• From Small Acquisition to $30m Industry Leader
    Apr 2 2026

    It took Robin Kovitz fours years to find her business, which she has built into an industry leader and her life's work.

    Register for the webinar:

    • Quality of Technology (QoT) Report: Protecting Your Acquisition - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4d9F2en

    Topics in Robin’s interview:

    • Upbringing in the meat industry
    • Early career in investment banking and M&A
    • Her 4-year search for a business
    • Always visit the competitors
    • Critique of the 2-year search clock
    • "Long-termism" and becoming a B Corp
    • Her 3 non-negotiables
    • Turning around the gift basket business
    • Solving their storage problem
    • The payoff and price of high ambition

    References and how to contact Robin:

    • LinkedIn
    • Baskits

    Get a complimentary IT audit of your target business:

    • Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you’re a searcher

    If you’re serious about buying a business, learn why Acquisition Lab members have a 40% success rate:

    • The Acquisition Lab

    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 and produced by Pam Cameron

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    1 hr and 41 mins
  • How to Acquire 25 Franchise Units in 2.5 Years
    Mar 30 2026

    Jack Foster & Jake McLaughlin raised $2.8m to buy 10 Meineke stores. That equity has taken them further than expected.

    Register for the webinars:

    • Offshore Talent vs. AI for Business Buyers - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4bAIbTj
    • Quality of Technology (QoT) Report: Protecting Your Acquisition - Thu, Apr 2 - https://bit.ly/4rUHngL

    Topics in Jack and Jake’s interview:

    • Childhood friends turned business partners
    • Leaving Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Baird for entrepreneurship
    • Why they chose the franchise roll-up model
    • Consolidating units within the Meineke system
    • Applying a first-principles approach to an unfamiliar industry
    • Paying royalties as the price of product-market fit
    • Technician recruiting advantages of a strong franchise brand
    • Why they passed on car washes and quick lube
    • The real timeline of the EV threat to auto repair
    • Buying real estate and using sale-leasebacks for growth capital

    References and how to contact Jack and Jake:

    • Jack Foster’s LinkedIn
    • Jake McLaughlin’s LinkedIn
    • Meineke

    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 jenny@aspenhr.com

    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 and produced by Pam Cameron

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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Turning $25k into a $3.2m Exit in Under 4 Years
    Mar 26 2026

    Corey Mullins had worked in the trade over a decade when he bought a tiny, failing HVAC business for its phone number.

    Register for the webinars:

    • What Actually Makes a Good Deal? Patterns from 1,000+ Transactions- TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4m4gsy5
    • Offshore Talent vs. AI for Business Buyers - Tue, Mar 31 - https://bit.ly/4uW6rXG

    Topics in Corey’s interview:

    • His 20-year career in HVAC
    • Failed buyout of the family business
    • Simultaneous launch and acquisition
    • Buying a truck and a phone number
    • Build-to-sell philosophy
    • Growth through online marketing
    • Waiting too long to hire managers
    • Taking vacations no matter what
    • Evolution of the “Trade Dad”
    • Exiting to private equity in under 4 years

    References and how to contact Corey:

    • completeairquality@gmail.com
    • Cool By Design
    • Patrick Lange
    • Patrick Norris on Acquiring Minds: Buy & Build a Trash Business to a $4.4m Exit

    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

    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

    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

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 27 mins
  • 40% Growth in Year 1 of a Paving Business
    Mar 23 2026

    Eric Donahue quickly grew revenue to $6m thanks to operational enhancements, culture tweaks, and a little good luck.

    Register for the webinar:

    • What Actually Makes a Good Deal? Patterns from 1,000+ Transactions - Thurs March 26th - https://bit.ly/4lT2ajG

    Topics in Eric’s interview:

    • Navy SEAL career and retirement
    • Performing the basics at a high level
    • His tree service side hustle
    • Old school proprietary search
    • Buying an off-market paving company
    • Forgoing SBA for a conventional loan
    • Working in the field to learn the asphalt trade
    • 40% revenue growth in 13 months
    • Splitting his crew to keep the team productive
    • Using his military clearance to win jobs

    References and how to contact Eric:

    • LinkedIn
    • Peninsula Paving
    • Hunter at Hanger Law

    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

    Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

    • From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com

    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

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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Leaving Wall Street to Buy a $1m Manufacturing Business
    Mar 19 2026

    After 25 years on The Street, Brian Anderson discovered passion in buying small businesses — despite brutal challenges.

    Register for the webinar:

    • How to Handle Common Employee Issues When Buying a Business - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4sa946l

    Topics in Brian’s interview:

    • Career in investment banking/hedge funds
    • Closure of his firm
    • Pursuing small business as an asset class
    • Low multiples are fairly valued
    • Acquiring in manufacturing
    • Learning every operational function himself
    • Acquiring with no debt
    • Being away from his family M-F
    • His big mistake during Covid
    • Selling to his COO

    References and how to contact Brian:

    • LinkedIn
    • His essay on the experience: Deco Manufacturing Summary and Lessons

    Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:

    • From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com

    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

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 31 mins
  • A $6.5m Business Worth Flying To
    Mar 16 2026

    Naveen Vinta spends weekdays at the business he bought in Milkwaukee, away from home in Virginia. He's making it work.

    Register for the webinars:

    • Add-Backs to Cash Flow for SBA Loans - Tue March 17th - https://bit.ly/4luTdgd
    • How to Handle Common Employee Issues When Buying a Business - Thurs March 19th - https://bit.ly/4dnIwtD

    Topics in Naveen’s interview:

    • Army experience as a tank mechanic
    • Funding his MBA with his G.I. Bill
    • Capitalizing on “onshoring” tailwinds
    • Getting brokers to take him seriously
    • Searching for a business one plane hop away
    • Acquiring an aerial work platform business
    • Modifying lifts to make them “explosion proof”
    • 9-12 month sales cycle
    • Improving employee morale
    • Being away from his family during the week

    References and how to contact Naveen:

    • LinkedIn
    • Bailey Cranes

    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

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Bricklayer to Blue-Collar Empire
    Mar 12 2026

    After building a masonry business over 5+ years, Justin Escajeda bought his first company in 2018 and never looked back.

    Register for the webinars:

    • From Owner to Owner: Business Transition Lessons - TODAY - https://bit.ly/46K82p5

    Topics in Justin’s interview:

    • His early career as a stone mason
    • Growing his side jobs into a company
    • Liquidating his real estate investments
    • Focusing on masonry niches
    • Acquiring his first business for a 1.3 multiple
    • Recruiting managers based on work ethic
    • His flat compensation and guaranteed bonus structure
    • How he prevents fraud and mismanagement
    • Keeping company names the same after buying
    • The personal cost of overseeing 11 companies

    References and how to contact Justin:

    • LinkedIn
    • Escajeda Holdings

    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

    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

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 35 mins
  • No SBA Loan and $75k Out of Pocket
    Mar 9 2026

    After Megan McGee pivoted her search fund to a self-funded approach, she bought a business where she wanted to settle.

    Register for the webinars:

    • From Owner to Owner: Business Transition Lessons - Thu March 12 - https://bit.ly/4ctCJCw

    Topics in Megan’s interview:

    • Family background in pest control
    • Internship with previous guest Edward McDonnell
    • Starting out in traditional search
    • Investors declined to support a deal she loved
    • Pivoting to self-funded search
    • Deciding not to buy her dad’s business
    • Buying Virginia Guesthouses without an SBA loan
    • Buying from a young seller
    • Managing 75 properties
    • Her profitable first year

    References and how to contact Megan:

    • LinkedIn
    • Tato Corcoran’s recap episode: How to 4x a Small Manufacturer
    • Edward McDonnell on Acquiring Minds: Taking a Single-City Acquisition Nationwide
    • Matt Orley on Acquiring Minds: Buying for Brand (Then Growing 4x)
    • Guesthouses

    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 jenny@aspenhr.com

    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

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 25 mins