Episodi

  • Buying for Brand (Then Growing 4x)
    Jan 12 2026

    Matt Orley wanted to enter the short-term rentals space. Buying a business — and a brand he admired — was his way in.

    Register for the webinars:

    • DO’s and DON'Ts of the LOI - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/3YtLIvp
    • From W2 to Owner Mindset: How to Think About Your Take-Home Pay - Jan 15th - https://bit.ly/4qJ1Xk5

    Topics in Matt’s interview:

    • Investment properties as a side hustle
    • Evolving short-term rental ecosystem
    • Difficult transition with the seller
    • Influence of Airbnb on customer expectations
    • Importance of clear communication
    • Rolling up property management companies
    • Concentrating on one region of the country
    • Difference between urban and rural markets
    • Launching a membership program
    • Putting the brand first when making decisions

    References and how to contact Matt:

    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Red Cottage

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

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    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

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

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    1 ora e 25 min
  • $14.5m Exit After 5 Years
    Jan 8 2026

    Adam Vandermyde had to be persuaded to acquire the $15m business that he ultimately professionalized and exited for 7x.

    Register for the webinar:

    • How to Present Your Deal for Maximum SBA Success - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3KW7aWL

    Topics in Adam’s interview:

    • Leaving consulting 2 months from making partner
    • Taking on the CEO role at the target before closing
    • Focusing on EBITDA over revenue
    • A construction mistake that cost the company dearly
    • Parsing data to understand “margin per labor dollar”
    • Advantages of being in a high-growth geographical area
    • Improving customer service to stand out
    • Exiting after 5 years
    • Adrenaline rush of sharing his payday with employees
    • How it feels to be a millionaire

    References and how to contact Adam:

    • LinkedIn

    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

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

    • 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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

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    1 ora e 21 min
  • Complexity Hides Fragility: Losing a $20m Business
    Jan 5 2026

    Joe Odell and his partner acquired a business with over $4m in earnings and lots of green flags. It went sideways fast.

    Register for the webinar:

    • How to Present Your Deal for Maximum SBA Success - Jan 8th - https://bit.ly/4snUKHY

    Topics in Joe’s interview:

    • His blue collar, military background
    • Volunteering without pay for a consulting company
    • Ultimately rejecting the tech industry
    • Finding his search partner at business school
    • Seeking out a complex business
    • Doing traditional search, on his wife’s advice
    • Acquiring a home health adjacent company
    • Post-close cash crisis
    • Losing a key sales rep
    • Fatal “pen stroke risk”

    References and how to contact Joe:

    • LinkedIn

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

    • From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

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    1 ora e 34 min
  • Buying Small to Then Buy Larger ($1m SDE)
    Dec 31 2025

    The first business Joe Soelberg bought did $400k SDE. The experience and cash flow enabled a second, larger acquisition.

    Topics in Joe’s interview:

    • Leaving corporate for a chance to manage P&L
    • His toughest pitch was to his wife
    • Acquiring a 3D design firm
    • Pivoting hard during Covid
    • Hiring a manager with a design background
    • Acquiring a branding agency
    • Difference between branding and marketing
    • Retainer model for recurring revenue
    • Offering less than listing price
    • His hand-off relationship with his businesses

    References and how to contact Joe:

    • LinkedIn
    • Point B Communications
    • SONNY+ASH
    • Mike Curry on Acquiring Minds: It’s All Your Fault: How to Become CEO of Your Acquisition
    • Johannes Hock on Acquiring Minds: Buy and 3x a Project Based Business in Just 2 Years

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

    • Pioneer Capital Advisory

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

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    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

    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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 43 min
  • Passion & Profit in an American Pastime
    Dec 29 2025

    Former pro bowler Mike Fagan bought a $2m bowling center with a plan to roll up and rejuvenate these legacy businesses.

    Topics in Mike’s interview:

    • His professional bowling career
    • Connecting with a bowling-specific broker
    • Economic role of league bowlers
    • The decline of bowling in America
    • Traditional bowling vs Bowlero
    • Buying a traditional, older bowling alley
    • Running leaner to pay down debt
    • Employee resistance to change
    • Success with online bookings
    • His goal of managing remotely

    References and how to contact Mike:

    • LinkedIn
    • Tenpins & More
    • Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam
    • Carlo Santelli on Acquiring Minds: ​​How to Buy a $13m Business with No PG, No Investors
    • Webinar: Using a Sale-Leaseback to Buy a Business

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

    • The Acquisition Lab

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

    • From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

    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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 51 min
  • When You Buy a Glorified Job, Not a Business
    Dec 24 2025

    Tato Corcoran packed a lifetime of learning (and tears) into 18 months when she left tech & bought a tiny manufacturer.

    Topics in Tato’s interview:

    • Connecting with sellers through direct mail
    • Her “Say yes and figure it out later” approach
    • Difficulty in hiring unskilled labor
    • How she solved her labor issue
    • Being a single woman in a male industry
    • Learning Spanish to communicate with her employees
    • Hemorrhaging money the first 8 months
    • Raising prices 40% without losing customers
    • The difference between good growth and bad growth
    • Doubling top line revenue

    References and how to contact Tato:

    • Linkedin
    • tatohomes@gmail.com
    • The direct mail piece Tato used to reach business owners

    Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

    • From this page or contact mark@aspenhr.com

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

    • Pioneer Capital Advisory

    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
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    1 ora e 45 min
  • Getting Unstuck by Buying a Business
    Dec 22 2025

    The construction services business Christian Bateson bought will do $7.5m in 2024. It also rescued him from the depths.

    Topics in Christian’s interview:

    • His front row seat to the 2008 financial crisis
    • Qualities of a top salesperson
    • Business acquisition as a way out of a miserable career
    • Shopping around for an SBA loan
    • Choosing to play to his strengths and outsource his weaknesses
    • Difficulty in hiring for construction
    • Bouncing back and growing after Covid losses
    • Red flags he ignored when acquiring his second business
    • How his finance background benefited him
    • His $100 million goal

    References and how to contact Christian:

    • LinkedIn
    • Resolute Services

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

    • Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team

    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

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    Connect with Acquiring Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Connect with host Will Smith on LinkedIn
    • Follow Will on Twitter
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    1 ora e 55 min
  • How to Buy a Generational Brand with $20m in Sales
    Dec 18 2025

    Respected consumer brands are not common in lower middle market acquisitions, but Philip Hussey and Chenmark bought one.

    Topics in Philip’s interview:

    • Chenmark’s acquisition of Thomas Moser
    • Leading a furniture business as a non-craftsman
    • Chenmark’s hold-forever intention
    • Wait times for custom, hand-made furniture
    • Long tenure of craftsmen
    • Commitment to world-class quality
    • Getting away from offering discounts
    • Building talent through their woodworker school
    • Running a company with a strong legacy behind it
    • Downside to owning your manufacturing

    References and how to contact Philip:

    • LinkedIn
    • Thos. Moser
    • Chenmark

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

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

    • 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
    Produced by Pam Cameron

    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 17 min