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Acquiring Minds

Will Smith

Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs.

  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    Buying a Job to Build a Business

    When he realized he was willing to do the work himself, Matthew Railla bought a $500k SDE termite inspection business.

    Topics in Matt’s interview:

    • His family’s culture of entrepreneurship
    • His background running a winery
    • Becoming a business broker
    • Buying his own listing
    • Buying a tough-to-sell business 
    • Getting an SBA loan using the new partial buyout rules
    • Crawling under houses himself to learn the trade
    • Seller agreeing to teach him for 2 years
    • The 3 branches of pest control
    • His plan to expand the business

    References and how to contact Matt:

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

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

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    7 November 2024, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 15 minutes
    $6m Business, 3 Minutes From Childhood Home

    Iris Levine bought a 30-year-old construction firm just steps from the rough Nashville neighborhood where she grew up.

    Topics in Iris’s interview:

    • Working 3 jobs to pay for college
    • Background in high-growth startups
    • Forming her own acquisition mastermind group
    • Finding an unlisted business through a broker
    • Buying a porch construction company
    • Putting 5% down without outside investors
    • Choosing to forego a quality of earnings
    • Adding technology for project management
    • Motivation to find work-life flexibility
    • Possibility of expanding their offerings

    References and how to contact Iris:

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

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    4 November 2024, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 26 minutes
    Buying a Business to Build a Life

    Register for the webinar: 


    Seattle-based Dan Drake & his wife wanted to raise their kids in Bend, Oregon. Buying a business allowed them to do it.

    Topics in Dan’s interview:

    • His search in Bend, Oregon
    • Understanding negotiation tactics
    • Bundling the real estate with the business
    • His seller-financed deal
    • Renegotiating after sales dipped 20%
    • Pros and cons of having experienced staff
    • Explaining balloon payments
    • Giving back to Central Oregon
    • Meeting with top customers to understand their needs
    • Improving inventory management and website

    References and how to contact Dan:

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

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

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    31 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 52 minutes
    Buying & Building a $60m Manufacturer

    Register for the webinar:


    When, at age 29, Gat Caperton bought a furniture maker in his native West Virginia, he was also buying himself a career.

    Topics in Gat’s interview:

    • Working for the legendary Sam Zell
    • Acquiring a furniture manufacturer in 1996
    • You’re better off with smart competitors than dumb competitors
    • Cutting his lead time in half the first year
    • Implementing lean manufacturing
    • Owning the business with his dad
    • China devastated US furniture manufacturing
    • Joining John Bassett to sue China for breaking trade laws
    • The evolution of “Made in America”
    • How to evaluate a furniture manufacturer

    References and how to contact Gat:

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

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    28 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 26 minutes
    2 Years to Buy, Double & Exit a Medical Billing Firm

    Register for the webinars:


    Nik Hulewsky bought a $3.2m medical billing company during peak Covid, anticipating a surge in demand. He was right.

    Topics in Nik’s interview:

    • Tragedy that ignited his passion for hospice
    • Losing his job while his wife was in labor
    • Searching for a business to fit his skillset
    • Industry is more important than business
    • Margins in home health
    • Calculating return on brain damage
    • Learning firsthand about the J curve
    • Importance of relationship with the seller
    • Being in business with his brother-in-law
    • Advice for young entrepreneurs

    References and how to contact Nik:

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    24 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    Small SDE, Big Upside: Buying a Business with 5 Employees

    Register for the webinars:


    Kristiana Laugen left tech to buy a 40-year-old pool business with $300k SDE. Fast growth from a small base is the plan.

    Topics in Kristiana’s interview:

    • Her career working for start-ups
    • Her desire to “eat what she kills”
    • Finding a business sooner than expected
    • Acquiring a commercial pool maintenance/repair business
    • How commercial pool maintenance differs from residential
    • Quickly firing all but one technician
    • Making changes in the first 90 days
    • Seller retained 5% equity
    • Using an app for routing efficiency
    • The numbers game of hiring

    References and how to contact Kristiana:

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

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

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    21 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 53 minutes
    Leaving Amazon to Buy a $3m Apparel Brand

    Register for the webinar:

    Tech industry vet Eric Bauer wanted to build something for himself. Buying a hat brand across the country was the path.

    Topics in Eric’s interview:

    • Skills he acquired during 10 years at Amazon
    • Moving from Seattle to Alabama to buy a business
    • Red flags in business listings
    • Comparing BizBuySell and Axial for business search
    • Acquiring a hat distributor
    • Solving problems with hat sizing
    • Learning how to motivate his staff
    • Hiring difficulties
    • Inventory management complexities
    • Self-confidence as a business owner

    References and how to contact Eric:

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

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

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    17 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 39 minutes
    Business Collapse After Going All-In

    Register for the webinars:


    Justin Willess liquidated his 401k to buy a $8.5m construction business. He lost the business and may lose his house.

    Topics in Justin’s interview:

    • Frustration with his consulting career
    • Buying a construction company
    • Construction landscape in Northern Virginia
    • Discovering cooked books after transition
    • Seller refused to release promised funds
    • Emptying his 401k to make payroll
    • Calm is contagious
    • Closing the business
    • What he learned from the failed acquisition
    • Why he wants to acquire again

    References and how to contact Justin:

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

    Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Chicago on October 26th:

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    14 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 33 minutes
    Margins in Mulch: Buying a $1m Erosion Control Business

    Register for the webinars:


    As a banker Greg Bruns dealt with business owners, wanting what they had. When a friend bought a business, he saw a way.

    Topics in Greg’s interview:

    • Leaving his banking career to buy a business
    • Big risks of doing an asset sale
    • How ownership is different than expected
    • Risks and benefits to buying small
    • Why erosion control matters to infrastructure
    • Being tied to the construction industry
    • Managing cashflow in a project-based business
    • How weather affects his bottom line
    • Involving his employees in business decisions
    • The good/bad of keeping the seller in the business

    References and how to contact Greg:

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

    Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Chicago on October 26th:

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    10 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    The Model for a 3-Way, Long-Term Holdco

    Register for the webinars:


    Marc Nzojibwami and 2 partners bought a business in Calgary, with a plan to keep buying (and without investor capital).

    Topics in Marc’s interview:

    • Early attempts at launching companies in university
    • Acquiring with 2 partners
    • Their plan to build a holdco together
    • Acquiring a 40 year old sign shop
    • Financing their deal in Canada
    • Negotiating purchase price and seller note
    • One change they made immediately
    • Growing EBITDA 30% the first year
    • Challenges and benefits of partnerships
    • Searching full-time for his next acquisition

    References and how to contact Marc:

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

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

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

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    7 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 29 minutes
    Why Sell to Private Equity: Former Guest Has an Exit

    Register for the webinars:


    Taylor Wallace & Tyler O'Connor return to discuss selling to private equity & the painful reality of managing people.

    Topics in Taylor’s interview:

    • Evaluating the risk/reward of selling to private equity
    • Selling to private equity but not exiting
    • Good PE vs. bad PE
    • Transition to a corporate structure
    • Comparing outcomes with tech startups

    References and how to contact Taylor:

    Topics in Tyler’s interview:

    • Comparing his military service with business ownership
    • Unexpected hospitality aspect of the business
    • Being both CEO and the sales department
    • Delegating more to his general manager
    • Working capital in a seasonal business

    References and how to contact Tyler:

    Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Chicago on October 26th:

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

    Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    3 October 2024, 7:00 am
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