Behind The Acquisition

Behind The Acquisition

I'm Adithya MS, a 25-year-old on a journey to build a holding company. Since 2022, I’ve been involved in 9 acquisition deals worth $2.5M, helping investors buy businesses and founders successfully exit Along the way, I noticed most of what's out there doesn't tell the whole truth . I'm here to learn from people who've actually been through it all, so I can avoid common mistakes -- and help you do the same. Join me as I dive into conversations with FOUNDERS who've exited, INVESTORS making big moves, and EXPERTS who know the acquisition game inside out.

Episodes

  1. What He Learned Helping 2,000+ Founders Exit Their Businesses (Founder of Acquire.com)

    19 MAR

    What He Learned Helping 2,000+ Founders Exit Their Businesses (Founder of Acquire.com)

    Seller Psychology Decoded: Andrew Gazdecki, Owner Of Acquire.com, Who Has Helped 2,000+ Founders Exit & Facilitated Over $500M In Deals, Reveals Why Founders Actually Sell — And How Smart Buyers Can Use That To Win Better DealsMaster the art of business acquisitions in just 15 minutes a week with our newsletter → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Andrew Gazdecki (Guest):• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/agazdecki/• Website - https://Acquire.com/Connect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adithya__ms/• Book a Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro01:00 - Why Founders Actually Sell (Not What You Think)04:48 - How To Get Good Deals With Non-Motivated Sellers06:29 - Do Sellers Lie? & How to Verify?09:24 - Red Flag: Founders Rigid About Sharing Information 10:49 - Your Feedback Matters!11:23 - The Valuation Gap: Why Sellers Overprice13:47 - What Makes A Seller Accept A Lower Offer 15:26 - Why Sellers Cling to Unrealistic Valuations16:37 - What Gets a Discount in the Price17:30 - Common Deal Structures at Acquire.com19:14 - How To Build Trust With A Seller Before LOI 21:02 - Does Buyer Personal Brand Matters?22:32 - What Buyers Get Wrong About Sellers About Behind The Acquisition:Behind The Acquisition is a podcast about buying businesses. The Host Adithya MS talks to investors, industry experts and shares How-to's on how to buy, operate and exit businesses.#BusinessAcquisitions #Acquisitions #BuyingABusiness #PrivateEquity#DistressedAssets #OperationalEfficiency #AgencyAcquisition #buyingbusiness

    25 min
  2. This investor makes millions buying businesses nobody else wants (200+ exits)

    29 JAN

    This investor makes millions buying businesses nobody else wants (200+ exits)

    Distressed Acquisition Playbook: Mushfiq Sarkar, Founder Of Inventage Holco, Who Acquired 200+ Online Businesses, Reveals His Secret System To Buying & Turning Around Operationally In-efficient BusinessesMaster the art of business acquisitions in just 15 minutes Aa week with our newsletter → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com/subscribe------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Mushfiq Sarker (Guest):• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mushfiqsarker/• Website - https://inventige.com/Connect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adithya__ms/• Book a Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Intro01:17 – Distressed vs Inefficient Businesses02:47 – Mushfiq’s Unique Leverage03:55 – How To Identify Operationally Inefficient Businesses09:11 – Payroll Red Flags (35 Employees → 15 Case Study)10:50 – Why First-Time Buyers Should Avoid Inefficient Businesses13:10 – Secret Sauce: How To Find A-Players At Lower Costs19:30 – Mushfiq’s Hiring Philosophy21:10 – How To Vet International Talent Without References23:50 – How To Verify Proof Of Work25:08 – Common Red Flags When Hiring Internationally27:18 – Software Cost Optimization Strategies30:42 – Your Feedback Matters31:38 – How To Implement Changes Without Causing Chaos34:25 – Performance Reviews & Firing Strategies38:50 – Best Industries To Implement This Strategy42:32 – Example: AI Automation To Cut Down Content Production Costs44:35 – Why AI-First Agencies FailAbout Behind The Acquisition:Behind The Acquisition is a podcast about buying businesses. The Host Adithya MS talks to investors, industry experts and shares How-to's on how to buy, operate and exit businesses.#BusinessAcquisitions #Acquisitions #BuyingABusiness #PrivateEquity#DistressedAssets #OperationalEfficiency #AgencyAcquisition #BuyingBusiness

    48 min
  3. Why Most Profitable SaaS Startups Don’t Sell (25 Acquisitions)

    31/12/2025

    Why Most Profitable SaaS Startups Don’t Sell (25 Acquisitions)

    Get the SaaS Exit Playbook to avoid the mistakes that kill your acquisition → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com/subscribeSaaS Acquisition & Exit Playbook: Tim Schumacher, Founder of SaaS.group, Reveals Why Profitable SaaS Businesses Still Get Rejected—After 25+ Acquisitions and Nearly $100M in ARRIn this episode, Tim reveals how buyers decide which profitable SaaS businesses are actually sellable—covering motivation, product discipline, technical foundations, culture fit, valuation reality, and exit-stage mistakes most founders never see coming.------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Tim Schumacher (Guest):• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschumacher/• Website - https://www.saas.groupConnect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adithya__ms/• Book a Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Intro01:20 – Deal Killer #1 - Founder Motivation03:32 – Why transparency is the key for a good deal05:56 – Deal Killer #2 - Technical debt08:48 – Code quality vs language choices11:49 – Deal Killer #3 - Becoming a Feature Factory16:08 – Deal Killer #4 - Lack of PLG (Product Led Growth)19:11 – Deal Killer #5 - Churn (Good churn vs Bad Churn)20:47 – Deal Killer #6 - Lack of PMF (Product Market Fit)22:26 – The Metrics Buyers Use to Confirm PMF24:38 – Deal Killer #7 - Culture Misalignment 27:16 – Building an Asshole-Free Culture30:00 – Your Feedback Matters! 30:33 – Deal Killer #8 - Unrealistic Valuation 31:47 – Public vs private market multiples34:50 – The Right Way to Valuing your SAAS Company36:20 – Why Not to go to broker in the first place38:58 – Deal Killer #9 - Lack of Exit Preparation 42:04 – Deal Killer #10 - Lack of Emotional Commitment46:58 – Know your Advisor / Broker incentives#businessacquisitions #acquisitions #buyingabusiness #privateequity #business #raisingcapital #networking #investorrelations #dealsourcing #masterminds #raisingcapital #events

    49 min
  4. This 22-Year-Old Raised $45M+ Using This Genius Event Strategy

    18/12/2025

    This 22-Year-Old Raised $45M+ Using This Genius Event Strategy

    Strategic Event Networking Playbook: Alexis Morgan, Founder of Peach State Capital Group, Reveals Her System to Raise $45M+ at 22 by Turning Investor Events Into a Predictable Capital-Raising MachineIn this episode, she reveals her exact strategy for identifying events with real money, conversations that make you unforgettable, the follow-up framework that converts handshakes into meetings, and how she scaled from attending as a guest to hosting her own events that generate deal flow and investor commitments.Master the art of business acquisitions in 15 min a week with our newsletter → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com/subscribe------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Alexis Morgan (Guest):• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alexismorganinvests• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexismorganinvests/Connect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adithya__ms/• Book a Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Intro01:04 - What Events You Should Go to Avoid Tire-Kickers?01:53 - The 3-Intention Framework Decoded03:50 - How to Know If an Event was Worth Your Time? 05:18 - 2 Reasons to Re-attend Same Events 07:26 - Publicity First: Why Unknown Founders Don't Raise Capital (x)09:12 - The 3-Step Conversion Funnel 10:23 - Event Selection: Identifying Where the Real Money Is13:43 - Paid vs Free Events: The Quality Filter16:09 - How to find the Best Events19:55 - Pre-Event Preparation Checklist23:35 - First Impressions: Dressing for the Room You Want25:59 - How to Get Speaking Opportunities at Events?28:52 - What Event Hosts Look For in Speakers?32:59: Your Feedback Matters!33:33 - The feeling you want to leave with the people you met35:43 - The One-on-One Networking Playbook41:58 - The Follow-Up System (Steps & Scripts)45:16 - How to Add Value that Actually Converts47:40 - Structuring Your Pitch Deck to Raise Capital#businessacquisitions #acquisitions #buyingabusiness #privateequity #business #raisingcapital #networking #investorrelations #dealsourcing #masterminds #raisingcapital #events

    52 min
  5. This Investor Went Public to Buy MORE Businesses (20+ Bought)

    30/07/2025

    This Investor Went Public to Buy MORE Businesses (20+ Bought)

    Public Company Arbitrage Playbook: Dominic Wells, CEO of Onfolio, has acquired 20+ businesses using a contrarian approach - going public to unlock unlimited buying power without giving up equity. In this episode, he reveals his complete non-dilutive financing system using preferred shares and debt structures that transformed his company from $1.2M to $12M in yearly revenue.Master the art of business acquisitions in 15 min a week with our newsletter → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com/subscribe------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Dominic Wells (Guest):• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-wells-onfolio/• Website - https://onfolio.com/Connect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facbook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Book a Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Intro00:56 - Dom's Secret Strategy09:08 - Advantages of Going Public12:10 - Real Deal Example 114:51 - Real Deal Example 216:33 - Using 100% Financing Without Giving Up Equity (Example)20:23 - Requirements to Access 100% Financing Strategy24:41 - What Lenders Look for in a Business29:06 - Your Feedback Matters!29:40 - What Are the Risks of This Public Strategy?30:38 - What Happens if You Default on Payments?36:59 - Should Every HoldCo Go Public?38:43 - Why Public Companies Are Worth More Money39:41 - How Going Public Affected Dom's Lifestyle41:04 - Does He Feel Pressure for Quarterly Results?43:23 - How Going Public Affected His Decision Making45:26 - What Dom Handles as a Public Company CEO48:12 - Has He Thought of Replacing Himself as CEO?50:06 - How Much Time Dom Spends Running the Company51:18 - Would He Do It Again? Lessons Learned53:00 - When Is the Right Time for a HoldCo to Go Public?54:15 - How Much Does It Cost to Run a Public Company?56:10 - Is It Worth It?About Behind The Acquisition:Behind The Acquisition is a podcast about buying businesses. The Host Adithya MS talks to investors, industry experts and shares How-to's on how to buy, operate and exit businesses.#businessacquisitions #acquisitions #buyingabusiness #privateequity #business #buyingbusiness #raisingcapital #investing #fund

    59 min
  6. How this 25-year-old bought and sold 40+ micro-ecom stores in 4 years

    11/06/2025

    How this 25-year-old bought and sold 40+ micro-ecom stores in 4 years

    Schedule 1 hour Paid Consultation Call with Bawar → https://forms.gle/hH7CocbsdfbnBw4D9 (10 Spots Only)Micro Private Equity Playbook: Bawar Ahmad, Co-founder of Ecomma, has flipped 40+ micro-ecommerce stores in 4 years using a contrarian approach - buying micro-ecommerce businesses others avoid. In this episode, he shares his complete 90-day system to source, improve, and flip e-commerce stores for 40%+ returns.------------------------------------------------▶ Hire my Youtube Podcast team that handles everything → https://forms.gle/DjgHRpRuJGTUxQFNA• Ideation (Outliers + Topic Research)• Packaging (Thumbnails & Titles with A/B tests)• Scripting (Intro, Outro, CTA, Questions Format)• Video Editing (Animation, B-rolls, text graphics, guest references etc) • Audio Editing• Publishing• Distribution• Feedback & Improvements------------------------------------------------Connect with Bawar Ahamad (Guest):• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bawarahmad/• Website - https://ecomma.co/Connect with Adithya MS (Host):• Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/• Facbook - https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/• Book a Intro Call - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Intro 01:19 - How to Find Your First Ecom Store to Buy? 03:37 - What are the Best Industries to Buy Stores in? 06:15 - Top Platforms for Finding Deals 07:51 - Why European Stores Offer Better Opportunities 11:06 - How Much to Pay for a Store? 14:36 - How to Value an Ecom Store? 17:58 - How much Working Capital do you need? 22:09 - Why every E-commerce Store is Distressed? 23:59 - How to Buy with NO Operational or Marketing Skills? 26:19 - How to Find the Right Business Partner? 29:06 - How to Get the Deals at the Price you want? 32:03 - Your Feedback is Important! 32:39 - Sellers Come Back (Example) 34:59 - Business Acquisition Timeline 35:34 - Due-Diligence Process & Timeline 37:01 - Effective On-market Outreach Message 39:19 - Due-Diligence Checklist 46:25 - Due-Diligence Horror Story (Almost got scammed) 50:44 - Common Red Flags to be aware of 54:49 - Hiring an Expert to do the Due-Diligence 56:21 - Which Platform to Use for Closing the Deal? 58:17 - Key Elements to have in a Purchase Agreement 01:01:24 - Buying an International Business 01:02:14 - Hiring a Lawyer 01:04:27 - Post-Acquisition Operational Game-Plan 01:10:39 - How to Ensure Smooth Transitions from Sellers? 01:14:12 - Vetting the Seller 01:15:45 - 4 Quick Wins to Increase the Value of the Store 01:21:18 - When to Sell Your Store? 01:23:27 - How to make your store attractive to buyers? 01:25:30 - How to Build Effective Exit PnL & CIM 01:31:17 - What’s the Best Time to Sell for the Highest Valuation? 01:32:39 - How Much Should You Sell For? 01:33:58 - How to Sell Your Store for the Highest Multiple? 01:37:09 - Why Don't Brokers Work for Selling? 01:38:09 - How to Rank your Listing Higher on M&A Platforms? 01:41:09 - How Long Does it Take to Sell Your Store? (Timeline) 01:43:19 - How to Filter out Unqualified Buyers? 01:48:29 - What Should You Look for When Buying from Micro-PE Firms? 01:50:19 - What’s Bawar’s Success Rate & Failed Deals? 01:55:08 - What's the Sales Process When Buyers Show Interest? 01:56:42 - What are the Traits of Successful E-com Flippers? About Behind The Acquisition:Behind The Acquisition is a podcast about buying businesses. The Host Adithya MS talks to investors, industry experts and shares How-to's on how to buy, operate and exit businesses.#businessacquisitions #acquisitions #buyingabusiness #privateequity #business #buyingbusiness #raisingcapital #investing #fund

    1hr 59min
  7. Meet the Expert Raising Millions from STRANGERS ($260M+ Raised)

    09/05/2025

    Meet the Expert Raising Millions from STRANGERS ($260M+ Raised)

    Capital Raising Playbook: Natu Myers, founder of raises .com who raised $260M+, shares his step-by-step system to raise capital before a deal and build a powerful investor network months in advance. Master the art of business acquisitions in 15 min a week with our newsletter → https://behindtheacquisition.beehiiv.com/subscribe Connect with Natu Myers (Guest): • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natumyers/ • Website - https://raises.com/ Connect with Adithya MS (Host): • Twitter - https://x.com/Adithya__ms  • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adithyams7/ • Facbook -  https://www.facebook.com/adithya.ms.39/ • Book a Call  - https://calendly.com/30min-intro-call/1 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Is “Money Will Come to a Great Deal” a Lie? 01:43 - How Long Does It Take to Raise Capital? 02:33 - Why You Should Raise Money Before You Have a Deal 04:02 - How to Raise Capital: Step-by-Step Process Explained  07:33 - Syndication vs Fund  10:17 - 3 Terms Every First-Time Capital Raiser Should Know 11:45 - How to build a Qualified Investors List from Scratch? 17:23 - How to Identify Ready-to-Invest Investors? 23:33 - What’s an Accredited Investor? 28:03 - One Big Investor vs Multiple Small Investors  29:29 - Investor Red Flags to Avoid 34:46 - Multi-Channel Investor Outreach   39:50 - How to Position Yourself So Investors Take You Seriously 47:19 - Investor Outreach When You Don't Have a Deal (with Templates) 54:51 - Your Feedback Matters! 55: 25 - Investor Outreach When You Have a Deal (with Templates) 59:55 - What Not to Say (Legal & Sales Traps) 01:02:27 - What to Do When Investors Ghost You 01:04:25 - What to Do When Investors Say “Maybe Later” 01:06:38 - Should You Use Paid Ads to Raise Capital? 01:11:08 - How to Get Warm Introductions to Investors 01:15:40 - 5 Calendly Questions to Pre-Qualify Investors 01:19:25 - Investor Call Structure 01:21:04 - Investor Call Script 01:29:04 - Handling Investor Objections Like a Pro 01:35:00 - How to Nurture Investors with Newsletters 01:43:38 - How to Actually Close an Investor 01:46:24 - Common Investment Return Structures 01:47:23 - How to Fire an Investor (Without Burning Bridges) About Behind The Acquisition: Behind The Acquisition is a podcast about buying businesses. The Host Adithya MS talks to investors, industry experts and shares How-to's on how to buy, operate and exit businesses. #businessacquisitions #acquisitions #buyingabusiness #privateequity #business #buyingbusiness #raisingcapital #investing #fund

    1hr 49min

About

I'm Adithya MS, a 25-year-old on a journey to build a holding company. Since 2022, I’ve been involved in 9 acquisition deals worth $2.5M, helping investors buy businesses and founders successfully exit Along the way, I noticed most of what's out there doesn't tell the whole truth . I'm here to learn from people who've actually been through it all, so I can avoid common mistakes -- and help you do the same. Join me as I dive into conversations with FOUNDERS who've exited, INVESTORS making big moves, and EXPERTS who know the acquisition game inside out.

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