Acquiring Minds

Gabriel Cruz Avila bought a $1.4M remodeling business, weathered a divorce and burnout, then sold it two years later. 
Register for the webinar: 
The 3 Paths to Franchising for Acquisition Entrepreneurs - Thu, Aug 6 - https://bit.ly/4pY7VOX
Topics in Gabriel’s interview:
Lessons learned from his dad’s business
Getting bored in the oil and gas industry
Joining ETA Circle in Houston
Leaning on his warehouse management experience
Acquiring a tile and marble company
Failing to dig deep into historical revenue
Using technology to eliminate 2 admin roles
Negative working capital in home remodels
Going through a divorce
Burnout led to selling the business
References and how to contact Gabriel:
gabriel.cruz.avila@gmail.com
LinkedIn
Katy Tile & Marble
ETA Circle
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
The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:
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

Edgar Galindo and his partner bought 2 businesses with SBA loans. Now he's facing the consequences of shuttering both.
Topics in Edgar’s interview:
Construction background in his family business
“Google-funded search”
Wanted flexibility to start a family
Austin-only geographic search 
Found partner through Searchfunder
First deal: Austin landscaping company
Buying a second business within 6 months
Making quick changes to the business
Undisclosed liabilities and customer-stealing employees
Closing both businesses and facing bankruptcy
References and how to contact Edgar:
LinkedIn
Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:
Pioneer Capital Advisory
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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Raj Mahajan bought a salon software business, tripled it to $11M ARR. Then his biggest customer launched a competitor.
Register for the webinar:
Tax Issues: Entity and Deal Structuring - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4frQstm
Topics in Raj’s interview:
Wanting to move “from coach to quarterback”
Buying a niche point-of-sale software company
Converting to cloud-based SaaS
Growing recurring revenue from $4 to $11 million
Establishing a headquarters for the remote company
A failed exit to private equity
His biggest customer stealing his software
Emotional turmoil of Covid + lawsuit
Choosing to protect his team
Lessons learned from good and bad years
References and how to contact Raj:
LinkedIn
Jaan Capital
Lessons for New Operators - 2020
The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:
The Acquisition Lab
Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.
Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.
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 and produced by Pam Cameron

Patrick Beal left tech to buy an HVAC business with 90% seller financing, no SBA. He's on track to hit $3.5m this year. 
Register for the webinar: 
Working Capital: One of ETA’s Most Expensive Mistakes - TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4f8pSGY
Topics in Patrick interview:
Entrepreneurship in his family
Zoom fatigue from remote work
Searching in Northeast Ohio
Finding a business through his network
Meeting with the seller for almost a year
Structuring 10% down, 90% seller note
Underestimating working capital needs
Keeping his W-2 until the business grew
Quadrupling revenue in 2 years
Working on getting his HVAC license
References and how to contact Patrick:
LinkedIn
Temperature Control Maintenance
Linh Tran on Acquiring Minds: The Dream Outcome: From $300k to $5m EBITDA
Steve Carroll on Acquiring Minds: ETA Unicorn:  $1 Billion in Revenue in 5 Years
Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:
From this page or contact jenny@aspenhr.com
Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:
Pioneer Capital Advisory
Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.
Visit inzotechnologies.com/eta.
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

Brian Jungles bought a $400k direct mail business in Atlanta and skipped SBA by pledging his portfolio as collateral.
Register for the webinars:
Don't Rush: How to Prepare for a Quality of Earnings Report - TOMORROW! - https://bit.ly/3T4OQOJ
Working Capital: One of ETA’s Most Expensive Mistakes - Thu, Jul 23 - https://bit.ly/3T1aELe
Topics in Brian’s interview:
Leaving his corporate career at Adobe
Finding a business through his network
Acquiring for $400k cash
Getting a personal line of credit through his bank
Direct mail is still effective
Growth is a lot of work
Humbling experience of learning Quickbooks
Picture-perfect transition of ownership
Learning to translate “corporate speak”
“The entrepreneur community all wants to help each other.”
References and how to contact Brian:
LinkedIn
City Publications Atlanta
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
The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:
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 and produced by Pam Cameron