Acquiring Minds

Ups and Downs of Buying Small (and Keeping a Job)


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Toni Kononova bought a ghostwriting business for $500k to experiment with buy-then-build while limiting her downside. 

Topics in Toni's interview:

  • What to love about a ghostwriting & editing business
  • The business of self-publishing
  • What is "vanity press"?
  • Why a terrible website can be OK
  • Getting close on a small B2B SaaS business
  • Lowering her SDE criteria
  • Numbers & terms of her acquisition
  • De-risking an acquisition
  • Buying a business while having a full-time job
  • Why keeping her full-time job helped get the loan
  • Running the acquisition as a side hustle
  • Employee turnover & sales decline during transition
  • The popularity of search among Silicon Valley workers
  • Search in Russia

Links & how to get in touch with Toni:

  • Write My Wrongs
  • toni AT writemywrongs DOT co

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

  • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

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

  • The Acquisition Lab

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

  • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
  • Follow Will on Twitter
...more
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Acquiring MindsBy Will Smith

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