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The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Helen Guo
Every week, Helen Guo interviews successful acquisition entrepreneurs, independent sponsors, and investors who have acquired businesses. Learn how to buy a business rather than starting one from scratch from those who have done it themselves.
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- 2 days ago56 min
Why He Left Tech to Buy a $400K/yr Lawn Care Business
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (265,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/In this episode, Derrick breaks down why a laid-off finance guy bought a Seattle landscaping business, how he picked the industry by betting on what AI can't easily replace, and what the brutal first six months of ownership actually taught him.◼️ The part of the business he never saw coming until he took over, and found himself doing four people's jobs at once◼️ Why he closed the deal without the seller financing he'd always been taught to require, and what made him trust it anyway◼️ How he lost this deal to another buyer, then won it back a month later◼️ The AI tools and field software he used to run the business leaner than its previous owner ever did◼️ Why the first six months had him asking why anyone does this, and the hire that finally turned it aroundFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- 6 days ago56 min
How She Runs a $246K/yr Business Without Quitting Her Job
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/In this episode, Deborah breaks down why AI pushed her to start looking for a business of her own, how she and her husband closed on an $887K bath and kitchen remodeling company after 15 lenders turned her down, and what the first three months of actually owning it looked like.◼️ The 18% drop in revenue that made 15 lenders in a row say no, and what she found when she pushed the seller for the real reason◼️ Why she had ruled out franchises completely, and the one that changed her mind◼️ How she put the down payment together, and the move that kept a lien off her house◼️ Why the day she took over was one of the worst days for the people already working there◼️ The two hours she spent building an AI setup that cut her proposal time in halfFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- 1 weeks ago49 min
How He Bought a $1M/yr Business With His Wife
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (260,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/In this episode, Ronnie breaks down why he walked away from the company he'd run for 18 years to buy one that was finally his own, how he bought a $3.5M flooring company in Charleston without putting his wife or their paid-off home on the loan, and what it took to keep it running when the man who ran everything quit a month after closing.◼️ The man who ran the entire company quit one month after closing, and why they now call it the best thing that could have happened◼️ Why they spend nothing on marketing and still can't get the phone to stop ringing◼️ How they closed their SBA loan one day before the government shutdown froze new SBA lending across the country◼️ The imported tile that forced them to rip out a finished backsplash at their own cost, and the rule they made so it never happens again◼️ What a longtime flooring rep told Ronnie he was doing that people with 20 years in the trade weren'tFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- 1 weeks ago34 min
From Tech Startups to a $670K/yr Law Firm
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/In this episode, Amy breaks down how she bought an 18-person Los Angeles law firm clearing about $670K/yr with roughly 11% down, why she spent a year chasing HVAC and auto repair before she ever searched for a law firm, and what her first month as the new owner actually looked like.◼️ The listing she passed on a year earlier, and the reason it came back◼️ The question a friend asked her that had her searching law firms the next day◼️ The 4 or 5 accepted offers that fell apart before this one, and what kept killing them inside 2 weeks◼️ The bank with the better rates that almost cost her the deal, and who she closed with instead◼️ What the firm's most senior person told her over dinner, days before she closedFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- 2 weeks ago37 min
How He Runs a $1M Business on 3hrs/Week (Only 5% Down)
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe to the SMB Deal Hunter newsletter (250,000+ subscribers): https://join.smbdealhunter.xyz/In this episode, Clem breaks down how he bought a $1M marketing agency with only 5% down, why the first year nearly broke it, and how he rebuilt it to run on just a few hours a week.◼️ How he got the seller to finance a big chunk of the deal so he barely had to put any money in◼️ The 30% revenue drop that hit within months of closing, and the month he sat frozen before acting on it◼️ Why his fix for a shrinking business was to make it even smaller on purpose◼️ How he pulled off the entire turnaround without ever quitting his day job◼️ The second business he quietly built with the agency's own cash, and why he calls buying the agency his biggest mistakeFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- 3 weeks ago46 min
Why He Left Real Estate for a $280K/yr Business (He Can Run From Anywhere)
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe 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 aboutFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-066745
- 3 weeks ago19 min
How He Runs a $380K/yr Business in Hawaii (Without Quitting His Job)
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytSubscribe 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 didFollow Helen:Twitter: https://x.com/HelenGuo_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-guo-06674523/
- Aug 21, 202659 min
From LinkedIn Employee to Business Owner (No SBA Loan)
Want help buying a business? https://smbdealhunter.link/pro-ytIn 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 companySubscribe 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/
About The SMB Deal Hunter Podcast
Every week, Helen Guo interviews successful acquisition entrepreneurs, independent sponsors, and investors who have acquired businesses. Learn how to buy a business rather than starting one from scratch from those who have done it themselves.
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