Acquiring Minds

Register for the webinar:

• SBA Loans 101 + Program Updates - Jun 12th - https://bit.ly/4jG0FSV

After Evan Stewart found his footing in his printing business, he pushed it from $1.8m to $3.2m EBITDA in under 2 years.

Topics in Evan’s interview:

• Experience in the Acquisition Lab
• 6 months of imposter syndrome
• Earning the right to be heard
• Changes in direct mail printing technology
• Standing out amongst fierce competition
• His wife joining the business
• Moving his family to be closer to the business
• Accepting investment from friends and family
• Putting a lien on his house to get the loan
• Buying into a shrinking industry

References and how to contact Evan:

• LinkedIn
• Direct One
• Alex Holley on Acquiring Minds: Networking His Way to $800k SDE

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]

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:

• How to Outsource Your Search: Understanding Buy-Side Advisory - Jun 5th - https://bit.ly/43PpR4R

Christine Traylor is bringing entrepreneurial ambition to a business often dismissed as a side gig for retirees

Topics in Christine’s interview:

• Pivoting from international development to business owner
• Acquiring a historic B&B in Dupont Circle 
• A seller who refused to negotiate on price
• Living on site with her family at the B&B
• Calculating the value of the real estate
• Raising 2 small children in their business
• Long, frustrating buying process
• Combining SBA, conventional loan and seller note
• Difficulty in hiring an innkeeper
• Standing out amongst the hospitality competition

References and how to contact Christine:

• LinkedIn
• [email protected]
• Swann House
• Instagram

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:

• How to Outsource Your Search: Understanding Buy-Side Advisory - Jun 5th - https://bit.ly/44XWwX3

JD Hasley bought an upscale frame shop doing $600k. One year later, he's returned all his equity & grown it to $900k.

Topics in JD’s interview:

• Finding his business on broker’s own website
• Buying a retail frame shop
• Why DFW is a great location for a frame shop
• Learning to do the framing himself
• Standing out by answering email quickly
• Getting customers to pay in full up front
• 50% growth in the first year
• Online marketing to drive revenue
• How frame shops scale
• Empowering employees to implement change

References and how to contact JD:

• LinkedIn
• [email protected]
• Uptown Frame

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]

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 Outsource Your Search: Understanding Buy-Side Advisory - Jun 6th - https://bit.ly/43q0JQR

Kin Sio first tried real estate as he explored a path out of tech, but buying a business was his ultimate destination.

Topics in Kin’s interview:

• Immigrating from China
• Pivoting from tech to entrepreneurship
• Wanting more flexibility to care for family
• Deciding against using ROBS
• Running his Hawaiian business from Seattle
• Plans to expand to the mainland
• Building and maintaining a company culture
• Converting seller hours to human hours
• Managing hotel room pricing
• How culture influences risk taking

References and how to contact Kin:

• LinkedIn
• Lights On
• Doug Johns on Acquiring Minds: Opening Up to Franchises to Buy a Great Business

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 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:

• Buy a Business, Not a Fantasy: Addressing This Month’s 7 Most Common Buyer Concerns - Wed May 28th - https://bit.ly/43u7oto

When Julia Hensel decided to pursue entrepreneurship, husband Grant helped her find a remote business with a great team.

Topics in Grant & Julia’s interview:

• Julia’s background at BCG
• Grant’s many zero-to-one businesses
• Key lessons learned from failed LOIs 
• Why they avoided SBA loans
• The acquisition of Lexigate and what made it the right fit
• Standing out in a competitive process
• Is AI destroying SEO?
• Meeting clients and employees before purchase
• Transitioning from BCG to business ownership
• Leading a mostly Romanian team

References and how to contact Grant & Julia:

• Julia’s LinkedIn
• Grant’s LinkedIn
• Lexigate
• Nonprofit Megaphone
• Entrepreneurial Capital
• The Culture Map by Erin Meyer

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

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:

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

Covid forced Scott Alexander to pivot & rebuild the marketing agency he'd acquired just one year earlier. It worked.

Topics in Scott’s interview:

• Buying a digital marketing agency
• Disappointment with the seller
• Understanding customer churn
• Post-transition surprises with bookkeeping
• Turning around a bad company culture
• Wartime CEO vs Peacetime CEO
• Revenue devastated during Covid
• Rebranding and redirecting the company
• Using Facebook for medical sales
• Marketing Agency 101

References and how to contact Scott:

• LinkedIn
• Jason Andrews on Acquiring Minds: How I Bought & Sold a Healthcare Business for 8 Figures
• [email protected]
• Jairus Marketing

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

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

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:

• 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