Buyers and Builders

Buyers and Builders

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Buyers and Builders episodes

  • How They Turned $8 Million into $450 Million (by Following THIS #1 SIMPLE Habit)

    The greatest builders in history share one habit that changed their fortunes.

    You’ll hear how a single paragraph led Munger to a $500 million investment, how Jeff Bezos started Amazon because of one statistic in an article, and how Elon Musk saw an opportunity through the absence of information.

    This episode is about building your mental warehouse of ideas, training your intuition, and developing the kind of insight that compounds for life.

    The Sponsors
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Our sponsor Spacebar Studios builds and runs your newsletter so you stay top-of-mind with founders, brokers, LPs, and talent. HoldCo Builders listeners also use their two-week free trial. Go to https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire and get started for free.

    Timestamps
    0:00 Intro: The compounding power of reading

    0:49 Investor quotes on reading

    2:04 A real competitive advantage

    2:32 A 50-year habit and the $500M outcome

    3:25 The Tenecco idea and the $8M to $80M jump

    4:42 Sponsor: CapitalPad

    5:52 Jeff Bezos: One stat that launched Amazon

    6:09 Morris Chang (TSMC): A textbook insight that rewired an industry

    6:36 Elon Musk: no Mars plan

    6:50 Dietrich Mateschitz

    7:11 Bill Gates: The Altair 8800 moment

    7:25 Phil Knight: Japanese trade finance to Nike’s supply chain

    8:55 Naval Ravikant on lifelong reading

    9:23 Sponsor: Spacebar Studios

    10:27 $8M to $80M to $500M

    10:50 “5 to 10 great insights in a life”

    11:40 The 29x BYD outcome

    11:48 How reading trains intuition: “You can almost smell it”

    12:22 The ultimate unfair advantage of reading

    13:00 Final challenge: Are you reading like your life depends on it?





    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    14 min
  • How to Build Proprietary Deal Flow? (15 Off-Market Acquisitions)

    Peter Lang has done 22 acquisitions (mostly off-market). Grant spent a full day at his masterclass—and it was the most valuable single-day M&A professional development he has ever had. Most people share 101-level fluff; Peter was selective about who he let in the room, so he went straight to 202/303-level tactics:

    - a 128-question pre-LOI audit,
    - “pre-diligence,”
    - risk registers,
    - and first-call bonding that actually wins deals.

    During the session he even had them cold DM a business owner about selling - someone in the room even booked a meeting before lunch.

    The Sponsor
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Timestamps



    Support our Sponsor
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    30 min
  • Lessons from 100+ Acquisitions You Can Implement TODAY | Joe Liemandt

    In this deep dive, we unpack the operating philosophy of Joe Liemandt - builder of Trilogy Software and ESW Capital, and now the force behind Alpha School - including lessons from 100+ acquisitions. Liemandt became a billionaire by buying sleepy software assets and turning them into cash machines, vanished from public view for years, then re-emerged with a mission to rebuild systems from first principles. This episode isn’t about education - it’s about how great operators think.

    The Sponsor
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Timestamps
    00:00 Intro: Who is Joe Liemandt & why this episode
    01:16 The real job of a boss: raise the bar
    03:25 Reality-distortion & Trilogy’s elite culture
    06:44 Expect more than they expect of themselves
    08:46 ESW Capital’s “insane” bet: buying legacy software
    09:20 Sponsor: CapitalPad
    12:47 Pricing power: why most companies undercharge
    14:33 Value-based pricing: the ESW playbook
    16:15 Pricing moats
    17:56 The real bottleneck: motivation vs information
    19:48 Hiring for fire
    21:27 Inner scorecard
    23:12 Information is commodity; motivation is scarcity
    24:45 Leaders as motivators
    26:10 Systems that reward curiosity, not compliance
    27:06 Closing framework: light the fire
    27:55 “Customers have the answers” - sit with end users

    Support our Sponsor
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    29 min
  • How We Bought 27+ Businesses and Built a $1 Billion HoldCo at 39 | Steve Carroll Interview

    Steve Carroll is the CEO & co-founder of Kelso Industries, a national MEP services platform uniting HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical companies.

    In just a few years, Kelso went from a gritty, nearly-broke first acquisition to 29 acquisitions and $1B+ in revenue.
    Steve breaks down the bruises and the blueprint: why their first year almost killed the business (including a single job that wiped out a year of profit), the switch from “buy and replace” to a partner-and-keep-the-owner model, how they finance growth without overpaying, and the operating system (recruiting, cash, WIP discipline) that lets local brands scale without losing their soul.

    Sponsors
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Our sponsor Spacebar Studios builds and runs your newsletter so you stay top-of-mind with founders, brokers, LPs, and talent - without adding to your workload. HoldCo Builders listeners also use their two-week free trial. Go to https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire and get started for free.

    Timestamps
    00:00 Intro
    00:34 Steve’s background
    01:56 Early thesis: from marketing & home services lead gen to HVAC focus
    03:54 Bootstrapping experiments, agencies, pest control—what worked/what didn’t
    04:58 Personal runway & the real cost of chasing deals while employed
    06:00 Broken deals, travel, and swallowing $100k–$200k before first close
    06:16 Meet the co-founder: lifelong friend Steve Nicholson; Kelso name origin
    08:32 First near-deal dies; deciding to swing at the largest SBA-sized deal
    10:26 Finding a commercial HVAC business in Arizona
    13:11 Sponsor: CapitalPad
    18:23 Survival year: no new acquisitions, just fixing ops and cash
    19:13 The unlock: partnering with an Idaho operator who stays on, not exits
    20:21 Bringing in a PE partner (Peterson Partners): why working capital blew up the SBA plan
    24:26 How the PE check actually changed things (and what it didn’t)
    28:29 Sponsor: SpaceBar Studios
    29:32 Scale after deal #2: ~$40–50M revenue; raising the bar to $30–40M targets
    30:50 Handing Arizona to Poncho so Steve can live on planes finding partners
    33:22 Hitting $10M EBITDA in 2 years and setting the $1B revenue goal
    34:32 Reaching $1B TTM four years after launch
    36:25 Structure: Kelso buys 100%, owners stay, roll equity, 3-year earnouts
    37:48 Why this is a relationship business (and why replacing owners destroys value)
    43:10 Liquidity: horizon to public markets or new capital partner—patient equity model
    46:59 Building the corporate engine: legal, HR, recruiting (15 in-house), finance, insurance
    49:06 Project businesses need WIP discipline; dashboards and tighter forecasting
    49:57 Footprint today
    51:05 Centralized cash & working capital management
    52:36 Post-close uplift: many ops 2–3x EBITDA with branch and service expansion
    54:27 Financing new deals mostly via lenders + internal cash; no overpaying
    56:24 Succession planning at every level; why this creates employee confidence
    59:42 Example: ex-owner now building Kelso’s national service platform
    1:01:10 Why Kelso hasn’t sold any companies (and likely won’t)
    1:02:58 Steve’s evolving role: firing himself from jobs, hiring an exec team

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarst


    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied

    1 hr 11 min
  • How I Completed 12+ Acquisitions and Still Built a New Roll-Up

    My guest today is Nick Hatchka, founder of Cub Investments, which has completed over a dozen acquisitions. Nick is now building a regional platform of generator dealers and service businesses in California alongside his operating partner, Dylan Ferguson. We discuss his journey:

    - to independent sponsorship,
    - lessons from 12+ acquisitions,
    - what makes a good business model,
    - partnering with operators,
    - and buying seller-dependent companies.

    Sponsors
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Our sponsor Spacebar Studios builds and runs your newsletter so you stay top-of-mind with founders, brokers, LPs, and talent - without adding to your workload. HoldCo Builders listeners also use their two-week free trial. Go to https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire and get started for free.

    We cover:
    0:00 Nick Hatchka on 12+ acquisitions and a California generator platform
    0:35 Background: MIT → McKinsey → 2 startups → Fortune 500 clean tech
    1:54 Founding Cub (2016): SBA and personal capital for the first deal
    2:49 Scaling: 12+ acquisitions across interior plants and landscaping, later divested
    4:09 New platform thesis: generators in California and why the model is capital intensive
    5:27 Investing focus: market and model selection over operator heroics
    8:16 Capital discipline: self-funded pace vs raising outside capital
    9:18 Sponsor CapitalPad: standardized terms, governance, and distributions for acquirers and investors
    12:03 Generator business explained: sell, install, maintain, and test backup power (monthly, quarterly, annual PMs)
    13:22 Sponsor Spacebar Studios: done-for-you newsletters with a two-week free setup
    20:11 Partnering with Dylan Ferguson: 20-30 interviews and complementary skills
    25:54 First acquisition Conti: sourced direct, LOI-to-close ~6 months, closed Jan 2024
    28:16 Post-close playbook: replace owner-operator and rebuild systems for scale
    33:39 Early lessons: grew fast to replace 4–5 seller hats and would build recruiting pipeline earlier
    34:38 Results: revenue ~$3M → ~$6M and team 7 → ~14
    42:13 Second acquisition PowerGen: 5–6 months later with larger C&I footprint in Bay Area and Sacramento
    45:04 Capital and operating philosophy: seller note fixed ~8 years, target ≥3x DSCR, keep strong cash reserves and focus on service quality
    51:32 Book and wrap: The Science of Success and expanding the circle of competence

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    53 min
  • How to Raise $450 Million at 31 with No Track Record (and Do 90+ Deals) | Urs Wietlisbach Research

    Imagine being in your early 30s, launching a private equity fund, and raising $450 million for your first fund. (No track record. No rich father or uncle.)

    Urs Wietlisbach, one of the three co-founders, led client relationships and fundraising, pushed proactive deal sourcing and thematic research, and kept the team focused on pensioners as the ultimate client.

    Sponsors
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad — a marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal—or want to back operators—check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    ETA Europe — sharp weekly curation of European acquisitions, operators, and deals. Sign up, it's free: https://legacy-partners-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

    You'll learn:
    00:00 Why this episode & who it’s for
    00:36 From “stocks & bonds are boring” to real assets; early AUM context
    01:25 Independence as the goal; raising $450M with no track record
    02:20 Three complementary founders is better than one “perfect” entrepreneur
    03:12 Leaving Goldman: the coffee invite, risk, and family pushback
    04:35 “Fill your backpack”: learn aggressively, then have the courage to leave
    05:43 The costly fundraising mistake: paying an upfront “rainmaker” (and why never again)
    06:08 Sponsor: CapitalPad (a marketplace for investors and acquisition entrepreneurs)
    06:40 Why they IPO’d in 2006: talent, direct deals, and Asian credibility
    10:05 Operating public, thinking private: ignore the ticker, focus long term
    10:30 “We are responsible for dreams”: pensions as the true client
    11:05 Proactive diligence: working 12–36 months before a sale is announced
    12:05 Urs’s role today: fundraising, client relationships, and a 100+ person marketing team
    12:45 The PE model now: ~53% equity / 47% debt; returns from business building
    13:35 Edge vs. competitors: thematic sourcing and pre-work win auctions
    14:40 Example: German deal log, 582 days of prep before the bank book
    16:05 Returns stack vs. mega-peers; tailwinds, management being everything
    16:36 Sponsor: ETA Europe newsletter (weekly EU ETA deal flow & analysis)
    17:13 Four thematic teams: Healthcare, IT, Goods/Products, Services
    18:00 Healthcare thesis in action: U.S. physiotherapy roll-up playbook
    19:10 From 100 to 600+ clinics; EBITDA from ~$38M to ~$110M in four years
    19:56 Why PE has outperformed publics: information, incentives, not leverage
    21:00 Compensation design: “eat what you kill” + shared carry across teams
    21:50 Hiring from industry, not just finance; sweat equity for managers
    22:40 Heavyweight chairs matter: PCI Pharma example (4x MOIC)
    23:40 What makes entrepreneurs succeed
    24:45 Play to strengths, fix fast: people business above all

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    ETA Europe: https://legacy-partners-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    26 min
  • 9 Figure Exit How I Built and Sold to Private Equity (Alexis Sikorsky Interview)

    My guest today is Alexis Sikorsky. An entrepreneur who bootstrapped, scaled, and ultimately sold a company in a 9-figure exit.

    Sponsors
    This episode is brought to you by CapitalPad — a marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. Standardized terms, governance, and distributions included. If you’re raising for a deal—or want to back operators—check out https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    ETA Europe — sharp weekly curation of European acquisitions, operators, and deals. Sign up, it's free: https://legacy-partners-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

    We cover:
    00:00 Sponsor: CapitalPad
    01:36 Who is Alexis Sikorsky
    02:03 Early entrepreneurship
    03:59 First ISP & internet café in West Africa
    05:12 Conflict with government & partner’s death
    07:05 Buys training company
    07:43 1999–2000: founding the software dev firm
    09:20 Buying assets of Logical Access
    09:37 On failures & lessons (politics, client concentration)
    12:35 “I can’t be employed” mindset / drive to continue
    13:06 2008 peak: €11–12M revenue, €3M profit
    14:31 “The grind” years: cuts, mortgages, survival
    15:17 Private equity calls
    16:35 The very optimistic 2-year plan
    17:22 The deal: ~11x EBITDA, 85% cash now / 15% later
    18:59 Final personal exit; later strategic sale (undisclosed 9 figures)
    19:30 Sponsor: ETA Europe newsletter
    20:41 “If I had 2023 wisdom in 2003…”
    21:22 How much runway to hold; agility for black swans
    22:23 Fear, resilience, and hiring “good people” too late
    24:59 Personality under stress; heart attack joke
    28:07 Why post-PE period was the best
    28:13 “Did you sell to the right people?”
    28:29 Strengths & weaknesses
    30:00 Life after exit
    34:31 What retirement actually felt like
    35:01 Happiness, safety, safari/diving; minimal “stuff”
    39:52 Founders often don’t know their own company
    40:52 Know your numbers monthly
    43:28 “Fire yourself” from most tasks as CEO
    44:51 “What’s your number?” conversation
    45:37 Grow to sell vs. morphing into a bank
    47:50 Growth vs. lifestyle businesses
    50:16 Execute phase cadence
    51:08 Best growth levers (context-dependent)
    52:03 M&A focus for this audience
    52:17 Why M&A is the fast/cheap shortcut
    54:01 Leverage math in euros (LBO example)
    56:08 PE myths
    1:01:05 Negotiate your own contract & non-compete
    1:01:23 Managing time during diligence
    1:02:21 Readiness test: 1-week no-phone vacation
    1:02:37 How to diligence PE (ask for 5, call the others)
    1:06:59 What buyers saw that he didn’t
    1:10:41 Why founders often under-sell
    1:10:55 Nominal EBITDA explained
    1:12:13 Over-management at €100M valuations
    1:12:35 Where clients fail in execution
    1:14:21 Black swans & an online pivot to €100M
    1:16:28 Quickfire wrap
    1:17:33 Best investing advice (fundamentals over price)

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    ETA Europe: https://legacy-partners-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    1 hr 19 min
  • He Bought 4 Small Businesses with ZERO Finance Experience (Nikolai Dimitrov Interview)

    Nikolai Dimitrov went from pro football to building Unity Investment Partnership, where he buys small, reliable, everyday businesses, paying 3–4× cash flow with seller-aligned structures, and has closed 4 acquisitions so far.

    We cover his rocky start (including a Facebook group against him), four acquisitions, why “terms more important than price,” post-acquisition reporting, incentives, and how culture and a real CEO will power Unity’s next stage.

    CapitalPad: the SMB investment platform for accredited investors & searchers. Join now: https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Spacebar Studios writes your company newsletter—strategy, writing, design, distribution. Try it free for 2 weeks. Go to: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    We'll cover:
    00:00 Intro: Who is Nikolai Dimitrov & Unity Investment Partnership
    00:26 From pro football to acquisitions: quitting and what came next
    02:04 Why buying companies: passion, team skills from sport
    06:22 First strategy: veterinary roll-up
    09:51 Sponsor: CapitalPad (SMB investor ↔︎ searcher platform)
    10:36 12-18 months with no deal: iterate, don’t quit
    11:50 First acquisition: 4× cash flow; 25% down, 75% seller-financed
    13:35 Year 1 reality: building reporting from scratch in a mom-and-pop
    14:53 “Terms over price”: negotiating when you’re the only buyer
    17:34 Closing the first deal: proof the model works in CEE
    18:34 Seller pipeline tailwind: retiring baby boomers in small business
    19:17 Sponsor: SpaceBar Studios (done-for-you newsletters)
    21:35 Raising from LPs: doctors, lawyers, real estate pros
    22:50 Second acquisition; time allocation across businesses
    23:33 Third deal: dental clinic
    25:15 Incentives and the shift from deal-making to asset management
    26:58 What a “good deal” looks like; buying right at low multiples
    32:31 Growing the portfolio: sector differences, ops cadence
    33:59 Diversified vs focused holdco: trade-offs in reporting & speed
    35:10 Holdco vs fund: why avoid a limited-life vehicle (for now)
    37:55 Best advice: a few winners drive returns (Buffett lesson)

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    41 min
  • I Raised $11.7M To Back 13 Self-Funded Searchers | Grant Hensel Interview

    Grant Hensel has started 10 companies (7 failed, 2 sold, 1 scaled), bought a business his wife now operates, and then got obsessed with backing self-funded searchers. He’s the founder of Entrepreneurial Capital, raising ~$11M to invest in “cockroach” SMBs at 3–5x earnings alongside gritty owner-operators.

    If you’re buying or backing boring, profitable businesses, this is a playbook episode.

    CapitalPad: the SMB investment platform for accredited investors & searchers. Join now: https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    Spacebar Studios writes your company newsletter—strategy, writing, design, distribution. Try it free for 2 weeks. Go to: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    You'll learn:
    00:00 Grant’s path: 10 starts, 2 exits, 1 scaled; now backing self-funded searchers
    00:32 Grant’s background & living the “buy vs. build” debate
    02:26 Buying a business for his wife to run (4 LOIs, funny diligence misses)
    05:24 First 90 days: installing EOS, weekly scorecard, real traction
    06:52 Portfolio before the fund (one built, one bought)
    07:08 Sponsor — Capitalbat (SMB investor ↔︎ searcher platform)
    07:59 Holdco vs. minority investing; why operator quality dominates
    09:32 Why self-funded search is a built-in grit test
    10:14 From personal checks to raising a fund (organic evolution)
    12:23 The four screens: low concentration, low capex, low cyclicality, history of profits
    13:53 Cyclicality lesson: cheap isn’t worth macro sensitivity
    15:52 Fund timeline: Oct ’24 idea → Feb ’25 start → Jul ’25 close
    16:39 Fundraising tactics: “ask for advice,” webinars, soft-circle snowball
    18:41 Sponsor — SpaceBar Studios (done-for-you newsletters)
    20:27 Looking at deals while raising; confidence once ~$5M soft-circled
    21:16 How Grant picks winners: on-site diligence, non-spreadsheet reality
    22:51 Sourcing searchers: Searcher.com, webinars, “This Week in ETA” newsletter
    26:15 Day-to-day now: LOI diligence, marketing, advisor feedback (pre-first deal)
    27:17 Deployment pace: 13–18 deals over 2–3 years (~1 every other month)
    27:38 Deal flow volume: ~1 LOI/day; be ultra-selective
    28:03 The five pre-LOI seller questions (and why they matter)
    32:26 What to buy (and avoid): home/B2B services, light mfg (with chops); no e-comm/retail/restaurants
    33:58 The real investor value-add: resilience through the ugly middle
    35:18 Roll-up skepticism; single-asset cash flow is better than multiple-expansion bets
    37:53 First-90-days playbook: live in the trenches; avoid “academic” fixes
    39:45 Inventory cautionary tale: don’t break the value prop you can’t see on a P&L
    44:19 Game-changer hire: Chief of Staff as force multiplier
    46:10 Failure as teacher; base rates favor buying over building
    48:23 Where to find Grant (Twitter & LinkedIn)
    49:05 Favorites: Switch, Good to Great, Traction; best advice—circle of competence
    50:51 Wrap-up & close

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    52 min
  • 60+ Search Fund Investments: What Industries Excite Him The Most TODAY

    A deep-dive on the operator-first path to buying a small business. Told through the lessons of investor-turned-operator Tim Ludwig (60+ portfolio companies; now co-runs Majority Search).

    Learn how search funds actually work, which industries to invest in, which searchers to back, why EQ beats IQ in a first-time CEO, and the exact playbook from LOI → close → the first 100 days.

    Want a newsletter that builds trust—but have zero time? Spacebar Studios handles strategy, writing, design, and distribution end-to-end so you stay consistent. Turn expertise into a lead-warming “trust engine.”
    Claim your 2-week free trial: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    CapitalPad delivers accredited investors a highly curated pipeline of sponsor-led deals from proven acquisition entrepreneurs.
    CapitalPad invests in searcher and independent sponsor deals. Connect with value-add investors, fund your acquisition, and build an enduring business.
    It's free. Get started here: https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform

    What you’ll learn:
    00:00 Intro - buy, run, and compound
    02:03 Why study Tim & the origins of search funds
    03:40 Tim’s path: from MBA case study to investor
    05:18 60+ investments, market gets crowded, lessons learned
    06:54 Flipping to buyer/operator; control & alignment
    07:59 Search fund 101: traditional vs. self-funded vs. committed capital
    09:53 Sponsor: CapitalPad
    10:54 Why search funds work: hungry operator × resilient business
    12:08 First-time CEO profile: EQ is better than IQ, sales, coachability
    14:28 What to buy (and avoid): the “easy to run, hard to break” box + weird niches
    15:57 Sponsor: SpaceBar Studios
    16:56 from LOI to close: diligence, QoE, papering the deal, seller roll/seller note
    19:03 First 100 days: make payroll, listen, cadence & KPIs
    20:05 Months 3-12: hire a sales leader, CRM, pipeline & talk tracks
    21:56 Post-close priorities: top accounts, upgrade tools, data culture
    23:03 Returns math: 4× equity without multiple expansion
    24:15 Hold vs. sell; should the seller stay?
    24:58 How big is the opportunity? supply/demand & off-market
    26:08 Bezos vs. Musk test: singles % doubles are better than moonshots
    26:53 Final advice & next steps
    27:26 Outro

    Support our Sponsors:
    CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/
    SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire

    Subscribe on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5g

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724

    Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuy

    This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    28 min

About Buyers and Builders

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The Buyers and Builders podcast with PrivateEquityGuy is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about holding companies, buying and building businesses, entrepreneurship, investing,…

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