Shows / Acquiring Minds
Acquiring Minds
Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs. Learn how to buy a business from the entrepreneurs who have already done it. 2x per week: stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship. Hosted by Will Smith, who is on his own path to acquire a business. Also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquiringMinds Sign up for episode summaries at: https://acquiringminds.co
Episodes
Acquiring MindsThe Appeal of Lead Gen Businesses (Especially Old Ones)
A primer on lead gen businesses from Jaime Arias, who bought a 14-year-old biz that generates online leads for dentists. Topics in Jaime's interview: Choosing…
Acquiring MindsBuilding an HVAC Holdco to £60m in Revenue
Sam Turner is 3 acquisitions into a 5-year plan to buy HVAC businesses across the UK that together cash flow £6m/yr. Topics in Sam's interview: How the…
Acquiring MindsRolling Up Real Estate Appraisal Firms
Kevin Swenson shares his story of buying a $3m real estate appraisal firm as a platform to roll up the fragmented space. Topics from Kevin's interview: Why the…
Acquiring MindsGrowing an Ecommerce Acquisition 13x in 4 Months
Ramon Van Meer bought an ecommerce business doing $30k/mo. A few tweaks & months later, it was up to $400k per month. Topics in Ramon's interview: What to look…
Acquiring MindsFlower Power: Buying a Rose Distributor Primed for Growth
Jason Cline left corporate at age 50 to buy a flower distribution business (in cash). SDE is up 3x after just one year. Topics in Jason's interview: Pivoting…
Acquiring MindsA Brutal Search Rewarded with Success After 3+ Years
Jordan Carter started as a part-time, generalist searcher. 3+ years later, he bought a biz doing $2.4m with 40% margins. Topics in Jordan's interview…
Acquiring MindsBuy a SaaS Business in 2022: How to Compete in a Hot Market
A deep-dive into the market for SaaS businesses with Thomas Smale, founder of leading SaaS brokerage FE International. Topics in Thomas's interview: Pros &…
Acquiring MindsLeaving Apple to Buy a Real Estate Business with 150+ Agents
Kinza Azmat arrived in the US at age 6, speaking little English. Today she's the new owner of a thriving RE brokerage. Topics from Kinza's interview: Becoming…
Acquiring Minds7 Findings from the New Data on Self-Funded Searches
Lisa Forrest shares key findings from a survey of 49 entrepreneurs who bought a business after a self-funded search. The findings discussed were based on these…
Acquiring MindsWhy Chenmark Bought a Boat Tour Business
Seasonal. Nonrecurring. Key person risk. Trish Higgins recounts how Chenmark got excited about an unlikely acquisition. Topics in Trish's interview: Building a…
Acquiring MindsThe Weird & Wonderful World of Vending
Ujwal Velagapudi acquired a multimillion dollar vending empire with thousands of machines & 7 figures of cash flow. Themes from Ujwal's interview: Big vending…
Acquiring MindsDon't Be Tempted: 8 Signs of a Bad Business
A lender and a searcher explain how to quickly identify a business you should NOT buy, saving you months of wasted time. Themes from Ryan & Heather's…
Acquiring MindsHow to Acquire & Grow an FBA Business
Alex Michael bought a wallet brand doing $650k on Amazon. Alex delves into how FBA works & what the growth levers are. Themes from Alex's interview: Why…
Acquiring MindsGood News for Ecommerce Buyers
Multiples for ecom businesses jumped 50% since 2018, but Quiet Light's Joe Valley says that trend is about to reverse. Themes from Joe's interview: The…
Acquiring MindsSearch Success in a Small City: $500k SDE, 95% Recurring
How James Maxwell & his partner found a 22-year-old janitorial biz & successfully installed a GM in a city of 100,000. Themes from James' interview: Searching…
Acquiring MindsHow to Get Good Deals from Brokers
Business broker Clint Fiore explains how to most effectively work with brokers to find good businesses to buy. Themes from Clint's interview: Brokers' pet…
Acquiring MindsWhat Searchers Can Learn from Big PE
Alex Mears draws on years of experience at Carlyle & Blackstone to support and invest in searchers (70 & counting). Themes from Alex's interview: The most…
Acquiring MindsHow to Buy a Big Business with a Buy-Side Advisor
Jason Andrews paid $250k to a buy-side advisor to help find & acquire his first business — and would 100% do it again. Themes from Jason's interview: Paying a…
Acquiring Minds7 Common Mistakes Across 250 Searchers
Chelsea Wood has worked with 250+ business buyers & identifies 7 challenges that commonly interfere with their success. Themes from Chelsea's interview: The…
Acquiring MindsAcquiring a Business in Florida, Living in California
How Chris Munn runs his first acquisition, a $800k cleaning business in Tampa, while being based in LA. Themes from Chris’s interview: Real estate vs. small…
Acquiring MindsWhy Buy a Small Manufacturing Business
Ex-cop John Hubbard bought a $5m trailer manufacturing biz from an absentee owner & expects to grow to $12m by 2024. Themes from John’s interview: Learning how…
Acquiring MindsBuying Digital Businesses in 2022
Digital business buyer Dom Wells shares where he looks for opportunities today in the shifting sands of online business. Themes from Dom's interview…
Acquiring MindsLessons from a Founder Who Then Started Acquiring
Mike Loftus started his landscaping business from scratch, then began buying others to accelerate growth to $4m/yr. Themes from Mike’s interview: Growing a…
Acquiring MindsSelf-Funded Search vs. Traditional Search Funds
Lively debate between Greg Geronemus & Robert Graham about the 2 most common models searchers use to acquire a business. Covered in the debate: Quick…
Acquiring Minds8 Figure Exit, 2 Years After Buying the Business
How Keith Leimbach paid 6 figures for a business he saw on QuietLight, then exited for 8 figures two years later. *** Register for live episode here…
Acquiring Minds2 Common Risks in Search & How to Mitigate Them
Due diligence expert Elliott Holland looks at industry & owner/seller risk, and exactly what you can do to address them. *** Register for live episode here…
Acquiring MindsHow to Buy a $4m HVAC Business (at Age 24)
After big success with affiliate marketing online, @Gundwolf sought to acquire & build a more durable business. *** Register for live episode here…
Acquiring MindsWhat to Love About HVAC Acquisitions
Nathan Lenahan acquired an HVAC company with ~$1.2m in revenue for $400k. He's aiming to double sales in 2022 to $2.72m. Themes from Nathan’s interview: The…
Acquiring MindsHow & When to Make Changes at Your Acquisition
This is the rebroadcast of a panel that Acquiring Minds recently moderated at the annual ETA Summit at MIT. MIT's panel description: "First do no harm, then…
Acquiring MindsShut Out by Industry Brokers, an Entrepreneur Finds a Way
Having witnessed the power of clean books, Patrick Dichter was driven to buy a $1.2m bookkeeping & accounting business. Themes from Patrick’s interview: The…
Acquiring MindsHow to Buy a Business Using Tactics from B2B Tech Sales
George Vallone unpacks how he used cold outreach to find an off-market cleaning biz doing $1m and buy it for 2x EBITDA. Themes from George’s interview…
Acquiring MindsTransatlantic Search for a $1m+ EBITDA Business
Before embarking on his search, Alex Glasner interviewed 50 searchers & uncovered 2 key attitudes necessary for success. Themes from Alex’s interview: Wanting…
Acquiring MindsBuying a 20-Year-Old Online Business
Looking to buy a part-time online biz as he neared retirement, Dave Bramlett found it in a resume service doing $1.5m. Themes from Dave's interview: Making a…
Acquiring Minds6 Months in the Truck: Buying an Ice Delivery Biz
Brandon Adams bought a $850k EBITDA ice delivery company only to discover he'd be doing deliveries himself for 6 months. Themes from Brandon's interview: Doing…
Acquiring MindsNailing the Trifecta: B2B + Remote + Scalable
Damon Chlarson had 3 key criteria, and he found them in an insulation supplier doing $380k EBITDA and selling for $1.1m. Themes from Damon’s interview…
Acquiring MindsOvercoming a Career Rut by Buying a Business
Frustrated after losing 3 jobs, Bruce Vann used savings to acquire a 25-employee, 7-figure curtain manufacturer for 2x. Themes from Bruce’s interview: Paying…
Acquiring MindsBuilding a Blue Collar Empire
After seeing 9-figure businesses built through acquisition, Adrian Pinto bought a landscaping biz to build one himself. Themes from Adrian’s interview: Buying…
Acquiring Minds7 Years Later: Leaving Wall Street to Buy Small Businesses
The 3 founders of Chenmark left promising corporate careers to pursue a multi-decade path of acquiring small businesses. Themes from the interview with James &…
Acquiring MindsHow to Build a Holdco (4 Acquisitions So Far)
With 4 acquisitions since starting in 2018, Justin Turner explains how his team is building a permanent equity holdco. Themes from Justin’s interview: The…
Acquiring MindsBuying a Business & Having a Blast
@Fundof1 was searching for a business in a tight geography, and found a great fit in a $760k appliance repair company. Themes from John’s interview: Buying a…
Acquiring MindsBuying a Manufacturer with 1 Good Employee & 2000 SKUs
Knowing zero about manufacturing, Josh Paulson found purpose when he bought a small & struggling producer of pet cages. Themes from Josh's interview: Owning…
Acquiring MindsThe Key to a Profitable Liquor Store
Devin Wanzor went from a corporate gig with 50 employees to buying a $3M liquor store and playing golf 3 times a week. Themes from Devin's interview: What…
Acquiring MindsIt's All Your Fault: How to Become CEO of Your Acquisition
Mike Curry bought a business only to struggle for years as its new CEO. He shares the lessons that unlocked 2x growth. Themes from Mike’s interview…
Acquiring MindsA Cautionary Tale of Buying Too Small
JD Klein bought a print shop for $100k, thinking such a small acquisition carried little risk. The opposite was true. Themes from JD's interview: Running a…
Acquiring MindsChoosing Laundromats over Real Estate
Geoff Oliver bought 2 laundromats in rural Texas. He shares his numbers & what to consider when acquiring a laundromat. Themes from Geoff's interview: How…
Acquiring Minds5 Takeaways from Harvard's ETA Conference
Harvard's acquisition entrepreneurship conference took place last week. Organizer Michael Ledecky shares 5 takeaways. Themes from Michael's interview: Buy a…
Acquiring MindsLessons from 14 Years in Search
Having searched, acquired, and exited a business himself starting back in 2007, today Mark Sinatra invests in searchers. Themes from Mark's interview: Running…
Acquiring MindsWhat to Acquire: 3 Hot Sectors for Business Buyers
Casey Clark talks hot industries, identifying growth potential in a business for sale, and avoiding common SMB pitfalls. Themes from Casey's interview…
Acquiring MindsBuying the Family Business & Growing 4x During COVID
Resisting at first, Mark Litton eventually realized that buying the family biz was the perfect path to entrepreneurship. Themes from Mark's interview: Buying a…
Acquiring MindsHow to Hire an Attorney for Your Acquisition
Learn how to find a lawyer for your deal, how much you'll spend, what to look for, and how to avoid suing the seller. Themes from the interview with…
Acquiring MindsBuying a Therapy Practice & Selling for Millions
A husband & wife bought a therapy practice for $120k, almost dumped it, then grew it for 8 years when PE came knocking. Themes from Neil's interview: Growing a…
Acquiring MindsThe Argument for Self-Funded Search
Jordan Carter & Robert Graham argue for self-funded search over traditional search funds or the "buy small" approach. Themes from the interview with Jordan &…
Acquiring MindsHow to Buy a Salon as an Industry Outsider (and Survive)
Sarah Romer bought a large but tired hair salon in Austin for $80k. Her first year as owner was the hardest of her life. Themes from Sarah's interview: The…
Acquiring MindsStarter Acquisition: Buying a $25k Business
Neil Granberry bought a bubble ball business to prove himself as an entrepreneur while pursuing an MBA at the same time. Themes from Neil’s interview: The…
Acquiring MindsStay Open to the Many Flavors of Search
Thanks to changing his search from traditional to self-funded, Chris Williams bought a $1m EBITDA bookkeeping business. Themes from Chris's interview…
Acquiring MindsFrom Search Misery to Successful CEO
Steve Divitkos shares tips from his acquisition, from the solitude of search to the delicate balance of being a new CEO. Themes from Steve's interview: The…
Acquiring MindsBuying a 45 Year Old Software Business
A podcast exposed Jason Budd to buying businesses. After 10 years in corporate, he'd found his path to entrepreneurship. Themes from Jason's interview: How…
Acquiring MindsHow to Buy Landscaping Businesses
Closing on his 2nd acquisition in 10 months, Mike Botkin just became Central Florida's largest landscaping business. Themes from Mike's interview: Acquiring a…
Acquiring MindsAnatomy of a Search: 40 Interns, 25 Months, 20 Offers
Jessica Markowitz used a traditional search fund to search for & ultimately buy a great business. But the road was long. Themes from Jessica's interview…
Acquiring MindsHow to Choose Your Lender When Buying a Business
There are many lenders out there eager to finance your acquisition. SBA loan expert Lisa Forrest explains how to choose. Themes from Lisa's interview: Working…