Kaustubh Deo - NYC Private Equity to a Tree Service Acquisition in Seattle - Ep.114

My guest for this episode is Kaustubh Deo. Kaustubh recently acquired a tree service business in Seattle through a self-funded search after working in private equity in New York. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Kaustubh over the last two years and have found him to be one of the most insightful thinkers in the search space.

A good portion of our conversation focuses on concepts like risk-reward and making transitions, topics he has given a lot of thought. Throughout our discussion, we talk about the differences operating in large private equity compared to in small companies, loosening his deal-breaker list, effectively investing his time learning the new business, and YouTube strategy for the tree service industry.

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Links:

Kaustubh Deo on LinkedIn

Blooma Tree Experts

Guilty of Treeson on YouTube

SingleOps & the Green Industry Perspectives Podcast

Topics:

(4:24) - Would you ever get on YouTube?

(5:43) - Why don’t tree-climbers gravitate toward W2’s?

(8:21) - What’s your main recruiting base?

(10:49) - Are you seeing any tree service content creation outside of YouTube and Instagram?

(11:48) - How did you end up in the world of tree services?

(14:02) - How did you decide to focus on the Seattle market?

(17:31) - What was your deal process like?

(19:13) - Thoughts on Deal-breakers in search

(22:40) - The deal experience in private equity vs. small business acquisitions

(26:15) - What are some ways you tried to learn about the company’s culture without interacting with the employees?

(31:12) - What are some ways you are looking to improve communication with customers?

(37:34) - What’s your transition been like actually running the business?

(41:15) - How helpful has it been seeing customer interactions first-hand?

(43:10) - The differences in operations for private equity acquisitions vs. small businesses

(46:40) - Do you have any advice for people in Search?

(48:42) - What were your personal preferences when you started your search and how did those change over time?

(52:30) - What growth goals do you have for the next 10 years?

(54:58) - What college class would you teach if it could be about anything?

(57:08) - How do you determine the risk vs. reward balance in a decision?

(58:59) - What’s a strongly held belief you’ve changed your mind on?

(1:01:51) - What’s the best business you’ve ever seen?