Acquiring Minds

How first-time acquirer Philippe Vanderhoydonck found a 30-year-old trade media business & bought it in under 3 months.Reach Philippe Vanderhoydonck at:LinkedInHis acquisition, PETS InternationalKey points from Philippe's acquisition:PETS International is a 30-year-old trade publication that publishes 6 magazines and hosts 2 conferences per yearGenerates 20-35% margins on low-seven-figure revenuesOpportunity is to expand online presence and product offeringAcquired for low seven figures, a 3x multiple of annual earningsAcquisition went very quickly, only about 10 weeksOfficial episode page & full show notes at AcquiringMinds.co:How to Acquire Your First Business in 3 Months

How former management consultant Scott Whitt acquired and grew a small clinical trials business into the millions.Key points from Scott's acquisition:Triad was generating $850k in revenues & large 70% marginsScott acquired it in 2015 for 3.5x earningsUsed ROBS for part of the acquisition financingGrew revenues to $3m in 5 yearsPredicts business can grow to $6-7mReach Scott Whitt:scott_whitt@outlook.comLinkedInHis acquisition, Triad Clinical TrialsOfficial episode page & full show notes at AcquiringMinds.co:Buying a Clinical Trials Firm & Growing It to $3m

Tyler Deike bought a small manufacturer for the cost of property & equipment, making the business itself almost free.Key points from Tyler's acquisition:Blackhawk Fiberwerx was doing $500k in sales with $100k in profitSeller was a retiring and overwhelmed 80-year-oldTyler couldn't due-diligence the deal to death — had to "cross fingers and dive in"Huge margin of safety. Business was selling for the combined value of its assets, so if business collapsed Tyler could recoup loan by selling assets.SBA wouldn't make a loan without soil testing the land, so Tyler got a loan from a small regional bankReach Tyler Deike:LinkedInTyler's acquisition, Blackhawk FiberwerxOfficial episode page & full show notes at AcquiringMinds.co:Buying a Manufacturer for Just the Value of Assets

Mike Yarmo bought a struggling distributor & turned it into a local powerhouse in a different niche — then sold for 5x.Key points from Mike's acquisition:Owner was disengaged, retiring, and looking to sell his food distribution companyCompany was 25 years old but had terrible marginsMike & team acquired for low 7 figures, or ~2x earningsPivoted the company, grew aggressively over next few yearsSold 5 years later for 5x earnings, and 5x original acquisition priceReach Mike Yarmo:On Twitter: @michaelyarmoSubscribe to his newsletterOfficial episode page & full show notes at AcquiringMinds.co:How to Buy a $2m Dying Business Then Sell It for 5X

How a 9-month search was rewarded by the discovery of 2 tiny e-commerce companies primed for growth.Key points from Justin's acquisitions:Acquired first company for $160k, or about 3x earningsGenerated $200k in revenues during first 6 monthsRepresented more than a 3x year-over-year increaseAcquired 2nd co with 100% seller financingPlans to 10x both cos value in 3 yearsReach Justin Harris:LinkedInJustin's two acquisitions:Walter & RosieSTACK CandlesOfficial episode page & full show notes at AcquiringMinds.co:Doubling Revenue 6 Months after Acquisition