Register for the webinar:

• Use an SBA Loan to Start a Roll-Up - Thu May 22nd - https://bit.ly/4kj566X

Devin Fitzgerald bought two businesses after one sentence changed his life: It's easier to buy revenue than create it.

Topics in Devin’s interview:

• Business is just solving problems
• It’s easier to buy revenue than create it
• Losing 8 months to a dead deal
• Buying 2 declining businesses
• Turning around a bad work culture
• Herding sellers to the finish line
• How the new SBA rules affected his second acquisition
• Honoring his grandmother’s memory
• Bringing high energy to work
• The gift of getting to choose your team

References and how to contact Devin:

• LinkedIn
• RML Service Group

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

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

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Use an SBA Loan to Start a Roll-Up - May 22nd - https://bit.ly/4mays9p

Michael Davidov bought a home care agency with an SBA loan. 6 years later, he's grown & acquired to $140m in revenue.

Topics in Michael’s interview:

• His “other side of the table” moment in private equity
• Partnering to buy a home health agency
• Digitizing a pen and paper business
• Seeing his employees as customers
• Narrowly avoiding a payroll disaster
• Going slow to go fast
• Rapid growth through additional acquisitions
• His hiring criteria for leaders
• Absorbing a business much larger than themselves
• Growing revenue beyond $100 million 

References and how to contact Michael:

• LinkedIn
• Pine Street Group
• Jonathan Sassover
• Jerome Buillon: How to Double and Exit a Home Care Agency

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

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• How to Use a Buy-Side Advisor to Buy a Business - Thu June 5th - https://bit.ly/3H4mduT

The original plan was for Lindsay Buckheit to buy a business. As husband Kevin Black got involved, that plan evolved.

Topics in Lindsay and Kevin’s interview:

• Their desire to leave corporate life
• Joining Codie Sanchez’s Contrarian Community
• No deals after 8 months of part-time searching
• Enlisting AcquiMatch to help them find a business
• Closing on 2 businesses
• Offering a higher sale price in exchange for a seller note
• Mitigating key man risk in both businesses 
• Finding a bank to finance their acquisitions
• Why they recommend flat-rate due diligence services
• The arduous loan application process

References and how to contact Lindsay & Kevin:

• Lindsay LinkedIn
• Kevin LinkedIn
• Collective Creative Outdoors
• Holdsworth & Nicholas
• AcquiMatch
• Codie Sanchez

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

• The Acquisition Lab

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Deal Structuring Under the New SBA Rules - TODAY May 8th - https://bit.ly/4jFLpX2

Jason Jackson thought he bought a $1.5m SDE dental practice. In fact, the business was losing money & engaging in fraud.

Topics in Jason’s interview:

• Value of pattern recognition in business
• Missing fraud despite $400k of due diligence
• Turning around a business with negative EBITDA
• When to fire a top performer
• Fixing a broken work culture
• Why he decided not to sue the seller
• Hands-on learning in every role
• Changing their revenue model during Covid
• Focusing on cash, culture, and communication
• Why his investors were thrilled with a 2x return

References and how to contact Jason:

• LinkedIn
• Jason’s partner Olaide Lawal
• Futaleufu Partners
• The Manager’s Handbook by David Dodson

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

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

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Deal Structuring Under the New SBA Rules - Thu May 8 - https://bit.ly/4m7VH47

Marvin Karlow & his partner bought a powder-coating business with $500k in equity. 8 years later, they sold it for $21m.

Topics in Marvin’s interview:

• Going from corporate to blue collar business
• Buying a business with his best friend
• Picking a lane and staying in it
• Biggest customer slashing prices right after transition
• Putting personal money into the business
• Losing a major customer
• The customer that turned it all around
• Buying 2 turnarounds
• Merging and exiting the businesses
• Tax savings through QSBS

References and how to contact Marvin:

• LinkedIn
• [email protected]
• Raincatcher
• Steve Mariani

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

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at [email protected], 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar: 

• Anatomy of a Franchise Holdco - Thu May 1 - https://bit.ly/4jreo0U

Dan Angel knew he wanted to buy this B2B travel company with $3m top line. But the sale would shock the key number-two.

Topics in Dan Angel’s interview:

• Leaving his dream career at a hedge fund
• Coming in a little too hot as the new owner
• Adding 3 offshore employees
• Growth isn’t free
• Running a fully remote team
• Trying to change the world by 9:00 am

Topics in Jayme Moylan’s interview:

• Her 15 years working for Lodging Source
• Being blindsided by the acquisition
• Uncertainty over who to answer to while the seller was still there
• Figuring out how to interact with Dan

References and how to contact Dan and Jayme:

• Dan Angel LinkedIn
• Jayme Moylan LinkedIn
• Lodging Source
• Self-Funded Search vs Traditional Search Funds
• Sam Rosati on Acquiring Minds discussing Big 3, Little 2: How to Shorten Your Search to Buy a Business
• Chris Williams on Acquiring Minds: System Six: One Year Update

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

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

• The Acquisition Lab

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar: 

• Anatomy of a Franchise Holdco - Thu May 1 - https://bit.ly/4k8HKBd

Jan Roll bought a $6m residential contractor, a harrowing experience he calls one giant ambiguous ball of figure-it-out.

Topics in Jan's interview:

• Contracting means learning 25-30 trades
• Margin of safety in a residential construction business
• Value of paying vendors immediately
• Engendering trust in a low-trust industry
• Revenues dropping 25% in first year of ownership
• Using ROBS to buy the business
• Pitfalls in contractor licensing
• The harm in not having an employee agreement with a business partner
• How to diligence a business partner (or can you?)
• How SEO & digital marketing supercharged leads

References and how to contact Jan:

• LinkedIn
• Victoria Renovations

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher

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

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Anatomy of a Franchise Holdco - Thu May 1st - https://bit.ly/3RWj0Qh

In 2019, Matt Kopp bought a supplier to elementary schools with $350k SDE. 6 years later, he has a portfolio of them.

Topics in Matt’s interview:

• Business buying market in Australia
• Eliminating interruptions at work
• Tracking email open rates to improve his outreach
• Buying a science class supplier
• Challenge of selling to schools without a relationship 
• Overcoming people problems during transition
• Weathering Covid lockdowns
• Forming an education holdco
• Beating out private equity for his last acquisition 
• Selling to private equity after growing the business

References and how to contact Matt:

• LinkedIn
• Simon Plummer on Acquiring Minds: From Frustrated Searcher to $3.5m Owner to Holdco Builder
• Pete Seligman on Acquiring Minds: Making a Career of Buying Businesses
• Enduring Investment Partners
• Southern Biological
• Hands on Science
• Junior Rockers
• Primary Music Institute

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

• 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]

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 3rd:

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

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Should You Buy a Business? A Live Panel with Lab Members - Wed Apr 23rd - https://bit.ly/3EBvXvN

Joe Ziolkowski found the deal of a lifetime — a $10m manufacturing business — by expanding his filters on BizBuySell.

Topics in Joe’s interview:

• Investing with a friend in real estate
• Backing out of a Mr. Rooter deal
• Acquiring a restoration business
• Dealing with insurance in restoration
• Making a bad operations hire
• Selling the business at a profit after 6 months
• Acquiring a wood veneer manufacturing company
• Getting a great deal on both businesses
• Seller’s daughter staying on as VP
• Why it’s impossible to start a wood veneer business

References and how to contact Joe:

• LinkedIn
• [email protected]
• Woodland Face

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

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at [email protected], 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 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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Licenses & Regulatory Issues in Acquisitions - Thu April 17th - https://bit.ly/4i7vsY5

With 300 employees across 5 companies, the holdco that Chris Fredericks is building has an uncommon feature at its core.

Topics in Chris’s interview:

• What is an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)?
• Finding purpose and meaning at work
• Concept of dignity at work
• What ESOP employees do and don’t vote on
• Using an internal podcast to communicate about employee ownership
• Mitigating risks in ESOPs
• Employee reactions to being acquired
• Selling employees on the ESOP concept
• His role as investor, not operator
• Keeping a bad hire for too long

References and how to contact Chris:

• LinkedIn
• Empowered Ventures
• The Empowered Owners Podcast
• The Great Game of Business

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 3rd:

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

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

• From this page or contact [email protected]

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 of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at [email protected], 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron