Acquiring Minds

Sensing untapped potential, Ville-Matias Vilén bought a sub-million manufacturer with good IP and global distribution.
Topics in Ville’s interview:
Desire to “eat what he kills”
1990’s Finnish Recession
Aversion to solving people problems
Acquiring a cattle brush manufacturer
Funding his deal in Finland
Patents as a moat
Relocating the manufacturing 5 hours away
Sharing ownership with his family’s company
Goal to grow 5x in 5 years
Long-term holdco vision
References and how to contact Ville:
LinkedIn
FinnEasy
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):
Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds
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
Edited by Anton Rohozov
Produced by Pam Cameron

Despite success in corporate, Jarom Wren wanted more freedom, so he traded 5 figures of salary for 7 figures of revenue.
Topics in Jarom’s interview:
Realizing he was renting himself to a corporation
Mid-career risk assessment
Searching for a digital business
Choosing the lowest cost Q of E
“Deals want to die”
Risks of a 4-year old e-com business
Offering education as well as DIY products
Deciding against using ROBS
Buying 70% of the company
His first year report card
References and how to contact Jarom:
LinkedIn
Vanlife Outfitters
Harley Sitner on Acquiring Minds: Building a Beloved Brand from a Tiny, Dying Business
Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):
Book a call with Tim or [email protected] and mention Acquiring Minds
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
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

Family planning and entrepreneurship converged as Linh & Leo Van Deibel bought their first (and not last) business.
Topics in Linh & Leo’s interview:
Making the case for business acquisition
Taking family planning into account
Searching in the UK as a non-citizen
Being taken seriously as an Asian woman
Their goal of building a holdco
Thousands of meetings with sellers
Search is a numbers game
Brutal IVF process
Giving up on acquiring SaaS
Buying an engineering consulting firm
References and how to contact Linh & Leo:
Linh Van Deibel LinkedIn
Leo Deibel LinkedIn
Their acquisition, Infrastructure Design Solutions
Linh Tran on Acquiring Minds: The Dream Outcome: From $300k to $5m EBITDA
Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:
Email Nick Akers at [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher
Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:
The Acquisition Lab
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

Jacob VosWinkel searched in tertiary markets to find a successful flooring store, his platform to build something big.
Register for the webinar:
What You’re Really Paying: Net Working Capital & Net Debt Explained - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/49WI4Ao
Topics in Jacob’s interview:
Recommending markets of 50k-100k people
Scraping BizBuySell listings
Reaching out to 200 potential investors
Raising $1 million equity in 2 weeks
Advantages/disadvantages of searching under 30
Moving across the country for the transition
Flying home on weekends
Growing to reduce customer concentration
His responsibility to employees
Growing 50% in 2 years
References and how to contact Jacob:
Jacob’s YouTube channel
Floors Galore
LinkedIn
Jordan Dubin on Acquiring Minds: First Acquisition in March, $200m by Year End
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 [email protected], and tell him you’re a searcher
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact [email protected]
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

George Stern leaned into changing consumer search habits when he bought a digital marketing agency doing mid-7 figures.
Register for the webinars: 
Which Franchise Industries Make Sense in 2026? - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4jQCN0U
What You’re Really Paying: Net Working Capital & Net Debt Explained - Jan 22nd - https://bit.ly/49mgU5Y
Topics in George’s interview:
Turning around an Amazon seller’s agency
Acquiring 2 small ecommerce businesses
Loving the customers more than the product
Selling his camping equipment business
Acquiring an SEO agency
Extreme difficulty getting a loan
Big banks aren’t always better
Choosing cold calling despite challenges
Industry knowledge is overrated
Being a “recovering, type-A control freak”
References and how to contact George:
LinkedIn
Grant and Julia Hensel on Acquiring Minds: Quitting Consulting to Buy a $1m SDE Agency
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 [email protected] 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