Acquiring Minds

Derek Croft bought a $1m SDE business with a national footprint in an unusual niche. Just don't call him The Lice King. Topics in Derek’s interview: Leaving Bain to search for a business Acquiring LiceDoctors Why it’s good for a profitable business to be imperfect  Personal satisfaction from helping customers Payroll emergency on day 2 Competition in the lice removal industry High staff turnover d...

Register for the webinars:  • Understanding the Waterfall - Thu Nov 21 - https://bit.ly/3AMj6Fk Francisco Del Rio & Diego Silva are 5 acquisitions into a venture to consolidate veterinary practices in Chile & beyond. Topics in Francisco & Diego’s interview: Vetting each other before partnering Teaming up to roll up vet clinics in Chile Pitching themselves to clinic owners Searching dur...

Register for the webinars:  Where Searchers Go Wrong - Thu Nov 14 - https://bit.ly/3O0im2a Legal Office Hours: Understanding the Waterfall - Thu Nov 21 - https://bit.ly/3O3zqo2 Sam Rosati & partners built the Sunbelt's largest commercial fencing contractor in 3 years. But the origins were modest. Topics in Sam’s interview: His background in accounting and law Being inspired by Chenmark and Bre...

Register for the webinars: Where Searchers Go Wrong - Thu  Nov. 14 - https://bit.ly/40HZtZK Legal Office Hours: Understanding the Waterfall - Thu Nov 24 - https://bit.ly/4hEzVTh The story behind "Rick & Royce", who've probably done more to grow entrepreneurship through acquisition than anyone. Topics in Rick and Royce’s interview: How they met in academia Growth of their ETA class at Harvard U...

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...

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 for...

Register for the webinar:  How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/48sjkh9 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 s...

Register for the webinar: How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday, Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/3YEN9YE 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 Cutti...

Register for the webinars: Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3UihUQG How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/3UfYJqz 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...

Register for the webinars: Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/4dR5CWq How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/4dQifkn 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 He...

Register for the webinar: Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3zTykbc 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 listi...

Register for the webinars: Due Diligence Office Hours - Wed Oct 16 - https://bit.ly/4h3R74o Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/3zT8sMA 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 constru...

Register for the webinars: Which Business Should You Buy? - Thu Oct 10 - https://bit.ly/3TYdVZ8 Due Diligence Office Hours - Wed Oct 16 - https://bit.ly/3BznZl0 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 ownershi...

Register for the webinars: Which Business Should You Buy? - Thu Oct 10 - https://bit.ly/47TzaBc 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 Financ...

Register for the webinars: Which Business Should You Buy? - Thu Oct 10 - https://bit.ly/4gQqKP5 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 struc...

George Tibil & Keith Fields bought a $1.1m janitorial business with falling revenues. 9 months later, sales are up 60%. Topics in George and Keith’s interview: Their dissatisfaction with the corporate ladder Calling on Acquiring Minds guests for search advice Acquiring a ServiceMaster Clean franchise location What changed their minds about franchises Firing their first employee before taking o...

Register for the webinars: Legal Office Hours (Deal Structure & Its Tax Implications) - Thu Sept 26 - https://bit.ly/4dhSAAX How to Hire an Operator to Replace Yourself - Fri Sept 27 - https://bit.ly/3MU6hLu Dustin Fusillo bought a struggling ATM parts & services business. Unhappily, the decline continued under his ownership. Topics in Dustin’s interview: Starting a private school in Flori...

Register for the webinars: Legal Office Hours (Deal Structure & Its Tax Implications) - Thu Sept 26 - https://bit.ly/4grubvD How to Hire an Operator to Replace Yourself - Fri Sept 27 - https://bit.ly/3zgUbJr Corey Robinson bought 4 locations in the legacy franchise Batteries Plus. He quickly bought 8 more, growing to $10m/yr. Topics in Corey interview: Leaving the security of his corporate job...

Register for the webinars: Due Diligence Office Hours - Thu Sept 19 - https://bit.ly/3B2oF29 How Much to Budget for a Self-Funded Search - Fri Sept 20 - https://bit.ly/4e4FWpV Legal Office Hours (Deal Structure & Its Tax Implications) - Thu Sept 26 - https://bit.ly/4emLEn1 How to Hire an Operator to Replace Yourself - Fri Sept 27 - https://bit.ly/3ZrbCl1 It was a revelation when Brittney Orell...

Register for the webinars: Due Diligence Office Hours - Thu Sept 19 - https://bit.ly/4d27MSA How Much to Budget for a Self-Funded Search - Fri Sept 20 - https://bit.ly/4gk4XPH Legal Office Hours (Deal Structure & Its Tax Implications) - Thu Sept 26 - https://bit.ly/3zl0H1w How to Hire an Operator to Replace Yourself - Fri Sept 27 - https://bit.ly/3TuzvEG Rory Tyer bought the nursery where he'd...

Register for the webinars: Thu Sept 12 - How Big a Business Should You Buy? - https://bit.ly/3XmtR8v Thu Sept 19 - Due Diligence Office Hours - https://bit.ly/4ghprZb Fri Sept 20 - How Much to Budget for a Self-Funded Search - https://bit.ly/4e1Qjeq Acquiring a $2.5m pallet manufacturer was Michael Kelker's first step to building a legacy business for his family. Topics in Michael’s interview: Sel...

Register here for the webinar , How Big a Business Should You Buy? https://bit.ly/4cSC6is Topics in Jackson’s interview: Fulfilling his dream of living on the beach Transitioning from real estate to restaurants Buying a nostalgic restaurant with his friend Unique aspects of owning a business in a tourist town Cashflow advantage in restaurants Lack of competition for acquiring restaurants Finding a...

Register here for the webinar , How Big a Business Should You Buy? https://bit.ly/4dPunmC Without backgrounds in business, Julie & Janna Hottinger have grown the $2.1m trades business they bought last year 50%. Topics in Julie and Janna’s interview: Being warned away from the asphalt industry Sisters who bought a construction business How the seller worked to ease the transition Acquiring with...

An engineer at heart, Mike Dey set his sights on buying a manufacturing business for the next stage of his career. Topics in Michael’s interview: Pivoting from aerospace engineering to business ownership Selling his real estate investment to buy a business Beware turning your passion into your income Buying a business in his 40’s How risky is business ownership? The risk build-up model of valuing...

Register here for the webinar , Legal Office Hours: Common Legal Diligence Issues https://bit.ly/4dWmPxV After 5 years of owning a scale business, Matt Bauer & Chris Hartman were burning out. Fortunately they'd created value. Topics in Matt and Chris’s interview: Two military buddies bought a scale business Demanding grind of the industry Downside of providing a mission-critical service Buildi...