Register for the webinar:

• Love & Leverage: Lessons from Couples Who Acquired Together - TODAY! - https://bit.ly/4mBLyw5

Brett Maxam bought a concrete business with high 6 figures of earnings. Despite being a plane ride away, it's gone well.

Topics in Brett’s interview:

• His desire to “run the show” after watching acquisitions up close
• Involving his wife as a sounding board
• Buying a business a plane ride away
• Proactively negotiating for a seller note
• “Shut up and let them do a little more talking”
• Using ROBS to fund a 30% down payment
• Getting a 70% seller note with a sub 3x multiple
• 13-week cashflow forecast is critical
• Delegating management to the local team
• Deciding whether to grow the business or acquire again

References and how to contact Brett:

• LinkedIn

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Love & Leverage: Lessons from Couples Who Acquired Together - Thu Sep 4th - https://bit.ly/47PpZ6L

Felipe Corcuera bought an automation company that didn't offer AI. Since ChatGPT was released, he has had to adapt.

Topics in Felipe’s interview:

• Imperfect information in the lower middle market
• Pivoting from investing to operating
• Finding a partner with complementary strengths
• How he defines success during search
• AI threats to traditional SaaS businesses
• Testing for seller motivation
• Valuation based on revenue
• Aggressively reinvesting in the business
• Pros and cons of being an AI company
• Economics of sharing deals for a finder’s fee

References and how to contact Felipe:

• LinkedIn
• Beecker
• Relay Investments

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

About fall conferences:

• Southeast Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Conference
• 2025 Buy Then Build Summit
• McguireWoods Independent Sponsor Conference
• M &A Launchpad's Fall Show (use ACQUIRINGMINDS for a discount)

Despite tight search criteria, Daniel Batista found a business that excited him. The eye-popping margins were a bonus.

Topics in Daniel’s interview:

• His experience in the film industry
• Launching a Latino media brand
• Searching for a fun business
• Acquiring an indoor playground
• LA demographics are perfect for this business
• High initial installation costs but 50% EBITDA margins
• Candeeland Kids’ unique franchising structure
• Surprisingly low maintenance costs
• Teenage hourly labor
• Adding an arcade to his location

References and how to contact Daniel:

• LinkedIn
• Candeeland Kids Downey
• Shell Zhang on Acquiring Minds: Awakening to Entrepreneurship to Buy a Not-Boring Business
• Sam Rosati on Acquiring Minds: How to Shorten Your Search: Big 3, Little 2

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

About fall conferences:

• Southeast Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Conference
• 2025 Buy Then Build Summit
• McguireWoods Independent Sponsor Conference
• M &A Launchpad's Fall Show (use ACQUIRINGMINDS for a discount)

Kyle Boyden & Jake Furfaro bought tiny cleaning companies, five times. While painful, it taught them ops & integration.

Topics in Kyle and Jake’s interview:

• Leaving a “cushy sales job” to buy a business
• Doing no due diligence on the first acquisition
• Cons of property management
• Trading property management for janitorial
• Buying very small cleaning businesses
• Losing faith in SBA loan underwriters
• Educating sellers about valuation
• Seller financing on all 7 deals
• Support from previous owners
• No more acquisitions for now

References and how to contact Kyle and Jake:

• Kyle Boyden LinkedIn
• Rainier Cleaning Solutions

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - Thu Aug 21st - https://bit.ly/4oB4zAk

Bryan Houck was fatigued of his search and broken deal costs when he finally closed on an award-winning creative agency.

Topics in Bryan’s interview:

• Losing everything in a startup at 41
• Discovering his personal talents
• Using a buy-side advisor
• Ups and downs of search
• Importance of meeting the owner
• Buying an in-person creative agency
• The “Superbowl winning” team at Extra Credit Projects
• Talking to clients about price
• Buying a business at 58
• The “Stoopid Framework” he invented

References and how to contact Bryan:

• LinkedIn
• Extra Credit Projects
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Register for the webinar:

• Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - Thu Aug 21st - https://bit.ly/3UrzG3F

Jeff Horn left a lucrative path to buy a $5m copier sales and service firm. 5 years later he exited for a great return.

Topics in Jeff’s interview:

• Feeling a calling to lead
• Leaving a high-paying job to search
• You have to check the character box
• Acquiring a Xerox dealership
• Spending the first 90 days building relationships
• 3 buckets of growth
• Learning to rely on great employees
• Challenges of scaling
• Growing revenue from $5m to $30m
• Exiting and becoming an investor

References and how to contact Jeff:

• LinkedIn
• Masked Rider Capital
• JD Hasley on Acquiring Minds: How to Grow Revenue 50% in Year 1

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Smithlist is a job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

After success as a traditional searcher, Eric Calderon started building an industry-focused holding company in 2020.

Topics in Eric’s interview:

• Accepting investment from Rick and Royce
• Acquiring through traditional search
• Commitment to community banks
• Ups and downs of the oil and gas industry
• “You gotta tell your story to anyone who’s listening”
• Emotional challenges of downsizing
• Shared services vs. decentralization
• Recruiting patient capital for a long-term hold
• Why $1m SDE is the target size for holdco acquisitions
• Evolving from operator to investor

References and how to contact Eric:

• LinkedIn
• TXE Capital
• Rick & Royce on Acquiring Minds: The 2 Professors Who Helped Start the ETA Movement
• Reid Pennebaker
• ETA Circle - Houston

Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):

• Book a call with Tim or hello@systemsix.com and mention Acquiring Minds

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter
  
  

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Smithlist is a job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

When Luis Reyes bought a small fire safety business, he saw an opportunity. 24 acquisitions later, he's at $8m EBITDA.

Topics in Luis’s interview:

• Luis’s early career
• Launching a roll-up strategy in Spain
• Identifying consolidation opportunities
• First acquisitions in poultry distribution and fire safety
• Building and leading a team for a high-velocity, high-volume roll-up
• Integrating operational-complex businesses at scale
• Leveraging AI in fire safety
• Spain’s capital markets
• Adapting acquisition criteria
• Goal for the platform

References and how to contact Luis:

• LinkedIn
• IBV
• Minds Capital Podcast

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

• Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
• Follow Will on Twitter
  
  

Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron