Rob Belk networked his way to "the most caffeinated guy in town" searching for a local business — then found it online. 

Register for the webinars:

• From Working IN the Business to ON the Business: How Owners Make the Transition - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4aKP3fY
• Don't Rush: How to Prepare for a Quality of Earnings Report - Tue, Jul 21 - https://bit.ly/4feY1DP

Topics in Rob’s interview:

• Geographic search in the Triad of North Carolina
• Networking with local business owners
• Finding a business through Axial
• Buying a marketing and consumer research agency
• His choice to stay out of the weeds
• Bringing in a consultant (maybe too) early
• How his agency intersects with the trades
• Structuring a 50% earnout
• Consensus-based leadership style
• Finding clients through Substack

References and how to contact Rob:

• LinkedIn
• Sales Factory
• Adam Duggins on Acquiring Minds: How to Build a Holdco of 4 Blue Collar Businesses in 10 Years
• Joe Soelberg on Acquiring Minds: Buying Small to Then Buy Larger $1m SDE
• Bryan Houck on Acquiring Minds: 4th Time's the Charm: 3 Broken Deals to Buy a Great Business
• Scott Alexander on Acquiring Minds: Rebuilding from 80% Collapse to Mid 7 Figures Revenue 
• Rob’s 10-page Search Learnings

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

• Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact [email protected]

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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Chris Farkas endured a 7-week fetal position moment when he finally found a website bug that had cost him $500k in sales.

Register for the webinar:

• From Working IN the Business to ON the Business: How Owners Make the Transition - Thu, Jul 16 - https://bit.ly/4vRBhk8

Topics in Chris’s interview: 

• Going through Acquisition Lab
• First deal fell through on Christmas Eve
• Acquiring an ecommerce business with a warehouse
• Buying inventory he didn’t want
• The marketing agencies that hurt his business
• Business almost tanked due to website glitch
• Doing $10k in sales per day
• Hardship of traveling every other week
• Why he stays off Amazon
• Make only one change at a time

References and how to contact Chris:

• LinkedIn
• EmergencyKits.com
• Russ Hadlock on Acquiring Minds: The Front Lines of a Crisis
• Dave Richards of Keystone Business Advisors
• Kalen Foster of Live Oak Bank

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

After 25 years in corporate, Gina Rosen bought a jewelry wholesaling business with $635k in sales — now on track to $1m.

Register for the webinar: 

• Finance Essentials Before You Close - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4fcxTdK

Topics in Gina’s interview:

• Leaving corporate for more family time
• Decoupling her salary from her value
• Acquiring the supplier for her side gig
• Her mistake with buying inventory
• Keeping her corporate job the first year
• Going full time in the business to focus on sales
• Standing out by making sales calls in-person
• Operating a highly seasonal business
• How tariffs have affected her business
• Acquiring without the SBA 

References and how to contact Gina:

• LinkedIn
• Seasons Jewelry

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• The Acquisition Lab

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

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact [email protected]

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Buying a metal fabricator with $1m in earnings pivoted Paul Callahan into the new entrepreneurial chapter of his career.

Register for the webinar: 

• Finance Essentials Before You Close - Thu, Jul 9 - https://bit.ly/4eMaUow

Topics in Paul’s interview:

• M&A, integrations, and private equity experience
• COVID Zoom fatigue sparked career pivot
• Atlanta’s crowded deal market challenges
• Hiring buy-side help while still working
• Pursuing full ownership without outside investors
• Navigating two simultaneous LOIs carefully
• Choosing SBA 504 over 7(a) financing for the real estate
• Acquiring a high capex business
• Replacing Ferrari equipment with Toyota reliability
• Why consultants make strong ETA operators

References and how to contact Paul:

• LinkedIn
• Metro Metal Works

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

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

• Book a call with Tim or [email protected] 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Jeff Homer bought a small local music school as a fun side hustle. It turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Topics in Jeff interview:

• Switching from high finance to music schools
• Buying his first music school as a side project
• Raising growth equity after first 2 acquisitions
• Acquiring a music school every month
• Artists’ negative predisposition toward selling
• Comparing profitability of music vs. dance
• Importance of general managers in scaling
• Implementing apps to streamline operations
• Other industries with roll-up potential
• Rolling up 60+ music/dance schools nationwide

References and how to contact Jeff:

• LinkedIn
• Ensemble Performing Arts

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact [email protected]

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Caleb Standafer believed in manufacturing and wanted to spend his career there. A multi-year pivot and ETA got him in.

Topics in Caleb’s interview:

• Moving from tech to manufacturing
• Manufacturing is important for our country
• 7 years operating before searching
• The manufacturing concept of “going to Gemba”
• His 4-year part-time search
• Taking time weekly to develop his leaders 
• Partnering with his dad
• Modernizing 1970s technology
• Managing 75% customer concentration
• Renegotiating payment terms with his largest customer

References and how to contact Caleb:

• LinkedIn
• Springfield Tool & Die

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 protected] and mention Acquiring Minds

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Ned Tomasevic navigated an early crisis then grew EBITDA to $6m and exited at over 8x, four turns higher than he'd paid.

Register for the webinar: 

• Transferable Skills: Crafting Your Resume for SBA Lenders - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4v3KOnf

Topics in Ned’s interview:

• Being the first American in his family
• Utilizing 20 interns for outreach
• Acquiring with help from a search fund
• Post-closing discovery led to lawsuit
• Stress shows up in your body first
• Getting guidance from his coach and mentors
• Reducing shrink from 20% to 3%
• Quadrupling EBITDA in 3 years
• Taking a year off after exiting
• His new role as investor, coach and mentor

References and how to contact Ned:

• LinkedIn
• Searchers Fund
• Jason Jackson on Acquiring Minds: How to Recover from a Fraudulent Seller

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

• Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact [email protected]

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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Dominick Smith left a lucrative track in PE to pursue a path that offered more meaning. Buying a business has delivered.

Register for the webinars: 

• Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/3Qx1g0W
• Transferable Skills: Crafting Your Resume for SBA Lenders - Thu, Jun 25 - https://bit.ly/4uOEqQD

Topics in Dominick’s interview:

• Leaving a lucrative job in his late 20’s
• Dodging bullets with due diligence
• Renegotiating purchase price
• Managing white collar vs blue collar employees
• Wasting money on ineffective marketing
• Learning budgeting and frugality
• Advantages of staying in the weeds
• Aggressively pursuing new business
• Discovering and fixing poor website speeds
• His intent to sell the business

References and how to contact Dominick:

• LinkedIn
• Printmoz.com
• Heather Endresen at Viso Business Capital
• Brendan O’Brien at Huntington Bank
• Aizik Zimmerman on Acquiring Minds: Founder Mode for ETA: $6m to $25m in 3 Years

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

When the owner refused a seller note in the $6m transaction to sell his business, Tom McCormick had to get creative.

Register for the webinar: 

• Understanding a Quality of Earnings Analysis: What's Included and Why - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/43sZcKn

Topics in Tom’s interview:

• From IBM executive to acquisition entrepreneur
• Building banker relationships to source better deals
• Closing on his first LOI
• Consulting agreement replaced traditional seller note
•  “I wish I would've started this path 15 years ago.”
• Winning seller’s trust through shared values
• Using ROBS to buy a larger company
• A costly lesson about accounts receivable valuation
• Prioritizing keeping the blue collar workforce happy
• “I am so much happier now.”

References and how to contact Tom:

• LinkedIn
• Quality Cutting & Coring

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• The Acquisition Lab

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact [email protected]

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Despite his love of operations, Himmat Singh intended to own his acquisition passively. Then the lead sales guy quit.

Register for the webinar: 

• Understanding a Quality of Earnings Analysis: What's Included and Why - Thu, Jun 18 - https://bit.ly/4vhhY3t

Topics in Himmat’s interview:

• Operating a business for a billionaire in India
• Ran traditional search, closed zero acquisitions
• Targeted recession-proof home care opportunities
• Became CEO of elder care company he couldn’t acquire
• Grew EBITDA 4x through operational cleanup and systems
• Sold company to private equity, remaining CEO
• Life-changing exit from elder care company
• Landed printing acquisition through relationships
• Prefers operating to financial modeling
• Structuring a screaming deal on a printing business

References and how to contact Himmat:

• LinkedIn
• EPI-Colorspace
• Circle of Life

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

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 protected] 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron