Robert Graham & Aaron Blick's first acquisition did $1.2m SDE. Four years later, their roll-up generates $15m in EBITDA.

Topics in Robert & Aaron’s interview:

• Going from lifelong friends to business partners
• Impact of private equity on industry roll-ups
• Running their companies remotely
• A competing business poaching employees
• Financial shocks after taking ownership
• Why they believe in buying big
• Necessity of hiring presidents to operate their businesses
• Company presidents guaranteeing the SBA loan
• Blending SBA loans with a roll-up model
• How buyer-seller power dynamics shift after purchase

References and how to contact Robert & Aaron:

• Episode #149 Home Care Business: How to Buy and 2x an Agency
• Episode #218 Taking the Plunge into Extreme Ownership
• Robert Graham LinkedIn
• Aaron Blick LinkedIn
• Robert Graham Twitter
• Pillar Health Group
• SIG Partners

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of 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

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th:

• https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS

John Murphy pushed through divorce, $500k debt, and a bad broken deal to finally buy a 60-year-old business doing $8m.

Topics in John’s interview:

• Losing a deal one week before closing
• Value of peer groups
• How real estate compares to business ownership
• Taking over a company before the deal closed
• Unforseen transition expenses
• Carl Allen’s business buying course
• Leaving his W-2 to search for a business
• Value of joining industry associations
• Restructuring his workforce to increase margins
• Buying a company with a management layer

References and how to contact John:

• LinkedIn
• Dave Cole Decorators
• John@dcd-inc.com

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

Reid Tileston bought a business that relied on $800k trucks, capex he came to love for the fat margins they produced.

Topics in Reid’s interview:

• Working on the business instead of in it
• Writing a book about acquisition
• People are the worst and best part of business
• Power of feedback and relationships for business owners
• The company’s slow temp-to-hire process
• Getting his CDL to be hands-on
• Moving paper processes to the cloud
• Pros and cons of an Employee Stock Ownership Program
• Personally testing field service management tech
• Risks of informing employees of a business sale

References and how to contact Reid:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Grit It Done by Reid Tileston

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital Advisory

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