Brendan Guerin was 21 when he and 3 friends bought a dog daycare on the side. Today: 6 Midwest locations.

Register for the webinars:

• Debt Financing Your Deal (SBA & Independent Sponsor) - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4rRpQaY
• The Small Things That Sink First-Year Owners - Thu, Oct 15 - https://bit.ly/4idBtVx

Topics in Brendan’s interview:

• He bought his first doggy daycare at 21
• The first acquisition was a deliberate starter deal
• Four partners split ownership and responsibilities.
• The $1.1M deal included real estate
• EBITDA margins approached 50% before rent
• Buying real estate protects long-term business control
• Midwest real estate makes their model work
• Covid unexpectedly supercharged dog daycare demand
• Brendan eventually left finance to operate full-time
• Today, Argos spans six Midwest locations

References and how to contact Brendan:

• LinkedIn
• brendan@argospartners.com

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

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• 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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Tyler Hoffman has bought 4 telecom companies with no outside equity, and works 15 hours a week to get to $50m.

Topics in Tyler’s interview:

• Lessons from being fired repeatedly
• Finding and acquiring Metro Wireless
• Filling experience gaps with charisma
• Financing the $4.5 million acquisition
• Navigating a difficult ownership transition
• Discovering hidden operational problems post-close
• Losing half of earnings — and surviving
• Rebuilding Metro Wireless through operational improvements
• 3 tuck-in acquisitions
• Balancing business growth with personal autonomy

References and how to contact Tyler:

• LinkedIn
• Hoffman Capital
• Metro Wireless
• Jeff Homer’s webinar: Architecture of an Entrepreneurial Roll-Up

Get 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 Minds

The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Pioneer Capital Advisory

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron

Colin King and his 50/50 partner have paid themselves little since 2018, reinvesting profits back into their businesses.

Topics in Colin’s interview:

• Growing Circle City Capital’s business portfolio
• Don’t call them private equity
• Why Colin stopped wanting operational roles
• Why critical mass matters for holdcos
• He still earn less than operators
• Holdco strategy versus industry-specific rollups
• The fox versus hedgehog framework
• Learning through hands-on operating experience
• Why chasing money can make things harder
• Costly mistakes and failed acquisitions

References and how to contact Colin:

• colin@circlecitycapitalgroup.com
• LinkedIn
• Colin King’s first appearance on Acquiring Minds: How to Build a $28m Holdco (in 6 Years)
• Circle City Capital Group

Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.

• Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.

Contact Jenny to learn how Engage can run people operations in your acquisition:

• Jenny Thear: jthear@engagepeo.com

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

• Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

Connect with Acquiring Minds:

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

Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron