Buyers and Builders

PrivateEquityGuy
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The Buyers and Builders podcast with PrivateEquityGuy is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about holding companies, buying and building businesses, entrepreneurship, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

  1. How We Bought 160 Businesses and Built a $1.5B HoldCo at 33 and 35 | Ramsey Sahyoun of Evergreen

    MAY 13

    How We Bought 160 Businesses and Built a $1.5B HoldCo at 33 and 35 | Ramsey Sahyoun of Evergreen

    Ramsey Sahyoun shares how Evergreen grew from a Berkshire-inspired idea into a $1.5B revenue, $250M EBITDA HoldCo with 160 acquisitions. We discuss proprietary sourcing, decentralization, talent, value creation, MSPs, and the lessons behind building one of America’s most interesting acquisition machines. Timestamps: 0:00 Evergreen’s scale and long-term hold model 2:06 Discovering private equity and buying private companies 4:14 Meeting Jeff Totten at Alpine Investors 5:53 Evergreen’s first acquisition and current portfolio 8:14 How Berkshire Hathaway inspired Evergreen 10:23 Leaving Alpine and starting young 12:18 The first 6-18 months after closing 13:15 What went wrong with an early MSP roll-up 15:25 Why centralization hurt customer intimacy 18:44 Building Evergreen’s sourcing engine 22:27 Why Ramsey still talks to business owners himself 23:07 The value of having a large acquisition database 26:09 How to build trust with business owners 29:18 Why finding great deals is still the most important part of M&A 32:09 Higher valuations, higher rates, and value creation 34:02 Evergreen’s M&A, talent, and playbook flywheel 37:43 Why talent drives investing outcomes 39:17 Motivating founders vs. hired CEOs 41:54 Lessons from 160 acquisition post-mortems 44:22 Setting big goals and planning backward 47:16 Evergreen’s one-page plan and quarterly renewals 48:53 What Evergreen learned from Alpine and Graham Weaver 51:27 How Ramsey and Jeff’s roles changed as Evergreen scaled 54:21 What people misunderstand about Evergreen 55:07 How Ramsey’s view on managing people changed 56:48 Closing thoughts from Ramsey This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    58 min
  2. 35+ Acquisitions, $1.3B Exit and Backing 80+ Searchers | Mark Sinatra of ETA Equity

    MAY 7

    35+ Acquisitions, $1.3B Exit and Backing 80+ Searchers | Mark Sinatra of ETA Equity

    Mark Sinatra has lived the full search fund journey: discovering ETA at Wharton, acquiring Staff One HR, surviving the 2008 crisis, scaling the business, selling to Oasis Outsourcing, and later helping build ETA Equity. In this episode, Mark shares what he learned from nearly a decade as a search CEO, why talent unlocked the business, how he survived the hardest years, and what he now looks for after backing 80+ searchers and 35+ acquisitions. Timestamps: 0:00 Mark Sinatra’s journey from searcher to ETA investor 1:21 Discovering search funds at Wharton 7:53 Raising a search fund and finding Staff One HR 13:17 How underwriting search deals has changed 18:34 Buying a business right before the financial crisis 21:14 When Mark finally felt like a real CEO 24:19 Hiring the right people and upgrading the team 31:38 Surviving the emotionally hardest years as CEO 37:30 Rebuilding Staff One and selling to Oasis 42:14 Starting ETA Equity 45:20 What Mark looks for in searchers today 51:20 Lessons from deals that did not go well 58:30 Jockey, horse, and barn: what really matters in ETA 1:01:50 How the search fund market has changed This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    1h 6m
  3. What 137 Acquisitions Taught Me About Operational Excellence | Robert Irving Interview

    APR 27

    What 137 Acquisitions Taught Me About Operational Excellence | Robert Irving Interview

    In this episode, Robert Irving of Buffalo Growth Partners shares what he learned from building a fire protection business from zero to $20M in revenue, selling it to private equity, rolling equity, and then helping execute a 137-company rollup. Timestamps: 0:00 Why PE value creation is harder than it sounds 1:52 From fire protection operator to $20M in revenue 4:09 The three sales roles that drive B2B growth 6:25 Building hospitals, data centers, and complex fire systems 8:07 Selling the company and rolling equity into the platform 9:33 Going from one business to 12 offices and 800 people 11:21 The hidden pattern behind great acquisitions 13:53 Why integrations usually fail because of people 15:49 What 100+ acquisitions teach you that one or two never could 18:13 How to diligence small businesses without overcomplicating it 19:30 The danger of fast rollups and pure multiple arbitrage 23:39 Retaining owners and creating alignment after the deal 25:15 The real craft of off-market sourcing 31:00 Buffalo Growth Partners and the “guys in trucks” thesis 37:39 Reimagining private equity through operations 40:12 Small consistent improvements that compound into big results 42:06 Constraint-based growth and finding the real bottleneck 45:05 Meeting operators where they are with technology 48:51 Where to find Robert Irving and Buffalo Growth Partners This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    51 min
  4. Buying Three Founder-Led SMEs: Lessons from the Trenches | Simon Plummer Interview

    APR 18

    Buying Three Founder-Led SMEs: Lessons from the Trenches | Simon Plummer Interview

    Simon Plummer is the co-founder of Arbor Permanent Owners, a holding company built for long-term ownership. In this episode, Simon drawing on his experience acquiring and operating three founder-led SMEs, he shares a practical playbook for the first year of ownership: - how to settle a team, - build trust, - create momentum, - improve sales, - think about pricing, - and know when to invest for growth. We also discuss why investor alignment matters so much in small business, what makes founder-led companies different, and why simple strategy plus relentless execution usually beats sophistication. Timestamps: 0:00 Simon on buying and building founder-led SMEs 1:19 Why Arbor chose 44 small-business-owner investors 3:32 Simon’s background: IPO journey, acquisitions, and operating experience 7:21 Small businesses are “loosely functioning disasters” 9:42 What Simon looks for before making an acquisition 13:21 What founder-led manufacturing businesses usually look like 15:25 Why the wrong investors can hurt a small business 19:11 The first 90 days: listen, communicate, and settle the business 22:42 Q2: deep dive into operations and build the sales platform 27:58 Q3: sell, review, improve - creating momentum with customers 31:48 What not to do: why “just implement AI” is bad post-acquisition advice 33:28 Q4: invest and scale once conviction is earned 35:27 Sales in small business: the hardest lever in value creation 47:29 Managing the board, reading recommendations, and final lessons on resilience This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    59 min
  5. The Buffett-Munger Introduction That Changed Everything

    APR 12

    The Buffett-Munger Introduction That Changed Everything

    Why networks are one of the most underrated advantages in the lower middle market, and how to build them. We explore how trust, introductions, persistence, and long-term generosity can create better deal flow, stronger relationships, and a real competitive edge for buyers, builders, and investors. This episode is heavily inspired by the wisdom of Alix Pasquet, a Managing Partner at Prime Macaya Capital Management. Timestamps: 0:00 Why Networks Matter More in a Crowded Lower Middle Market 1:09 Your Network as a Moat and an Alarm System 3:19 The Hidden Edge Behind Great Investors 6:00 The Private Whisper Network and Why Access Compounds 7:29 How Trust Scales Through Introductions 8:45 Building a Great Network Takes Years, Not Weeks 9:25 The Power of the Triad 10:25 The Buffett-Munger Introduction That Changed Everything 13:47 How to Build a Network Even If You Feel Unimportant 16:10 Shared Missions, Small Acts of Leverage, and Earning Attention 18:48 Persistence, Preparation, and Closing Thoughts on Playing the Long Game This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    25 min
  6. From Management Buyout to Fund of Funds | P. V. Ramanathan (Ram) Interview

    APR 5

    From Management Buyout to Fund of Funds | P. V. Ramanathan (Ram) Interview

    In this episode, I sit down with P.V. Ramanathan, or Ram, to unpack the story of how he helped lead a management buyout of a struggling cathodic protection business in 2003 and turned it into Corrosion Technology Services ( https://ctscp.com/ ). Himself local to Dubai, Ram's company, CTS, includes 10 companies operating across 8 countries and 3 regions. The free cash flow generation gave Ram the ability to build Neeti Fund, a fund-of-funds built around a simple but highly selective strategy: backing a small group of high-quality long-only and long-short equity managers with aligned incentives, understandable philosophies, and meaningful personal capital invested alongside clients. Timestamps: 0:00 Why Ram calls his life “dull, boring, and unsexy” 5:09 Leaving India for Dubai with no passport 8:46 The accounting lessons that shaped his whole career 11:05 Learning the oilfield business from the rig floor 13:29 The turnaround opportunity that changed everything 16:07 Buying CTS through a leveraged management buyout 19:19 What Ram focused on after taking over the business 26:45 Why CTS refuses leverage and aggressive accounting 31:31 The case for a cash-heavy balance sheet 36:40 How Neeti Fund was born 43:16 Ram’s framework for picking elite fund managers 49:50 Red flags he’ll never ignore in an allocator 57:33 The story behind ValueX Middle East 1:08:52 Why money is an enabler, not the goal 1:11:05 Great allocators vs. average allocators This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    1h 14m
  7. 9 Add-Ons in 24 Months | Dan Lifshits of Dwelly Interview

    MAR 28

    9 Add-Ons in 24 Months | Dan Lifshits of Dwelly Interview

    Dan Lifshits, co-founder of Dwelly, explains how he is building an AI-enabled roll-up in the UK lettings market by acquiring independent agencies and modernizing them with software. Dwelly has completed 9 acquisitions in just 24 months, combining a buy-and-build strategy with a technology-first operating model designed to improve service for landlords and tenants while making agency operations far more efficient. In this episode, we go deep on why lettings is such an attractive category for consolidation, why organic growth is limited in this market, and why Dan believes acquisitions are the fastest way to build a modern property management platform. We cover: • Why lettings agencies are such attractive recurring-revenue businesses • Why organic growth is structurally difficult in property management • How Dwelly uses acquisitions to scale faster than traditional operators • Why the business was hard for investors to categorize as either VC or private equity • What actually changes after Dwelly acquires an agency • How software and AI can improve visibility, communication, and efficiency • What makes an ideal acquisition target in the lettings market • Lessons from raising capital for a new kind of roll-up Dan also shares the real story of Dwelly’s fundraising journey, including why so many investors passed at first and what it takes to keep going when the vision is unconventional. If you are interested in roll-ups, vertical software, AI, private equity, or building a modern services business through acquisition, this episode is full of insight. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: Dan Lifshits and Dwelly’s AI-enabled lettings rollup 1:34 The real fundraising story 2:02 Why the founders chose lettings after Uber and operational marketplace experience 5:06 Why acquisitions beat organic growth in property management 7:00 Why Dwelly was hard for investors to categorize as VC or private equity 10:01 How the founders evaluate industries and opportunities 11:45 Buying customers vs winning customers organically 16:26 Where rollups fail and why AI rollups are even harder 18:40 What actually happens after an acquisition and how integration works 25:34 Dwelly’s ideal acquisition target: size, recurring lettings revenue, and succession 32:18 Dan’s advice for founders struggling to raise capital Sponsor: https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

    34 min
  8. How We Built IDUN Industrier: 20 Acquisitions and 60x+ P/E Ratio

    MAR 24

    How We Built IDUN Industrier: 20 Acquisitions and 60x+ P/E Ratio

    In this episode, we break down IDUN Industrier, a Swedish serial acquirer that has completed 20 acquisitions to date and now trades at roughly a 65x P/E multiple — an extraordinary valuation for an industrial holding company. What makes IDUN so interesting is that it is not simply buying businesses for scale. It is building a portfolio of niche leaders: small, often overlooked companies with high market share, strong customer dependence, and positions that are difficult to replicate. We explore how IDUN creates value through disciplined acquisitions, decentralized operations, co-ownership, and long-term capital allocation — and why investors may be willing to pay such a premium for that model. Timestamps: 0:00 Why IDUN Industrier deserves attention 1:19 The power of dominating tiny niche markets 3:13 Why the market gives IDUN a premium valuation 4:32 Buy relevance, not scale 5:54 Meet the niche leaders inside IDUN’s portfolio 7:44 How IDUN actually creates value 9:42 Why portfolio design matters 10:40 M&A discipline over deal volume 12:20 Why IDUN resembles the best serial acquirers 13:44 Lessons for investors, buyers, and operators 15:32 The biggest risks in the model 17:45 Final takeaway: a blueprint for durable compounding Sponsor: https://capitalpad.com/ - A deal-by-deal private equity investing platform This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. #IDUNIndustrier #SerialAcquirer #HoldCo #PrivateEquity #CapitalAllocation #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition #LongTermInvesting #BusinessAcquisition #MandA #Compounders

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

The Buyers and Builders podcast with PrivateEquityGuy is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about holding companies, buying and building businesses, entrepreneurship, investing, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!

Information

  • Creator
    PrivateEquityGuy
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    242
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Buyers and Builders
  • Show Website
    Buyers and Builders

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