Most first-timers shy away from buying across borders. Not Christi Loucks, whose Canadian acquisition did $550k of SDE.

Topics in Christi’s interview:

• Buying a business for personal fulfillment
• Painful broken deals
• Challenges of buying a cross-border business in Canada
• The positive role emotions play in dealmaking
• Losing (and regaining) 55% of her clients after transition
• The line between cold outreach and spam
• Constant change in the tech industry
• Unexpected expenses after transition
• Planning for her maternity leave
• Her husband’s return to a corporate job

References and how to contact Christi:

• LinkedIn
• Revenue Accelerator
• Neil Bearden

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

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

Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th:

• https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS

Garth Fasano searched part time for 5 years before finding a target with very sticky revenue & great business-buyer fit.

Topics in Garth’s interview:

• Searching for 5 years
• Benefiting from the SBA looking at calendar-year financials (not TTM)
• Top Dog’s unique business model
• Why this business should be bought, not built
• His relationship to a dog training franchise
• Impact of outcome-based pricing
• Purposely hiring less-experienced sales people
• How Top Dog differs from online marketing
• Expanding to industries outside of dog training
• His passion project: ski huts

References and how to contact Garth:

• Garth@topdogsalescenter.com
• LinkedIn
• Top Dog Sales Center

Learn more about Walker Deibel's done-with-you buy-side advisory:

• The Acquisition Lab

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of 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

Robert Graham & Aaron Blick's first acquisition did $1.2m SDE. Four years later, their roll-up generates $15m in EBITDA.

Topics in Robert & Aaron’s interview:

• Going from lifelong friends to business partners
• Impact of private equity on industry roll-ups
• Running their companies remotely
• A competing business poaching employees
• Financial shocks after taking ownership
• Why they believe in buying big
• Necessity of hiring presidents to operate their businesses
• Company presidents guaranteeing the SBA loan
• Blending SBA loans with a roll-up model
• How buyer-seller power dynamics shift after purchase

References and how to contact Robert & Aaron:

• Episode #149 Home Care Business: How to Buy and 2x an Agency
• Episode #218 Taking the Plunge into Extreme Ownership
• Robert Graham LinkedIn
• Aaron Blick LinkedIn
• Robert Graham Twitter
• Pillar Health Group
• SIG Partners

Get a complementary pre-acquisition HR & PEO review for your target business:

• Contact mark@aspenhr.com or visit Aspen HR

Work with an SBA broker who focuses exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:

• Matthias Smith of 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