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

Dave Gilbert spent 2 years fixing the model and customer concentration of the $750k SDE family business he bought with SBA debt.

Topics in Dave’s interview:

• Leaving tech to buy a white collar business
• Meeting with 120 owners while searching
• Buying a business he initially passed on
• Risks of family members as employees
• Financial surprises after the transition
• Losing 23% of revenue when clients left
• Accountants do not like change
• Recruiting top talent
• Importance of listening to employees
• Transferring his zero-to-one skills

References and how to contact Dave:

• Proven
• LinkedIn

Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

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

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

Taylor Mattingly found high-quality revenue in an unusual and sizable B2C business that he happened to be a customer of.

Topics in Taylor’s interview:

• Being Co-CEO with his best friend
• Buying a business he was a customer of
• Acquiring a business in his hometown
• Confusing, deregulated Texas energy market
• How Energy Ogre differs from a typical broker
• Keeping his call center in Texas
• “Set it and forget it” model
• “Listening tour” in the first 100 days
• Adopting the EOS model
• Higher leverage deal structure

References and how to contact Taylor:

• LinkedIn
• Energy Ogre

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

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

From the acquisition of a tiny refrigeration business, Linh Tran has built an enterprise that earns millions annually.

Register for the webinar:

• What a Good Investor Pitch Looks Like -TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3LYM4H2

Topics in Linh’s interview:

• The "Three Rs" search criteria
• Being an undercover owner for 18 months
• Eliminating 70-hour workweeks for his techs
• Struggling with work-life balance
• Implementing value-based pricing
• 80% rule for delegation
• Why he doesn’t want to exit
• Fostering deep employee loyalty
• Corporate philanthropy and legacy
• What money can’t buy

References and how to contact Linh:

• info@apexfundgroup.com
• LinkedIn
• Apex Fund Group

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

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

Greg Geronemus bought a highly-profitable travel business at favorable terms, helping to ensure a great return on exit.

Register for the webinar:

• What a Good Investor Pitch Looks Like - Nov 20th - https://bit.ly/47YbVXj

Topics in Greg’s interview:

• Challenges of searching in New York
• Cobbling together a search fund in earlier days of search
• Strategy of cold email outreach
• Acquiring at age 26
• Partnering with a friend
• Significant challenges of running a tour operator
• Digital marketing did not move the needle
• Direct mail was the silver bullet
• Partnering with universities and religious groups
• Exiting after 4 years

References and how to contact Greg:

• LinkedIn
• Footbridge Partners
• Katherine & Rahul on Acquiring Minds: Why Choose Ownership Over Being a CEO

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

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

Gail Azodo discovered a method of buying audiology practices with 100% financing. She's moving quickly to buy and build.

Register for the webinar:

• Financing Your Deal: SBA vs. Non-SBA - TODAY - https://bit.ly/4p4J2Q7

Topics in Gail’s interview:

• Managing brands at Proctor and Gamble
• Her vision to run her own company
• Life changing power of hearing aids
• Switching her search from Vision to Audiology
• Consequences of untreated hearing loss
• Financing through hearing aid manufacturers
• Cross-licensing her providers in multiple states
• Addressing the Audiologist shortage
• Intentionally acquiring where she does not live
• Find what “brings the flies to the honey”

References and how to contact Gail:

• LinkedIn
• Real Hearing USA
• Bruce Vann on Acquiring Minds: How to Grow a Manufacturing Business

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

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