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 America
• Buying a door manufacturer in Guatemala
• Implementing EOS
• Moving his focus from “how” to “who”
• Raising prices 25%
• Focusing on service, quality, and volume
• Finding a CEO to replace him
• Having a liquidity event without exiting the business
• Transitioning towards a permanent capital model
• Plan for a holdco

References and how to contact Juan:

• LinkedIn
• Paltus Capital

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

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

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/3VPQf9p

We 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 medic
• Learning about acquisition via Codie Sanchez
• Using a virtual assistant to search for a business
• Negotiating a 100% seller note
• Feeling motivated by philanthropy
• Spending too much money too fast after transition
• Getting a bridge loan to make payroll
• Rebranding the restoration company
• Raising capital for growth
• His large roll-up vision

References and how to contact Renan:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Syndicate Building Solutions
• Syndicate Venture Group

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

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

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

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

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/3W1zQA6

Garrison 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 agency
• His objective to do the most good for the most people
• Early ventures into real estate
• Buying and quickly selling a restaurant
• Acquiring in the manufacturing space
• Understanding and applying Porter’s 5 Forces
• Advantage of being a low-cost, essential supplier
• Recent leadership challenges at a new acquisition
• Building an indefinite holding company
• Power of a community-minded small business

References and how to contact Garrison:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• [email protected]
• Rafael Quinn’s episode
• Competitive Strategy by Michael E. Porter

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of 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

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 retail
• Buying a sign company in Tyler, Texas
• Culture clashes and problem employees
• Selling off his real estate to keep the business going
• How he learned to fire faster
• Building a new company culture
• Making personal changes to recover from burnout
• Standing out by answering the phone
• What he would do differently next time
• His growth as a leader

References and how to contact Dan:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Leon’s Signs Inc.
• ETA Circle in Houston, where Dan will be appearing on July 10th

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

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

Register here for the webinar, How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once

• https://bit.ly/3KH9RaS

Will 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 together
• What it was like to raise money from LPs for a blind pool
• Why a business might be great for a searcher but not an investor
• How different investors have different needs
• Why small acquisitions are hard for a fund to invest in
• Value of community in a fund
• Minds Capital’s process to assess deals
• Evaluating deal strengths systematically
• “Best deal of the month” filter

References and how to contact Niklas, Max and Will:

• Minds Capital (to learn more & submit a deal)
• Minds Capital page for investors
• Max Lummis
• Niklas James
• Will Smith

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

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

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 equity
• Recurring revenue is BS
• Don’t sweat getting the perfect purchase price
• Working as a painter for a month before buying
• Managing prima donna employees
• His strategy of constantly bidding jobs and hiring 
• Putting in a project manager and a GM
• Why he stopped requiring deposits
• The seller staying on as an employee
• Importance of cash flow in keeping a business going

References and how to contact Colin:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Mastercraft Coatings
• [email protected]

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

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

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 deal
• Buying a tiny plumbing business
• Bringing operations into the 21st Century
• Learning from hiring mistakes
• Expanding through further acquisition
• Raising prices and employee pay
• Making sacrifices to run the business
• Competitive landscape in home services
• Home services pricing models
• Your reputation determines the talent you attract

References and how to contact JD:

• Ben Rizzo’s Episode
• Nick Patrick’s episode
• Twitter
• Mountain Valley Plumbing
• [email protected]
• LinkedIn

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

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

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’s
• Acquiring a managed service provider amidst Covid
• His wife’s role in the acquisition
• Value of an MBA in acquiring a business
• Quickly going remote when Covid hit
• Building trust with employees
• How soon and fast to make changes
• Creating more value through roll-ups
• Integrating new acquisitions into the roll-up
• His belief in continuous change

References and how to contact Elliot:

• Recording of the The Anatomy of an LOI webinar with Sam Rosati
• LinkedIn
• Velonex Technologies

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

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

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 business
• Acquiring a welding business with his wife
• Learning how to hire welders
• The difficulties of hiring through a staffing agency
• Transient nature of welders
• Growing while maintaining margins
• Stress of running a business
• Comparing zero-to-one to acquisition
• Cashflow management in a project-based business
• Using ReWild’s methods to grow the business

References and how to contact Guest:

• [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• The Rewild Group

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

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

Register here for the webinar, The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours)

• https://bit.ly/3yCQaOw

Despite 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 manufacturer
• Embracing risk in German business culture
• Cleaning out and moving a 116-year old business
• Another company poaching their clients
• Pitfalls to avoid when buying a business
• Developing a new, innovative product
• Operating a company six hours from home
• Comparing start-ups to acquisition
• Value of going where there's less competition
• The craft of manufacturing

References and how to contact Jens:

• [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• DOVO Online

Smithlist is a new job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

Register for the Self-Funded Search Conference, September 13th - 15th in Dallas:

• Self-Funded Search Conference

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

• The Acquisition Lab

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact [email protected] or visit Aspen HR

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

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