Acquiring Minds

8 Figs or Bust: Transitioning a Big Plumbing Business

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, How to Raise Equity to Buy a Businesshttps://bit.ly/3SUJhzQGet $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference...

Fire, Covid, Exit: 5 Years in a $12m Events Business

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, How to Raise Equity to Buy a Businesshttps://bit.ly/3uwHx6yWill Wright bought a big event rental business in December 2...

Taking a Blue Collar Biz from $900k to $2.4m in Earnings

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, How to Raise Equity to Buy a Businesshttps://bit.ly/3SAWZXdAdam Borcz bought & unlocked growth in a niche-y, 35-yea...

First-Timer Turns $20k into $900k in 19 Months

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Only after taking a second look at a small wedding catering & venue business did Nick Patrick recognize an opportunity. Topics in Nick’s interv...

The Model Works: Reflections of a Plumbing Business Buyer

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Doug Johns reflects on his balance sheet, lifestyle, and new identity as business owner after 9 quarters in the seat. Topics in Doug’s interview:Hi...

Buying a $4m Business (with 80% Recurring Revenue)

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, The Anatomy of an LOI:https://bit.ly/4263xl0It was only after Michael Young started an accounting practice that he foun...

Taking the Plunge into Extreme Ownership

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, The Anatomy of an LOI:https://bit.ly/3U52srPAt his job, Morgan McCauley saw a ceiling on his impact & earning poten...

Finding a Good Business After 2+ Years of Searching

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, The Anatomy of an LOI:https://bit.ly/3SsxKrtRyan Doyle was 2 long years into searching when he walked away from a deal,...

Buying a Business to 20x a Real Estate Empire

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Register here for the webinar, The Anatomy of an LOI:https://bit.ly/492E8ehBuying a property management business (which he's doubled) helped Brandon L...

4 Acquisitions In, Holdco Builder's Goal is £150m

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holdco entrepreneur Sam Turner shares his vision to build the leading platform for independent M&E businesses in the UK. Topics in Sam’s interv...

14 Months from Searcher to $5.5m EBITDA

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Luis Aguilar found a $1.5m SDE commercial laundry business on BizBuySell, then a second acquisition followed quickly. Topics in Luis’s interview:Ge...

Shutting Down After a 4-Year Struggle

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the recording of our webinar on Financial Modeling a Self-Funded SBA Acquisition:https://acquiringminds.co/webinars/how-to-model-a-self-funded-s...

Buying a Big $7m Trade School

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the recording of our webinar on Financial Modeling a Self-Funded SBA Acquisition:https://acquiringminds.co/webinars/how-to-model-a-self-funded-s...

Moving to a Small Town to Buy an SMB

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When he bought an HVAC business in east Tennessee, John Mahony moved in next door & became a member of the community.Topics in John’s interview:...

The Appeal of Buying a Food Product Business

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Lazure explains why Flavor-Crisp, a food product business that uses co-packers, was such a great business to buy. Topics in Pat’s interview:Doi...

Building an HVAC Holdco to £60m in Revenue

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Turner is 3 acquisitions into a 5-year plan to buy HVAC businesses across the UK that together cash flow £6m/yr. (Rebroadcast from August 2022.) ...

Opening Up to Franchises to Buy a Great Business

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How Doug Johns overcame his reservations about being a franchisee to acquire a dream business with $1.8m EBITDA. (Rebroadcast from September 2022.) T...

Building a $350m Holdco of Farms

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack McCarthy has acquired 27 pistachio & almond farms from retiring owners, with a plan to build & hold for decades. Topics in Jack’s inte...

Factory Life: Buying a Manufacturer with $1m SDE

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Jasper made a change at age 40, acquiring a plastic bag manufacturer with 10 people & a daily start time of 4:30am. Topics in Ben’s intervi...

Scaling Sweaty Services with a Brokerage Model

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eddy Zakes has 2x'd revenue and 4x'd headcount at the snow removal brokerage he bought with a traditional search fund. Notes from the conversation wi...

2.5 Years from Buying to Exiting

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Lee Shields bought a barely-profitable property management business intending to improve, grow, & hold it forever. Topics in Brian’s inte...

Hard but Fun: Transitioning a 77-Year-Old Business

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Darryl Lindie did a geo-constrained search in Rhode Island to acquire a sign business with $650k of SDE & 25 employees. Topics in Darryl’s inte...

The Power of Conviction in Buying a Business

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Barnes bought a $400k SDE linen laundry business, channeling his conviction at big decision points along the way. Topics in Matt’s interview:D...

3 Perspectives: A Panel on Buying Small Businesses

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recording of a live panel hosted by EO Silicon Valley with Acquiring Minds host Will Smith moderating. Topics discussed:3 stories of buying businesse...

Escaping Golden Handcuffs by Buying a Business

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While not a CPA herself, a clear list of buying criteria led Gretchen Roberts to acquire a 16-person accounting firm. Topics in Gretchen’s intervie...

7 Takeaways from 200 Episodes

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Acquiring Minds host Will Smith reflects on 200 episodes, tells the podcast backstory, and teases what's coming in 2024. Topics in today’s episode ...

Cash Flows Over Exits: Buying for the Long Term

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sensing untapped potential, Mark Olivito paid cash for a project-based construction business with less than $100k SDE. Topics in Mark’s interview:B...

Skip the SBA: Buying a $4m Biz with a Conventional Loan

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Bryer worked with a financial backer to find & buy a 65-year-old niche manufacturing business without an SBA loan. Topics in Ben’s intervie...

Doing It His Way: First-Timer Buys 2 at Once

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Okhravi left a cushy tech career to buy a towing business & a flooring business — and within 30 days of each other. Topics in Mike’s int...

The Upside & Downside of Search, from a 20-Year Veteran

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A fireside chat with veteran searcher & investor Kent Weaver recorded at the Self-Funded Search Conference in Dallas. Topics in Kent's interview:...

Passion, Meet EBITDA: The Joy of Buying an Art Gallery

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Moore looked at a handful of businesses, but a fine art gallery with over $1m SDE won the art collector's heart. Topics in Sean’s interview:Pu...

Growing EBITDA from $750k to $2m: Time to Sell?

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Hubbard returns to share how "chasing EBITDA over revenue" has benefited the trailer fabricator he bought in 2021. Topics in John’s interview:...

How to Buy a SaaS Business with an SBA Loan

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It CAN be done. Andrew Swiler acquired a SaaS business with $650k SDE using an SBA loan (and while living in Spain). Topics in Andrew’s interview:W...

Boom, Bust, Boom: Buying a Whiplash Business

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chandler Reed reflects on buying a project-based business in 2021, seeing sales soar, then crash, then surge again. Topics in Chandler’s interview:...

Partnering with an Operator to Buy a Business

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Landon Mance bought a $1.7m tree business alongside a minority partner who's operated the business full-time from Day 1. Topics in Landon’s intervi...

How to Survive Going from Hedge Funds to SMB Owner

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Neil Finneran had worked in hedge funds & as a CFO when the opportunity to buy a pest control business presented itself. Topics in Neil’s inter...

A Reward for Widening Search to $300k SDE

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A year into his search Jesse Sunquist realized he needed to lower his SDE floor to find a business to buy in his market. Topics in Jesse’s intervie...

When Buying Small Goes Right (3x Growth)

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

George Vallone returns to share how he has grown revenue 3x in 2.5 years and laid a foundation for multi-city expansion. Topics in George’s intervi...

Buying a $3m Candle Manufacturer That Had No Books

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chad Hildebrant knew the best deals have hair on them. The trick is finding the right hair, turning red flags green. Topics in Chad’s interview:Buy...

Buying $1m+ Ice Cream Shops to Expand Nationally

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shawn Allard didn't want a food business, but an ice cream shop with good margins & a local following changed his mind. Topics in Shawn’s inter...

Buy and 3x a Project-Based Business in Just 2 Years

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, Johannes Hock bought an artificial turf installer business doing $5m. It's on track to exceed $15m in 2023. Topics in Johannes’s interview...

How to Buy the Business Where You Work

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Corey Veverka acquired the business where he had worked for years, mitigating his risk & removing the need for a search. Topics in Corey’s inte...

The $295m Search Fund Exit

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sandy Paige struggled to raise a search fund as a mid-career executive, then grew EBITDA by 7x and exited for 9 figures. Topics in Sandy’s intervie...

Hiring a General Manager & Buying Business #2

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Ehrsam & Brandon Adams return to discuss hiring a GM, buying business #2, the rewards of SMB life & managing envy. Topics in Shane’s ...

Leaving a Big Salary in DC for Small Business in Wyoming

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Hayes was an accomplished executive in the DC area with 5 kids when he decided to buy a business in Laramie, WY. Topics in Eric’s interview:Wa...

Seller's View of a Searcher Buying His Business

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Wild fielded offers to buy his business for years but sold only after being introduced to the searcher community. Topics in Peter & Carlos’...

Buying a 45-Year-Old Industry Pioneer

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a successful military career, Don Gourley saw buying a business as the best means to "lead a unit" as a civilian. Topics in Don’s interview:H...

Buy a Franchise Portfolio: How to Choose a Brand

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

AJ Wasserstein, Peter Mistretta & Mike Horowitz distill the selection of a franchise brand into 10 essential criteria. Topics in today’s interv...

Rocky Transition: How to Survive, Then Thrive

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Collapsing sales, unhelpful sellers, and a GM who quit. But 1 year later, Chris Jones is contemplating acquisition #2. Topics in Chris’s interview:...

First-Time Buyer Recipe for Success: Action & Small Steps

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Connor Pera shares how taking incremental steps led to buying his first business much sooner than expected. Topics in Connor’s interview:Trade-offs...

Unlocking Growth in a 40-Year-Old Business

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josh Medow brought a mindset to his search that he would reshape whatever business he bought into a high-growth company. Topics in Josh’s interview...

From Startup Founder to Buying a Small Business

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Ericson brings lessons from 13 years as a startup founder to the $4m printer rental company he recently bought.Topics in Tim’s interview:His exp...

Buying a Small Business to Build for Decades

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

August Felker did a search fund, then later a self-funded search so he could own & build his business for years to come.Topics in August’s inter...

Holdco Entrepreneurs: A Peek Behind the Curtain

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

HoldCoConf co-founder Kelcey Lehrich shares key findings from a survey of 100+ holdco operators about their businesses. Topics in Kelcey’s intervie...

A Non-Financial Reason to Buy a Business

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Akers had a vision for supportive, employee-first leadership. Buying a business enables him to realize this vision.Topics in Nick’s interview:H...

Postmortem of a Broken Deal

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Wheeler reflects on investing countless hours to buy a beautiful business, only to have the seller kill the deal.Topics in Nick’s interview:Fin...

The Joys & Pain of Owning a $10m City Bus Business

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

George Goates bought a small shuttle business that he's grown 4x in 8 years, partly by running buses for municipalities. Topics in George’s intervi...

How (and Why) to Buy a B2B Services Business

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sajama Mitta wanted to make strategic decisions at the head of an organization. Buying her own business was the answer. Topics in Sajama’s intervie...

16 Months to Exit: Cleaning Up in Street Sweeping

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Manny Saxena quickly bought 3 street-sweeping businesses to become the largest player in NorCal. A big PE fund noticed. Topics in Manny’s interview...

Why Buy a Digital Service Business

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karl Hughes recently bought a podcast production agency & explains why "productized service" businesses are attractive. Topics in Karl’s interv...

Building an ATM Empire

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mitchell Sorkin started by buying 3 ATMs in 2021. Today he has over 140 machines and is targeting $5m EBITDA in 3 years. Topics in Mitchell’s inter...

The Life-Changing Potential of Buying a Business

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Munn, Bakari Akil, and Bruce Vann reflect on being Black men who bought businesses & why this path is so powerful. Topics in this interview...

How One Tiny Acquisition Grew Into a Holdco

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Huggins bought a small water & cable utility doing $200k/year. 15 years later, his holdco is on track for $20m/yr. Topics in this interview:...

5x in 5 Years: Buying Small to Grow Quickly

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Holdco entrepreneur Chase Murdock buys very small businesses with potential for rapid growth & decades of staying power. Topics in Chase’s inte...

Snowball Effect: Getting to $45m in 3 Years

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amir Haboosheh was drawn to the double-opportunity in acquiring home services businesses: the financial, and the impact. Topics in Amir’s interview...

Don't Overlook HR Diligence: 3 Items to Check

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Sinatra returns to explain what to diligence from an HR perspective when buying your business. Topics in Mark’s interview:Top 3 things to dili...

How to Shorten Your Search: Big 3, Little 2

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Rosati shares a framework to clarify your search criteria & reduce the months it takes to find a business to buy. Topics in Sam’s interview...

The Secret to $25m Success

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Bloom has 8x'd a small mechanical contractor he bought only 4 years ago, despite it being a competitive industry. Topics in James’s interview...

What Buying Small Is Like When Crises Happen

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

3 days into Monte Marcum's acquisition of an established franchise, key equipment breaks. Then the crises kept coming. Topics in Monte’s interview:...

Self-Funded Search vs. Independent Sponsorship

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Niklas James started off as a self-funded searcher, but evolved into being an independent sponsor of 7 acquisitions. Topics in Niklas’s interview:W...

The Bumpy Reality of Buying an Ecommerce Business

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Bispels updates us on the DTC ecommerce business he bought in 2020 and had grown to almost $2m/yr one year later. Topics in Martin’s intervi...

Owner vs CEO: 2 Approaches to Buying a Business

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Derek Turner has done both a traditional search fund and self-funded. We hear both stories & explore the differences. Topics in Derek’s intervi...

One Acquiring Minds Guest Buys Another

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

2 previous guests, Mike Botkin & Adrian Pinto, are joining forces to grow a landscaping empire throughout the Southeast. Topics in Adrian and Mik...

Raising $800k to Buy an $8m Business as a First-Timer

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With no finance background, Kevin Bibelhausen learned to raise money from investors & buy a 20-year-old fabric business. Topics in Kevin’s inte...

It Worked: Buying an Ecom Business to Gain Freedom

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Michael was seeking to acquire not just a business, but freedom. One year later, he reports back on how it's going. Topics in Alex’s interview...

Buy Big: How to Acquire a $3m EBITDA Roofing Business

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How Austin Smoak raised money from investors to buy a very profitable roofing business that he found on BizBuySell. Topics in Austin's interview:How ...

Home Care Business: How to Buy & 2x an Agency

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jérôme Bouillon bought a home care agency doing $500k/yr in 2018. Today it exceeds $1m and he's added a second location. Topics in Jerome’s inter...

Overworked & Underpaid: Buying a Business to Escape

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Shattuck-Heidorn was a tenure-tracked professor, but wanted out. Buying a business offered freedom & security. Topics in Heather’s inte...

Learning to Lead: From Searcher to Boss of 140

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Having only ever managed a few people when he bought his business, Alex Glasner shares how the trial by fire is going. Topics in Alex's interview:The...

Uber Driver to 7-Figure Exit in 3 Years

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Bortner couch-surfed, drove Uber, and racked up credit card debt while finding a pool business to buy. It went well. Topics in Ben’s interview:...

Surviving the Nightmare: Sales Plunge 95%

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

9 months after Jesse Safir bought a printing biz, Covid cratered it. 3 years later, sales are nearing pre-Covid levels. Topics in Jesse’s interview...

How to Raise Money from Investors to Buy a Business

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

2 searchers, Kaustubh Deo & Kevin Bibelhausen, share how they found investors to provide money to buy their businesses. Topics in Kevin and Kaust...

How to Buy a $5m Business & Hire an Operator to Run It

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It CAN be done: Matthew Saskin recently acquired a big towing business, hiring an operator to run it from day 1. Topics in Matthew Saskin’s intervi...

The Opportunity in Carve-Outs (and Uncle Sam)

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Caroline Chapdelaine seized opportunity when a biomed company needed to sell a $2m unit that made special defense tech. Topics in Caroline’s interv...

Fetal Position to Foundry Holdco ($30m & Counting)

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite dire warnings against it, Reg Zeller bought a foundry. He's since bought 6 more & sees a clear path to $100m/yr. Topics in Reg Zeller’s...

How to 2x Sales in a Service Business You Buy

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adrian Pinto returns to reflect on his 1.5 years as owner of a landscaping business that he's grown from $3m to $6m/yr. Topics in Adrian’s intervie...

How to Build a Portfolio of 20 Franchise Locations

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Horowitz was looking to buy an independent business when a different path opened up. Today he owns 20 Wingstops. Topics in Michael’s interv...

Life as an Operator: Leaving PE to Buy a $2m Tree Business

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kaustubh Deo reflects on his first year as the owner of a tree business versus his former life in NYC private equity. Topics in Kaustubh’s intervie...

From Determined Searcher to $75m Accidental Holdco

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Duggins had 650 meetings to find his first business in 2013, not expecting he'd buy 3 more over the next 10 years. Topics in Adam Duggins’s in...

Feast or Famine: How to Grow a Niche Manufacturing Biz

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Vann returns to update us on his manufacturing business, and a thesis around the roll-up of window blinds stores. Topics in Bruce Vann’s inte...

Navigating Failure: Buying a $5m+ Business that Collapses

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Ikalowych shares his traumatic journey of going all-in to buy a hail-repair business, then having to shut it down. Topics in John Ikalowych’s ...

Single Mom, 2 Kids, and a $4m Business

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Morli Desai left corporate to scratch her entrepreneurial itch, using an SBA loan to buy an ecommerce biz with $1m SDE. Topics in Morli Desai’s int...

6 Months from Twitter Inspiration to $2m Business Owner

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pawel Kosicki learned about buying small businesses in July. By January, he'd bought one himself with 7 figures of SDE. Topics in Pawel Kosicki’s i...

Back to a W-2: When Business Ownership Isn't the Way

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Damon Chlarson takes a job in tech sales, despite having improved the business he bought & surviving a tough year. Topics in Damon’s interview:...

How to Buy and 2x a Subcontractor Business

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brenden Van Buren is growing his fencing business, despite the industry's notorious cyclicality & project-based revenue. Topics in Brenden’s in...

One Year Later: Holdco Grows to $75m in Total Revenue

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Turner returns with details on 2 new acquisitions by his holdco Traction, plus updates on the existing 4 portcos. Topics in Justin’s intervi...

How to Build a Holdco Around Company Culture

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Arrieta's holdco has made 3 acquisitions since 2020. Sales & culture, not tech, have proven to be the key levers. Topics in Michael’s i...

Honeymoon, Darkness, then Light

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a rollercoaster year in his appliance repair business, John Schooler returns with scars, wisdom, and optimism. Topics in John’s interview:Joh...

Growing a Small 1st Acquisition into a Holdco Platform

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Hitchings bought a $250k SDE cooling biz. It has grown 3x and will now fund a 2nd acquisition, with more to come. Topics in Andrew’s Intervi...

How to Buy a Neighborhood Institution

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Sieve saw his life implode after COVID. Buying a highly profitable 40-year-old restaurant turned things around. Topics in Andrew’s interview...