B Matt Pohl & his wife bought a small welding business with extreme key person risk. They 4x'd the business in 2 years. Topics in Matt’s interview: Starting, growing and selling his own businessAcquiring a welding business with his wifeLearning how to hire weldersThe difficulties of hiring through a staffing agencyTransient nature of weldersGrowing while maintaining marginsStress of...

Register here for the webinar, The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/3yCQaOwDespite having no experience in manufacturing, Jens Grudno jumped when he heard about a failing straight-razor business. Topics in Jens’s interview: Buying a bankrupt razor manufacturerEmbracing risk in German business cultureCleaning out and moving a 116-year old businessAnother company poaching their clientsPitfalls to avoid when buying a businessDeveloping a new, innovative...

Register here for the webinar, The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/4538koZStephen Quindlen & Paul Westhart have found powerful multipliers that could yield huge returns in an unlikely industry. Topics in Stephen and Paul’s interview: Acquiring auto repair shopsRetaining talent by adding employee benefitsFleet vs. passenger car businessAlmost losing a foreman on day oneWhy they love the Mountain WestRecruiting California workers to IdahoInnovative real...

Matt Drndak bought a parts business with a plan to grow it. It worked — he's doubled earnings. But it's taken patience. Topics in Matt’s interview: Losing everything in the Great RecessionHis experience in franchisesBuying an online store for construction equipment partsLeveraging service to stand out from competitorsDetermining the value of the inventoryServing customers with low computer literacyNon-mechanic buying a mechanical parts businessCapturing the seller’s technical knowledge in...