Acquiring Minds

Will Smith
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. How to Buy & Transform a 120-Year-Old Manufacturer

    1 DAY 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
  2. Behind Every Great Searcher: A Wife's Journey with Search

    4 DAYS AGO

    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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. How a Couple Left Tech to Buy a Business Together

    JAN 27

    How a Couple Left Tech to Buy a Business Together

    Register for the webinars:  Legal Preparation for Your Search - Thu Jan 30 - https://bit.ly/4heHi355 Stages of the Business Buying Process - Thu Feb 6 - https://bit.ly/4h7HOQjRay & Dana Chery sensed a need for change in their careers. A 26-year-old portable sink manufacturer was the answer. Topics in Dana and Ray’s interview: Going all-in as a couple buying a businessHow they beat out 50 other buyersMoving from the finance world to manufacturingBuying a portable sink manufacturerHow Ray applies his banking skillsRevamping the website and logoOpportunities to sell to more school districtsChallenge of prioritizing tasks at the businessTheir vision to grow the company to 8 figuresWide variety of use cases for portable sinksReferences and how to contact Dana and Ray: Ray’s LinkedInDana’s LinkedInMonsam Portable SinksWill Gano on Acquiring Minds: After 4 Years of Part-Time Searching, SuccessWork with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses: Matthias Smith of Pioneer Capital AdvisoryGet 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 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 17m
4.8
out of 5
218 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

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