Will Smith

Acquiring Minds

Business EN ↓ 507 episodes

Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs. Learn how to buy a business from the entrepreneurs who have already done it. 2x per week: stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship. Hosted by Will Smith, who is on his own path to acquire a business. Also on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@AcquiringMindsSign up for episode summaries at:https://acquiringminds.co

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: acquiringminds.co

Author

Will Smith

Category

Business

Podcast website

acquiringminds.co

Latest episode

Oct 26, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android almost 10M downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Young Couple Starts a Family Business By Buying One 26.08.2024

Register here for the webinar , Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/3ySUJ7R Topics in Meredith & Michael’s interview: Buying an employment screening company The seller staying on as an employee Strict industry regulations serve as a moat Upgrading technology after acquisition How the seller eased clients through the transition Why they’re not worried about AI Mered...

Investor Perspective on Self-Funded Search 22.08.2024

Register here for the webinar , Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/3YQP2lp Niklas James, Adam Borcz, and Tony Cappeart reflect on terms, risk & reward of the still-young self-funded search model. Topics in Search Investor Roundtable: White collar buyers of blue collar businesses Desirable traits for searchers Balancing investor returns and personal gains 3 common...

5 Businesses Acquired with a Long-Term Hold Model 19.08.2024

Register here for the webinar , Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/46OH4LN Ryan Sullivan's group is buying businesses with investor capital, SBA loans & operating partners — but it's not a fund. Topics in Ryan’s interview: “Moneyball approach” to buying businesses Making a career change at 48 Why it’s hard to find a good business Buying and holding manufacturing b...

SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market 15.08.2024

3 top players in SBA lending to the searcher ecosystem discuss what they're seeing in the market as of summer 2024. Topics in SBA Lender Roundtable: Role of personal guarantee in SBA loan Why valuations remain high Rising amount of equity in deals How to find the right lender Industries: what’s hot, what’s not Financing for fast-growth businesses Increase in forgivable seller notes More re-trading...

One Couple, 4 Kids, and a Business 3 Hours Away 12.08.2024

Gabe Perez sought a way out of corporate while Kristen sought a way back to working. Buying a $4m business offered both. Topics in Gabe and Kristen's interview: The role Acquiring Minds played in their acquisition Acquiring a cold storage manufacturer Paying a premium for a growing company Buying a business three hours away Risks of taking on big projects Implementing video conferencing  Impact of...

After 4 Years of Part-Time Searching, Success 08.08.2024

Will Gano was rewarded for his persistence & vision when he bought an 8-figure, 125-year-old ingredients manufacturer. Topics in Will Gano’s interview: Getting experience in the food industry Doing outreach while working full time Hiring a buy-side broker to search for him Going through years of “search purgatory” Writing a personal letter with his LOI Buying a food ingredient manufacturer The...

Buy Fast: A Good Reason to Buy Small 05.08.2024

Rob Carpenter was eager to start operating, so it only took 90 days to start searching then buy a $200k SDE business. Topics in Rob’s interview: His background in AI and software development His desire for a lower-stress lifestyle Prioritizing speed in his business search Changing his mind about franchises Buying 3 Merry Maids territories Digitizing processes in the business How labor turnover aff...

Tangible & Collectible: Buying a Consumer Product Company 01.08.2024

Years after one venture ended in failure, Jeff Velker bought a $2.5m pen maker with a strong brand & devoted customers. Topics in Jeff’s interview: His experience as a franchisee Bankruptcy after the 2008 crash The difference between buying a job and owning a business Losing his favorite pen led him to a pen company Appeal of pens in our digital age Acquiring with 2 partners Negotiating with a...

White Collar Roll-Up from $700k to $12m 29.07.2024

Jordan Evans left tech & bought a tiny, decades-old language services business. 6 years later, revenue is 17x larger. Topics in Jordan’s interview: Acquiring his parents’ language services business Spending 2 years preparing the deal Overpaying for a 180k SDE business Doubling the businesses through organic growth Pros and cons of seller notes “We’re buying a bucket of people and problems” Bol...

Reflections on 2 Years in the Knife Fight 25.07.2024

Register for the webinar: How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/4fa3CKB Brett Kennedy has doubled & strengthened the sub-$1 million moving business he bought — but it hasn't been without pain. Topics in Brett’s interview: Being raised in an entrepreneurial family Buying Furniture Taxi, a moving company Driving the truck himself when employees don’t...

The Scrappy Path of a One-Man Holdco 22.07.2024

Register for the webinar: How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/3WwZqNR When Dustin Carreon reached a ceiling in his first small business, he used the profits to start buying other businesses. Topics in Dustin’s interview: Growing up in his parents’ scrapping business Inheriting and growing Freelance Electronics Learning the most from a difficult acqui...

Getting Reps: Helping Others Look at Deals Led to a Holdco 18.07.2024

Register for the webinars: Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4cvUOwV Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - https://bit.ly/4cD9z17 How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/3LpQEuK How Adam Markley evaluated thousands of businesses for sale and bought a handful of his own (6 in his portfolio today). Topics in Adam’s intervi...

Building a $10m EBITDA Leader in a Fragmented Space 15.07.2024

Register for the webinars: Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4cCMyuZ Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - https://bit.ly/3LkCpr3 How (and Why) to Choose a Franchise as an Acquisition Entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/4f2hCGc Nick Haschka & Dillan Ferguson are 5 months and 2 acquisitions into a roll-up targeting $50-60m revenue in 5 years. Topics in Nick and Dilla...

Buying & Growing a Business While Keeping a Day Job 11.07.2024

Register for the webinars: SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4bydwTe Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3WbVpxT Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/45SWMEY Purchase Agreement Fights: How to Avoid (or Win) Them - https://bit.ly/4eQ7z79 How Dominick Blue bought an air duct cleaning business and took it into HVAC services, all while reta...

Buy as Search Fund, Keep as Long-Term Owner 08.07.2024

Register for the webinars: SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eTZ8Yn Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3WbAs6h Search Investor Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eVYDxc Purchase Agreement Fights: How to Avoid (or Win) Them - https://bit.ly/4bwcgQx By doubling a $3m EBITDA business Juan Aguilar bought with traditional search fund terms, he is able...

It Really Happened: 100% Financing for an $8m Business 04.07.2024

Register for the webinars: Thu July 11 - SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/4eJqUXB Fri July 12 - Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3VPQf9p We caution against thinking you can find it: 100% seller financing. But Renan Cortez did — and on a sizable business. Topics in Renan’s interview: His background as an Army medic Learning about acquisition via Codie Sanchez U...

Turning $500k into a $38m Holdco (No Investors) 01.07.2024

Register for the webinars: Thu July 11 - SBA Lender Roundtable: State of the Market - https://bit.ly/3XSdIcG Fri July 12 - Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/3W1zQA6 Garrison Snell enjoyed a modest exit at age 24. By 30, he'd parlayed that into a holdco with $9m EBITDA and a mission. Topics in Garrison’s interview: Building and exiting a recording artist marketing agency His objective to...

Candid Reflections on 7 Years of SMB Ownership 27.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3KJnYwg 7 years ago Dan Verboski bought a sign business with $650k in earnings. He's doubled it, but ownership has taken a toll. Topics in Dan’s interview: Background in the Marines and retail Buying a sign company in Tyler, Texas Culture clashes and problem employees Selling off his real estate to...

Announcing: Minds Capital 24.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3KH9RaS Will Smith has partnered with Niklas James & Max Lummis in a fund to invest in searcher & independent sponsor deals. Topics in this episode: Why raise a fund? How a fund comes together What it was like to raise money from LPs for a blind pool Why a business might be great for a searc...

Why Work IN the Business You Buy (Not Just On It) 20.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3Rto4Mc -- Get Remediation Company CIM - Request the NDA to get the CIM of the Midwestern niche remediation company. https://bit.ly/45spnAI -- Before acquiring a commercial painting business doing around $2m, Colin Gates worked on a crew as one of its painters. Topics in Colin's interview: Aggressiv...

3x Revenue Despite Turnover, Hangovers & Threats 17.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , How to Buy a Business & Hire an Operator at Once https://bit.ly/3RuI018 -- Get Remediation Company CIM - Request the NDA to get the CIM of the Midwestern niche remediation company. https://bit.ly/4b6rnjA -- JD Beck transformed a small (and small-town) plumbing business, took it into a larger market, and tripled it in a year. Topics in JD’s interview: Lessons lea...

1 Business vs. Many: Deciding to Roll Up 13.06.2024

Elliott Edge started as a searcher looking for a single business, then pivoted to a roll-up. He's 7 acquisitions in. Topics in Elliot’s interview: His philosophy on submitting LOI’s Acquiring a managed service provider amidst Covid His wife’s role in the acquisition Value of an MBA in acquiring a business Quickly going remote when Covid hit Building trust with employees How soon and fast to make c...

2 Welders and a Shop... to $3.8m in Sales 10.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/3VeWF1B Matt Pohl & his wife bought a small welding business with extreme key person risk. They 4x'd the business in 2 years. Topics in Matt’s interview: Starting, growing and selling his own business Acquiring a welding business with his wife Learning how to hire welders The difficulties of hi...

Buying a Bankrupt 117-Year-Old Manufacturer 06.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/3yCQaOw Despite having no experience in manufacturing, Jens Grudno jumped when he heard about a failing straight-razor business. Topics in Jens’s interview: Buying a bankrupt razor manufacturer Embracing risk in German business culture Cleaning out and moving a 116-year old business Another company...

Rolling Up EBITDA and Rents with Auto Repair Shops 03.06.2024

Register here for the webinar , The DO's & DON'Ts of the LOI (legal office hours) https://bit.ly/4538koZ Stephen Quindlen & Paul Westhart have found powerful multipliers that could yield huge returns in an unlikely industry. Topics in Stephen and Paul’s interview: Acquiring auto repair shops Retaining talent by adding employee benefits Fleet vs. passenger car business Almost losing a forem...

Listen to the Acquiring Minds podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.