Acquiring Minds

Will Smith
  • 4.8 (219)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED DAILY
Acquiring Minds

Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs. Learn how to buy a business from the entrepreneurs who have already done it. 2x per week: stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship. Hosted by Will Smith, who is on his own path to acquire a business. Also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquiringMinds Sign up for episode summaries at: https://acquiringminds.co

  1. Back from the Brink: When Everybody Quits Day 1

    2 DAYS AGO

    Back from the Brink: When Everybody Quits Day 1

    Register for the webinar: First 100 Days: Survive & Thrive as a New Business Owner - Wed Feb 26 - https://bit.ly/4hFqGle24 hours into Jack Carr's ownership of a tiny HVAC business, disaster struck. Just 2.5 years later, it did $3m in sales. Topics in Jack’s interview: All HVAC techs quit on the first dayBuying an HVAC business with no physical locationWhy he feels like his 2x multiple was too highTeaching himself HVAC skills via YouTubeHow he prices a book of businessHis process for retaining customers after acquisitionValue of a business owner communityHow Google reviews keep the phone ringingUnderstanding the risk of buying smallListening to your employees without being held hostageReferences and how to contact Jack: LinkedInTwitterOwned and OperatedPete Ciaverilla on Acquiring Minds: Bullseye: Buying a $1m SDE Business in a Hot IndustryGet $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 3rd: https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDSListen to Meeting of the Minds, our new sister podcast about independent sponsors and deal-by-deal private equity: YouTube, Spotify, AppleGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business: Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcherLearn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory: The Acquisition LabGet complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund TeamConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterEdited by Anton RohozovProduced by Pam Cameron

    1h 29m
  2. How to Buy & Transform a 120-Year-Old Manufacturer

    6 DAYS AGO

    How to Buy & Transform a 120-Year-Old Manufacturer

    Register for the webinars: Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/3QjGZYR First 100 Days: Survive & Thrive as a New Business Owner - Wed Feb 26 - https://bit.ly/4hCxC2G Subscribe to the new podcast, Meeting of the Minds: On YouTubeSpotify & Apple links coming soon!Lucas Philips bought a niche manufacturer with $200k SDE, aiming to make it an ecommerce/DTC business. It's working. Topics in Lucas’s interview: How his startup mindset influenced his acquisitionBuying a super-niche manufacturer at age 23Motivating staff (or not) with $3/hr raisesLearning to fire and trust his instinctsModernizing the businessAdvantages of buying a business youngAnxiety issues post-acquisitionHow bolt-ons have lengthened the J curveExpanding into the Porsche marketLooking ahead to using AIReferences and how to contact Lucas: LinkedInlucas@newarkauto.comNewark AutoBenjamin Ross GroupBen Jasper on Acquiring Minds: Factory Life: Buying a Manufacturer with $1m SDEThe Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a StartupWork with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses: Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital AdvisoryGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business: Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcherGet 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 MindsConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterEdited by Anton RohozovProduced by Pam Cameron

    1h 44m
  3. Behind Every Great Searcher: A Wife's Journey with Search

    FEB 17

    Behind Every Great Searcher: A Wife's Journey with Search

    Register for the webinars: Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/3X1BqSQSubscribe to the new podcast, Meeting of the Minds: On YouTubeSpotify & Apple links coming soon!Cliff & Christine Nelson navigated him buying a big but remote business while she was pregnant, then a first-time mom. Topics in Cliff and Christine’s interview: Highs and lows of the 2-year searchCliff quitting his job right before CovidBecoming parents and closing on a business the same weekWhat Cliff liked about the traditional search modelAcquiring a business with 100 employeesBeing alone in an unfamiliar city as a new momChristine getting very sick during the moveFeeling like a bad father and a bad CEO at the same timeExperiencing the J curve“I wouldn’t live through it again, but I’m glad we did it.”References and how to contact Cliff and Christine: Cliff LinkedInChristine LinkedInPsychoGeriatric ServicesLearn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory: The Acquisition LabGet complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund TeamDownload the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR: From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.comConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterEdited by Anton RohozovProduced by Pam Cameron

    1h 52m
  4. Networking His Way to $800k SDE

    FEB 13

    Networking His Way to $800k SDE

    Register for the webinars: Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/4aOwtlM Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/4hQbn9e It took Alex Holley a few months of daily meetings to find a $4.5m home services business in his local Louisville, KY. Topics in Alex’s interview: Networking through 100 meetings in 4 monthsBuying 2 businesses at onceLearning how to run a crewGoing on jobs to learn about the workLeaving consulting for blue-collar industryOwning weather-dependent businessesTaking on a friend as a silent partnerA close call with payroll the first weekBuilding rapport with the employeesHaving a blast in home servicesReferences and how to contact Alex: LinkedInBDry Systems of LouisvilleRamJackAdam Duggins on Acquiring Minds: From Determined Searcher to $75m Accidental HoldcoBen Rizzo on Acquiring Minds: How a First-Timer Did a Turnaround (Including an Exit)Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund TeamGet 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 MindsLearn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory: The Acquisition LabConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterCredits: Produced by Pam CameronEdited by Anton Rohozov

    1h 20m
  5. Buy, Grow, Exit for a 24x Return in 3.5 Years

    FEB 10

    Buy, Grow, Exit for a 24x Return in 3.5 Years

    Register for the webinars: Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/414vOtc Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business - Thu Feb 20 - https://bit.ly/42I4dPY Former guest Chris Edwards has sold the $1.7m flooring business he bought with $200k of his own money and an SBA loan. Topics in Chris’s interview: Why he chose to sell his flooring businessDeciding not to rebrandOwning and operating in a small, isolated townA countertop acquisition that went southHow a holdco is different from running one businessFetal positions and sleepless nightsImproving their customer serviceWhy he might build his next business from scratchLosing clients to a former employeeGrowing EBITDA from $500k to $1.1MReferences and how to contact Chris: TwitterLinkedInchris@sanitasequity.comChris’s first appearance on Acquiring Minds: How to Survive Acquiring a $3.5m Flooring BusinessChris’s second appearance on Acquiring Minds: Would They Do It Again? 1 Year Later with 5 Early GuestsDownload the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR: From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.comWork with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses: Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital AdvisoryGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business: Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcherConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterCredits: Produced by Pam CameronEdited by Anton Rohozov

    1h 10m
  6. How to Lead a Trades Business Without Knowing the Trade

    FEB 6

    How to Lead a Trades Business Without Knowing the Trade

    Register for the webinars: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/4aNHmEz Legal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/3PXBEX6Industry-agnostic Trip Biesanz brought his sales skills to a glass fabrication & install business doing $3m in revenue. Topics in Trip’s interview: Being a franchisee for 7 yearsNetworking through MBBI and XPXWorking with Calder Capital to find a businessNarrowing down his search to constructionValue he saw in long-term employeesManaging cashflow in constructionRelying on his team in an unfamiliar trades businessCompetitive nature of constructionHighs and lows of running a businessFranchising compared to owning an independent shopReferences and how to contact Trip: LinkedInG&C Glass, Mirror & ConstructionMBBIXPXGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business: Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcherLearn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory: The Acquisition LabWork with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses: Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital AdvisoryConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on Twitter

    1h 24m
  7. How to Move the Needle in a $600k SDE Trades Business

    FEB 3

    How to Move the Needle in a $600k SDE Trades Business

    Register for the webinars: 5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/3En1vFuLegal Aspects of Debt Financing - Thu Feb 13 - https://bit.ly/3EjjOex7 months into ownership of a $2m fencing business, Kirk Olson is learning how to manage culture, tech, and cash flow. Topics in Kirk’s interview: Achieving financial independence, but deciding not to retireBuying a business for a total life upgradeNegotiating with very difficult sellersStructuring real estate into the dealReturning after the first deal diedSales dropping after the transition Learning to calculate the cost of a jobIntroducing a CRM and ditching the faxMaking Mike’s Fencing a great place to workTurning on digital marketingReferences and how to contact Kirk: kolson@mikesfencing.comMike’s FencingJohn Murphy’s episode: The Double Life of Owning a Business 2.5 Hours AwayGet 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 MindsDownload the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR: From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.comGet complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program: Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund TeamConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on Twitter

    1h 41m
  8. Awakening to Entrepreneurship to Buy a Not-Boring Business

    JAN 30

    Awakening to Entrepreneurship to Buy a Not-Boring Business

    Register for the webinars:   Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/4hlhlic5 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/3QautetWhen Shell Zhang recognized her own tolerance for risk she stepped off a linear path to buy a $600k SDE travel business. Topics in Shell’s interview: Buying a group tour businessOvercoming key-person riskGoing from a regional company to a national companyAvoiding “boring businesses”Paying over asking price for the businessWhy payment processors consider her business “high risk”Starting from zero with online marketingWhat her clients love about the businessPossible areas for growthHer goal of redoing the websiteReferences and how to contact Shell: LinkedInNada’s ItalyLearn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory: The Acquisition LabGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business: Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcherDownload the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR: From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.comConnect with Acquiring Minds: See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on Twitter

    1h 42m
See All (333)

4.8
out of 5
219 Ratings

About

Buying a business is an amazing path for many successful entrepreneurs. Learn how to buy a business from the entrepreneurs who have already done it. 2x per week: stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship. Hosted by Will Smith, who is on his own path to acquire a business. Also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquiringMinds Sign up for episode summaries at: https://acquiringminds.co

Information

  • Creator
    Will Smith
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    333
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 - 2023, Acquiring Minds
  • Show Website
    Acquiring Minds

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