Register for the webinar:

• Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - Thu Aug 21st - https://bit.ly/4oB4zAk

Bryan Houck was fatigued of his search and broken deal costs when he finally closed on an award-winning creative agency.

Topics in Bryan’s interview:

• Losing everything in a startup at 41
• Discovering his personal talents
• Using a buy-side advisor
• Ups and downs of search
• Importance of meeting the owner
• Buying an in-person creative agency
• The “Superbowl winning” team at Extra Credit Projects
• Talking to clients about price
• Buying a business at 58
• The “Stoopid Framework” he invented

References and how to contact Bryan:

• LinkedIn
• Extra Credit Projects
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

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

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

Register for the webinar:

• Overcoming Common Deal Sticking Points - Thu Aug 21st - https://bit.ly/3UrzG3F

Jeff Horn left a lucrative path to buy a $5m copier sales and service firm. 5 years later he exited for a great return.

Topics in Jeff’s interview:

• Feeling a calling to lead
• Leaving a high-paying job to search
• You have to check the character box
• Acquiring a Xerox dealership
• Spending the first 90 days building relationships
• 3 buckets of growth
• Learning to rely on great employees
• Challenges of scaling
• Growing revenue from $5m to $30m
• Exiting and becoming an investor

References and how to contact Jeff:

• LinkedIn
• Masked Rider Capital
• JD Hasley on Acquiring Minds: How to Grow Revenue 50% in Year 1

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

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

Smithlist is a job board for leadership roles at small businesses. If you're not ready to buy a business but want to lead one:

• Smithlist - Operate & Lead a Business

After success as a traditional searcher, Eric Calderon started building an industry-focused holding company in 2020.

Topics in Eric’s interview:

• Accepting investment from Rick and Royce
• Acquiring through traditional search
• Commitment to community banks
• Ups and downs of the oil and gas industry
• “You gotta tell your story to anyone who’s listening”
• Emotional challenges of downsizing
• Shared services vs. decentralization
• Recruiting patient capital for a long-term hold
• Why $1m SDE is the target size for holdco acquisitions
• Evolving from operator to investor

References and how to contact Eric:

• LinkedIn
• TXE Capital
• Rick & Royce on Acquiring Minds: The 2 Professors Who Helped Start the ETA Movement
• Reid Pennebaker
• ETA Circle - Houston

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

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