Small business acquisition (no experience required)

The Dunns acquired cash-pay medical EHR platform Cerbo, grew it from under $5M ARR to over $10M, expanded headcount from 20 to 75, and achieved a life-changing liquidity event.

Karl Hughes's draft.dev story suggests a productised content micro-agency: fixed-price landing pages, documentation, and case studies for one specific technical vertical, fulfilled through a small bench of specialist writers.

Andrew Wilkinson's model-selection lens favors small software or productized-service bets in familiar B2B niches over capital-heavy acquisitions, especially when the operator can compare SaaS, agencies, local services, and marketplaces side by side.

Palacio and her husband bought a South Florida landscaping company expecting hands-off cash flow, survived near-ruin, and added ~$300,000 in equity value.

Brendan Duebner describes acquiring IT Total Care, a 4-employee managed IT services firm with $300k SDE, using deal structure to limit risk and intentionally building toward a 20- to 40-person team over the long term.

Tyler Hoffman bought Detroit managed-IT firm Metro Wireless in late 2021 at age 28 and scaled it from $3.6M of revenue to $9M with $2M+ EBITDA via no-equity roll-up.

The caller discussion supports pursuing a micro-SaaS acquisition or niche B2B software product for underserved verticals. Examples from the episode include payment processing and invoicing for B2B services, software for law enforcement and private security, and operations-heavy local service categories.

Mark Tilbury's roundup hints at acquiring or systematising boring local businesses as a side hustle for teenagers, framed alongside TikTok Shop and reselling.

Codie's framing is buying rather than starting, surveying businesses to acquire in 2026 with margin, scalability and AI-proof grades.

Codie runs an 80-minute 'Seven D's' masterclass teaching how to find, evaluate and buy small businesses on- and off-market, with seller-financing structures and the Contrarian Deal Box as the core framework.

Video covers Zero to $1.1B from Flipping Websites.

Codie lists strategic bolt-on acquisitions as one of six real growth levers for businesses she owns across her portfolio.

Video covers Behind The Scenes of Selling My Company For Millions | Suli Ali (#410).

Video covers If I Had To Make $1 Billion... Here’s The Business I Would Start.

Andrew Wilkinson's Tiny story suggests treating a portfolio of small vertical software and service products like a holding company: standardize pricing, hosting, analytics, and sourcing, then acquire adjacent niche SaaS products over time.

Build a 'businesses-for-sale in upstate SC' lead-aggregator that pulls listings from bizbuysell, BizQuest, broker sites and brokers' emails — a tiny SaaS plus an SEO site that flips warm leads to local brokers for a referral fee.

Video covers How Can I Start and Grow a Pet Cremation Business?.

Rob Brooks bought Gary Air, a Sarasota HVAC business, lifting EBITDA from $340K to $1.3M in 14 months while learning the trade hands-on.

David Graf acquired Danhard, an HVAC business for specialty vehicles, at a 2.7x multiple against $750k of adjusted EBITDA. He grew EBITDA 58% in 19 months through operational improvements after the acquisition.

Andrew Sova and Alex Clark explain buying Winsor Fireform, a 40-year-old Seattle porcelain enamel fabricator, with a conservative SBA deal and renegotiated price. The episode covers working-capital and work-in-progress surprises plus early marketing and operations improvements.

Joe Wechsler started by buying a struggling home care agency with under $300k of SDE. He later acquired two more businesses for zero purchase price and evolved into Blue Line Ventures, a $25m fund with 10% preferred return.

Ned Tomasevic acquired an asset rental business through a search fund after a search that yielded $1.5m rather than $2.5m in earnings. He later quadrupled EBITDA via margin improvement and moved into search investing.

Truc Nguyen explains the economics of acquiring nail salons at around 1x to 1.5x multiples. The episode covers evaluating a first salon, the SBA process, a second acquisition, and operational improvements.

Alicia Powers bought Price Builders, a residential construction company with $250k SDE, for a $750k purchase price. The deal involved a failed first negotiation, deferred payments, and seller mentorship after she obtained a GC license.

Video covers How To Increase Your Short Term Rental Occupancy.

Video covers Taking a Junk Removal Business from $1M to $10M in 2026.

Chris Farkas acquired EmergencyKits.com, a niche ecommerce brand with ~$700K SDE and 9 employees, using an SBA loan. He wrestled with a post-close J-curve and the seller's cash-accounting distorting true profitability during diligence.

The weekly recap episode highlights lessons from the week's interviews and addresses the question of whether anyone should ever buy someone else's business.

Two friends bought a failing laundromat, revived it with cost-efficient fixes and grassroots marketing, and grew it past their first $1,000 in profit, illustrating the buy-and-operate model for neglected local service businesses.

James Layfield built Clearfind with roughly $3M of his own capital as a way for founders to find and acquire small SaaS businesses, positioning it as an alternative to traditional VC.

Codie advocates direct business ownership over index funds and ends with a 7-day challenge to find and evaluate local businesses.

Video covers He Turns Abandoned Driving Ranges Into Cash Machines.

Video covers Billionaire Lawyer Reveals His Side Hustle Playbook..

Video covers Is Alex Hormozi A Legit Businessman Or A Fake Guru?.

No take is available for this episode.

No take is available for this episode.

No take is available for this episode.

No take is available for this episode.

No take is available for this episode.

Sujith Shankar financed a HELOC-priced first auto-shop acquisition 3.5 points below SBA rates and added a 50/50 seller-partnered second shop within a year.

Edgar Galindo and a partner used SBA loans to acquire an Austin landscaping business and a complementary Dallas company six months later. Hidden liabilities, employee misconduct and legal disputes caused personal bankruptcy and the loss of both businesses.

Alan Turkus bought a $20m home healthcare and hospice franchise with 150 employees as a first-time buyer. The episode covers investor backing, SBA loan details, seller notes, a failed ROBS attempt, and franchise considerations.

Zack Mutnik bought Jeff Masters Electric, an electrical contracting business in southwest Florida with claimed $700k SDE, found on BizBuySell. Year one exposed suspicious margins, turnover, lawsuits, and a difficult seller transition.

No take is available for this episode.

Manolo Diaz Corrada bought telecom and electrical contractor Bonneville Group at $12.5M of revenue with SBA approval, targeting 1,000 jobs created over time.

Adam Whelchel bought Lakeland Escape Room at $365K of revenue and ~$105K of SDE, using a $108K depreciable-asset allocation and bonus depreciation to offset a ~$95K tax bill.

Justus Luttig acquired Copeland Home Services, combining two Texas trades businesses with $1.5m of pro forma earnings, without an SBA loan due to visa constraints. The deal used seller rollover, seller notes, investor equity, and a convertible note.

Caleb Standafer bought Springfield Tool & Die for $5m in revenue and grew it 40% to $7m in year one. The episode covers SBA debt, environmental issues, process improvements, and a customer representing about 75% of revenue.

Tom McCormick left a software leadership career to buy Quality Cutting and Coring, a concrete cutting and coring business with $1.4m of SDE. The discussion covers search strategy, deal structure, and post-acquisition changes.

Paul Callahan bought Metro Metal Works, an Atlanta precision fabricator with about $1M in earnings, closing in 2025 with SBA financing and a buy-side advisor. He also acquired the underlying real estate and is modernizing tech and a laser upgrade.

Chibunna Chimezie tells Acquiring Minds he used an SBA loan to buy Veterans Room, a behavioral-health provider, for $1.6 million in August 2025, keeping 89% equity, then survived a two-month telehealth revenue freeze using his post-acquisition liquidity plan.

No take is available for this episode.

Pat Beal, a former B2B SaaS PM, bought a Northeast Ohio commercial HVAC and refrigeration business in May 2024 for ~$330K with 90% seller financing. He grew revenue from under $1M to a projected $3.5-3.6M, roughly 4x in two and a half years.

No take is available for this episode.

Gabriel Cruz Avila bought Katy Tile & Marble, a 30-year-old Houston-area remodeler, for $1.44M with SBA financing in early 2024. He modernized ops, then sold the business two years in after a personal divorce for emotional health over maximum price.

Gina Rosen bought Seasons Jewelry, a small wholesaler, in July 2023 using a HELOC and kept her W-2 for a year. She is reinvesting all profits while navigating tariff-driven manufacturing pressure.

Greyson Boerner bought a 28-year-old Southern California church pew restoration shop, paying roughly 3x SDE that dropped to about 2x after pre-close growth. The business is on pace for $2M revenue and ~50% growth after a competitor closed mid-diligence.

Brendan Guerin and three friends bought a Chicago-area dog daycare a few months after college, kept their day jobs, and used roughly $200,000 of earnings to acquire several pet care locations, eventually owning the real estate while preserving local names, teams, and community ties rather than standardizing the way a private equity consolidator would.

Kyle Holmes bought Quail Ridge Golf Club for $7.3M with SBA 504, conventional debt, and a seller note, betting on $500K-$700K of business earnings plus land value.