Before You Buy or Sell a Business

Jared Johnson sits down with Mark Sims, Managing Partner at Consult MSG, to discuss what separates businesses that create lasting value from those that create unnecessary risk during an acquisition. Drawing on decades of experience in consulting, corporate leadership, M&A, and post-acquisition transformation, Mark introduces his framework for evaluating businesses through the "Five Cs" of valu...

Jared Johnson takes a different seat in this episode as he gets interviewed and answers real questions from buyers and sellers about entrepreneurship through acquisition. The conversation cuts straight through the hype and focuses on what it actually takes to buy and run a business. Jared explains why ETA has become so popular in recent years and why much of what people see online does not match r...

Jared Johnson sits down with Ivy Millman, CEO of WHIZDOM, to explore a missing piece in many lower middle market acquisitions: customer due diligence. Ivy shares how her background in accounting, Stanford, Apple, and decades of business-customer research led her to build a firm focused on helping buyers, investors, and operators understand what financial, legal, and technical diligence often miss....

Jared Johnson sits down with M&A advisor and serial entrepreneur Christine McDannell, founder of The Magnolia Firm, to unpack a deal that did not go as planned. Christine shares how an acquisition of a dance and fitness studio moved from seemingly profitable to cash-flow negative once she took over operations. They walk through what she missed because of speed, compressed diligence, and incomp...

In today’s M&A market, the difference between a clean transaction and a painful one often comes down to pricing discipline, seller integrity, and how prepared the buyer is before the first call. In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson sits down with Greg Kovsky, President and CEO of International Business Associates (IBA), the Pacific Northwest’s largest and oldest...

Jared Johnson sits down with Andy Allaway, CEO of Empire Flippers, one of the largest marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. Andy shares how the company built a global platform that lists only 5 percent of submitted businesses, vets every seller, verifies every buyer, and has facilitated thousands of acquisitions ranging from high five figure deals to eight figure exits. Andy expla...

Jared Johnson sits down on location with Jordan Hood, the new owner of Low’s Bridal, a regionally known 48-year bridal institution in rural Arkansas. Jordan shares how a childhood on a Mississippi farm, an art and photography degree from Parsons, early digital marketing work in New York, and five years raising money for St. Jude all shaped the way she eventually stepped into owning a historic 22,0...

Jared Johnson sits down with Paige Wiese, founder of Tree Ring Digital, a 16-year full-service digital marketing and web agency, to unpack the part of buying or selling a business that almost nobody plans for: digital asset transfer. Paige explains why domains, hosting, email, social accounts, analytics, third-party tools, brand files, and even AI/GPT logins often sit in personal inboxes or with o...

Jared Johnson sits down with husband and wife operators Tahir Zaman Hussain and Neilab Rahimzada to unpack an 18-month search that started in London and New York, survived a failed first deal, and ended with the acquisition of a hyper niche window restoration company with decades of brand equity. They explain why calling brokers directly beat scrolling listings, how a prior LOI on a fire sprinkler...

Jared Johnson sits down with investor and operator Adam Markley to trace a winding path from nearly failing out of college to building and backing small businesses. Adam shares how a pivot into accounting and finance opened doors to hands-on work with small companies, a corporate run standing up deal-driven divisions, and ultimately his own acquisitions in the U.S. and U.K. He talks candidly about...

First-time buyers often worry about what they do not know, but success comes from focusing on fundamentals and building strong relationships. In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business , Jared Johnson talks with Sushant Bharadwaj, a former technology consultant who transitioned into entrepreneurship by acquiring two e-commerce businesses. Sushant shares how his consulting background in E...

Closing on a business is only the beginning. Success depends on how you manage the first years of ownership, the capital you bring to the table, and the partners you choose. In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson talks with Jacob Hall, Founder and Managing Partner of Kando Capital, about the realities of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). Jacob shares how his...

At the heart of entrepreneurship is the responsibility to create value. Not just for yourself, but for employees, customers, and the community. In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson sits down with Munashe Makava, an NYU MBA graduate who began his career at Deloitte and Goldman Sachs before stepping into entrepreneurship through acquisition. Born and raised in Zimbabwe...

What’s the difference between starting a business from scratch and buying an existing one? In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson talks with Sathya Ramanathan, a former tech founder who grew and exited a software company before acquiring a light construction equipment dealership in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sathya shares what he learned from selling his first busines...

What kind of person should actually buy a business, and who should not? In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson talks with David Barnett, former business broker, author, and small business advisor, about what buyers need to know before stepping into business ownership. They cover who should and shouldn’t buy a small business, how the acquisition landscape has changed, a...

In this episode, Jared Johnson sits down with Nadav Ben-Chanoch, a former tech operator turned small business acquirer, to unpack why more founders are skipping startups and choosing to buy real businesses instead. Nadav shares how his experience in Silicon Valley shaped his approach to deal-making, why he walked away from the traditional venture path, and what he’s learned transitioning from buil...

In this episode, Jared Johnson sits down with  Michael Seitz , CEO & Chairman of  EarthWise Pet , for a wide-ranging conversation on entrepreneurship, franchising, M&A strategy, and what it really takes to build and scale a brand in a mission-driven industry. Michael shares how growing up in a family business shaped his values, how almost becoming a dentist led him back to his en...

In this episode of the Before You Buy or Sell a Business podcast, host Jared Johnson welcomes Mark Fleming, a specialist in business acquisitions and co-founder of Owner Actions. Mark shares his journey from a background steeped in finance and trading to becoming an essential guide for investors at the critical 'search' stage of business acquisition. He emphasizes the challenging yet crucial initi...

In this episode of the "Before You Buy or Sell a Business Podcast," host Jared Johnson welcomes Jason Boehning, an HVAC industry professional who has successfully acquired two businesses over a short period. The discussion delves into the intricacies of acquiring businesses, highlighting Jason's strategic mindset and the unique competitive advantage he enjoys due to his engineering background. Thi...

Navigating the intricate world of buying and selling businesses can be challenging. Understanding due diligence, valuations, and the right mindset is crucial. In this episode of the "Before You Buy or Sell a Business" podcast, host Jared Johnson engages Rosco Graves from Polaxis in a deep dive into the nuances of buying and selling businesses. They discuss the pertinent steps necessary for a succe...

"The more parties you get investing in your deal, the less of a chance you're going to buy a bad deal." In Part 2 of this two-part episode of the Before You Buy or Sell a Business podcast, I talk with SBA loan borrowers about the business they end up buying: an HVAC business. From initial deal discovery to negotiating terms and finalizing the purchase, this episode provides a thorough examination...

In this two-part episode of the  @beforeyoubuyorsellabusiness  I sit down with my borrowers, Peter Hucal and Garrett Johnson, two dynamic entrepreneurs from Wharton who embarked on a journey of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). Their diverse backgrounds across engineering, project management, social impact, and consultancy have uniquely positioned them for success in the acquis...

In this episode of "Before You Buy or Sell a Business," host Jared Johnson welcomes Conner Young, co-founder of Kairo Data. The conversation centers around Kairo Data's innovative platform, designed to streamline the process of finding and acquiring small to medium-sized businesses. Conner shares his team's journey from traditional wealth management to solving complex acquisition challenges throug...

Before you buy or sell a business, perhaps you've read "Buy Then Build." Today's podcast guest, Matt Crowder, talks about how that book set him further down the entrepreneurial path. Matt, a borrower I worked with, recently acquired Western Stairlifts, a business specializing in home mobility equipment. We explore his transition from a traditional career in the tech industry to full-time entrepren...

Before You Buy or Sell a Business, be prepared. That's what today's guest would tell anyone who is looking to buy a business like he did. I am happy that I got to sit down with George Ayomide, a two-time borrower of mine. George is an ambitious entrepreneur who has made significant strides in the business world. From his early business experience in Nigeria to his successful ventures in the United...