Small SDE, Big Upside: Buying a Business with 5 Employees

Acquiring Minds

Register for the webinars:

  • Cap Tables 101: How Capital Structure Works When Buying a Business - Thu Oct 24 - https://bit.ly/4dR5CWq
  • How to Run a 2-Year Search in 2 Months - Friday Nov 1 - https://bit.ly/4dQifkn

Kristiana Laugen left tech to buy a 40-year-old pool business with $300k SDE. Fast growth from a small base is the plan.

Topics in Kristiana’s interview:

  • Her career working for start-ups
  • Her desire to “eat what she kills”
  • Finding a business sooner than expected
  • Acquiring a commercial pool maintenance/repair business
  • How commercial pool maintenance differs from residential
  • Quickly firing all but one technician
  • Making changes in the first 90 days
  • Seller retained 5% equity
  • Using an app for routing efficiency
  • The numbers game of hiring

References and how to contact Kristiana:

  • LinkedIn
  • klaugen119@gmail.com
  • Twitter
  • RD Pools, Spas & Fountains

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

  • Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:

  • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

  • The Acquisition Lab

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

  • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
  • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
  • Follow Will on Twitter

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada