Jake Bittner bought an unprofitable carve-out doing $3m. A key pivot grew revenue to $20m and got the attention of PE.

Register for the webinar:

• How to Run the SBA Deal Race - Dec 4th - https://bit.ly/44whqv6

Topics in Jake’s interview:

• Building a nest egg before leaving his job
• Fallout from his father’s failed businesses
• Calculating the value of a business losing money
• Disliking the bureaucracy of large companies
• Joining his friend to run a distressed company
• Employee war stories
• Changing the service they offered
• Achieving 60% margins
• Boosting customer retention
• Selling the company for 11x earnings

References and how to contact Jake:

• LinkedIn
• Mission Support Partners

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

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

Dave Gilbert spent 2 years fixing the model and customer concentration of the $750k SDE family business he bought with SBA debt.

Topics in Dave’s interview:

• Leaving tech to buy a white collar business
• Meeting with 120 owners while searching
• Buying a business he initially passed on
• Risks of family members as employees
• Financial surprises after the transition
• Losing 23% of revenue when clients left
• Accountants do not like change
• Recruiting top talent
• Importance of listening to employees
• Transferring his zero-to-one skills

References and how to contact Dave:

• Proven
• LinkedIn

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

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

Taylor Mattingly found high-quality revenue in an unusual and sizable B2C business that he happened to be a customer of.

Topics in Taylor’s interview:

• Being Co-CEO with his best friend
• Buying a business he was a customer of
• Acquiring a business in his hometown
• Confusing, deregulated Texas energy market
• How Energy Ogre differs from a typical broker
• Keeping his call center in Texas
• “Set it and forget it” model
• “Listening tour” in the first 100 days
• Adopting the EOS model
• Higher leverage deal structure

References and how to contact Taylor:

• LinkedIn
• Energy Ogre

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

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

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