Walker Deibel tells us why acquisition entrepreneurs outsmart the startup game. If you’re wondering whether you should make acquiring businesses a part of your overall plan, don’t miss the face of acquisition entrepreneurship discuss how Acquisition Lab can help. Tune in to another episode with Walker Deibel to find out more. 

About our Guest:  

Walker Deibel has acquired 7 companies over 10 years, co-founded several startups, and has written the best selling book Buy Then Build. He currently works as an M&A advisor with Quiet Light where he helps online-based businesses exit, as well as sharing his experiences and frameworks to help entrepreneurs learn why buying an existing company is often a better route and how to do it, through his flagship program, Acquisition Lab.

On today’s episode 

• Starting his own acquisition entrepreneurship journey - 2:11
• Why he felt the MBA program was lacking - 4:44
• The genesis for Buy Then Build - 5:33
• Becoming the face of acquisition entrepreneurship - 9:04
• Creating Acquisition Lab - 11:56
• Pricing strategy for Acquisition Lab - 14:44
• The story of John Malone & EBITDA - 18:19
• The biggest mistake he made - 22:05
• The 2 ways to grow: organic & acquisition - 24:28
• The biggest opportunity when acquiring a baby boomer business - 31:18
• The steps to becoming an acquisition entrepreneur - 36:52

Key Takeaways: 

• The genesis for Buy Then Build was because Walker’s MBA program didn’t teach entrepreneurs how to run small businesses, it focused on running a team at a large organization. 
• He wanted to build the best program possible with Acquisition Lab - something with an MBA base, but designed for acquiring businesses rather than just running them. To create a community and offer the best suite of tools possible for buyers. 
• If you're growing at over 20% year over year, you don’t necessarily need an acquisition strategy right now because you've got really good organic revenue growth. 
• If you're between $1-10 million in revenue and you're growing at 10% or less a year. Start to think about acquisition strategy, because the amount of value that you can create for your company is immense.
• $10 trillion in baby boomer business value, just in the US alone, needs to transfer in the next nine years. 43% of the US economy needs to switch hands. To truly maximize value, as an acquisition entrepreneur, you need to bridge their old economy business with a new, online economy business.

Memorable Quotes by Walker Deibel:

• “You get access to this curriculum and community and tools, and be fully equipped with the inspiration and environment to succeed on this path. And then if you go through it, and you decide, it's not for you, that's still a great deal. I mean, it's cheaper than an MBA class at a top university anyway.”

Are you an acquisition entrepreneur? Share your story with us in the comments. And don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast. 

Connect with Walker Deibel:

• Website: Buy Then Build
• Personal website: Acquisition Lab, www.searchlist.com
• Youtube: Buy Then Build 
• LinkedIn: Walker Deibel

Connect with A.J. Lawrence:

• Website: ajlawrence.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @ajlawrence
• LinkedIn: A.J. Lawrence
• Twitter: @ajlawrence
• Medium: @a.j.lawrence

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