Business Buying Academy

Sieva Kozinsky
  • 5.0 (5)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Sieva Kozinsky takes a close look at buying businesses. Learn lessons directly from Sieva's friends, and entrepreneurs who have bought and sold multi-million dollar businesses in non-sexy industries.

  1. SEP 2

    Selling a Crime Scene Cleanup Business for $5.8 Million - Steve Keller

    I chatted with Steve Keller, who bought two crime scene cleanup companies and sold them for $5.8 million in less than a year. This is one of the most unique business models I've ever seen, and Steve gave me a masterclass on margins, challenges, and how to run a crime scene cleanup business.  1:28 Working as a sports cameraman 3:40 Buying the first business 8:01 The second and larger business 10:09 Running the new business 22:03 How he financed the purchases 26:30 Red flags to watch for in buying SMBs 33:58 Economics of crime scene cleanup Connect with Sieva: X: https://x.com/sievakozinsky Website: https://sievakozinksy.com Connect with Steve: X https://x.com/stevekeller3 Website: https://franvestor.com/ Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    46 min

  2. AUG 8

    How to Buy & Build Hotels - A Real Estate Investing Masterclass with Jake Wurzak

    I chatted with Jake Wurzak, CEO of DoveHill, a business that develops and invests in hotels. Jake told me about how he invests in hotels, a joint venture that almost went terribly wrong, and he even critiques the hotel we recently bought in Montauk, NY.  Highlights: 5:03 Jake's first deal 12:44 A deal that went bad 20:48 Making mistakes (and why they're necessary) 22:10 Hotels as an asset class - What does Jake like about them? 30:07 Investing in an NYC hotel 37:02 Jake reviews Sieva's hotel 44:20 How Jake markets the hotels 50:07 Where is the hotel business going? Connect with Sieva: X: https://x.com/sievakozinsky Website: https://sievakozinksy.com Connect with Jake: X: https://x.com/JWurzak Website: https://jakewurzak.com - Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    1h 1m

  3. JUL 18

    He Bought a $1.2 Million Accounting Firm And Then Tripled It - Patrick Dichter

    I chatted with Patrick Dichter, owner of Appletree. He walked me through how he purchased his first business, an accounting firm, for $1.3 million, and how he acquired 2 more tuck-in business acquisitions. We go over the wins, like how he's grown topline by 3.5x, and the losses, like how he lost 40% of revenue in one day on one of those tuck-in acquisitions. Patrick also helps business buyers evaluate the quality of earnings in businesses they're looking at, so he gave us some helpful advice on evaluating SMBs for sale. Watch this one if you're interested in buying a business, especially an accounting or professional services firm.  Connect with Patrick: Website: https://appletreebusiness.com/ X: https://x.com/patrickdichter Connect with Sieva: X: https://x.com/sievakozinsky Website: https://sievakozinksy.com -  Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    39 min

  4. JUN 20

    How to Build a Portfolio of 190 Apartment Buildings - Jeffrey Jaeger

    I chatted with Jeffrey Jaeger, co-founder of Standard Communities. They manage $5 billion in assets with a portfolio of 190 properties. He told me how he got started in the business, how he found his initial niche, and tons of secret tips on how to buy, analyze, and manage real estate. Watch this one if you want to build your own real estate portfolio. 0:00 How he picked apartments over retail, offices, industrial 3:10 A word from Vesto 6:23 Buying 15,000 apartment units & finding a niche 11:54 Looking at investments in Ukraine 21:18 When you're forced to shift strategies 38:29 Dangers of partnerships & personal guarantees 47:54 The risks of every deal (but it gets easier) 1:00:19 The team & developing leaders Connect with Sieva: X: https://x.com/sievakozinsky Website: https://sievakozinsky.com Connect with Jeffrey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-jaeger-bb48b43/ Website: https://standard-communities.com/ - Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    1h 16m

  5. JUN 13

    Building a $150 Million Auto Shop Empire - Logan Leslie

    I chatted with Logan Leslie, CEO of Northern Rock. He owns dozens of automotive shops across the Southeast with more than $150 million + in annual revenue. Logan chatted with me about why he started a holding company, how he did his first deal, and dozens of other lessons from building his empire.  Here are some of my favorite parts: 3:53 A message from Vesto 4:55 Why start a holding company? 9:47 Why the automotive industry? 15:08 First acquisition lessons 24:02 How he funded his first deal 29:32 How to fund your second deal (and beyond) 39:46 Sale leasebacks 44:16 Keep the old owner of the business around? Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    57 min

  6. JUN 6

    How to Buy & Operate Businesses - He Does $400 Million a Year in Revenue (Bryan Rand)

    I spoked with Bryan Rand, CEO of Rand & Co, who owns 9 platform businesses with $400 million in total revenue. Bryan breaks down how he buys businesses, the wild story of how he started a fuel delivery business, and how he teaches his kids entrepreneurship and investing. My favorite parts: 3:32 How he got started in investing 10:40 Bryan's first deal: Buying a cigar lounge in Atlanta 13:05 Best advice for getting started buying businesses 19:07 Starting a fuel delivery business 36:30 Balancing businesses with his family life 30:00 Teaching his kids entrepreneurship 31:20 Growth partner model 33:35 How Bryan buys legacy businesses 44:45 Why Bryan prefers majority stakes Connect with Sieva: X: https://sievakozinsky.com LinkedIn:   / skozinsky   Newsletter: https://www.sievakozinsky.com/ Connect with Bryan: Website: https://rand-co.com/ Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    1 hr

  7. MAY 30

    The Home Service Wave is Ending, Here's the Next Opportunity - with Aaron Harper

    I chatted with Aaron Harper, CEO of Rolling Suds Power Washing, about how he scaled a small $2 million/year local business into a 77-location franchise system in just 2 years. Aaron tells me about why the home service wave is coming to an end - and what's next in the "boring business" space: Commercial services.  Aaron's franchisees wash office buildings, apartments, and even famous football stadiums. And there's a huge opportunity in commercial services that many are missing right now.  Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:  2:51 Power washing a football stadium  5:21 An underrated way to grow boring businesses  10:27 How the franchise business model works  16:35 Home service rollups  20:04 Forget home services - think commercial services  25:49 Should I franchise my business model?  32:25 How do you get the first few franchisees?  36:40 Aaron's content process  Connect with Sieva:  X: https://x.com/SievaKozinsky  Website: https://sievakozinsky.com  Connect with Aaron:  X: https://x.com/AaronHarperCEO  Website: http://rollingsudsfranchise.com/

    42 min

  8. MAY 23

    He Bought an Accounting Business for $2.8 Million (How to Start a Holding Company) - Dave Gilbert

    I spoke with Dave Gilbert, a holding company operator who bought two different businesses over the last two years with his partner. First they bought an accounting service for $2.8 million (Note: $3.8m was mentioned during the episode, but $2.8m is the correct figure). Dave walks us through some of the legal considerations of a non-accountant buying an accounting business, including how he expanded the services. Despite all the chaos that comes in the first year of buying a business, Dave and his partner managed to grow the business by 10%.  They also bought an engineering firm last year, and are working on finding new acquisitions. If you're interested in starting a holding company, listen to Dave's thoughtful approach to structuring deals and operating his businesses. Thanks to Vesto for sponsoring today's episode. Visit https://vesto.com/sieva to check them out. 1:01 Starting a holding company and buying 2 businesses 3:20 A word from Vesto 4:26 Dave's previous business & exit 13:23 Buying an accounting business 24:48 Structure of the deal  33:26 How to grow a business post-close 40:10 Buying the second business Connect with Sieva: X: https://sievakozinsky.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/skozinsky/ Newsletter: https://www.sievakozinsky.com/ Connect with Dave: X: https://x.com/dave__gilbert Website: https://proven.co/ Want to hire top global talent? Get started with Somewhere (I'm a customer & investor) - https://hirewith.somewhere.com/sieva

    51 min
See All (43)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Sieva Kozinsky takes a close look at buying businesses. Learn lessons directly from Sieva's friends, and entrepreneurs who have bought and sold multi-million dollar businesses in non-sexy industries.

Information

  • Creator
    Sieva Kozinsky
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Business Buying Academy
  • Show Website
    Business Buying Academy

You Might Also Like