The Reality Of Financing Business Acquisitions Online & Offline [M&A Talk] with Bakari Akil
Buying Online Businesses Podcast
A Journey into Business Acquisitions
This chapter explores the speaker's personal journey into business acquisitions, including their motivations for starting a private equity firm. It also highlights their experiences in teaching future business leaders and the benefits of acquiring established companies as a wealth-building strategy.
Whether online or offline, business acquisition can be a complex and challenging process. So, how can you navigate through this journey without all the headaches?
Joining the BOB podcast today is none other than Bakari Akil, who will share his insights on successful acquisitions.
Bakari is the founder of Graves Hall Capital, a company focused on acquiring other businesses. In 2023, he acquired a $35 million burlap bag manufacturing company in partnership with Granite Creek Partners, LLC, where he recruited the company's CEO and serves on the board of directors. In 2021, he executed the acquisition of a $25 million educational technology company with Iron Creek Partners, LLC. Prior to this, Bakari held various positions, including Director of Corporate Development for an Engineering Software company, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions for an Artificial Intelligence company, and Director at a Technology-focused Private Equity firm. In these roles, he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing multi-million dollar acquisitions.
Jaryd and Bakari discuss buying businesses. What sort of businesses does Bakari like to buy from, and why? How does he find them? What size businesses does he like to buy?
They also talk about the two mistakes Bakari has made when acquiring a business.
Lastly, Bakari shared his piece of advice with someone who is looking to start buying businesses.
Learn more about financing business acquisitions and turn your dream business into reality! Tune in to this episode today.
Episode Highlights
03:28 From 24-year-old broke to wealth-building expert
15:47 The real value in business acquisitions beyond time
26:22 From $900K acquisition to $2M revenue
33:50 From buying businesses to globetrotting the world—living the dream!
37:10 Why does Bakari share his story?
Key Takeaways
➥ Bakari's journey into buying businesses began when he was 24 years old, driven by a desire to build wealth. He explored various wealth-building strategies, such as real estate, stocks, bonds, and entrepreneurship. In his view, acquiring an existing company with a proven track record of revenue, profits, and a loyal customer base is the least risky option.
➥ Bakari highlights the importance of learning from failures, stating that the successful acquisition taught him more after overcoming doubts about the feasibility of his approach.
➥ Bakari cautions against perceiving business acquisitions as quick paths to wealth, emphasizing the need for patience and the reality of a lengthy process. The timeframe for completing a business acquisition is realistically projected to be around 18 months from the decision to pursue it.
About The Guest
Bakari founded Graves Hall Capital to acquire companies.
In 2023, he acquired a $35M burlap bag manufacturing company with Granite Creek Partners, LLC, where he recruited the company's CEO and sits on the board of directors. In 2021, he executed the acquisition of a $25M educational technology company with Iron Creek Partners, LLC.
Bakari previously served as:
Director of Corporate Development for an Engineering Software company;
Head of Mergers & Acquisitions for an Artificial Intelligence company;
Director at a Technology-focused Private Equity firm
In each role, Bakari was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing multi-million-dollar acquisitions. Bakari is also a visiting lecturer at Cornell’s Graduate School of Management, where he teaches MBA candidates how to buy businesses.
Connect with Bakari Akil
➥ graveshallcap.com
Resource Links
➥ Sell your business to us here - https://www.buyingonlinebusinesses.co/sellyourbusiness
➥ Buying Online Businesses Website - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com
➥ Download the Due Diligence Framework - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/
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➥ Motion Invest - https://bit.ly/3YmJAmO
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