Acquiring Minds

4 acquisitions, 3 years after the first deal, and 2 dishonest sellers before Chandra Rao went full-time in his holdco. Topics in Chandra’s interview: Learning from due diligence mistakes Losing $300k in the first year Challenges with payment terms and working capital True value of a seller note One of his partners embezzled from the companyFppp Choosing a conventional loan over SBA The electrical...

Zach Smith bought a 30-year-old membership business that connects patients with dentists to return it to former glory. Topics in Zach’s interview: His exit from Uber Difficulty of starting a marketplace business When spreadsheets meet reality Buying a shrinking business Going with a stock sale instead of asset sale Current problems with dental insurance plans How American Dental Care differs from...

Most first-timers shy away from buying across borders. Not Christi Loucks, whose Canadian acquisition did $550k of SDE. Topics in Christi’s interview: Buying a business for personal fulfillment Painful broken deals Challenges of buying a cross-border business in Canada The positive role emotions play in dealmaking Losing (and regaining) 55% of her clients after transition The line between cold out...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Garth Fasano searched part time for 5 years before finding a target with very sticky revenue & great business-buyer fit. Topics in Garth’s interview: Searching for 5 years Benefiting from the SBA looking at calendar-year financials (not TTM) Top Dog’s...

Robert Graham & Aaron Blick's first acquisition did $1.2m SDE. Four years later, their roll-up generates $15m in EBITDA. Topics in Robert & Aaron’s interview: Going from lifelong friends to business partners Impact of private equity on industry roll-ups Running their companies remotely A competing business poaching employees Financial shocks after taking ownership Why they believe in buyin...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS John Murphy pushed through divorce, $500k debt, and a bad broken deal to finally buy a 60-year-old business doing $8m. Topics in John’s interview: Losing a deal one week before closing Value of peer groups How real estate compares to business ownership Ta...

Reid Tileston bought a business that relied on $800k trucks, capex he came to love for the fat margins they produced. Topics in Reid’s interview: Working on the business instead of in it Writing a book about acquisition People are the worst and best part of business Power of feedback and relationships for business owners The company’s slow temp-to-hire process Getting his CDL to be hands-on  Movin...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Rafael Quinn shares the story & principles behind buying 3 businesses in Panama then raising $28m to buy more in the US. Topics in Rafael's interview: Selling everything on Craigslist to move to Panama Buying his first business Panama from a billboard...

The construction services business Christian Bateson bought will do $7.5m in 2024. It also rescued him from the depths. Topics in Christian’s interview: His front row seat to the 2008 financial crisis Qualities of a top salesperson Business acquisition as a way out of a miserable career Shopping around for an SBA loan Choosing to play to his strengths and outsource his weaknesses Difficulty in hir...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Patrick Norris bought a small trash business doing $625k. Five years later and 4.5x bigger, a strategic got interested. Topics in Patrick’s interview: Why acquiring a trash business is easier than starting one Intricacies of trash disposal pricing Niches...

Only after Matt Jackson bought a roofing business in the hurricane state did he realize just how big the opportunity is. Topics in Matt’s interview: His experience with Acquira Keeping the seller as an employee Why he likes roofing despite drawbacks How he satisfied his licensing requirement Moats around spray foam roofing Standing out in the roofing industry His vision for organic growth How insu...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS At age 63, Maurice Thomas wasn't ready to retire, so he bought an electrical contractor with $1m in earnings instead. Topics in Maurice’s interview: Buying a business after age 60 Learning the right amount of diligence to do before submitting an LOI Impor...

How Andrew Stordeur bought a 25-year-old furniture manufacturer in Alberta without having to use any of his own capital. Topics in Andrew’s interview: Taking a startup to an IPO Competition in the wood furniture space Financing without the SBA Advice for Canadian searchers Getting a 35% seller note His 100% financed deal His plan to increase direct-to-consumer sales Being the sole breadwinner for...

Register here for the webinar , Working Capital 101 https://bit.ly/3IGEZWQ Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Stephen Olmon & Collin Trimble set out to roll up the alarm industry in Texas. Alarm Masters is their first acquisition. Topics in Stephen and Collin’s interview: All about the...

Register here for the webinar , Working Capital 101 https://bit.ly/3veZaYP Alan Lochridge left a career in consulting to buy a 20-year-old $5.5m hardscaping contractor with strong fundamentals. Topics in Alan’s interview: Years of searching before acquiring Understanding the ROBS financing strategy Reiterating company values weekly His day-to-day role as owner Restructuring to do more with fewer p...

Register here for the webinar , Working Capital 101 https://bit.ly/3IFObuB Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Despite an overwhelming transition, today Dan Tagliatela has 17x'd his initial investment and delegated the day-to-day. Topics in Dan’s interview: His background in investing What...

John Wilson bought & grew a very small plumbing business 26x over the last 7 years, and today has plans to reach $100m. Topics in John’s interview: Growing up in his family’s home services business Taking over the business at 23 Acquiring a turnaround to grow his business His first time doing layoffs Using CertainPath’s model to grow Tripling his ad spend during Covid Why he believes in buying...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Danny Fields & Steve Reis bought a decades-old utility supplier seemingly ripe for growth. It was harder than it looked. Topics in Danny and Steve’s interview: Their shared background in the military Educating their investors about oil and gas Dramati...

SBA lender Chad Fondriest got the itch to get in the game himself & bought a couple's hobby business doing just $150k. Topics in Chad’s interview: Keeping his W-2 while running the business Quadrupling revenue in 2 years Getting listed on Wayfair Tradeoffs of selling on Amazon High importance of inventory management  Explosive growth during Covid How he estimated market size Difficulty of comp...

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Tato Corcoran packed a lifetime of learning (and tears) into 18 months when she left tech & bought a tiny manufacturer. Topics in Tato’s interview: Connecting with sellers through direct mail Her “Say yes and figure it out later” approach Difficulty i...

14 months ago, Russ Hadlock bought an auto glass business with $2.3m in sales. Today he is struggling to keep it alive. Topics in Russ’s interview: Inventing the Peloton handlebar tray His life-changing exit from his company Looking for stability and safety through acquisition Fear of buying a company that was too big to operate Expenses skyrocketing after transition Impact of asset purchase on re...

Ben Rizzo bought an unprofitable, 4th-generation elevator business then stabilized, doubled, and sold it within 2 years.  Topics in Ben’s interview: His wife-funded search in Pittsburgh Sourcing deals through lawyers and accountants vs brokers Acquiring an elevator repair business in distress Quickly making changes after transition Pouring his own money into the company to stay operational Survivi...

Nathan Gregory left the music industry to buy Autobody News, a business that could benefit from his experience in media.  Topics in Nathan’s interview: Building and exiting a beer koozie brand Managing brand partnerships for pop stars Educating himself on business acquisition Pivoting away from home services Buying a media company with a partner Why print media isn’t dead  His audience-first appro...

Register here for the webinar , How to Raise Equity to Buy a Business https://bit.ly/3SUJhzQ Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS Peter deBaptiste bought a 35-person plumbing business with 2 very technical, hands-on owners 1 hour away from his house. Topics in Peter’s interview: Building ope...

Register here for the webinar , How to Raise Equity to Buy a Business https://bit.ly/3uwHx6y Will Wright bought a big event rental business in December 2018. When Covid hit, he turned crisis into opportunity. Topics in Will’s interview: Benefits of a traditional search fund Feeling like a “wartime president” His brutal first year as owner Value of a strong company culture Scrambling to fulfill con...