Acquiring Minds

Jon Hyatt was under LOI on a dental practice when a late-night Craigslist search turned up one he couldn't resist.
Register for the webinar: 
Structuring LOIs: Competitive Enough to Win, Bankable Enough to Close - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4s1pAWV
Topics in Jon’s interview:
Using Facebook groups for industry research
Why labor became a search constraint
The abandoned dental roll-up thesis
Discovering E.J. Willis on Craigslist
Falling for a 138-year-old heritage brand
Buying a tiny business
Navigating an asset purchase and carve-out
Selling bells to defense shipbuilders
Building direct-to-consumer bell demand
Reviving forgotten products and company history
References and how to contact Jon:
LinkedIn
E.J. Willis Co.
The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:
The Acquisition Lab
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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Elias Youssef stepped into an unprofitable plumbing company as its GM, grew it 6x, then got an SBA loan to buy it.

Register for the webinar: 
Structuring LOIs: Competitive Enough to Win, Bankable Enough to Close - Thu, Oct 22 - https://bit.ly/4B7XVHU
Topics in Elias’s interview:
Dropping out of community college
Stacking cash as an appliance salesman
Early real estate joint ventures
Breaking even on an assisted living acquisition
Seeking out HVAC mentorship
The brutality of cold calling
Operating before buying
Majority equity is majority work
Buying is easy. Running it is the hard part.
Getting out of operations
References and how to contact Elias:
LinkedIn 
Frost and Flow
Elias’s announcement of Kyle’s acquisition
Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:
Pioneer Capital Advisory
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
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

Jay Boren bought a tiny grease tool business run out of a living room, then grew it into a brand with 250 products.
Register for the webinar:
The Small Things That Sink First-Year Owners - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/3VAOWiq
Topics in Jay’s interview:
Choosing Vermont over Silicon Valley
Solving geography through ETA
Discovering LockNLube through Tuck
Turning a grease coupler into opportunity
Navigating a hostile South African supplier
Buying LockNLube as an intern
Structuring a heavily seller-financed acquisition
Expanding from one SKU to 250
Scaling through digital advertising and Amazon
Exiting LockNLube and staying through integration
References and how to contact Jay:
LinkedIn
LockNLube
Jarrett Burke on Acquiring Minds: When a Restaurant Is a Great Business to Buy
Contact Jenny to learn how Engage can run people operations in your acquisition:
Jenny Thear: jthear@engagepeo.com
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 for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.
Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.
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

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