Acquiring Minds

Greg Hirsch wants more seasoned professionals to understand how valuable their experience can be to an ETA journey.

Topics in Greg’s interview:

• Fifteen years learning systems at Sysco Foods
• Failed startup revealed builder, not founder path
• Helped scale trucking roll-up through industry consolidation
• Revisiting his “heck no” pile
• Invests in timeless blue-collar essential industries
• Late-40s searches benefit from life experience
• Spouse alignment essential before risking family security
• His wife’s perspective on the process
• Growth comes from removing operational friction
• His wife’s perspective on the process

References and how to contact Greg:

• LinkedIn
• Hirsch Ventures

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

Thanks to strong business-buyer fit, Joe Wynn negotiated great terms to acquire a $600k SDE sales & service business.

Register for the webinar: 

• Real Estate Issues When Buying a Business - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4smYdoQ

Topics in Joseph’s interview:

• Trading a mid–six-figure salary for business ownership
• Wanting to “build his own ladder” instead of climbing someone else’s
• Buying a medical equipment distribution and service company
• Designing and outfitting hospital operating rooms
• 45% net margins on $2M in revenue
• Raising service prices 20–50% in his first six weeks
• Navigating “lumpy” project-based revenue cycles
• Structuring a $1.35M deal with seller financing
• Putting only $120K down with no personal guarantee
• A post-closing banking freeze that forced him to cover payroll

References and how to contact Joseph:

• LinkedIn
• Surgical Specialties of Georgia
• Iris Levine on Acquiring Minds: $6m Business, 3 Minutes From Childhood Home
• Brian Hartman on Acquiring Minds: The Path from $2.5m to $60m in a Tree Business

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 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

Constrained in her job and seeking more time for her kids, Ana Lia Barragan bought a $385k/yr, 30-year-old business.

Register for the webinars: 

• Your First Finance Hires After Buying a Business - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/3OvsNic
• Real Estate Issues When Buying a Business - Thu, Apr 16 - https://bit.ly/3PYIhf8

Topics in Ana Lia’s interview:

• Wanted flexibility while raising two young children
• Hit promotion ceiling in corporate tech ladder
• Joined Beta Accelerator, buying businesses training program
• Treat LOIs like conversations, not commitments
• DIY diligence first to avoid costly mistakes
• SBA rule changes complicated future acquisition financing
• Recurring revenue lower than seller originally claimed
• Lost major client after leadership cost-cutting shift
• Built custom AI app for operations tracking
• Bought a job first, business later

References and how to contact Ana Lia:

• LinkedIn
• Kelly Green
• Ana Lia’s LinkedIn post on how the new SBA rules affect her
• Ana Lia’s LinkedIn post on the pre- and post-closing gap in understanding her business 
• Gabe Perez on Acquiring Minds: One Couple, 4 Kids, and a Business 3 Hours Away
• Darryl Lindie on Acquiring Minds: Hard but Fun: Transitioning a 77-Year-Old Business
• Nick Haschka on Acquiring Minds: How One Small Acquisition Led to 9 More in 5 Years

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
Produced by Pam Cameron

Jenna Whigham and her brother bought a large business for a search fund, then grew it 6x larger over the last 5 years.

Register for the webinar:

• The Operator’s Perspective: Running a Business for an Owner - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4va4hUm

Topics in Jenna’s interview:

• Investment banking during the 2008 crisis
• Launching a traditional search fund with her brother
• Golden Retrievers led to an acquisition
• Acquiring a $100 million company
• Financial risk of being a “price taker”
• Expanding through M&A
• Software “Trojan Horse” strategy
• How they decide which states to expand to
• Managing a 25% staff turnover rate
• Realities of home care and compliance incidents

References and how to contact Jenna:

• LinkedIn
• Abound Health

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

Joseph Cruz left a lucrative job in finance to pursue business ownership. Year 1 has gone well (despite losing his GM).

Register for the webinars: 

• What Type of Franchise Is Right for You? - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/48gn6eH
• The Operator’s Perspective: Running a Business for an Owner - Thu, Apr 9 - https://bit.ly/4m7lSZ7

Topics in Joseph’s interview:

• Growing up in a Filipino immigrant family
• Why aging infrastructure creates long-term opportunity
• The laundromat that started it all
• Running an “oh sh*t” business 
• Construction seasonality in Chicago
• Last-minute GM retirement before closing
• Running the business while still working his W-2 job
• The scramble to digitize knowledge stuck in employees’ heads
• Building systems, vendor lists, and shared documentation
• Setting the company’s “emotional temperature” as the owner

References and how to contact Joseph:

• LinkedIn
• A&A LinkedIn

• A&A Equipment and Supply Co.

Articles by Joseph:

• From Spreadsheets to Steel-Toed Boots: Lessons from the First Few Months as an Entrepreneur
• Small Businesses are Small for a Reason: What It Really Takes to Modernize a 40-Year-Old Distribution Business
• The Real Work Begins: Midway Through My First Year as a Business Owner
• Top 10 lessons from my first year of owning a business

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

If you’re serious about buying a business, learn why Acquisition Lab members have a 40% success rate:

• 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

It took Robin Kovitz fours years to find her business, which she has built into an industry leader and her life's work.

Register for the webinar:

• Quality of Technology (QoT) Report: Protecting Your Acquisition - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4d9F2en

Topics in Robin’s interview:

• Upbringing in the meat industry
• Early career in investment banking and M&A
• Her 4-year search for a business
• Always visit the competitors
• Critique of the 2-year search clock
• "Long-termism" and becoming a B Corp
• Her 3 non-negotiables
• Turning around the gift basket business
• Solving their storage problem
• The payoff and price of high ambition

References and how to contact Robin:

• LinkedIn
• Baskits

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

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

If you’re serious about buying a business, learn why Acquisition Lab members have a 40% success rate:

• 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

Jack Foster & Jake McLaughlin raised $2.8m to buy 10 Meineke stores. That equity has taken them further than expected.

Register for the webinars: 

• Offshore Talent vs. AI for Business Buyers - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4bAIbTj
• Quality of Technology (QoT) Report: Protecting Your Acquisition - Thu, Apr 2 - https://bit.ly/4rUHngL

Topics in Jack and Jake’s interview:

• Childhood friends turned business partners
• Leaving Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Baird for entrepreneurship
• Why they chose the franchise roll-up model
• Consolidating units within the Meineke system
• Applying a first-principles approach to an unfamiliar industry
• Paying royalties as the price of product-market fit
• Technician recruiting advantages of a strong franchise brand
• Why they passed on car washes and quick lube
• The real timeline of the EV threat to auto repair
• Buying real estate and using sale-leasebacks for growth capital

References and how to contact Jack and Jake:

• Jack Foster’s LinkedIn
• Jake McLaughlin’s LinkedIn
• Meineke

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

Corey Mullins had worked in the trade over a decade when he bought a tiny, failing HVAC business for its phone number.

Register for the webinars:

• What Actually Makes a Good Deal? Patterns from 1,000+ Transactions- TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4m4gsy5
• Offshore Talent vs. AI for Business Buyers - Tue, Mar 31 - https://bit.ly/4uW6rXG

Topics in Corey’s interview:

• His 20-year career in HVAC
• Failed buyout of the family business
• Simultaneous launch and acquisition
• Buying a truck and a phone number
• Build-to-sell philosophy
• Growth through online marketing
• Waiting too long to hire managers
• Taking vacations no matter what
• Evolution of the “Trade Dad”
• Exiting to private equity in under 4 years

References and how to contact Corey:

• [email protected]
• Cool By Design
• Patrick Lange
• Patrick Norris on Acquiring Minds: Buy & Build a Trash Business to a $4.4m Exit

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

Eric Donahue quickly grew revenue to $6m thanks to operational enhancements, culture tweaks, and a little good luck.

Register for the webinar:

• What Actually Makes a Good Deal? Patterns from 1,000+ Transactions - Thurs March 26th - https://bit.ly/4lT2ajG

Topics in Eric’s interview:

• Navy SEAL career and retirement
• Performing the basics at a high level
• His tree service side hustle
• Old school proprietary search
• Buying an off-market paving company
• Forgoing SBA for a conventional loan
• Working in the field to learn the asphalt trade
• 40% revenue growth in 13 months
• Splitting his crew to keep the team productive
• Using his military clearance to win jobs

References and how to contact Eric:

• LinkedIn
• Peninsula Paving
• Hunter at Hanger Law

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

After 25 years on The Street, Brian Anderson discovered passion in buying small businesses — despite brutal challenges.

Register for the webinar:

• How to Handle Common Employee Issues When Buying a Business - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4sa946l

Topics in Brian’s interview:

• Career in investment banking/hedge funds
• Closure of his firm
• Pursuing small business as an asset class
• Low multiples are fairly valued
• Acquiring in manufacturing
• Learning every operational function himself
• Acquiring with no debt
• Being away from his family M-F
• His big mistake during Covid
• Selling to his COO

References and how to contact Brian:

• LinkedIn
• His essay on the experience: Deco Manufacturing Summary and Lessons

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

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