Acquiring Isn't Always a One-Way Door

Jon Hyatt was under LOI on a dental practice when a late-night Craigslist search turned up one he couldn't resist. Register for the webinar: Structuring LOIs: Competitive Enough to Win, Bankable Enough to Close - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4s1pAWV Topics in Jon’s interview: Using Facebook groups for industry research Why labor became a search constraint The abandoned dental roll-up thesis Discovering E.J. Willis on Craigslist Falling for a 138-year-old heritage brand Buying a tiny business Navigating an asset purchase and carve-out Selling bells to defense shipbuilders Building direct-to-consumer bell demand Reviving forgotten products and company history References and how to contact Jon: LinkedIn E.J. Willis Co. The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business: The Acquisition Lab 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 [email protected] 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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Elias Youssef stepped into an unprofitable plumbing company as its GM, grew it 6x, then got an SBA loan to buy it.

Jay Boren bought a tiny grease tool business run out of a living room, then grew it into a brand with 250 products. Register for the webinar: The Small Things That Sink First-Year Owners - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3VAOWiq Topics in Jay’s interview: Choosing Vermont over Silicon Valley Solving geography through ETA Discovering LockNLube through Tuck Turning a grease coupler into opportunity Navigating a hostile South African supplier Buying LockNLube as an intern Structuring a heavily seller-financed acquisition Expanding from one SKU to 250 Scaling through digital advertising and Amazon Exiting LockNLube and staying through integration References and how to contact Jay: LinkedIn LockNLube Jarrett Burke on Acquiring Minds: When a Restaurant Is a Great Business to Buy Contact Jenny to learn how Engage can run people operations in your acquisition: Jenny Thear: [email protected] Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value): Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition. Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta. 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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Brendan Guerin was 21 when he and 3 friends bought a dog daycare on the side. Today: 6 Midwest locations. Register for the webinars: Debt Financing Your Deal (SBA & Independent Sponsor) - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4rRpQaY The Small Things That Sink First-Year Owners - Thu, Oct 15 - https://bit.ly/4idBtVx Topics in Brendan’s interview: He bought his first doggy daycare at 21 The first acquisition was a deliberate starter deal Four partners split ownership and responsibilities. The $1.1M deal included real estate EBITDA margins approached 50% before rent Buying real estate protects long-term business control Midwest real estate makes their model work Covid unexpectedly supercharged dog daycare demand Brendan eventually left finance to operate full-time Today, Argos spans six Midwest locations References and how to contact Brendan: LinkedIn [email protected] Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses: Pioneer Capital Advisory The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business: 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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Tyler Hoffman has bought 4 telecom companies with no outside equity, and works 15 hours a week to get to $50m. Topics in Tyler’s interview: Lessons from being fired repeatedly Finding and acquiring Metro Wireless Filling experience gaps with charisma Financing the $4.5 million acquisition Navigating a difficult ownership transition Discovering hidden operational problems post-close Losing half of earnings — and surviving Rebuilding Metro Wireless through operational improvements 3 tuck-in acquisitions Balancing business growth with personal autonomy References and how to contact Tyler: LinkedIn Hoffman Capital Metro Wireless Jeff Homer’s webinar: Architecture of an Entrepreneurial Roll-Up Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value): Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business: 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 and produced by Pam Cameron