In this episode, Michael sits down with Jay Bourgana, a turnaround expert and business builder who went from immigrant roots to overseeing $350M in real estate sales—and now focuses on acquiring and scaling profitable private businesses. Jay breaks down how buying established companies can accelerate wealth creation, how to structure acquisitions without becoming the day-to-day CEO, and why this strategy pairs naturally with syndication and real estate investing. If you’re curious about business acquisitions as a scalable, high-cash-flow complement to multifamily, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways

Buying established businesses can outperform real estate on cash flow, with acquisitions often priced at 2–4x EBITDA and significant upside on exit.
This strategy is not passive — business acquisitions are best suited for operators with experience, systems thinking, and the ability to build teams.
The goal isn’t to run the business forever: acquire, stabilize, install leadership, and step back from day-to-day operations.
Three systems drive every successful business: customer acquisition & retention, talent acquisition & retention, and financial visibility.
Debt can dramatically amplify returns when paired with strong cash flow, including SBA loans and seller financing.
Recurring-revenue businesses are ideal, especially those with an install + maintenance model that creates predictable long-term income.