Most business owners spend years building something great — and almost no time thinking about what comes next. The buyers on the other side? They think about this stuff every single day.

In this episode, Joshua Wilson sits down with co-host and Kin Capital Partners co-founder Jude David — an M&A attorney turned acquisition entrepreneur who has closed hundreds of transactions and built a portfolio of a dozen companies from the ground up with his own capital.

Jude pulls back the curtain on how Kin Capital evaluates deals, builds platform companies, structures acquisitions for both sides, and navigates the increasingly crowded and complicated world of independent sponsors. Whether you're a business owner thinking about an exit, a buyer evaluating your first acquisition, or an operator managing a growing portfolio, this episode is packed with hard-won insight from someone who has lived every side of the deal table.

Topics Covered:

• What Kin Capital Partners is and how it started with three dudes and a handshake
• Why Jude went from M&A attorney to acquisition entrepreneur
• How to evaluate platform businesses vs. tuck-in acquisitions
• The EBITDA thresholds Jude uses to filter deal flow fast
• Why manufacturing beats service businesses in an AI-driven world
• Geographic strategy mistakes in buy-and-build plays
• The real difference between funded PE firms and independent sponsors
• Why blind bid processes hurt sellers — and what to do instead
• The pyramid framework for sustainable business growth
• Questions every seller should ask a prospective buyer

🔗 Website: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ Joshua Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadwilson/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast Powered By: FA Mergers https://www.famergers.com/

📩 Want to be a guest or have a topic suggestion? Reach out via LinkedIn or our website.

🎧 Subscribe and leave a review so you never miss an episode!