Inspired Or Acquired

In this episode, Joe Pohlen, CEO of Cardinal Senior Living, shares his journey in the assisted living industry, discussing the growth of his business, the challenges faced, and the importance of operational excellence. He reflects on his transition from self-storage to senior care, the significance of family dynamics in his entrepreneurial journey, and his ambitious goals for the future. Joe empha...

Martha has built two niche businesses with her husband Tim, and recently they've been wondering what it might be like to sell one. They help hotels move out furniture before remodels, liquidate or store old furniture, and install new furniture. They also have an amazing 24,000 square foot retail store where they sell unique furniture and decor that's . We discuss what the liquidation business migh...

Paul Sanneman has built the perfect lifestyle business with Contractor Staffing Source. His $2.5M revenue recruiting business could run without him if needed, but he's enjoying the work he does every day. He's also built it around his lifestyle so we can spend plenty of time with family, working out, and enjoying the ocean in Hawaii. We discuss what his business is worth today and if he'd ever sel...

Sam Allsopp has quickly grown Neal Roofing & Waterproofing to over $40M revenue within 5 years. We discuss the key growth levers, what his company might sell for today, and what could tempt him to eventually sell. Sam also shares the multiple range he's seen other nearby roofing companies sell for and how he's educated himself on the private equity playbook. Sam Allsopp on X: https://x.com/sam...

Nathan Lindley, owner of Done Right, shares his journey in the HVAC industry, discussing the challenges and successes of acquiring and professionalizing small HVAC businesses. He's almost one broke twice before figuring out how to make things work, and done 9 acquisitions along the way. We discuss their current business valuation his multi-location plan to scale.  Nathan Lindley on LinkedIn: https...

Pest control companies sell for some of the highest multiples of any services businesses - this podcast uncovers why. Patrick Dichter and Clint Fiore interview Casey McDaniel, the co-founder of King Pest Solutions. We discuss Casey's journey of scaling to +$2M within 3 years, what the business might sell for today, and Casey's exit number he'd be happy to 'retire' with. Casey also details the ups...

Mark and Katie Fleming from Owner Actions have one of the most interesting business models we've heard from guests. They've taken experience in wealth management and marketing to owning a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes cleaning companies, restaurants, and HVAC. Katie and Mark take % of ownership to help with finding deals, diligence, advising, and post close accounting and marketing...

A special 'behind the scenes' episode where we break down how businesses get valued, what it's like to list them for sale, and pointers for sellers to get a deal done. Clint and Patrick discuss the importance of qualifying a business for sale, understanding seller's discretionary earnings (SDE), and determining an appropriate asking price. The conversation also covers the listing process, evaluati...

Brandon Hall is one of the most impressive accounting firm growth stories we've known. He started Hall CPA PLLC in 2015 and has grown it organically to +$14.5M revenue and 150 team members. We discuss what would tempt him to sell the firm, AI impacting margins, if exit multiples in accounting will go up or down, traditional partnership structures in accounting vs PE exits, and more.  Brandon Hall...

Alex Nelson is an impressive entrepreneur in Iowa who built a wedding venue from scratch to $4M revenue within a few years. He also recently bought a chain of coffee shops then renovated and rebranded. We discuss what each business might sell for today, which one Alex might sell, and his long term goals. It's a great discussion on buy vs build, real estate heavy businesses, and compounding.  Alex...

Kyle Ewing is the founder of Terraslate, which manufactures and prints waterproof, and rip-proof paper designed to replace traditional lamination. Kyle shares how he scaled the business to over $10M in annual revenue while maintaining 100% ownership and fending off overseas knockoffs. We discuss the business valuation and if he would sell or not.  Kyle Ewing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/i...

Brett and Casey McManus bought an old motel in Killington, Vermont a year ago. They've shared all the highs and lows on Instagram such as fixing their own HVAC, doing bathroom remodels, and increasing revenue. We discuss how much the value has gone up in just a year and if they'd sell or not. We also cover another hotel they're trying to acquire and their tech startup for independent hospitality o...

Cassi Niekamp left a corporate career in sales and bought Bowden Fence Company four years ago. She's grown top line revenue 5x and improved the business tremendously but still feeling lots of stress managing that growth. We discuss what the business is worth today, if she would sell soon, and what she's focused on for 2025.  Cassi Niekamp: https://x.com/cassiniekamp Bowden Fence: https://www.bowde...

Daniel Magazu's first entrepreneurial venture was a landscaping and mulch business he started during college. With the mulch business he cracked the code on Facebook group marketing, and has since gone all in on scaling his marketing agency business, Ride The Wave. It's growing very quickly and has 96% retention rate. We discuss what the mulch business might sell for today, what the agency might s...

Christian Kobes is quickly scaling 19:21 Consultants Co, an independent health insurance and employee benefits firm. They've found their niche providing better, modern service to clients with +50 employees. Christian expects revenue to nearly double again this year. We discuss the M&A landscape in health insurance, what their company might be worth today, and if they'd sell soon. Christian Kob...

Furkan Yuce started Elevation Flooring with a couple scrappy partners and $2500 in the bank 7 years ago. Since then they've grown it organically to $7M revenue in 2024 and they're on pace for $10-12M in 2025. They've built some unique advantages that help them scale and be competitive like proprietary software and a back office team in Turkey. We discuss what the company is worth today, working ca...

Tim Ryan has successfully built a pool cleaning business from scratch and sold it - 4 times over! Why does he keep doing it? He's been building a software for pool cleaning companies and is committed a scalable SaaS venture. We discuss what he learned with each exit, the sale multiples, and what his software company, Symbri, might be worth today. Tim Ryan on X: https://x.com/KenziesPoolBoy Symbri:...

Brendan Dawson is the founder of Accident Plan, a niche software company solving big problems in commercial trucking. AccidentPlan is a risk management SaaS platform for trucking that mitigates common pitfalls when a commercial vehicle crashes to help keep companies major lawsuits and keep their insurance rates down. Brendan and Clint debate the valuation if it might sell to a strategic partner or...

David Barlev started Goji Labs with his business partner 10 years ago. Goji Labs is a digital product agency building custom software, apps, and tools to drive business outcomes. They're grown steadily to $6.5M revenue and +35% EBITDA margins. We discuss what Goji might be worth today, if they'd sell the business or not, and what a deal structure could look like. David Barlev on LinkedIn:  https:/...

Matt Glaros joined his small family health insurance brokerage, helped grow it 3x, and recently sold to a large strategic buyer, Hub. He's enjoying working for Hub and business is cranking more than ever. We discuss what went into the decision to sell and how they ended up a very high multiple between 15-20x earnings. Matt and his business partner have also started buying small print shops in Indi...

Dr. David Ensley has built Celebrate Dental & Braces in Austin to $1.5M revenue and $500k EBITDA within 3 years. He has his sites on multiple offices in Austin, and he's also a partner in a larger DSO that does +$70M of combined revenue. We discuss what his practice could sell for now, how valuations range from 3x to 15x, building vs buying, and different DSO structures.  David Ensley on X: ht...

Shane Ehrsam bought North Texas Trailers just a few years ago. Since then he's grown revenue to $11.5M, improved the team and tech, and maintained healthy margins. We dig into what the business is worth today and if he would sell soon, capital allocation for inventory vs real estate vs new acquisitions, and and how he thinks about building the best business it can be so it's a sellable asset. Nort...

Robert Mayer has built an amazing business with Arizona Party Bike. It's a unique tour company based in Arizona specializing in pedal-powered party bikes where guests can enjoy their favorite adult beverages on board. He's been a pioneer in the industry bringing the model to the US, manufacturing the bikes for other locations, franchising, and even getting involved in legislation related to party...

Hayden Slack joined the family foundation repair business at $4M revenue and grew to $30M. He also launched a plumbing business from scratch that's grown to $4M revenue. We discuss what the plumbing business is worth and if he'd sell it; we also cover what it's like navigating family dynamics and the key growth levers in the foundation business. Hayden Slack on X: https://x.com/Hayden__Slack Clint...

This is a special episode of Inspired Or Acquired to celebrate 10,000 downloads, reflect on learnings from prior episodes, share 2025 goals, and answer listener questions. The shows hosts, Clint Fiore and Patrick Dichter, also give some of their career backstory of how they ended up Mergers & Acquisitions (Clint) and Accounting (Patrick).  Clint Fiore & Bison Business: bisonbusiness.com Pa...