The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ In this episode, Aaron breaks down how he left the real estate grind to buy an online business he can run from anywhere, the financing curveball that nearly killed the deal a week before closing, and what the first three months of actually owning it have really been like. ◼️ The niche so specific he says there's no other company like it anywhere, and why that is exactly what made him want to buy it ◼️ Why he walked away from years of flipping houses and holding rentals to go all in on a business he could run from a laptop ◼️ The $800K deal that almost fell apart when his bank pulled out a week before closing, and how he and his wife saved it in days ◼️ Why he is now working 60 to 70 hours a week on a business the previous owner ran in just 10 ◼️ The honest truth about his first three months as an owner, including the slump most people never warn you about Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-066745

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ In this episode, Reid breaks down how he bought an $895k manufacturing business on Kauai, Hawaii without quitting the offshore job he'd worked for 15 years, and how he runs it from his home in Las Vegas. ◼️ Why he almost skipped the listing, and the conversation at home that changed his mind ◼️ Why the seller picked him over two other buyers who offered similar money ◼️ The state filing quoted at 15 days that took 10 weeks and put the whole deal on hold ◼️ The deal before this one, and what killed it after he'd already flown out to meet the seller ◼️ Why the roofing side of the business never worried him, and what did Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Kyle breaks down why he left a stable corporate career to buy his own company, how he funded the deal without an SBA loan or a bank, and what it took to close a deal that fell apart three times before it finally happened. ◼️ How he found the company at a basketball game, from an owner who wasn't even looking to sell ◼️ How he bought a business far bigger than he could afford, without an SBA loan or a bank, after pitching around 60 investors ◼️ The $40,000 he paid out of his own pocket that exposed a problem big enough to change the entire price ◼️ The night the deal collapsed at the signing table, and why he refused to walk away after it fell apart three times ◼️ How the competitor he set out to beat ended up funding the deal and merging into his company Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, I break down how Jay went from 25 years on Wall Street to owning a plant leasing business that's been running for nearly 40 years and pays him $650K a year. ◼️ Why the biggest plants in a hotel lobby are rented and never sold, and how the same plant earns money at three different clients ◼️ The 10% he put down on a $2M business, and where the other 90% came from ◼️ Why a $500K business can be riskier to own than a $2M one ◼️ How he beat six other buyers without offering the most money ◼️ The profit hiding in the seller's books that the broker's numbers never showed Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Scott breaks down why he deliberately hunted businesses smaller than most searchers will touch, how he ran his entire search without leaving his job, and what it took to lift a decades-old repair company from single-digit margins to sixteen percent in his first year. ◼️ The afternoon at his old job that made him accelerate a plan he had been sitting on for seven years ◼️ How he ran a year-long search on nights and weekends, keeping his day job the whole time, with two kids under six at home ◼️ Why every other buyer promised the sellers bigger numbers than he did, and how he won the deal anyway ◼️ The employee situation two weeks after closing that ended with him needing a police escort to recover a company truck ◼️ The two mistakes he says cost him most in year one, including the one he is still paying for every month Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Christian breaks down how he bought a $1.2M-a-year business with only 5% down, what he found inside it that nobody disclosed, and how his first year as the owner actually went. ◼️ How he got a $3.45M deal done with only 5% of the price in cash ◼️ The six-figure Airbnb business he lost overnight, and why it pointed him straight at this deal ◼️ The two things nobody told him about the company until after he already owned it ◼️ The one question he'd ask every seller now, and why he never asked it ◼️ The three-week vacation he took in his first year, and what his team did while he was gone Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Ryan breaks down how he bought a grant writing business in an industry he knew nothing about, got the seller to finance 80% of it, and doubled revenue a year later. ◼️ Why the seller agreed to finance 80% of the price herself, and what she got in return ◼️ The detail in the company's history that made him stop trying to talk himself out of the deal ◼️ What happened two days before closing that nearly ended the whole thing ◼️ How long it actually took him to feel competent in an industry he had never worked in ◼️ The one thing he says he would do differently if he bought again this year Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Ramsey breaks down why he bought a business he'd never shop in himself, how he got it financed after two banks turned him down, and what it takes to run it from another state. ◼️ Why a business he would never walk into as a customer turned out to be the only one that cleared every number on his list ◼️ How two banks turned him down over the category, and why he said no when the seller offered to finance the entire purchase ◼️ The visit he made to the store as an ordinary customer before he ever bought it, and what he was watching for ◼️ What running two stores from another state actually looks like, and why he says even when he's not there, he's there ◼️ Why he still has not taken a single dollar out of the business, and the three-year plan that changes that Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Mary breaks down how she went from a tech layoff to buying a $1.05 million medical billing business she knew nothing about, what her first year of ownership actually cost her, and how she has grown it 35% since taking over. ◼️ Why she let the previous owner keep 10% of the company instead of buying him out completely ◼️ The single client that made up too much of the revenue, and how she got a lender comfortable with it ◼️ How the business went from signing three new clients a year to a dozen in fifteen months ◼️ The one thing she skipped before closing that she would never skip again ◼️ Whether AI is coming for medical billing, from someone who runs one Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Jay breaks down why he walked away from a 25-year Wall Street career to buy a business that was already running, how he closed a $2M deal in about seven months, and what his first month as an owner actually taught him. ◼️ Why he stopped building other people's wealth at a New York hedge fund and decided to own the whole thing himself ◼️ How he found his business within a day of joining and beat six other buyers without hiring a lawyer to write his offer ◼️ The add-backs he uncovered in diligence that pushed his multiple below 3x and lowered the price he paid ◼️ How a deal that was 30% real estate cleared SBA financing and an environmental review without blowing the timeline ◼️ What running a 40-year-old plant leasing business in 40 hours a week looks like with a 12-year manager on the day-to-day Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Jay breaks down why he walked away from a 25-year Wall Street career to buy a business that was already running, how he closed a $2M deal in about seven months, and what his first month as an owner actually taught him. ◼️ Why he stopped building other people's wealth at a New York hedge fund and decided to own the whole thing himself ◼️ How he found his business within a day of joining and beat six other buyers without hiring a lawyer to write his offer ◼️ The add-backs he uncovered in diligence that pushed his multiple below 3x and lowered the price he paid ◼️ How a deal that was 30% real estate cleared SBA financing and an environmental review without blowing the timeline ◼️ What running a 40-year-old plant leasing business in 40 hours a week looks like with a 12-year manager on the day-to-day Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Evan Stewart breaks down how he searched for years without quitting his day job, bought a 30-year-old commercial printing business making $1.7M a year in profit, and grew it past $3M in an industry most people write off as dying. ◼️ How he raised money from friends and family using a playbook from his political fundraising days (and the one question he used to cut his list) ◼️ The last-minute demand from the bank that nearly killed the deal, and the move by the sellers that saved it ◼️ Why he borrowed the absolute max the bank would give him for his first deal (he believes bigger is actually safer) ◼️ What happened when he realized he was "the dumbest person in the building," and how working second shift won over his 70-person team ◼️ The diligence mistake he regrets most: building model after model when he should have been studying the people Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Bailey breaks down why she stopped trusting Big Tech and bought a firm that's run since 1971, how she closed the $925K deal in six months without quitting her job, and what running it on 20 hours a week actually looks like. ◼️ Why she stopped trusting "the tech billionaires" to keep her employed and bought a business instead ◼️ How our team helped her kill the seller's balloon payment and land interest-only terms for the first two years ◼️ The rival buyer she beat out, even though the seller thought he was too "spreadsheet focused" ◼️ Why she drove her own car into a member's auto shop for an oil change, just to prove we weren't all "paid actors" ◼️ What running a $450K-a-year business on 20 hours a week looks like when you still have a full-time job Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Brian Seeling breaks down how he left a 15-year IT career, bought the very first business he ever looked at, and grew a boring commercial kitchen repair shop to almost $1.2M a quarter. ◼️ Why the first business he ever saw on BizBuySell ended up being the one he bought ◼️ The three separate times his deal fell apart before closing (and how he saved it each time) ◼️ The fine print that doubled his down payment mid-deal ◼️ How he's doubling revenue without chasing a single new customer ◼️ The no-cap commission structure that keeps his techs from milking the clock Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo _ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, David breaks down why he left 15 years of VC-backed startups to buy a 28-year-old lawn care business, how he closed with $50K down and no bank after an SBA rule change killed his first deal, and what he's doing to grow a company that hadn't added a new client in a decade. ◼️ Why a founder with an exit under his belt decided a lawn care business was the smarter bet ◼️ How an SBA rule change killed his first deal 60 days into due diligence, and the pivot that got him to the closing table anyway ◼️ The exact seller-financing structure behind a $179K close with $50K down and no bank or investors ◼️ How he rode the routes and rebuilt the P&L by hand to make sure he wasn't buying "a complete wreck of a business" ◼️ How a business that hadn't added a new client in 10 years is now adding 2 to 3 every week Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Chris Edwards breaks down how he quit a comfy consulting job in the middle of the pandemic, bought an overlooked flooring store with just 10% down, and turned it into a 24x return in four years. ◼️ How he turned just 10% down into a 24x return ◼️ Why he bought a flooring store in an isolated mountain town that bigger buyers wrote off ◼️ The year-one "I thought I ruined my life" stretch, and what got him through it ◼️ The unglamorous operator playbook that grew the bottom line, from ripping out a fax-and-paper system to bringing on offshore help ◼️ Why he walked away at the top and is now building a flooring company from the ground up, funded by the proceeds and everything the first one taught him Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Alejandro Vega breaks down why he walked away from a six-figure tech sales career to buy a concrete coatings company, how he beat out more than 10 other buyers and got in for just 10% down, and what his first two months as an owner have actually looked like. ◼️ Why his wife told him "you're the problem," and how that one conversation finally pushed him out of tech sales ◼️ How he structured a seven-figure deal with a 15% seller note to get in for just 10% down ◼️ The week-one mistake that nearly dried up his leads, and how he caught it before it cost him ◼️ Why he chose concrete coatings over plumbing, HVAC, and even a crime scene cleanup business ◼️ What his first two months actually looked like: installing the floors himself and door-knocking job sites for one-call closes Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Ryan Murray breaks down how he left a corporate career to buy a $5.5 million blinds and shutters business, why he was confident enough to sign a nearly $5 million loan to do it, and the exact playbook he used to grow it more than 50% in three years. ◼️ How he got comfortable putting everything he owned on the line for a nearly $5 million loan ◼️ The way he reviewed the deal before signing that gave him the conviction to go all in ◼️ Why he bought the building too, and ended up paying less than he would have in rent ◼️ How a boring 30-year-old business hides a steady stream of repeat revenue most buyers walk right past ◼️ The sales system he used to grow revenue from $3 million to $4.7 million without chasing new customers Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Mike breaks down why he bought a medical transportation company he'd never heard of, how he closed it with just 5% down after losing the deal once, and what running it remotely in 10 hours a week actually takes. ◼️ Why he lost this deal to a bigger buyer, and the relationship move that brought it back a month later ◼️ How a creative seller note got him to just 5% down on a $965K business ◼️ His "freakout moment" when the bank quit 60 days into underwriting, and how he closed anyway ◼️ Why an aging population gives non-emergency medical transportation built-in, growing demand ◼️ What running a Michigan business from his home in Florida in 10 hours a week actually takes Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/

Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-yt In this episode, Sarah and Matthew break down why they left venture capital to buy the only auto shop in their hometown of Aspen, how they pulled off a $1.5M acquisition with almost no money of their own, and how one shop became the first piece of a $100M+ holding company built around a single small town. ◼️ The financing structure that let two friends with almost no personal capital buy a $1.5M business and still keep 70% of the company ◼️ Why the only auto shop in Aspen was a mini monopoly hiding in plain sight, and why nobody else was competing to buy it ◼️ What happened six weeks after closing when the operator everyone thought owned the shop walked out, and how they survived running the front desk from 7:30am to 9pm for six months ◼️ How a cold call to a stranger's assistant landed the backer who helped them buy out every investor at a 2x return in just 13 months ◼️ The deal that almost became acquisition number two and died after four months, and what it taught them about which businesses to never chase Subscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (200,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/ Follow Helen: Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/