Andy Rougeot launched remote territories of the blue collar business he bought, which led to $1.7m of EBITDA and an exit

Register for the webinars:

• How to Invest In SMBs (Without Buying One Yourself) - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4rBI4Nb
• How to Model an Investor-Backed Search Acquisition - Dec 11th - https://bit.ly/4owBkNW

Topics in Andy’s interview:

• His experience as an Army intelligence officer
• When in doubt, do the dirtiest job
• The military concept of “left seat, right seat” training
• Searching from the public library
• Veterans are well-suited to blue-collar leadership
• Rewards of leading young men
• Gaining warm leads in new markets
• His team’s competitive edge
• Exiting his business to run for mayor of Denver
• Investing in self-funded searchers

References and how to contact Andy:

• LinkedIn
• Search Fund Secondaries Group
• Andy’s webinar: Liquidity Options for Search Investors

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

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

Steve Carroll started as an SBA searcher before pivoting to a PE-backed roll-up. It's gone better than he ever expected.

Register for the webinars:

• How to Run the SBA Deal Race - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3Xh3WQb
• How to Invest In SMBs (Without Buying One Yourself) - Dec 9th - https://bit.ly/44Gylv1

Topics in Steve’s interview:

• Experience working for WalMart corporate
• Searching while working full time
• Myth of passive income
• Large dead deal costs from a failed acquisition
• Partnering with his childhood friend
• Underestimating working capital needs
• 100-hour weeks away from his family
• Rapidly scaling through M&A
• Beware owners who leave quickly
• Achieving $1 billion in revenue in 5 years

References and how to contact Steve:

• LinkedIn
• Kelso Industries

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

• From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

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

Jake Bittner bought an unprofitable carve-out doing $3m. A key pivot grew revenue to $20m and got the attention of PE.

Register for the webinar:

• How to Run the SBA Deal Race - Dec 4th - https://bit.ly/44whqv6

Topics in Jake’s interview:

• Building a nest egg before leaving his job
• Fallout from his father’s failed businesses
• Calculating the value of a business losing money
• Disliking the bureaucracy of large companies
• Joining his friend to run a distressed company
• Employee war stories
• Changing the service they offered
• Achieving 60% margins
• Boosting customer retention
• Selling the company for 11x earnings

References and how to contact Jake:

• LinkedIn
• Mission Support Partners

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

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